December 2017 Issue – Volume 41 • Number 12
On 01st Dec 2017
Articles in December 2017
Drum Design Knowledge, Part 2: Shell Types and Thicknesses
Last month we discussed hoops. This time we’re discussing the thickness of the shell and what you can expect sonically from the various designs. Drum shells have been made in different thicknesses over the years, from a single half-inch piece…
New Gear from Tama, Ahead, Remo and Wuhan!
Tama Lars Ulrich Worldwired Starclassic Drumkit As part of the Starclassic series, this six-piece limited-edition replica kit features 8-ply/7mm maple bass drums and 6-ply/5mm maple toms. This pro-level instrument has the same purple finish as the kit Lars uses on…
Yamaha - Rydeen RDP2F5 Drumset
An excellent entry-level option with quality sound and sturdy hardware.
Mark Guiliana
Touring is tough. And the ordeal of modern flying has upped the headache factor. But Mark Guiliana has learned to deal: He’s traveling ultra-light and loving it. The Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet is touring the U.S. and Europe in support…
Learn to Love Easy
There’s a folksy old saying that goes something like, “People sure do make things more difficult than they need to.” We’ve all made that observation at one time or another about others—and, let’s be honest, at times we even make…
Eli Keszler
When the Brooklyn-based performer and composer Eli Keszler settles in behind a drumkit, it’s likely that he’s given as much thought to the space he’s playing in as the notes he’s filling it with. “As a composer it’s essential that…
Queens of the Stone Age’s Jon Theodore
It’s been four years since the esteemed ex–Mars Volta drummer began playing in QotSA. Now we’ve been gifted with the multifarious Villains, and at long last we get to hear what he sounds like on a full-length record with the…
Roy Mayorga With Stone Sour
With the hot new album Hydrograd in hand and health issues put well behind him, the drummer is amped to be back on the road for Stone Sour’s headlining tour.
Justin Brown
Thirty-three-year-old Oakland, California, native Justin Brown is an extremely busy bicoastal musician whose drumming with Thundercat, Gerald Clayton, Christian McBride, Stefon Harris, Kenny Garrett, Esperanza Spalding, and Vijay Iyer is simply a foretaste of his brilliant debut album as a…
Paiste - 900 Series Cymbals
Hand-hammered 2002 bronze with a special dark finish for a slightly warmer tone.
What’s Your Favorite Prog Drumming Record?
To coincide with this month’s feature on twelve heartland prog-rock drumming albums, we asked our readers and social media followers for their own favorite prog records. Plenty of choices featuring drum legends such as Bill Bruford, Neil Peart, and Phil…
12 Heartland Prog Albums
In the 1970s, defiant artists native to America’s erroneously labeled “flyover country” developed thriving and idiosyncratic music scenes far from the media glare of the coasts, in cities as unlikely as Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky. Here we present…
The Psychedelic Furs’ Paul Garisto
Paul Garisto joined the iconic post-punk band the Psychedelic Furs in late 1983 and remained with them until early 1988. After that initial run with the band, he toured and recorded the album Instinct with Iggy Pop, contributed to albums…
Jon Theodore Style and Analysis
From his days playing mind-melting Mars Volta compositions to his current gig with the rock giants Queens of the Stone Age, Jon Theodore has inspired drummers with powerful grooves, explosive fills, and rock-solid time. His ability to craft the perfect parts…
Dennis Bryon
Since the mid-’70s, Dennis Bryon’s hypnotic grooves have been responsible for luring most of the civilized world’s population onto the dance floor. Bryon accomplished this feat by playing with one of the most successful groups of all time, the Bee…
The Circuit - An Ambidextrous Routine for Ultimate Control
https://vimeo.com/239498551 This month we’ll check out a challenging coordination study. The goal of this routine is to become comfortable playing any pattern leading with either side of the body. Right-handed drummers typically play with the right hand on a cymbal,…
Roy McCurdy
On playing on the classic 1963 album Sonny Meets Hawk! I’d been working with Sonny Rollins for about a year prior to recording that album. Sonny was such a strong player that he made me play strong. He loved Coleman…
Modern Drummer 2018 Readers Poll
Make your voice heard in the most important poll in the drumming world! Voting is open November 1-24, 2017. Hall of Fame Jimmy Cobb Roger Hawkins Levon Helm Danny Seraphine Clyde Stubblefield Studio Jay Bellerose Matt Chamberlain Steve Jordan Miles…
