February 2023 – Volume 47 • Number 2

ROLAND INSTRUMENTS FOR FIRST TIME DRUMMERS, AND EXAMINING THE PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE EFFECTS OF DRUMMING

Roland TD-02 V-Drum Series The Roland TD-02K and TD-02KV V-Drums kits provide a premium musical experience for first-time drummers, practicing students, and adults looking to start playing drums again. The kits are based around the TD-02 module, which includes 16…

Pat Petrillo Groove Breakdowns

Pat Petrillo breaks down some important Roots Grooves that every drummer drummer know. EARL PALMER GROOVE: The great Earl Palmer is one of my favorite drummers. He influenced an entire generation of drummers from Ringo all the way up to…

Phil Seamen: Percussion Genius, Legendary Rebel, and Born Raver By Peter Dawn

One day in late 2022, my phone rang, it was drum industry stalwart John DeChristopher telling me that fellow drum industry vet Colin Schofield was trying to get in touch with me. I emailed Colin only to learn about a…

Understanding the Language of Music A Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony

Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote an excellent book called Understanding the Language of Music, a Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony. This book spells out the basics of theory and harmony in a very organized and easy to understand…

Pat Petrillo’s drum solo on “Runnin”

This month’s transcription is Pat Petrillo’s solo on the song “Runnin’” from his recording Pat Petrillo: The Big Rhythm Band, The Power Station Sessions. He explains, “We do a cool version of Earth Wind and Fire’s “Runnin’.” They were in…

GEWA G3 Studio Electronic Drum Kit

German musical instrument manufacturer GEWA was founded in 1925 in a region known for its rich musical history. In 2020, GEWA began developing digital drums as part of their drum division. The subject of this month’s product closeup is the…

Brann Dailor: Mastodon’s Modern Metal Master

Brann Dailor is an interesting drummer. He was brought up around musicians, and it wasn’t a question of if he was going to play music. It was a question of what instrument would he choose to play? His interest was…

The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming Two Consecutive 16th Notes

Bobby Rondinelli and Michael Lauren wrote The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming. It takes a slightly different approach from our ongoing studies from the Joe Franco book on double bass drumming. Last month we began with some basics. This month’s…

PARAMORE’S ZAC FARRO ALWAYS EVOLVING

Drummer Zac Farro was 16 years old when Paramore’s second album Riot! was released. Shortly after the release of their next record, Brand New Eyes, Zac went out on his own. He left the band in 2010, marking the end…

TAMA ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF NEW STAGESTAR SERIES KITS

New for 2023, TAMA has announced the release of their new, super-affordable STAGESTAR drum kits. STAGESTAR provides a full sounding drum set with durable hardware and functional cymbals. 100% Poplar 6ply 7mm shells produce full, dynamic tones for each drum.…

Double Bass Drumming Accented Rolls and Accented Patterns with Triplets

As we continue to include sections from Joe Franco’s book Double Bass Drumming, this month Joe teaches us about playing accented rolls and accent patterns over a double bass drum roll that uses his Single Stroke System. This is a…

The Four Practice Pockets #1 Release Your INTUITION

“Good practice is fluid and adaptable, it mirrors nature.” The IREC practice model (Modern Drummer Dec. ’22) is when we use the four practice pockets of Intuition, Reps, Edges, and Celebration to get more out of the time we have…

The Art & Challenge of Teaching

I am writing this on the last day of 2022, in preparation for my last semester of teaching full-time at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. Why am I leaving such a coveted job? The…

Persistence

As I read this month’s Modern Drummer, I see a common theme, persistence. Unfortunately, as I look around the musical world (and the world in general,) I see less and less of it. There seems to be a lot of…

Doc Sweeney’s Hollocore Snare Drum A Resonating New Twist on Shell Construction

The guys over at Doc Sweeney Drums are well known for putting together a high-quality product. They are also known for having no fear when it comes to thinking “outside the box.” A lot of people like to throw that…

Pat Petrillo: Big Rhythm from Jersey

Pat Petrillo is the quintessential hard working professional musician. He is both a “drummer’s drummer,” and to some, an unsung hero. Pat has earned the respect of his peers and has built a great reputation in the drum industry. He…

February 2023 - Volume 47 • Number 2

Jerry Shirley’s Humble Pie Ludwig Roses Set

You never know what you’ll find on Craigslist. What initially looked like the crappiest set of drums I’ve ever seen, turned out to be one of the greatest and most iconic rock and roll drum sets of our time with…

Mark Kelso Expect the Unexpected

Mark Kelso is not your typical Canadian or your typical drummer. He doesn’t follow hockey, root for The Toronto Maple Leafs, live on poutine, or eat all of his meals at Tim Hortons. However, after getting over that initial shock,…