January 2010
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Strictly Technique: Top 10 Rudiments
The drag is the tenth and final rudiment in our series. If you’ve been practicing these rudiments and exercises correctly, at a wide variety of tempos, then your hands are now trained with all of the necessary motions required to…
Incubus's Jose Pasillas - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
A year off for good drumming behavior: Incubus's beat-smith dives headlong into jazz technique during an extended band hiatus, and comes out a stronger rock player. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year…
Rock Perspectives: Polyrhythms
In the third part of this series (November ’09), we applied a four-against-three polyrhythm to either the ride cymbal or the bass drum, while the snare drum played the backbeats on 2 and 4. Now let’s take things a step…
Basics: Master Time
When I was a college student in Madison, Wisconsin, in the ’80s, I encountered the funk drumming legend Clyde Stubblefield. At that time, Stubblefield himself was not as well known as the classic grooves he played with James Brown, and…
Muse's Dominic Howard - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
It’s the day before the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and Muse—singer/guitarist/ keyboardist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard—is on stage at New York City’s Walter Kerr Theatre, preparing for its U.S. television debut. The plan for…
Gov't Mule's Matt Abts - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
Mistakes? He's made a few. But Gov't Mule's longtime drummer knows that sweating the small stuff doesn't pay when your goal is jam-band Nirvana. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15%…
Rufus Wainwright's Matt Johnson - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
Rufus Wainwright's Matt Johnson On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road by Patrick Berkery The live arena is where drummers sink or swim. There’s no “fixing it in the mix” if you flub a fill, no…
Rodney Howard - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work
Modern Drummer readers recently spoke loud and clear about their love for New York–based drum sensation Rodney Howard by voting him runner-up in the Pop category of the 2009 MD Readers Poll. Howard’s fashionable flair and passionate playing style have…
Branford Marsalis's Justin Faulkner On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
How does a teenage newcomer follow one of the most heralded drummers in modern jazz history? Follow the song, kid, follow the song. At the fresh-faced age of eighteen, Justin Faulkner has not only replaced one of the premier drummers…
Gimmie 10! Brad Mehldua/Chick Corea Regular Jeff Ballard
Big-picture tips from the drummer who’s an integral part of Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, and Brad Mehldau’s trailblazing ensembles. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine 47 Years…
TLC's Tom Knight - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
One of the top drumming guns on the Atlanta music scene, Tom Knight made his mark with the Grammy-winning producer Dallas Austin, who once called Tom “a human MPC3000??? for his impeccable timekeeping. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN…
Off The Record: LIFEHOUSE’S Rick Woolstenhulme Jr.
Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. has been the drummer for Lifehouse since 2000. In the ’90s, after high school, he moved to California from his home state of Arizona and attended the Los Angeles Music Academy, where he spent most of his…
Concepts: When To Lead And When To Follow
There are three ways to keep time when you play with an ensemble. One is to lead, another to follow, and the third is something often referred to as “band time.??? Let’s take a look at each of these and…
Backbeats: Ari Gold's Adventures Of Power
Actor/musician/writer/director Ari Gold (yes, that’s his real name) has had an obsession with air drumming since he was a kid listening to his sister’s Rush records. In the new comedy feature film Adventures Of Power, which he wrote, directed, and…
Backbeats: Ari Gold's Adventures Of Power
Actor/musician/writer/director Ari Gold (yes, that’s his real name) has had an obsession with air drumming since he was a kid listening to his sister’s Rush records. In the new comedy feature film Adventures Of Power, which he wrote, directed, and…
14 Reasons To Love The Doors' John Densmore
The original four-piece lineup of the Doors was together for around six years, from its formation in mid-1965 until the death of frontman Jim Morrison in July 1971 at age twenty-seven. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access…
