Search
Advertisement

January 2016 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 1

by Russ Miller Last month we started our discussion of product endorsements with the equipment manufacturers. I encourage you to read through that article again to familiarize yourself with some of the terms we’re using this month. We’ve been joined by three of the top artist-relations directors in the drum industry: Joe Testa of Vic Firth, Joe Hibbs of Mapex, and Bob Terry of NFuzed. If you’re wondering whether you’re in a position to have an endorsement, in all honesty you’re probably not. Testa comments on this: “Focus on your playing and the music. I will find you. I will see you play, and I will hear about you from other players.” Of course there are exceptions, but when you’re ready you will probably be asked by a company to join its roster. Have you ever seen a Nike endorser that you hadn’t already heard of? I doubt it, because […]
TO READ THE FULL STORY:

Articles in January 2016

Tycoon - Triple Play Cajon

Tycoon Triple-Play Cajon Three distinct playing surfaces for ultimate tonal variety. For thirty-plus years, Tycoon has been manufacturing top-quality hand percussion instruments at its own factory in Thailand. The company’s expansive catalog includes authentic representations of Latin American congas, bongos,…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

News

Out Now   Converge Thousands of Miles Between Us Metalcore pioneer Converge is dropping the multi-format audio/video release Thousands of Miles Between Us, the centerpiece of which is a full twenty-song show filmed in HD on the All We Love…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

New and Notable

Zildjian Premium Cymbal Bags and Cases The Zildjian 24" rolling cymbal vault, which features a molded polyethylene shell that holds five to ten cymbals, provides protection and durability. For lightweight yet sturdy transport, the 22" and 24" premium cymbal bags…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Neil Peart

For his (record) ninth MD cover-story interview, Rush’s drummer holds a typically fluid and intense discussion of soloing and set lists, the very real differences between his drumming past and present, and the much-speculated topic of his band’s future. Interview…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Flam It Up: Add Some Meat to Your Fills

  by Rich Redmond Flams are fun! A flam is defined as a soft stroke, or grace note, and a louder main stroke played closely together to sound like one. Flams can be closed (less space between strokes) or open…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015
Advertisement

Kit of the Month

"I am always experimenting with objects of all kinds to create new sounds, colors, and textures,” Brian Melick of Ravena, New York, says. “With my son at a Lego BrickFair in Virginia, I watched two children and their parents build a…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Provenance - 4x14 VW Snare

Provenance 4x14 VW Snare From the scraps of a funky old work van to one of the funkiest-sounding snares around. by Michael Dawson The U.K.-based Provenance Drums specializes in repurposing materials from specialty vehicles like Jaguar sports cars, racing yachts,…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

World Groove Independence Mash-Up

  Improving Facility With Afro-Cuban Inspiration by Mike Johnston When I began writing my latest book, Groove Freedom, the goal was to gain flexibility both within my students’ grooves and my own. As I practiced the book’s systems, I realized…

Modern Drummer
Nov 18, 2015

The Future State of the Art

Eleven of today’s most forward-looking players ponder how drumming will evolve as we hurtle ever deeper into the twenty-first century.   In its hundred-year history, the drumset has been adorned by temple blocks, timpani, and bass drum heads with nature scenes painted…

Modern Drummer
Nov 6, 2015

It's Questionable - What's This Ride?

"I bought this Meinl ride on Craigslist, and I’ve been wondering if it’s a rare cymbal. The writing on it says it’s a Byzance series 21" Dry ride, but when I searched for that exact model I couldn’t find anything.…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Modern Drummer: The First Decade

In the mid-’70s, a relatively unknown drummer named Ron Spagnardi had a big idea: to create the first independent magazine for and about drummers. He had no funds to speak of, and even less experience in publishing. He did, however,…

Modern Drummer
Nov 6, 2015

Critique

Frank Zappa Roxy: The Movie Fans of Zappa and the Mothers’ seminal double-drum-powered live album Roxy & Elsewhere, rejoice! Recorded over three nights in December 1973, Roxy: The Movie is the visual companion to the classic live Frank Zappa album…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015
Advertisement

The War on Drugs’ Charlie Hall

The War on Drugs hit the ground running after Lost in the Dream was released in March 2014, and never slowed down in 2015. MD caught up with drummer Charlie Hall while the band was performing in Miami. “On this…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Kosa 2015

The innovative drum camp and festival celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a genre-bending lineup featuring heavyweights Dennis Chambers, John Blackwell, and many more.   The KoSA 2015 Grand Finale   KoSA’s annual International Percussion Workshop, Drum Camp, and Festival took place in…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

This is 40

by Adam Budofsky There are forty-year periods…and there are forty-year periods. Back in the Paleolithic era, all we managed to accomplish in a few million years was figuring out how to knock out some basic stone tools. The big headline…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

How to Practice: Get the Most Out of Whatever Time You Have

by Gary Williams Enthusiasm is your fuel to improve your drumming. You probably spend time working on grooves and fills, playing along to recordings, searching YouTube for videos, attending concerts, practicing from method books, and jamming with other musicians. These…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Progressive Drumming Essentials

  Part 6: Syncopated Double Bass...the Easy Way by Aaron Edgar When I began working on double bass, I was inspired by drummers like Gene Hoglan, Raymond Herrera, and Thomas Lang, all of whom seemed to have a never-ending supply…

Modern Drummer
Nov 19, 2015

Yamaha - Stage Custom Birth Hybrid Kit

Yamaha Stage Custom Birch Hybrid Kit An all-in-one setup for blending acoustic and electronic elements. by Michael Dawson Being that it manufactures acoustic drums, electronic pads, sound modules, drum triggers, and a full range of hardware, Yamaha is in a…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Amedia - Kommagene Series Cymbals

Amedia Kommagene Series Cymbals Dark-finish cymbals with appropriately dark yet cutting tones. by Michael Dawson Commagene is the name of an ancient civilization that existed from 163 BC to 72 AD in a region of Europe that now comprises south-central…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015
Advertisement

Eddie Knight: A Living Legend of Leedy Lore

Eddie Knight with his ’30s Broadway Standard in rainbow pearl finish by Harry Cangney When I walked into the South Bend, Indiana, drum studio of veteran drummer/teacher/collector Eddie Knight, I picked up more sensory input than I could process. On the…

Modern Drummer
Nov 9, 2015

Advertisement