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June 2022 – Volume 46 • Number 6

Today, many drummers are playing complex rhythms with their feet that some drummers struggle to play with their hands. The speed of the extreme double bass drumming heard in modern (speed, black, and death) metal bands is astounding. Many younger drummers want to start out by playing along to this music and by playing these furious beats immediately. As I have found with many students, this can be very frustrating, and seem almost impossible. There are many analogies that apply here, putting the cart before the horse, crawling before you can walk, or walking before you can run. Learning the “traditional” way of double bass drumming is essential to developing those extreme double bass drum chops. Amazing double bass drummers such as Joey Jordison, Thomas Lang, and Virgil Donati didn’t invent double bass drumming. Double Bass Drumming began in the 1940s with drummers like Louie Bellson and Dave Black. It […]
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Articles in June 2022

Vic Firth Introduces new stick and Rute Models

Nate Smith Signature Stick Nate Smith is renowned globally by drummers for his unique pocket, versatility, musicality, and infectious energy he brings to the drum set wherever he goes. His new signature series drumstick from Vic Firth feels like an…

By Nic Kubes
May 31, 2022

Alejandro Sanz’s HELEN DE LA ROSA

Playing with legends, virtuosos, and top touring musicians is unattainable for many, but for Helen De La Rosa, it is as natural as day and night. Helen has gone beyond playing it safe, her career is anchored in perseverance and…

By Daniel “Ziggy” Laverde
May 31, 2022

Tracktion Presents Chop Suey A New Kick Drum Plugin

Tracktion Corporation is proud to present Chop Suey, the new kick drum plugin from Dawesome and the renowned techno producer Björn Torwellen. Watch the launch video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-SfZsc4fCY Sinee and Dawesome is a collaboration between mathematician and AI veteran Peter…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022

Los Cabos Drumsticks Salutes Women in Drumming

Los Cabos Drumsticks are proud to endorse a talented roster of female-identifying artists. From metal to country, and every genre in between, LCD are represented globally by award winning female musicians. Through their #ThinkPink campaign, LCD also make significant contributions…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022

Todd Sucherman’s Pearl Masterworks series Styx touring kit

The kit shown here is a Pearl Masterworks series outfit that Todd Sucherman used with Styx over 10 years of touring. It features a stunning Bubinga wood finish- with bass drum heads to match. The bass drum heads that match…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022
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Sabian Anthology Cymbals

The new Sabian HHX Anthology series was designed to deliver the full spectrum of both ride and crash in each cymbal, without compromising sound or feel. Sabian and Jojo Mayer’s goal behind Anthology was to allow the individual to designate…

By Nic Kubes
May 31, 2022

Latin Percussion Expands Carlos Santana Signature Series, The Alex González Signature Cowbell

Latin Percussion (LP) is proud to announce another milestone collaboration with multi Grammy Award winner and philanthropist, Carlos Santana. The existing line-up of Santana branded drums and collectables now features Africa Speaks and Black Magic instruments to further complement the…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022

Peter Erskine-Lauren Ellis: Women in Drumming, Mentorship

This month’s Jazz Insights column focuses on my former USC student and teaching assistant Lauren Ellis. Her bio informs us that, “Lauren is a drummer, composer, and educator from Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. There, she studied at the Te Kōki…

By Peter Erskine
May 31, 2022

A Salute to Women in Drumming

While we were planning this month’s Salute to Women in Drumming issue, I happened to be talking with Peter Erskine. We talked about the fact that singling out women drummers could be counter-intuitive, and segregating people by anything other than…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022

Canopus Jonathan Pinson Signature Snare Drum

As an in-demand player, Jonathan Pinson needed a snare that suited his approach to jazz, while also being versatile enough to adapt to any musical situation. The result from his collaboration with Canopus drums is a practical, versatile, and vintage…

By Nic Kubes
May 31, 2022

Behind the Legends

The Modern Drummer LEGENDS books are a rare opportunity for a drummer to talk about and examine his entire drumming career. Kenny Aronoff has been covered quite thoroughly in his many past Modern Drummer feature interviews. In those interviews he…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022
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“How To Get What You Want” Breakdown

We were in the studio one day trying to get different drum sounds and I was playing this minimalistic beat to hear what was going on in the recording. When we were listening back to it, I said, ‘We should…

By Elise Trouw
May 31, 2022

Zildjian Reflexx Pad

Since its initial release, the Reflexx practice pad has made waves in the drumming community. It is helping more drummers integrate conditioning into daily practice than ever before. With such high demand, a relationship with Zildjian seems like a natural…

By Nic Kubes
May 31, 2022

Touring Life and Lessons

For this month’s article, I’m going to share some of my experiences from over the years while on tour with various artists. I’ve been fortunate enough to have done many different “levels” of tours, everything from stadiums to smaller 200-300…

By Billy Ashbaugh
May 27, 2022

Hayley Brownell

Making it to the world stage as a musician can be one of the most difficult things to do. Despite the challenge, there is a common theme among those who have successfully reached for the stars and landed. Hard work,…

By Daniel “Ziggy” Laverde
May 31, 2022

Jordan West

Jordan West is a talented musician who is harnessing the power of creative midi controllers and electronic drums to help elevate and support the artists she tours and records with. Her videos that showcase live looping and hybrid drumming are…

By Tony Verderosa
May 31, 2022

Karen Carpenter: Close To Her Drums

Karen Carpenter’s intuitive choice of instruments was drums, but she had to break down a few invisible walls, crack a few glass ceilings, and crash a few cymbals along the way. However, by the height of her career with her…

By Scott Gudell
May 31, 2022

ProMark Drumsticks Partners with Anika Nilles to Launch Signature Stick

ProMark Drumsticks is thrilled to announce the launch of the Anika Nilles Signature Stick, available now. The Anika Nilles Signature Stick is made from hickory with an acorn wood tip. It measures .545”/ 13.8mm in diameter and 16” / 406.4mm…

Modern Drummer
May 31, 2022
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Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault: Bun E. Carlos’ Cheap Trick-Sgt. Peppers Ludwig Drum Set (and more…)

I first met Cheap Trick drummer, Bun E. Carlos in the early 1990s. We’ve been buying, selling, and trading each other drums for decades. When he taught a drum clinic at my shop in the late 1990s, he surprised everyone…

By Donn Bennett
May 31, 2022

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