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March 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 3

Time is tight for many of us. If we had unlimited time to shed, we’d probably spend hours behind the kit. But the reality is that life’s twists and turns can keep us busy. Therefore, I try to practice things that exercise multiple skillsets simultaneously. This approach has served well for many of my students over the years. An exercise that I frequently assign deals with three topics simultaneously: the weak hand, subdivisions, and sight-reading skills. The exercises in this lesson may prove useful to quickly sharpen up these areas of your playing.
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Articles in March 2018

The Chick Corea & Steve Gadd Band, Arturo O’Farrill and Chucho Valdés, Good Tiger, Quartet NL, and more!

RECORDINGS Courtesy of Steve Gadd The Chick Corea & Steve Gadd Band Chinese Butterfly Two iconic instrumentalists reunite, striding further. In a highly anticipated reunion, keyboardist Chick Corea and STEVE GADD co-lead a top-flight band in a mix of electric…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Alesis - Strike Pro Drumset

A top-notch e-kit built to look and feel like an acoustic set while offering unlimited sonic capabilities.

by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

Dream - Re-Fx Naughty Saucer

A recycled cast-off turned into a multi-purpose electro-inspired effect.

by Michael Dawson
Jan 31, 2018

Marty Beller With They Might Be Giants

The drummer and composer stokes an already roaring blaze underneath a raucous group’s latest worldwide trek.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Erik Rosengarten
Jan 31, 2018

Remembering Ben Riley, Frank Capp, Grady Tate, and Chuck Blackwell.

Ben Riley This past November 18, the American jazz-drumming great Ben Riley passed away at the age of eighty-four. A brief list of Riley’s credits includes Alice Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Barron, the New…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018
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Appreciation and Gratitude

Photo by Jeff Smith Happy New Year! It’s that time again, when we reflect back on the past year and appreciate all the wonderful opportunities we’ve been blessed with. Time has always fascinated me. Maybe being a drummer has something…

by Billy Amendola
Jan 31, 2018

Big & Rich's Keio Stroud

When national artists record in Nashville, they call on world-renowned studio greats like Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Lonnie Wilson, Greg Morrow, and Chad Cromwell to put down the ultimate version of a track. But when those artists need a sub…

Story by Aaron Strickland | Photos by Joey Tanner
Jan 31, 2018

Professional Drum Shop

Hollywood, California

Interview by Patrick Berkery
Jan 31, 2018

John Convertino on Calexico’s The Thread That Keeps Us

A presidential election, a trip west to the coast, and an immersion in nature invigorate the indie mainstay’s latest foray into Tex-Mex-infused Americana bliss.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Eric Stoner
Jan 31, 2018

Edit Bunker’s Zach Danziger

FROM FUSOID WILDCHILD TO ELECTRO-VISIONARY

Story by Ken Micallef | Photos by Lloyd Bishop
Jan 31, 2018

The 2017 Hollywood Custom and Vintage Drum Show

Drum enthusiasts from around the globe convened at the Glendale Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California, this past October 7 to check out informative clinics and a plethora of new and vintage drumming gear. The stellar performance lineup included Jason McGerr…

Story and photos by Bob Campbell
Jan 31, 2018
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Drum Fills: Keep It Simple, or Shred?

Drummers have to consider plenty of options when choosing an appropriate fill to play in a given situation. Factors such as voicing, subdivision, density, and speed comprise just a few of the choices. While keeping these options in mind, we…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

The Failure Percentage

Preparation and Professionalism Always Win Out

by Russ Miller
Jan 31, 2018

John Clardy On Tera Melos’s Trash Generator

Diving Deep Into the Experimental Trio’s Latest Release

Article by Austin Burcham | Photo by Colin Eldridge
Jan 31, 2018

Seven-Over-Three Polyrhythms

Exploring the Space Between an Odd Grouping

by Aaron Edgar
Jan 31, 2018

Modern Drummer 2018 Readers Poll Winners

Hall of Fame Clyde Stubblefield James Brown He wasn’t simply a funky drummer, he was the Funky Drummer. And all you have to do to understand how he earned that famous nickname is to listen to the music he recorded…

Modern Drummer
Jan 31, 2018

Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart: 1961-2017

It seemed that Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart existed to dispel the moronic clichés informing most drummer jokes. The dude could seemingly do it all. Killer drummer. Great singer. Amazing songwriter. He was also a supremely talented visual artist who designed…

Story by Patrick Berkery | Photo by Ebet Roberts
Jan 31, 2018

Jimmie Vaughan's George Rains

As music journalists, we try to avoid using superlatives, like, say, “the greatest living blues drummer.” At the same time, it’s inarguable that for those who’ve been in a room where the Austin drumming icon George Rains is playing, the…

by Cleve Warren
Jan 31, 2018
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Drum Wisdom: Legendary Educator Michael Carvin

One could take issue with Michael Carvin’s insistence that he isn’t a jazz drummer. His credits as a sideman for Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, and Pharoah Sanders, of course, suggest he’s wrong in that assertion. But in talking with him…

by Keith Carne | Photo by Rahav Segev
Jan 31, 2018

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