May 2014 Issue – Volume 39 • Number 5

Steven Schick

So strong was his teenage attraction to modern percussion music that he outright defied his parents in order to dive headfirst into the budding genre. As a recent retrospective concert makes clear, today his name is nearly synonymous with the…

Ricky Wellman

Ricky “Sugarfoot” Wellman may be most widely known as jazz master Miles Davis’s last touring drummer, but perhaps more important is his role in the genesis of go-go music, a marathon funk style indigenous to the Washington, D.C., area. Wellman…

Shifting Sands

Rhythmic Transition Examples Transitioning from one time signature, tempo, or musical style to another is a very common technique in modern jazz. These shifts are often referred to as metric modulations, where a specific note value from the current tempo…

Dubstep Drumming Part 1: The Basics

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music known for its head-nodding beats, dark atmosphere, and ear-shaking bass. It draws on many other genres, including Jamaican dub, hip-hop, jungle, drum ’n’ bass, and 2-step, while fusing them into a unique…

Rhythm And Timing Part 3: Single 16ths

This month we’re going to focus on the four different single 16th notes, which are “1,” “e,” “&,” and “a.” Playing just one note may seem simple, but it can be quite a challenge to isolate “e” and “a” and…

May 2014 Issue – Volume 39 • Number 5

Amadeus

Trey Songz tour drummer and musical director Antwan J. Thompson always had big plans for himself. You can consider the bold nickname he’s had since he was a kid as evidence. It’s been quite a journey for thirty-three-year- old Antwan…

Rachel Fuhrer

  If you try to pigeonhole Ume, you’ll fail miserably. The same can be said for the band’s hard-hitting drummer, whose road to rock ’n’ roll glory has been anything but predictable. Rachel Fuhrer hasn’t seen her central-Texas home very…