May 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 5

Bopworks - Drumsticks and Brushes

Faithful reproductions of classic models as well as contemporary designs with a vintage twist.

Guitar Center Destination Drum Shops

With more than 280 stores from coast to coast offering just about everything in the way of musical instruments, accessories, and audio gear, you’d think that the retail giant Guitar Center could easily rest on its laurels. “No way,” says…

New Drum Gear from Tama, Remo, Rogers, Etymotic Research, Vic Firth and Ahead!

Tama Superstar Hyper-Drive Duo Drumkit Tama’s new Superstar Hyper-Drive Duo features maple shells with black nickel hardware, die-cast hoops, and the aluminum Star-Cast mounting system. The 10x14 Duo snare drum doubles as a floor tom and an extra-deep snare. The…

Finding a Balance

Drummers often grapple with certain questions or problems that could be answered by simply finding the right balance between two choices. For example, a popular debate among drummers is the choice between using traditional or matched grip. Or some players…

St. Vincent’s Matt Johnson

A Profound Evolution

Five-Note Phrasing

Part 1: Creating Rhythmic Tension

Do You Need to Read Music?

Weighing the Pros and Cons in an Age-Old Argument

What’s Your Favorite 1980s Metal or Hard Rock Drumming Album?

This month we dive into the third installment of our series on great ’80s drumming performances with a focus on metal and hard rock tracks. As usual we asked MD readers and social media followers for their take on the…

Paramore’s Zac Farro

Spending your teenage years making records and touring the world on a rocket ship to stardom is every young musician’s fantasy. Choosing to jump off that rocket while it’s still on a steady ascent may seem like madness. For this…

Santiago “Jimmy” Vela III on the Sword’s Used Future

Monstrous grooves underlie heavy riffs and Black Sabbath–inspired melodies on the group’s latest release.

Smashing Pumpkins’ Jimmy Chamberlin

For the second incarnation of the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, as heard on its new album, The Parable, the mighty drummer, who came to prominence in the ’90s with the Smashing Pumpkins, gathered players from East and West Coasts to create…

101 Drums - 5.5x14 Woodfiber Snare

Lightweight and weather-resistant shell with a big, robust sound.

John McLaughlin’s Ranjit Barot

Drumming in the 4th Dimension

May 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 5

Next to None’s Max Portnoy

Within the international drumming community, the name Portnoy is synonymous with progressive metal. Through his work with Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Flying Colors, Transatlantic, and, most recently, Sons of Apollo, Mike Portnoy has garnered every award and accolade imaginable…

Yamaha - Tour Custom Drumset

An aptly named series designed to bring full, versatile tones to any stage and at an economical price.

How to Play Odd Time Signatures

Part 1: 16th-Note Meters

Zildjian - K Sweet Series Cymbals

Larger, darker, and thinner cymbals with just enough transparency and brightness to sit comfortably in any mix.

Great '80s Drum Performances

Part 3: Heavy Rock

Belle and Sebastian’s Richard Colburn

For a touring band, life can imitate This Is Spinal Tap in any number of ways, from getting lost backstage to prop and gear malfunctions to, of course, drummers spontaneously combusting. And then there are predicaments that not even the…