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November 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 11

Drummer Ben Bigelow had two of his musical passions in mind when he designed this ultra-modern hybrid setup. “I’m a big fan of jazz and ambient music,” says drummer Ben Bigelow, “and this kit is an attempt to blend the two styles. I’ve always loved how drummers such as Paul Motian create texture and ambience with their brushwork, so I mostly play brushes with this kit—though with sticks, it’s killer for drum ’n’ bass.” Bigelow’s hybrid electronic/acoustic kit consists of a Roland KD-120 electronic bass drum pad (triggering many different sounds), a 6.5×14 Recco snare circa the 1950s, a Roland VH-12 electronic hi-hat (usually triggering 808 hats), two Zildjian K Constantinople Sound Lab Prototype cymbals (a 21″ Flat ride from 2019 and a 22″ Medium Thin Low ride from 2006), and a Roland TD-20 drum module. The unique aspect of the setup is that although it has minimal pieces, the […]
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Articles in November 2020

“Sticks & Wires”

An extensive two-hour course on drum miking by top session/touring drummer Blair Sinta that covers everything from bare-bones one-mic setups to more intricate applications. After graduating from the famed music program at University of North Texas in 1995, Blair Sinta…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Barrett Deems

The Self-Proclaimed “World’s Fastest Drummer” This month I’d like to talk about the great Barrett Deems. Barrett wasn’t as much of a household name in the big band world as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, or Louie Bellson, but he was…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Rogers USA - Covington Series Drums

A faithful reproduction of the mid-century originals with a fewwelcome upgrades. Rogers is one of the oldest names in American drum manufacturing. Joseph Rogers founded the company in 1849 to make drumheads, but in the 1930s his son steered the…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

The Go-Go’s’ - Beauty and the Beat

Among the facts that the band’s recent Showtime documentary made clear: Without the crucial early leadership of drummer Gina Schock—or her crack drumming—we likely wouldn’t be talking about them forty years later, and the history of rock would be a…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Zigaboo Modeliste on “Cissy Strut”

The Meters’ Funk Master Shares the Essence to Nailing This Timeless Two-Hand Hi-Hat Groove “‘Cissy Strut’ is a song that was written by Leo Nocentelli, and he was very good at writing rhythms,” said Zigaboo Modeliste in an online course…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020
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In the Studio With Kenny Chesney’s Sean Paddock

When drummer Sean Paddock isn’t out playing stadium shows with country superstar Kenny Chesney, he’s in his newly built riverfront home studio making music. Paddock had a small area allocated for recording in his previous house, but moving to a…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Jimmy Cobb 1929–2020

“It just sounded good,” Jimmy Cobb told MD in a 1979 interview. “And it just seemed to get better as it got older.” This is a colossal understatement. The “good” album the humble drummer is referring to is Kind of…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker

Though Kevin Parker has handled pretty much every task on Tame Impala’s recordings since the earliest days, he’s always considered himself a drummer first. And getting the drums just so has always been Parker’s main objective even as his processes…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

The Earth Is a Drum

A Grammy-winning, world-traveling producer makes the case for looking beyond technology and academia for rhythmic and musical inspiration. A sage, veteran live-sound engineer in San Francisco used to joke that he could already tell how much a drummer was going…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Tony Allen

A Tribute to the King of Afrobeat Drumming Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen’s contribution to modern music runs as deep as his groove. As the creator of an entirely new drumming style, his contributions are profound, and his influence has reached…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Critique

RECORDINGS Theraphosa Transcendence Yet another debut from an international heavy-rock band that slays. A product of Paris’s ever-more-prolific metal scene, Theraphosa named themselves after one of the most “metal” inspirations we’ve seen recently: the largest genus of spider in the…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

March 1983

I was with Keith Moon the night before he died. We went to the premiere of a Buddy Holly film. There was a reception and we were talking with Paul McCartney and he said, “I’ve got this idea and I…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020
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Stick Technique Revisited

Part 5: The Moeller Whip Stroke The Moeller whip stroke is named after Sanford “Gus” Moeller, a famous teacher from the early 1900s who became known for teaching a whipping motion used by Civil War drummers. In recent years, “Moeller”…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Matt Cameron and Dale Crover

The Pearl Jam and Melvins drummers are but two of the rhythmatists tapped for Plan D, a multipart project helmed by studio scientist Toshi Kasai on which drums and analog synths combine to form a joyful noise. Los Angeles–based producer…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Who’s Your Newest Favorite Drummer?

Stella Mozgawa By Robin Laananen Stella Mozgawa .Milan Brau George Daniel from the 1975.Rod Scherger Samus Paulicelli .Isaac Mc Conkey For the complete package of sounds and personality, I have to go with Aaron Sterling. Saw him live with John…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Jerry Granelli

It’s hard to think of another drummer who’s found more success making music in such disparate situations. Yet, always, he’s done things his way. More than a classic soundtrack, it’s a seasonal institution. The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s jazz score to…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Kevin Parker’s Approach to Tame Impala’s Drum Production

In the new age of music, very few artists, producers, or performers can truly stand out and make an impact with what they do and the emotions they divulge. Packing a powerful psychedelic space-pop sound, Tame Impala has united and…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Remembering Neil Peart

Part 3: The Professor’s Improvised Warm-Up Routine When Neil Peart came up with a series of topics to cover for his course on DrumChannel.com, he said he wanted to include his warm-up routine. I expected it to be a series…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

Aynsley Dunbar

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Jeff Beck in the 1960s. Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Journey in the 1970s. Starship and Whitesnake in the ’80s. Any rock aficionado will recognize the legendary status of these artists. The connection between them? This…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020
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Turkish Cymbals - Cappadocia Series

Dry and funky, just like the region for which they’re named. Turkish Cymbals is—not surprisingly—a Turkish company that fabricates a wide array of contemporary and traditional-sounding cymbals utilizing a combination of ancient and modern processes. Each instrument starts from a…

Modern Drummer
Oct 1, 2020

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