October 2014 Issue – Volume 39 • Number 10

Artistry Versus Commerce Balance Is Everything

For this month’s column I’ve chosen to discuss the most-asked question I receive at shows, at clinics, and on the Web: “How do you balance finance and drumming?” The quote by the great Irish playwright Oscar Wilde sums up the…

Tim Very

After four years with the dynamic rockers Manchester Orchestra—and a few before that paying dues on the indie scene—he’s finally gotten the chance to take full ownership of the drums on a widely anticipated album. And, boy, does he own…

Maya Tuttle

Photo by Nicholas Rhodes/nickydigital.com The Colourist plays pop music—but it’s pop with teeth. As you’re drawn in by the group’s sunny boy/girl vocals, you might miss some rather less-than-cheerful lyrics. And if you think the beatsmith at the back is politely…

Ryan Brown

Photo by Thierry Joubaud Since 2006, the music of the late, legendary Frank Zappa has been alive and well in the repertoire of Zappa Plays Zappa, a band led by Frank’s son Dweezil. Until recently, Joe Travers had the job…

Duple/Triple Single-Diddle Gear Shifters Part 1: 8th-Note Triplets and 16ths

In part one of this two-part series, we’re going to isolate our timing and sticking “gear shifts” between 8th-note triplets (twelve notes per measure) and 16th notes (sixteen notes per measure). Not only will these exercises be great for your…

Syncopation Revisited Part 5: Afro-Cuban Applications

Welcome to part five in our continuing series on ways to interpret the classic Ted Reed book Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer. This time we’ll apply Afro-Cuban ideas to the written manuscript. The following applications can be…

Rudy Royston

This fearless drummer refuses to let anything get between him and his musical goals—not hard work, not the naysayers…not even the sonic limitations of the traditional drumkit. And that boldness is on stunning display on his debut album as a…

Ian Paice

How does a band—and not just any band, mind you, but one that’s among the loudest and baddest to ever walk the earth—keep up the intensity decade after decade after decade? According to the only man who’s ever filled Deep…

October 2014 Issue – Volume 39 • Number 10

Groove Freedom Part 3: 32nd-Note Patterns

Welcome to the third and final installment of my “Groove Freedom” series. For those of you who missed the first two lessons, these articles are based on exercises from my latest book, Groove Freedom. The book is built from the…

Bill Stevenson: All or Nothing

Bill Stevenson’s playing in Black Flag and the Descendents provided an archetype for hardcore drumming, making Stevenson perhaps the most influential player from the original West Coast punk scene. Beyond the kit, his bandleading and songwriting credits with Descendents and…