September 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 9
Articles in September 2020
Odd Groupings on the Offbeats
Alternative Rhythmic Placements for More Adventurous Options If you’ve been working through my articles over the past few years, you’ve been exposed to a good number of odd subdivisions, particularly quintuplets. We almost exclusively start those advanced rhythms on the…
Joe Russo
When you search his name on the internet, you’ll be surprised to find a website claiming that he was knighted by Prince Charles some years back because he’d given the royal such inspiring drum lessons. He himself will be the…
Kentville Drums
Australia’s Preeminent Instrument Restorer and Kangaroo-Hide Drumhead Producer Vintage drums are revered by drummers, producers, and studio owners all over the world, providing time-tested tones that are often preferred over the sound of modern kits in nearly any musical setting.…
John Dolmayan
The System of a Down drummer and successful comic book publisher has released an album of diverse, reimagined covers as well as an exciting new original comic book with an epic story line. Before the coronavirus lockdown, John Dolmayan was…
Beats and Fills
A Smattering of Favorites from a Few Top Pros This month we’ve gathered a collection of favorite beats and fills from some of the top drummers in the world.Each of these transcriptions was pulled from a Modern Drummer exclusive video…
Bill Bachman
Bill Bachman is a world-renowned educator with twenty-five years of teaching experience, including more than fourteen years in online education. He specializes in hand technique and rudimental drumming. MD: What came first, providing online content or offering online lessons? Bill:…
ddrum - Dominion Birch with Ash Veneer Drumset
A gorgeous mid-priced lacquer-finish kit with high-quality features and pro-level tones. Earlier this year, ddrum reintroduced the Dominion series, which is the company’s birch-shell counterpart to the all-maple Dios line. These drums are designed to provide professional-grade sounds and performance…
Paiste - Formula 602
New Additions to a Classic Line In 1959, Paiste debuted the Formula 602 series as its first high-end cymbal line. These models ushered in a level of sonic consistency that has since become a signature of the Swiss company’s engineering.…
Dom Famularo
Dom Famularo is affectionately and deservedly known as “Drumming’s Global Ambassador.” He’s an acclaimed performer, educator, author, and motivational speaker. Dom is also one of the pioneers in online education, starting back in the early ’90s with the birth of…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 3: Downstrokes, Taps, and Upstrokes If we used only free strokes, our playing would become pretty dull, since every note would be played at the same stick height and dynamic level. In order to add accents and dynamic contour…
Dave Weckl
Dave Weckl is one of the most accomplished drummers of his or any generation, having toured and recorded with everyone from Chick Corea to Paul Simon. Inducted in the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2000 and named one of…
Jay Rudolph
MD contributor Lia Braswell catches up with her old friend, who recently toured with the much-admired folk-rock act Weyes Blood. Weyes Blood, the alias of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Natalie Mering, has been soaring through the music scene with her…
Bill Rieflin (1960–2020)
Bill Rieflin did more than just adapt his drumming skills to fit musical settings as vastly different as the Revolting Cocks and Robyn Hitchcock. He used those skills to make significant contributions live and in the studio to three incredibly…
The Classic Recordings of Ginger Baker, Part 2: Tilt-a-Whirl
Like the amusement park ride—whose name was pinched for a song by Masters of Reality, one of the many unique projects Ginger Baker involved himself in the post–classic rock era—the variety and exuberance of Ginger’s later output could make your…
In the Studio With Brothers Osborne’s Adam Box
Adam Box moved from Meridian, Mississippi, to Nashville in 2010. He has a musical background, having grown up playing drums at church and in his dad’s band. Box is also adept enough on other instruments to mix, arrange, and produce.…
Critique
RECORDINGS Sweet Spirit Trinidad The latest release by one of Austin’s sharpest and most prolific musical troupes finds drummer Danny Blanchard focusing on the groove. Sweet Spirit is the dance floor–friendly pop inverse of fellow Austin band A Giant Dog.…
Stay Inspired!
It’s a great honor to write my first Overview since becoming CEO and publisher of the world’s longest-standing drum publication—and well beyond that, resource—for drums, drumming, and drummers. I’ve been an ardent reader of Modern Drummer since 1979, two years…
Online Education
Online music instruction existed long before the coronavirus came along, but there’s no denying that the pandemic has had a huge effect on the life of the average working musician, who almost overnight saw live playing opportunities nearly evaporate. Hopefully…
Mike Johnston
Mike Johnston is a trailblazer in online education, having seen the immense potential within the platform when YouTube first launched in 2005. Today his aesthetic and educational delivery is seen as the benchmark. MD: How long have you been involved…
