September 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 9
Articles in September 2020
18 Drummers to Follow on Instagram
Worldwide pandemic or not, we’re all spending more time online nowadays, and there’s plenty of drumming action happening on the social media platform Instagram, which allows users to upload photos and videos. With a video length restriction of sixty seconds,…
Arturia - AudioFuse 8Pre
A simple, sleek, and super clean-sounding audio interface with enough channels for eight mics. As if becoming a proficient drummer wasn’t hard enough, in today’s technological landscape being able to record yourself well is arguably of equal importance. Objectively speaking,…
Remembering Neil Peart
Part 1: “Malignant Narcissism” When it comes to breaking down the drum parts on the instrumental song “Malignant Narcissism” from Rush’s 2007 studio album, Snakes & Arrows, there’s no better place to go than the man who played it, Neil…
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…
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…
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…
What Was Your First Favorite Drum Record?
Vivid by Living Colour. Will Calhoun plays masterfully and with tons of power. It was perfect: playable but loaded with nuance.Scott Sparks Manu Katché on Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live. I was around five, and it just blew my mind.…
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…
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…
Roland - TD-27KV V-Drums
A top-quality mid-level kit with next-level components. This year Roland introduced two new configurations of electronic drumsets. One is the Acoustic Design, which features full-size wood shells, wrap finishes, and enhanced response for a more authentic playing experience. We’ll cover…
5 Fun Lessons to Get Today’s Youth into Drumming
If your child is banging his or her dinner utensils around and smacking pillows with plastic lightsabers, it’s likely time to transition your budding rhythmatist to some drum lessons. The challenge is how to maintain the entertainment factor of bashing…
Don Lombardi
Drum Workshop founder Don Lombardi launched Drum Channel in 2008, and since then it’s been one of the premier sources of drum education on the Internet. Drum Channel boasts content from some of the top names in drumming history, including…
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…
Russ Miller
Russ Miller has been a staple of the Los Angeles studio scene for many years, and he’s recorded with everyone from Ray Charles to the Psychedelic Furs and appeared in house bands for television shows. Miller has created his instructional…
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…
Avenues to Excellence
15 MD Cover Artists Reveal the Big Ideas That Put Them on the Road to Success The abundance of educational material online, as well as great teachers to mold your passion and enthusiasm into technique and musicality, are massively beneficial…
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…
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…
