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September 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 9

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 after Ron and Isabel Spagnardi launched the magazine. So much of what the Spagnardis envisioned continues to flourish and evolve as MD, long before my involvement, stood for a community of drummers to celebrate, educate, inspire, and unite the world of drumming. Now more than ever, inspiration is a main focus of the Modern Drummer team. Today all of us face so many distractions, challenges, and conflicts in the world that practicing our art, growing as an artist, and truly experiencing the joy that our art form brings can be a struggle. Being inspired is the antidote for the tough times that we’re persevering through right now. As you go […]
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Articles in September 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Wood and Weather Drum Shop

Indian Orchard, Massachusetts Joe Barthelette is proof that you don’t need to be in or near a major city to have a successful vintage drum business. Enticed by a drool-inducing Instagram feed and website showcasing the various crown-jewel kits, snares,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020
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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.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 28, 2020

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,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 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,…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020
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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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Live-Streaming Setups

As much of the world continues to be locked down due to COVID-19, professional educators and performers of all ranks are having to quickly adopt new ways to deliver their instruction and art in high-quality digital form. Here we outline…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Istanbul Mehmet, Latin Percussion, Gruv Gear, and more

Istanbul Mehmet Bossa and Crystal Ride Cymbals The Bossa ride has an unlathed top and a fully lathed bottom and is said to have a dark, washy sound and offer clear stick definition. The JB 15" Crystal ride, designed in…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020
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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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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