Donny Gruendler
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Video Lesson! Fundamental Fills, Part 5: Six-Stroke Stickings
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the December 2016 issue, which is available here. Basics Fundamental Fills Part 5: Six-Stroke Fills by Donny Gruendler During the 1960s, Motown drummers such as Benny Benjamin, Richard “Pistol”…
Video Lesson! Fundamental Fills, Part 3
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the October 2016 issue, which is available here. Basics Fundamental Fills Part 3: Right-Hand Lead by Donny Gruendler During the 1980s and ’90s, fusion monster Dave Weckl and session…
Video Lesson! Fundamental Fills, Part 1: Solid 16th Notes
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the August 2016 issue, which is available here. Basics Fundamental Fills Part 1: Solid 16th Notes by Donny Gruendler The abundant amount of educational material on the market can…
News: Music Industry Veteran Donny Gruendler Named President of Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA
Musicians Institute (MI) has announced the appointment of Donny Gruendler as president of the College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, CA. Having previously served as vice president of Academic Affairs, Gruendler has led MI’s team of academic instructional designers, including…
News: Musicians Institute’s Donny Gruendler Joins Percussive Arts Society’s Drumset Committee
Musicians Institute’s VP of academic affairs, Donny Gruendler, has been added to the Percussive Arts Society’s (PAS) drumset committee. Gruendler spearheaded MI’s School of Performance Studies e-book series, co-authored the Drumset Performance curriculum, authored the Jazz Drumming curriculum, is part…
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Learning Other Instruments
We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team if they felt that it’s important for drummers to learn to play other instruments (piano, bass, guitar, etc.), or should they focus on honing their craft at the kit exclusively?…
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Learning Other Styles
We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team if they felt that it’s important for all drummers to study Latin music and other musical genres, even if they don’t intend to ever perform those styles. Here’s what they…
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Developing Independence
We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team to share their thoughts on their favorite methods for developing independence. Here’s what they had to say. David Stanoch I think the terms “independence” and “coordination” are often confused…
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Tuning (UPDATED)
We asked the members of the MD Education Team to share their thoughts on how they prefer to tune their drums. Here’s what they had to say. Marc Dicciani Tuning is a critical skill that must be learned. Regardless…
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Ergonomics
We asked the members of the MD Education Team to share their thoughts on how to set up drums and cymbals. Here’s what they had to say. Florian Alexandru-Zorn My suggestion is to first get your instrument set up in…
Popular Play-Alongs, Part 5: Rap-Rock
March 2013 Jobbing Drummer Popular Play-Alongs Part: 5: Rap-Metal by Donny Gruendler In this series of articles we’ve focused on developing the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sound to play a wide variety of tunes. In this final installment,…
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Learning Jazz
Do you feel it is important for your students to study jazz drumming? And if so, what methods do you employ to get your students—especially younger ones—interested in this style of music? We asked the members of the MD Education…
Popular Play-Alongs, Part 4: Dance-Rock
February 2013 Jobbing Drummer Popular Play-Alongs Part: 4: Dance-Rock by Donny Gruendler In the last three play-along articles (July and October 2012 and January 2013), we focused on developing the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sound to play alongside…
Popular Play-Alongs, Part 3: Synth Metal
January 2013 Jobbing Drummer Popular Play-Alongs Part 3: Synth Metal by Donny Gruendler In the last two play-along articles, we worked on the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sounds of contemporary pop/R&B and punk-pop—two styles of music that you’ll…
