Steve Fidyk
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.
On the Beat With Drummer/Educator Steve Fidyk: The Making of Allied Forces
Hello, On the Beat readers. Steve Fidyk here. You may be familiar with the column Jazz Drummers Workshop that I have been contributing to for the past five years in Modern Drummer magazine. I’ve also been performing as a member…
Video Lesson! Rhythmic Conversions, Part 2 - Getting Creative Around the Kit
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the August 2016 issue, which is available here. Jazz Drummer's Workshop Rhythmic Conversions Part 2: Getting Creative Around the Kit In this lesson, we’ll focus on variations of the…
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Music Industry Careers
What advice would you (or do you) give to students who are thinking about a career in the music industry? Mike Sorrentino My teacher, Rod Morgenstein, told me early on that in order to really have a career, you…
Video Demo: Timetable Warm-Up with Steve Fidyk
This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the March 2016 issue, which is available here. Jazz Drummer's Workshop Timetable Warm-Up Modulating Swing Patterns As drummers, we’re often taught the importance of warm-up exercises. These drills are…
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Favorite Drum Books
(Updated 12/10/15) We asked the members of the MD Education Team to give us their five or so favorite drum books. Here’s what they said. Alfred Drum Method 1 by Dave Black and Sandy Feldstein Joe Bergamini I use…
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…
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Syncopation Revisited, Part 2: 3/4 Applications (From the July 2014 Issue)
by Steve Fidyk We continue this month with more of my favorite ways of interpreting the classic Ted Reed book Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer. This time we explore ways of converting the written manuscript from its…
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…
The Modern Drummer 2013 Education Collection Is Now Available
Comprising instructional articles that appeared in Modern Drummer over the past year, The 2013 MD Education Collection contains dozens of unique and inspiring lessons on a variety of drumming-related topics appearing in the popular monthly columns Strictly Technique, Rock &…
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer's Workshop: Stick Control Revisited, Part 4 (March 2014 Issue)
by Steve Fidyk Welcome to the fourth and final installment in our series on Stick Control drumset applications. This month we’ll explore ways of interpreting author George Lawrence Stone’s exercises while playing up-tempo swing rhythms. As you practice the applications,…
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer's Workshop: Stick Control Revisited, Part 3 (December 2013 Issue)
by Steve Fidyk Welcome to the third installment in our series on drumset applications of George Lawrence Stone’s classic book Stick Control. The variations in the article utilize the “72 Single Beat Combinations” found on pages 5–7. In this…
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…
