Education
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.
Diamonds in the Ruff - Part 1: The Mighty Three-Stroke
The first thing I learned when I started taking drum lessons was the three-stroke ruff. I was shown a few ways of playing it, with different accents and stickings, but it wasn’t until I heard Cream drummer Ginger Baker play…
Grooving on the Snare - Six Beats That Break From the Kick/Snare/Hat Cliché
The first grooves that most of us learn are variations of countless rock, R&B, and pop recordings that feature the bass drum on beats 1 and 3, the snare on beats 2 and 4, and the ride or hi-hat chugging…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop - Polyrhythms
What is usually meant when one hears a description of the term polyrhythm is a misinterpretation of the term polymeter. Polymeters are two or more meters usually related mathematically, and played simultaneously. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Drum Soloist Tony Williams Solo
Skip Shaffer is currently the drummer with the Airmen of Note, U. S. Air Force Jazz Ensemble in Washington, D. C. He is very involved in transcribing the work of Tony Williams and Louie Bellson, and has also just completed…
Rudimental Symposium
Execution is probably the primary concern of any drum corps drum line. Outlined here are some tips to aid in attaining a higher level of execution as well as exercises to develop stamina and facility in the drum line. TO…
Rudimental Clave With Inverted Stickings
This month we have a fun and challenging exercise that will do wonders for your Moeller-style whip-and-stop technique. The exercise uses the son clave rhythm as the accent pattern, with inverted stickings underneath it. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE…
The Collapsing Concept - Crushing Roll Rudiments to Create Contemporary Swing and Solo Ideas
The late, great author and educator Jim Chapin gave me this exercise in a lesson a number of years ago. It deals with the seven-stroke roll and Jim’s concept of collapsing the rudiment to create a six-note grouping. In our…
Show & Studio
This article may appear to be very simply written but is by far the most important thing that a musician needs to know for playing arrangements. There is an unwritten code on how to mark charts (arrangements), that only experienced…
Rock Perspectives - Playing Rock Tambourine
Although there are many different types of tambourines they can be basically broken down into two groups, 1) those with heads, 2) those without. The most widely used tambourine in the pop field is the headless, or rock, tambourine. TO…
Rudimental Symposium: The Swiss Rudiments - A Brief Insight
Since the onset of our Rudimental Symposium series, we've had several requests to supply some information on the interesting Swiss Rudiments. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Drum Soloist: Max Roach Transcription And Analysis
Max Roach's artistic development in the late 40's and early 50's made it clear that an evolutionary change had occurred in jazz drumming. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Teacher's Forum: A Logical Approach To Teaching The Roll
by Forrest Clark Forrest Clark has performed with the Utah Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded with Leopold Stowkowski, Igor Stravinsky and Bruno Walter among others, and is the author of the Encyclopedia…
Understanding Rhythm: The Tie
The Tie is a curved line that connects two notes together. Only the first note is played, but is held for the duration of the two notes involved. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Jazz Drummer's Workshop: A New Look At The Traditional Rolls
The standard rudimental open rolls, based upon the double-stroke roll, are standard knowledge to most drummers. If we begin the traditional double-stroke roll on its second note, we obtain an open roll with a distinctly different flavor. TO READ THE…
