April 2025 – Volume 49 • Number 04
On 01st Apr 2025
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Articles in April 2025
Drumming IS Good for You!
In the last two months we have run two features on talented drummers that have experienced drum related injuries. Last month, Mark Schulman discussed his hearing, and this month Michael Cartellone is talking about a foot injury. Although both problems…
A Budding Hybrid Drummer
This month’s Kit of the Month comes from Sarvasv Vaish from India. He writes, “I have looked at photos of drum kits in Modern Drummer magazines for years. I always thought it would be a great honor to have my…
This New Year
Happy 2025. That “Happy” being said, this year has been off to a rough start so far: fires, flooding, deaths, and political upheaval. It seems like everyone I know has been touched by both sadness or madness. Me? My cheerful…
New Pedals From Drum Workshop Redesigned DW 2000 Pedals
Drum Workshop, is introducing the redesigned, upgraded entry-level 2000 Series Accelerator Bass Drum Pedal. These pedals are suitable for drummers who want to start playing DW pedals or as a backup or practice pedal for more established players. For more…
The Return Of Slingerland
The wait is over, the Slingerland Drum Company, steeped in decades of drumming history, is back! Formed in Chicago in the 1920’s by H.H. Slingerland, the Slingerland Drum Company was known for its iconic kits and snare drums. In the 1930s, the brand…
NORDIC SHELLS - DIY SNARE KIT - WATERFALL BUBINGA
Nordic Shells of Maple Grove, MN has earned a reputation among drummers and custom drum builders for producing some of the finest shells on the market. Their refined manufacturing process and Grade-A materials ensure that each shell delivers exceptional tone,…
TUNE-BOT STUDIO
Overtone Labs of Denver, CO introduced the first Tune-Bot over 12 years ago. Since then, Tune-Bot has become a leader in digital drum tuning, offering a more precise and consistent tuning method for drums. For this month’s Product Close-Up, I…
Billy Hart Drumming from the Past and Present, and Looking Towards the Future
When you walk into a concert hall or a jazz club and see a five-piece set of Pearl drums with an 18” bass drum, 10” and 12” power toms, a 14” floor tom, and a series of overlapping Zildjian cymbals…
Janet Jackson’s Jerrod “J-Rod” Sullivan
Growing up in Georgia, 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, Jerrod “J-Rod” Sullivan is the epitome of chill, but his drumming is anything but chill, it’s all about power. Coming out of the R&B Neo-soul scene of suburban Atlanta in the…
Best Foot Forward
Like most of you reading this article … I am a drummer.And, I would imagine, like a lot of you reading this article … I am a basher.I bashed my way through basement bands as a school kid.I bashed my…
Tool "Chocolate Chip Trip," from Fear Inoculum, drummer Danny Carey
This month’s transcription highlights the incredible drumming of Tool’s Danny Carey. The song “Chocolate Chip Trip,” from their 2019 album Fear Inoculum, serves in part as a tribute to the legendary Billy Cobham. “Chocolate Chip Trip” mirrors the opening of Cobham’s Stratus from…
4OD: The 4 Offenses of Drummers
‘Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.’ Native American proverb Drumming creates SYNERGY. Synergy is when 1 + 1 = 3, it’s when we as a group go to a place that any one of us couldn’t have gotten…
Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Double-Stroke Hands, Single Stroke Feet
In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby includes nine new double bass drumming chapters. The new and expanded edition covers contemporary techniques such as bass drum double strokes, feet-only exercises, binary and ternary…
Master Studies II: Paradiddles with Fill-Ins Using Single Strokes
As a follow-up to Joe Morello’s legendary Master Studies book, he released Master Studies II in 2006. Joe was a masterful teacher and helped many great drummers with their musicality, technique, and touch. Joe was also masterful at creating exercises,…
Putting It All Together
Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote an excellent book called Understanding the Language of Music, a Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony. This book spells out the basics of theory and harmony in a very easy to understand way. It…
Rhythm Vocabulary Development: Filling in the Spaces in 5/4
A useful way to conceptualize rhythm is to think of it as space. In the context of drumming, each note fills a specific space within the time signature. For instance, a quarter note in 4/4 fills the space of one…
The 2025 Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship Award
Neil Peart’s legacy, artistry, inspiration, and the impact that his drumming will forever have, is what the Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship is all about. His wonderfully constructed drum parts, his lyrics, and his commitment to drumming will always…
David Garibaldi's Drums and Cymbals
Since David Garibaldi retired from Tower of Power, (but certainly not from drumming), he’s still writing, teaching, recording, performing, pushing his own limits, and exploring new styles of music. David’s career with Tower of Power spanned 55 years. He left…
Out Now April 2025
Modern Drummer is spotlighting new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performances from the drummer and/or musicians in the band. This…
Caleb Crosby's Kelsea Ballerini Touring Kit
Drums: Gretsch USA Custom in Satin Tangerine Metallic - 14x22 Kick, 9x13 Rack Tom, 16x16 and 16x18 Floor Toms, 6.5x14 2mm Copper Snare (main,) 8x14 Maple Matching (side,) 6.5x14 Bell Brass (spare.) Heads: Remo - Controlled Sound Coated on all Snares/Clear Ambassador…
