March 2025 – Volume 49 • Number 03
On 01st Mar 2025
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Articles in March 2025
"You can't be great, without the greatness of others."
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sports fan, and a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, and I just thoroughly enjoyed the Super Bowl. With students, I often talk about the similarities of becoming great at playing a sport,…
Stefano’s Sunburst Tama’s
This month’s Kit of the Month comes to us from Stefano Ashbridge. Stefano’s kit is a Tama Starclassic Maple in Sunburst Fade lacquer. He plays with a large array of Zildjian and Sabian cymbals. The drum sizes are a 16x22…
VIENNA TO HOLLYWOOD
Album projects come in different sizes and shapes. Some albums are, literally, “straight ahead” and function like a snapshot capturing a moment in time, and since jazz is a music of the moment (or, in the moment), the essence of…
NEW SNARES FROM DW, NEW COLORS FOR DWe, SENSAPHONICS CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF IEM INNOVATION, SABIAN MIKE PORTNOY MAX COLLECTION, NEW IEM's FROM BEYERDYNAMIC, LP SIGNATURE MARTIN COHEN CONGAS AND BONGOS.
Drum Workshop, Inc. (DW) introduces the Limited Edition DW MFG True-Cast Snare Drum built in collaboration with longtime DW artist, renowned drum educator, and session player Dave Elitch. These snare drums offer a unique and powerful voice that’s dynamic and…
KickTone Microphone
Last month I reviewed the KickPort Bass drum enhancer, which I found to noticeably improve my bass drum’s tone. For this month, I’m testing a companion product from KickPort, the KickTone. It is a bass drum microphone that uses two…
X-Percussion ARC MK1 Trigger Pad
X-Percussion ARC MK1 Pro Trigger Pad Founded in 2020, Gruv-X LLC is known for its flagship product, the X-Click: a hand-crafted Crosstick accessory that mounts to the tension rods of a snare drum. In 2024, they released a single zone…
Nate Morton: The Driving Beat Behind The Voice
It’s been 26 seasons for the NBC hit show, The Voice and Nate Morton has been the driving beat behind every one of them. Self-taught from age five, Nate’s formal drumset training began during middle school with Grant Menefee in…
Jonathan Barber: Leading With Conviction
Since Jonathan Barber won Modern Drummer’s Best Up and Coming Drummer in 2018, he has become one of the busiest drummers in jazz. He has been playing with Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Jeremy Pelt, Jimmy Greene, and Pat…
Rufus Taylor of The Darkness
After several early gigs and tours with Queen related bands like the Queen Musical, Brian May, Queen (themselves,) and the great Jeff Beck; Rufus Taylor has been playing with The Darkness for 10 years and four records. With their new…
Superpowers and Kryptonite
The superheroes that we love all had to learn (sometimes the hard way) the discipline that comes with a superpower, that is knowing when not to use it. One of Chad Smith’s superpowers is playing quirky fills in unexpected places.…
The Brecker Brothers "Some Skunk Funk," Heavy Metal Bebop, drummer Terry Bozzio
This month’s transcription comes from The Brecker Brothers’ classic 1978 recording Heavy Metal Bebop, a legendary live date from My Father’s Place in Roslyn, Long Island, New York. In my opinion, this electrifying performance of Some Skunk Funk comes from one of the strongest…
Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Fast Track Double Bass
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: Paradiddle Combinations
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,…
Duet 24
Ron Spagnardi wrote a terrific book called Snare Drum Duets: 25 Duets for Two Snare Drummers. It offers a selection of 25 challenging duets that range in difficulty from relatively simple to more complex. A wide assortment of time signatures…
The Rebirth of the Slingerland Drum Company
For nearly a century, the Slingerland Drum Company has been a legendary name in the drumming world, celebrated for its groundbreaking innovations and unmistakable sound. From jazz pioneers to rock icons, Slingerland has been the go-to choice for some of…
NAMM 2025
Toca Percussion Congas Tempo Drums Tama Signature Snares Tama ImperialStar Pat Petrillo and his P4 Pad John Otto Limp Bizkit 2024/2025 when they'll be opening for Metallica OC Percussion Tour Kit Matt Starr and Seven Antonopoulos Ludwig Stainless Sonor 150th…
1929 Ludwig Winter Scene, 1929 Mountain and Lake Gold Sparkle Trap Sets
This month we are featuring two 1929 Ludwig Trap Sets, both with original factory painted scenes on the bass drum heads. These are two wonderful examples of a working professional drummer’s set from that era. These two sets also show…
Out Now March 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…
Hand-Picked Vinyl March 2025
As the music world continues to see a resurgence in Vinyl (LP’s,) Vinyl Me Please (VMP) is curating and producing some of the best vinyl remasters and pressings around. They are scouring the history of recorded music for forgotten gems…
Jack Lawless' Jonas Brothers Touring Kit
Drums: Gretsch USA Custom – 9x13 rack concert tom (not pictured), 8x13 rack, 16x16 floor, 16x18 Gong drum (floor tom with no bottom head), 16x24 kick. Snares: Noble & Cooley Custom 6.5x14, Ludwig Black Beauty 6.5x14. Heads (top): Remo - Clear Pinstripe (Rack,…
