May 2024 – Volume 48 • Number 05
On 01st May 2024
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Articles in May 2024
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: 32nd Notes and 32nd Note Triplets
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…
A Drummers Best Friend, Make the Music Smile
For many years it was said that a drummer’s best friend is the bassist. I will contend that in some musical contexts a drummer’s best friend might (as many other drummers have stated) be the rhythm guitarist. However, let’s not…
Tonda’s PanAfrican Kit
This month’s Kit of the Month is Tonda Prochazka’s PanAfrican drum set. It is a vintage Gretsch Stop Sign Badge 20,12,14,16 Rosewood finished kit with two extra kpalongos, a dun dun and “banana bells” from Ghana. Tonda has been interested…
Sorry Charlie…
Much like a melodic “ear worm” that works its way into your brain, the running theme of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube drumming videos has gotten its claws into my consciousness and conscience. The idea of “certainty” is not (for me)…
New and Notable May 2024
LP 60th Anniversary Congas, Bongos, Timbales and Cajons, and “Dandy” Rodriguez Bongos Sixty years ago, it began with a simple set of bongos! Martin Cohen, founder of Latin Percussion (LP), fell in love with the infectious nature of Latin-Jazz and…
Doc Sweeney FOCUS Series Snares
Future Past….The Clean, Articulate, Sensitive, and the FOCUSED! The Past The 1928 catalogue for the Slingerland Banjo & Drum Company was quite possibly the first “real” catalogue for this “new” drum company. It was chock full of a plethora of…
SE Electronics SE4100 AND T1 Microphones
Leaner Workhorse Mics at the Right Price Announced in time for NAMM 2024, SE Electronics released their SE4100 and T1 large diaphragm condenser microphones. These new additions to sE’s product line are modeled after the sE4400 and T2 mics and…
Rock Locks - Secure Your Tension Rods
Secure Your Tension Rods It’s a common problem that has been plaguing drummers for decades. You’re playing drums and your tension rods dance and micro-spin their way out of tune. It happens to snares and toms alike. If you’re just…
Russ Kunkel - Drumming with The Immediate Family and Lyle Lovett
Russ Kunkel is a true drumming legend. He has spent an entire career drumming for THE most significant singer-songwriters in music history. His drumming on classic recordings like Carole King’s Tapestry, Joni Mitchel’s Blue, James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James, and…
Nic Collins - From Genesis to The Effect
Nic Collins has had quite a start to his drumming career. He began by playing drums in rock bands and performing in clubs around Miami, Florida. Then he landed the gig drumming on Phil Collins’ final tour. He followed that…
Dave Abbruzzese - Gets Back to the Woods
In the critically acclaimed cult television series Twin Peaks, which was based in and around Washington state in the early 90’s, Special Agent Dale Cooper stated, “When two events occur simultaneously pertaining to the same object of inquiry, we must…
“Under A Glass Moon” Transcription by Marc Atkinson
“Under a Glass Moon” is a progressive metal track by Dream Theater featuring drummer Mike Portnoy. Released in 1992, it’s a standout track from their second studio album, Images and Words. The song highlights Dream Theater’s musical prowess and boasts…
Getting Started With Open Handed Drumming
You might have seen me play and noticed I do things a little differently. By now, hopefully you know that “different is good,” because there are no rules! The way I play is called open handed drumming, which simply means…
The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Mastering the Art of Weight Distribution
Has this ever happened to you? You are listening back to the audio of a track or video you just recorded. You are sure that the performance is clean and exactly what you intended to play. But as you listen,…
Triplets with Accents
This section of triplets with accents is similar to last month’s lesson of accent studies of eighth notes with accents. Both come from Joe Morello’s outstanding book Master Studies. Again, strive for evenness of sound, paying particular attention to the…
Duet 8
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…
Slingerland Radio King Drums - 1938 And 1950 Gene Krupa Super Deluxe Ensembles
The drum set is a little over 100 years old, the modern drum set that we are familiar with today is less than 100 years old. After the Civil War, the drum set was created out of necessity. Around 1890…
Joel Selvin - Drums & Demons, The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon is so much more than the drummer in Eric Clapton’s band, Derek and the Dominos. Jim played drums on the soundtrack to many people’s lives. He had a remarkable studio drumming career that was unfortunately eclipsed by the…
Out Now May 2024
This month’s Modern Drummer Out Now is special. We are spotlighting some outstanding new and reissue LPs in honor of April’s National Record Store Day 2024. All of you drumming “vinyl heads” pay attention! We are featuring new, reissued, and…
Hayley Brownell’s Olivia Rodrigo Touring Kit
DRUMS: LUDWIG Vistalite Purple Drum set. Main Kit, 14x24 Bass Drum, 9x13 Tom, 16x16 Floor Tom, 16x18 Floor Tom. Along with Ludwig Universal Black Nickel Snare Drum 6.5x14 (Main) and Ludwig Raw Brass 8x14 (Side Snare). Satellite Kit 14x20 Purple Vistalite Bass Drum…
