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.
Beware of Mr. Baker
Madman or genius? A new documentary paints a vivid picture of Cream’s Ginger Baker while making a persuasive argument in both directions. It’s not entirely clear what possessed the former model, boxer, and music video director Jay Bulger to fly…
Marvin McQuitty Jr.
He worked with nearly every major artist in the gospel genre, including Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Israel Houghton, Maurette Brown Clark, and Kirk Franklin. Modern Drummer contributor Stephen Styles explains, from the head and from the heart, just…
How to Prepare for a Subbing Gig on Short Notice
Having so little time to prepare for a gig is like going into battle. Anything can happen.
No Doubt's Adrian Young Inteview May 2013
Behind the larger-than-life drumming persona of Adrian Young you’ll find many of the same qualities shared by the rest of us humble timekeepers. It takes a certain amount of mojo to play sold-out arenas wearing only a Mohawk and a…
Billy Martin
It’s tough to know where the MMW drummer’s wide-ranging interests end and his singular rhythmic creations begin.
Trey Anastasio Band’s Russ Lawton
A pair of late-2012 releases—one crackling with live energy, the other conjuring plenty of studio magic—shows two sides of one crafty drummer. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Drum Athletes Part 4: Dynamic Stretching
Talk to any professional drummer who travels on a regular basis, and he or she will testify to the benefits of staying healthy on the road. Many touring musicians understand the value of getting enough sleep, drinking a lot of…
Compound Rudiments The Blam
Many of the basic drum rudiments can be combined. If you analyze a paradiddle, you’ll see that it’s really just two single strokes and a double. With that in mind, I’ve decided to blend two of my favorite sounds on…
Indian Clave
Building a Bridge Between Two Rhythmic Cultures Indian Clave Every piece of music has a story to tell, and the one we’re looking at this month, “Indian Clave,” started at a festival in Croatia, when I performed with Horacio “el…
Popular Play-Alongs Part: 5: Rap-Metal
In this series of articles we’ve focused on developing the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sound to play a wide variety of tunes. In our final installment, we’ll be combining two types of grooves in a rap-metal tune titled…
Latin Rhythms in Pop Music
Part 1: Bossa Nova and Samba I often meet drummers who just aren’t interested in studying Latin rhythms. I’ve heard the same thing many times: “I’m never going to play a samba, mambo, songo, or 6/8 groove, so why…
Be the Driver!
Ask any musician, especially a non-drummer, “What’s the number one role of the drummer?”
THIN LIZZY Live And Dangerous
An apt title for one of rock’s most fierce and formidable concert albums. With Live and Dangerous, the crushing aggregate of drummer Brian Downey, singer/ bassist Phil Lynott, and lead guitarist/ vocalists Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham delivered one…
