December 2020 – Volume 44 • Number 12
How can you expand your drumming palette for only seven dollars and in only thirty minutes? Access is available—are you ready to commit?
For a mere seven dollars per video, you can sit at the feet of Dafnis Prieto, 2011 MacArthur Genius Fellow, 2018 Grammy Award winner, and faculty member of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. The Cuban native’s two new video series, Lessons and Flying Solo (available at dafnisonmusic.com), delve deep into rhythmic independence, Latin basics, soloing, concepts, improvisation, and “composition as the conduit to reach the fountain of inspiration,” as described in Prieto’s press materials.
For a few dollars more, the drummer’s latest book, Rhythmic Synchronicity: Individual and Collective Rhythmic Skills: A Rhythm Course for Non-Drummers, offers an expansive take on rhythmic singularities of multiple varieties.
Articles in December 2020
Remembering Neil Peart
Part 4: “YYZ” This transcription is from the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert where Neil Peart played a big band version of the legendary Rush instrumental track “YYZ.” The introduction was conducted and written in 5/4. The main melody is in…
Childish Gambino’s Dani Markham
With hard-core academic training in her back pocket, the drummer/percussionist has dipped her toes in every imaginable musical scenario—and, crucially, trusted her instincts. Dani Markham lives in perpetual motion. The New York City–based, Louisville, Kentucky–born percussionist/mallet player spent the last…
Jonas Brothers’ Jack Lawless
New Jersey native Jack Lawless started out as the drummer of Joe Jonas’s chart-topping alternative-pop group DNCE. When the Jonas Brothers got back together, Lawless got the call for that tour as well. We were able catch up with him…
What Now?
The Four E’s As I write this, we are smack dab in the middle of the COVID crisis. This pandemic has affected us all now for many months. I mention this because it’s had a massive impact on musicians working…
Playing to Type
People like to put other people in psychological boxes, and boxes within those boxes: Being an artist takes a certain kind of personality. And among artists, your average actor is said to be like this, while a musician is like…
Cajon You Dig It?
The owner of this month’s KOTM took the now-ubiquitous percussion instrument to its next logical step. The kit that Luke Ross uses with his all-acoustic band Company of Crows is composed entirely of cajons built by the Croaker Percussion company,…
Khari Parker (1974–2020)
Drummer Khari Parker passed away on June 27. He was forty-six. Widely respected for his diverse musical skills and top-flight professionalism, Parker was a first-call player for many of the top bandleaders and producers in Chicago and throughout the country.…
Vic Firth Re-Mix Brushes
A quartet of interchangeable implements for varying degrees of attack, tone, and volume. Vic Firth recently expanded its catalog with four pairs of uniquely designed Re-Mix brushes/rods made from different types of organic material, ranging from soft and subtle broomcorn…
Nigel Olsson’s ’70s/’80s-Era Slingerland Drumkit
While the legendary Elton John drummer has been a DW drums endorser for years—the company famously built him a custom kit for the pop star’s 2012 Million Dollar Piano Las Vegas residency that displays the badge of the Royal Air…
Gene Krupa
The Swing Era’s Brightest Star For this series, we’d be very remiss if we didn’t discuss the great swing drummer Gene Krupa. Gene was one of the most prominent people to bring drums to the forefront in an ensemble. Prior…
Bill Bruford - Part 1: One of a Kind
Trailblazing West Coast swing drummer Shelly Manne once mused that a true jazz musician never plays it the same way once. Throughout his stellar career, the iconic progressive rock and jazz drummer Bill Bruford had adopted Manne’s paradoxical mantra as…
Get on the Good Foot!
Hi-Hat Comping Riffs in 3/4 Welcome to the second part of this three-part series on hi-hat comping. In this lesson we’ll explore repetitive hi-hat motifs in 3/4. The phrases included here are intended to help develop dynamic balance between the…
Wood or Nylon Tip?
Nylon! Lasts much longer than wood (so you save cash!), and you never have to worry about a chipped stick tip on a ride cymbal. I also play darker cymbals, so the nylon tips add some extra clarity rather than…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 6: Perfect Practice and Building Speed Many drum instructors say, “Play naturally.” The problem with that statement is that we naturally hold on to things tightly. Have you ever seen someone pick up a drumstick for the first time…
The D.I.Y. Guide to Drums by Lisa Schonberg
While it was always a quirky addition to pedagogic literature, this hugely expanded 2020 volume retains the handmade charms of the original ’zine and leverages the author’s years of teaching experience to deliver an approachable, delightful roadmap for beginners and…
In the Studio with Drummer/Producer Evan Hutchings
Evan Hutchings made the move from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Nashville in 2006, enrolling at Middle Tennessee State with a plan to be a studio musician. “I wanted to be Steve Jordan,” he says. “That was the goal.” Like many…
Centent Cymbals - Ardor, Sparks, and Emperor Series
Handcrafted and highly affordable B20 options from a Chinese company with roots that date back hundreds of years. Centent is a Chinese company that produces high-quality yet competitively priced cymbals out of different bronze alloys, including B8 (8-percent tin/92-percent copper),…
Simon Phillips
Showbiz history is dotted with “triple-threat” performers who were top-flight actors, singers, and dancers, from Gene Kelly to Judy Garland to Sammy Davis Jr. to Beyoncé. Rarer still are those who can boast extraordinary performance and technical skills, bona fide…
Gretsch, Latin Percussion, Steinberg, Peavey and more
Gretsch Brooklyn Series Drumkits Two new Nitron finishes have been added to the Brooklyn series: Blue Burst Pearl and White Marine Pearl. Constructed from 6-ply North American maple and poplar, Brooklyn series drums are finished with 3 mm double-flanged 302…
