January 2017 Issue – Volume 41 • Number 1

A New Perspective - Displacing Two-Over-Three Polyrhythms

https://vimeo.com/191854511 Rock Perspectives A New Perspective Displacing Two-Over-Three Polyrhythms by Aaron Edgar This month we’re going to vary the basic phrasing of polyrhythms. Typically, both sides of a polyrhythm begin together on the first note of the rhythm. We can…

DW - Collector’s Series Cherry/Mahogany Drumset

https://vimeo.com/187880304 Product Close-Up DW Collector’s Series Cherry/Mahogany Drumset Deep, pure tones and ultimate clarity. The Collector’s Series is DW’s flagship line, comprising a variety of single-species shell types (maple, cherry, and red oak) and hybrid mixtures, such as the poplar/maple…

Latin Percussion - Americana and Matador Cajons, Cajon Saddle, and Percussion Pack

https://vimeo.com/174410030 Product Close-Up Latin Percussion Americana and Matador Cajons, Cajon Saddle, and Percussion Pack Top-quality cajons and accessories to help widen the sonic landscape. LP’s catalog of cajons and accessories has become quite expansive over the past few years. New…

On The Cover - Chris Dave

On The Cover Chris Dave The iconoclastic rhythm auteur is readying his hotly anticipated new album. MD contributor Ken Micallef got an early listen, and, transfixed by its contents, presses its creator for explanations and looks for clues to his…

Groove Construction, Part 9: Split Grooves

https://vimeo.com/191977033 Rock 'N' Jazz Clinic Groove Construction Part 9: Split Grooves by Jost Nickel This month’s groove workshop introduces split patterns. In these phrases, the right hand alternates between two voices, the hi-hat and ride. The arm should hardly move;…

DrumLite - LED System

https://vimeo.com/191490787 Product Close-Up DrumLite LED System Quick installation, easy connection, and huge visual impact. Drummers Jeff Sevaldson and Joey Nesbitt established DrumLite in 2011 in an effort to pump up the visual appeal of the drumset. What they created is…

An Editor's Overview - Adapting to Change

by Willie Rose While I worked on a piece in this month’s News section about the latest Radian record, On Dark Silent Off, MD editorial director Adam Budofsky dropped one of the band’s earlier CDs, 2004’s Juxtaposition, on my desk.…

RBH - 6x14 Poplar Prestige Snare

https://vimeo.com/157153338 Product Close-Up RBH 6x14 Poplar Prestige Snare A solid, steam-bent beauty with a fat, old-school sound. The Prestige series is Virginia Beach–based custom shop RBH’s line of single-ply, steam-bent snares that are crafted by hand out of premium North…

Kit of the Month - Spirit of America

Kit of the Month Spirit of America This American-made, fourteen-piece monster comes to us from percussionist, educator, and collector Mike “Mickey” Jones of Birmingham, Alabama. Jones commissioned the kit more than four years ago from Bridgeport, Connecticut, drum manufacturer RCI…

Up & Coming - Jonathan Barber

Up & Coming Jonathan Barber “In New York you always have to bring your ‘A’ game,” says the rising jazz star. So far, his report cards would make the elders proud. by Ken Micallef Back in 2011, this writer saw…

Ween's Claude Coleman Jr.

Times have changed, and so has his address. For the longtime member of one of America’s most beloved left-of-center rock bands—reunited after several years apart—it’s all for the better. Getting divorced from your wife soon after the band you’ve been…

Snare Drum Effects - 16 Add-ons to Quickly Modify Tone

Features Snare Drum Effects 16 Add-ons to Quickly Modify Tone by Willie Rose The snare drum could be viewed as a drummer’s most important voice and has helped define some of the drumming community’s most revered performances. Consider John Bonham’s…

The Swampy Double Groove - Grease Up Your Phrases

https://vimeo.com/191198650 Basics The Swampy Double Groove Grease Up Your Phrases by Rich Redmond With double grooves, the left hand plays every 8th note using unaccented strokes in between accented backbeats. I refer to these unaccented notes as “taps.” Combining this…

Sum 41's Frank Zummo

Features Sum 41's Frank Zummo The journeyman drummer’s enthusiasm never wanes. It’s an infection that prospective employers are all too happy to catch. Frank Zummo has always been a team player—whether performing with his drum brothers in Street Drum Corps,…

Papa Jo Jones Drum Fill - Incorporating a Classic Jazz Lick

https://vimeo.com/191488002 Jazz Drummer's Workshop Papa Jo Jones Drum Fill Incorporating a Classic Jazz Lick by John Xepoleas In this lesson we’ll explore a versatile and great-sounding fill from jazz legend Papa Jo Jones. The basic pattern is notated in Exercise…

Istanbul Mehmet - Sahra and Kirkor Signature Rides

https://vimeo.com/167901541 Product Close-Up Istanbul Mehmet Sahra and Kirkor Signature Rides Dark, warm tones with varying degrees of dryness. The Istanbul cymbal company was originally established by veteran cymbalsmiths Mehmet Tamdeger and Agop Tomurcuk to provide traditional-style Turkish cymbals that were…

Frank Ferrer

Features Frank Ferrer It’s tough to know where the fan ends and the musician begins with Guns n’ Roses’ drummer—who, some might be surprised to learn, has been happily perched atop the band’s drum riser for a decade now. MD…

Swiss Rudiments - Basel Drumming, Part 3

https://vimeo.com/191493440 Strictly Technique Swiss Rudiments Basel Drumming, Part 3 by Claus Hessler In the third installment of our series on Swiss drumming, we’ll continue exploring the European roots of rudiments. In the last lesson we introduced Tagwacht pieces—music that’s typically…

Tony Hajjar

Features Tony Hajjar The post-hardcore veteran explores new vistas with Gone Is Gone and retools his technique for an album and tour with the rejuvenated At the Drive-In. Story by Ben Meyer Photos by Paul La Raia After spending a…

January 2017 Issue – Volume 41 • Number 1