March 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 3
Articles in March 2018
Three Birds With One Stone - Optimize Your Practice Time
Time is tight for many of us. If we had unlimited time to shed, we’d probably spend hours behind the kit. But the reality is that life’s twists and turns can keep us busy. Therefore, I try to practice things…
Ahead - Maxx 5A and Frank Zummo Drumsticks, Stick-On Practice Pad, and Compact Stick Holder
The leading synthetic drumstick brand expands once again.
Alesis - Strike Pro Drumset
A top-notch e-kit built to look and feel like an acoustic set while offering unlimited sonic capabilities.
Drum Fills: Keep It Simple, or Shred?
Drummers have to consider plenty of options when choosing an appropriate fill to play in a given situation. Factors such as voicing, subdivision, density, and speed comprise just a few of the choices. While keeping these options in mind, we…
Dream - Re-Fx Naughty Saucer
A recycled cast-off turned into a multi-purpose electro-inspired effect.
Modern Drummer 2018 Readers Poll Winners
Hall of Fame Clyde Stubblefield James Brown He wasn’t simply a funky drummer, he was the Funky Drummer. And all you have to do to understand how he earned that famous nickname is to listen to the music he recorded…
Sugar Percussion - 2-12 Series Mahogany Snares
An experiment with shell depths yields surprising results.
Bebop Syncopation, Part 3: Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones was a driving force behind John Coltrane’s explorations in the 1960s and is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in jazz drumming. This lesson applies the principles of his style to rhythms found in the…
Ddrum - Dios Maple Series Drumset
After being shelved for six years, the go-to shell pack is back and better than ever.
New Drum Gear from Simmons, Zildjian, Roland, Sound Percussion Labs, Tama and Sabian!
Simmons Mesh-Head Electronic Drumkit This full-sized five-piece electronic drumkit offers a 10" dual-zone, dual-ply snare; three 8" dual-ply toms; a 10" crash with choke capabilities; a 12" ride cymbal; and a 10" hi-hat pad with a pedal. The kick trigger…
Jimmie Vaughan's George Rains
As music journalists, we try to avoid using superlatives, like, say, “the greatest living blues drummer.” At the same time, it’s inarguable that for those who’ve been in a room where the Austin drumming icon George Rains is playing, the…
Big & Rich's Keio Stroud
When national artists record in Nashville, they call on world-renowned studio greats like Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Lonnie Wilson, Greg Morrow, and Chad Cromwell to put down the ultimate version of a track. But when those artists need a sub…
John Convertino on Calexico’s The Thread That Keeps Us
A presidential election, a trip west to the coast, and an immersion in nature invigorate the indie mainstay’s latest foray into Tex-Mex-infused Americana bliss.
Remembering Ben Riley, Frank Capp, Grady Tate, and Chuck Blackwell.
Ben Riley This past November 18, the American jazz-drumming great Ben Riley passed away at the age of eighty-four. A brief list of Riley’s credits includes Alice Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Barron, the New…
Web Exclusive! Alex Rüdinger of Good Tiger on the Group’s Sophomore Album, We Will All Be Gone
MD checks in with the former drummer with the Faceless, Threat Signal, and the HAARP Machine on the occasion of his current band’s highly anticipated sophomore album, which is due out on February 9. MD: We Will All Be…