May 2015 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 4

Concepts - Defining Your Role

Concepts Defining Your Role Six Degrees of Communication by Russ Miller Music is a team effort, and figuring out our position on the team is key. This will help us better communicate in any scenario, which leads to more contentment…

Catching Up With... Tyshawn Sorey

Catching Up With... Tyshawn Sorey The top-call jazzer’s output is a never-ending tribute to making the most of whatever materials are at hand. His latest solo collection continues the trend. by Kevin Micallef Performing at the New York City club…

Take Your Shuffle to the Max!

In The Pocket Take Your Shuffle to the Max! Layering in Quarter-Note Triplets by Greg Sundel The two most common types of shuffles are the jazz and blues shuffle. We won’t get into the history here, but the obvious difference…

Traditional Percussion on Drumset, Part 2: Bongos

Around The World Traditional Percussion on Drumset Part 2: Bongos by Arturo Stable In order to fully understand the function and possibilities of the instrument called bongo, you must explore the Cuban styles of changui, rumba, and son. According to…

Pataflafla Builder - Exercises for Developing a Challenging Yet Musical Rudiment

Strictly Technique Pataflafla Builder Exercises for Developing a Challenging Yet Musical Rudiment by Bill Bachman One of the most beneficial of the forty PAS rudiments is the pataflafla. It’s one of the few where each hand plays a totally different…

Cymgard - Cymbal Accessories (Video)

Product Close-Up Cymgard Cymbal Accessories A dual-purpose product that provides ultimate edge protection and significant sound reduction. The drum industry has plenty of cymbal accessories, including mutes, bags, and fancy felts. So what’s next? Cymgard thinks it has the answer,…

Castle - Tapered Snares (Video)

Product Close-Up Castle Tapered Snares Conical stave-shell drums for lively, diverse tones. Massachusetts-based craftsman David Cheney has developed a unique conical snare drum shell with function as its focus. The shell is created using solid wood staves and features a…

10 Essential Drummer Autobiographies

10 Essential Drummer Autobiographies The most popular musician autobiographies tend to come from famous singers and guitar heroes. But drummers can tell a tale as well as anyone else. Here’s a ten-pack of proof. by Patrick Berkery Tony Allen An…

Catching Up With... Nikki Glaspie

Catching Up With... Nikki Glaspie Just when you think that this groove merchant, who’s worked with Beyoncé and Dumpstaphunk, couldn’t possibly be any funkier, she takes her beats to the Nth Power. by Robin Tolleson “My music is totally across…

GMS - Special Edition Series Drumset

Product Close-Up GMS Special Edition Series Drumset Custom-shop quality at production-level prices? Sold! Back in 1987, when Long Islanders Rob Mazzella and Tony Gallino joined forces to create the GMS Drum Co., there weren’t many companies offering custom drumsets that…

Jojo's Modified Swiss Triplets - A Slick Sticking for Quick Jungle Grooves

Rock 'N' Jazz Clinic by Terry Branam Jojo Mayer’s command of the jungle/drum ’n’ bass style took the drumming community by storm. Mayer manages to traverse the blinding tempos and computerized breakbeats effortlessly, thanks to flawless technique and his creative…

GoPro - Hero3+ Black Edition Music Bundle (Video)

Product Close-Up GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition Music Bundle A near-perfect solution for capturing quality drum videos from any vantage point. We drummers have tried everything we can think of to record ourselves, whether in individual practice, in band rehearsal, or…

Up & Coming - The Contortionist's, Joey Baca

Up & Coming The Contortionist's, Joey Baca by Ben Meyer This phenomenal young talent clearly takes the term progressive metal drumming at face value, pushing his playing in more and more compelling ways with each new recording. More proof of…

On The Cover - Jojo Mayer

On The Cover Jojo Mayer His passionate call for artistic dissent may at first seem at odds with his tireless historical research. But everything Nerve’s drummer/leader does and says has a singular purpose: feeding the fire of boundless creativity. Story…

Ty Segall

Ty Segall The multi-instrumentalist—who’s never off the drums for long, on stage or in the studio—always hits that sweet spot between retro and radical. At first blush, you’d likely mistake Ty Segall for your stereotypical Southern California slacker. He’s a…

Zildjian 21" K Custom Organic and 20" K Constantinople Renaissance Rides (Video)

Product Close-Up Zildjian Crash/ride versatility is the name of the game with these new, dark offerings. Zildjian recently teamed up with two of its artists, drummer/educator Pat Petrillo and jazz great Adam Nussbaum, to create specialized signature rides designed to…

Catching Up With... Tony Palermo

Catching Up With... Tony Palermo The members of Papa Roach had planned to focus on heaviness for their latest album. But it soon became clear that there was going to be more to the story of F.E.A.R. by Steven Douglas…

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

Encore Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti A high-flying double album featuring some of John Bonham’s most exciting drumming hits shelves again, with cleaned-up sound and a bunch of bonus workshop tracks. Pound for pound, Physical Graffiti is Led Zeppelin’s fattest album.…

Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills, Part 1

Jazz Drummer's Workshop Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills Part 1: Creating a Rolling Melodic Feel Using Basic Stickings by John Xepoleas In this lesson I’m going to show you how to create high-energy Elvin Jones–style triplet fills based on common jazz…

May 2015 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 4