jazz
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.
How to Play Drums in a Big Band by Rich Thompson
BOOK/CD LEVEL: BEGINNER TO ADVANCED $25 Digging for pay dirt, Rich Thompson surpasses the typical “play this groove, then hit this hit” approach to big band chart instruction. Offering insightful commentary on the arrangements, Thompson stresses an awareness of…
Systems, Book 1 by Ari Hoenig
BOOK LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $15.99 NYC drummer Ari Hoenig’s new book focuses on coordination systems and different melodic variations to expand your independence and overall musicality. The material isn’t a breeze—even the flam warm-ups require facility and concentration—and…
Ride Cymbal Phrasing: How Grip and Fulcrum Impact Your Sound (VIDEO)
November 2011 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Ride Cymbal Phrasing: How Grip and Fulcrum Impact Your Sound by Steve Fidyk Here’s a video demonstration of the three ride cymbal grips discussed in my latest article. https://vimeo.com/117291798 For transcriptions and additional insight into…
The Total Blues Drummerby Scot Little Bihlman
BOOK/CD LEVEL: BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE $19.99 It’s hard to imagine a more informative and fun blues drumming book than this one. It’s a celebration of the genre, from Memphis to Chicago to Texas. Bihlman starts with stick grip and…
In Memoriam: Woody “Sonship” Theus
by Gerry Gibbs Woody “Sonship” Theus, whose credits include work with McCoy Tyner, Charles Lloyd, John McLaughlin, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Michal Urbaniak, and Pharoah Sanders, passed away this past March 18, at age fifty-eight. Among the pallbearers at his…
Tony Williams: The Game Changer
One of the most influential, inspiring, and spontaneous forces in jazz, Tony Williams remains a classic example of artistry transcending technical analysis. In the October 2011 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, writer Jeff Potter explains Tony’s genius and influence,…
Airto Moreira: World Traveler of the Highest Order
The term “world music” wasn’t invented specifically for Airto Moreira, but it might as well have been. As a percussionist/drummer in his native Brazil in the mid-’60s, Airto was recognized as a leading cutting-edge figure, mixing jazz and Brazilian ethnic…
Relative Tempo: Click-Shifting Exercises to Improve Your Sense of Time
August 2011 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Relative Tempo: Click-Shifting Exercises to Improve Your Sense of Time by Steve Fidyk This article discusses ways to improve your sense of timing by shifting a quarter-note click to each 8th-note-triplet or 16th-note subdivision. Here’s…
Joe Morello: 1928–2011
No one has done more to reveal the inner science and outer beauty of odd time signatures than the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s beloved drummer. Friend and student Steve Fidyk created this fitting musical tribute. Click here to view the complete transcription…
Danny Seraphine: Update 2011
By Bob Girouard It seems that since Danny Seraphine made a comeback of sorts of the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival, he’s kicked the current phase of his drumming career into high gear, appearing at events like Drummers for Jesus, the…
Jimmy Cobb: Kind Of Blue And Beyond
Jimmy Cobb was one of the most popular drummers of the late 1950s. He began playing at an early age and found his influences among the bop pioneers. “Max Roach was the hippest music going,” remembers Cobb. “I also listened…
Buddy Miles: The Power Of Soul
George “Buddy” Miles—nicknamed after “the world’s greatest drummer,” Buddy Rich—was born in 1947 in Omaha, Nebraska, and got an early musical education listening to the jazz that was played at home. At the same time, Buddy was listening to the…
Steve Fidyk’s Tribute to Joe Morello
May 2011 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Rudimental Jazz Revisited by Steve Fidyk Army Blues drummer and MD contributor Steve Fidyk plays a 5/4 drum solo dedicated to his longtime teacher, Joe Morello. See Fidyk’s two-part educational column based on Morello’s recently…
Listen To Sound Files of Istanbul Mehmet MC Constantinople Jazz Cymbals
Read the review on the Istanbul Mehmet cymbals in the April 2011 issue. Click here to listen (download)
