Modern Drummer Magazine

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. Every month MD features entertaining interviews with the world’s most popular drummers from all styles of music; interviews that delve into playing techniques, equipment, and musical concepts. The publication also reports on industry trends and activities, plus new drum products, publications, and recordings, and industry events. A roster of over 35 educational departments, authored by leaders in the field, offers readers practical playing tips and advice on topics that encompass all phases of drumming.

Be a Dreamer, and Don’t Stop Believing

Modern Drummer Magazine

Single-Headed Toms: Cool or Not?

DARU JONES • We last heard from him when he was backing Jack White, a rock icon with a deep appreciation for hip-hop. The drummer’s latest project is pure beatsn-rhymes, with a rock-hard soul.

V-Drums Acoustic Design VAD506 Kit • The ultimate immersive e-drums experience.

Pure Series Snare Drums • Three solid-shell snares designed to let the timber speak for itself.

The Baron Red-Dot Batter • A durable, easy-to-tune option with just the right amount of built-in dampening.

Steve Jordan • He’s brought a timeless elegance to some of the heaviest recordings of the past five decades. Now, in a setting featuring just one other musical compadre, he’s handed us a near-perfect sampler of his many drumming gifts.

Justin Tyson • Savannah Harris, who we profile elsewhere in this issue, sits with the remarkably daring drummer, who’s commanded our attention with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, and so many other movers and shakers. Among the things we discover? Sometimes it’s about more than the drums.

The Killers’ Ronnie Vannucci Jr. • His secret to drumming greatness: passion plus musicality. As a pair of new albums demonstrate, it’s a recipe that never fails him.

Stan Lynch • It’s been thirty years since he recorded with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. But for many drummers, his playing defines the late rocker’s greatest work. Now all those fans have got good reason to celebrate.

MODERN DRUMMER® Legends Collection

Nick Mason • The long-delayed release of a live album by his new Saucerful of Secrets band provides a good opportunity to catch up with Pink Floyd’s sticksman—much better late than never.

Reason to love Bill Bruford Part 2: The Go Between • While some of his peers from the ’70s were content to rest on their laurels, our man never settled for settling down. Moreover, not only did his appetite for new sensations push his drumming into the future, it helped keep the genres of progressive rock and fusion healthy and relevant in the coming decades.

SAVANNAH HARRIS • She’s all over the jazz, avantgarde, and crossover scenes, playing gigs with everyone from stately ambassadors like Kenny Barron to the fierce hip-hop collective Standing on the Corner. Here the drummer discusses her ideas about playing and composing—including how kindness can be one of the most valuable things to shed.

In the Studio with Wes Little • A New York transplant cranking away in Nashville

Todd Sucherman • A Smattering of Hits Outside the Prog-Rock Sphere of Styx

Individuality • Part 1: Where Did It Go?

Coordinating the Body • Exercises for Better Alignment

Get on the Good Foot! • Part 3: Hi-Hat Comping in 5/4

Terry Bozzio Interviews Nick Mason of Pink Floyd • “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”

NEW and NOTABLE

Deluxe Stick Bag

“Color Toys” • This month’s KOTM is one of a number of different setups Brooklyn drummer Joshua Berrios likes to break out, depending on the...