Cymbal/snare rock grooves in odd times
Read moreFatherly Advice From A Well Seasoned Drummer
I’ve been posting my ‘personal drum philosophy’ since March of 2012. At the time, I was convinced that I wouldn't have enough material for more than a couple of years. Here we are, 13 years later, and I’m posting article number 250!
Read moreOil’s Well That Moves Well
You see, while drums need a bit of lubrication in certain areas, the lubricant you use must match the need. Grease is rarely good for a snare drum.
Read moreWhy so many articles about Tony Williams?
I encourage all rock drummers, in particular, to explore Tony’s playing to learn how he influenced much of what we play.
Read moreLosing My Dream ... or When one door closes
It took a long time for my ears to settle down and to find ways of coping with a pretty debilitating condition (tinnitus, hyperacusis, recruitment). Today I can do a bit of playing and that has enabled me to teach again, and that’s where I think I’m really meant to be.
Read moreTranscribing – Listening Beyond the Notes: A Call for Analytical Listening
One of the most important but often overlooked steps in the transcription process is playing what you have written down.
Read moreMissing Rudiments: Ruffs
In researching for my Missing Rudiments book, I found many alternate stickings for ruffs.
Read moreWWSGD? (What Would Steve Gadd Do?)
It’s an old joke: How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? The standard answer is three: one to change the bulb and two more to discuss how Steve Gadd would have done it.
Read moreEight Missing Paradiddles - an excerpt from "The Missing Rudiments" book by George Lawrence
There are eight “missing” diddle (paradiddle) fundamental stickings in the list below: The tap diddle, right paradiddle, left paradiddle, five-a diddle, triplet diddle, ruff-a diddle, seven-a-diddle, and the paradiddle-diddle-diddle.
Read moreBasic Coordination for the Drum Set - Mat Marucci
Here is an excerpt from Mat’s new book. It looks simple at first glance, but it’s not. Several of the exercises tripped me up.
Read moreDirty Little Cymbal Tricks
A highly rated technique is pickle juice. The process calls for covering the cymbal with the juice and a dash of salt. Then you just watch the magic happen -- seriously, this will turn your cymbal green pretty fast. Apparently pickled onion juice works best.
Read moreBest Practices (Please No Jokes About The Name)
We are all individuals, and what works best for one may not work for another. But in general, you can assume that the techniques you see the better players using are some of best practices available. You just need to find the ones that work best for you.
Read moreMy First True Love - A poem about a drum from Joel Rothman
“My first true love was a love at first sight.”
Read moreThe difference between ruffs and drags - an excerpt from "The Missing Rudiments" book by George Lawrence
From my new book “The Missing Rudiments - ”The current modern majority opinion is that, since they can’t both be and are not the same thing, a drag has double stroke grace notes and most ruffs have single stroke grace notes. I agree with that majority in keeping it simple but with the caveat that there are other known stickings for ruffs by historically important authors, which are included in this book. So,“ruff is ruff, drag is drag, and never the twain shall meet.
Read moreSame Hand Tom Sweeps
I put this exercise together to get my shoulders moving a bit better.
The sweeps are done with the same hand from tom to snare or snare to
tom.
Take Ten - Drum Grooves for a Waltz in 10/4 Time
The article is based on the book, ’TAKE TEN—DRUM GROOVES FOR A WALTZ IN 10/4 TIME’ by Joel Rothman, which is due for release. Please contact Joel to find out more about obtaining the book. Email: joelrothmanpublications@gmail.com
Read moreOne Link At A Time
Consider practice as basic as brushing your teeth.
Read moreLet Me Give You A Hand With That
It’s a phenomenon called Limb Assistance. That’s when one limb is able to perform better when it’s partnered with another limb.
Read moreEric Boudreault in Guam, a drumming adventure like no other
At the end of March 2022, I received a call for a proposal to be the musical director and drummer for a major production. I was surprised to learn that this production would take place on the Pacific Island of Guam.
Read moreA Brief, Mostly Factual History Of The Bass Drum
The trend toward smaller bass drums was driven as much by portability as sound. Elvin Jones settled on an 18" bass drum because it fit into a cab nicely (so I’ve heard).
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