Could the Next Questlove Be C-3PO? (The Plight of the Session Drummer)
In the Age of Affordability, recording live drummers in session is a mammoth, complicated, and unnecessary task – will electronic drums ultimately prevail?
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The Oncoming Cacerolazo: Stories and Sounds from Puerto Rico’s Massive Protests
Drumming and loud sound are such large parts of Puerto Rican culture, it only makes sense they’d be the focal point of this week’s protests. Take a listen!
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8 Percussionists Dominating the New Music Scene Right Now
Today we highlight 8 percussionists who are leading new music, improvised music and jazz in unforseen and exciting directions. Read on for more!
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Wrist and Hand Exercises for Drummers
If you’re a drummer, warm up your hands and fingers before playing to prevent injury and increase dexterity. Use these exercises to do just that!
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4 Drummers Using Digital Electronics to Redefine the Boundaries of Their Kits
Whether you’re sitting down to a jazz concert, flipping out at a death metal concert, or standing around to watch a group of indie darlings, towards the back of the stage you’re almost always guaranteed to see a drum kit. Rhythm is one of the great unifiers in music and there’s nothing quite like watching […]
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Recognizing Jazz Idioms in Modern-Day Rhythms
By Emanuel Harrold As I go out and listen to new music on a daily basis, I can’t help but hear the nuances of jazz music in everyday moments. Sometimes, it’s the syncopation and spacing of sounds, other times, it’s the rhythms. And, sure, I’m a jazz drummer, so I’m biased, but it’s true that […]
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5 Stick Bag Essentials for the Gigging Drummer
Drummers today are expected to come prepared and ready to play every session and every night on the road. After you’ve done the work to learn the music you need for a performance, the next step is to make sure you have the right tools to get the job done. In most performance situations, you may […]
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How to Use Polyrhythms to Create a Perfect Beat
We’ve all felt it before: four-on-the-floor fatigue. That feeling when you’ve listened to too much music with the same square beat. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4… Don’t get me wrong — I’m a technohead, so 4/4 is my jam. Lots of music is built on 4/4 rhythm for a reason: It’s familiar and easy to dance to. Sometimes you might […]
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Rhythm Section Essentials Workshop: Adding Flavor to Your Groove with Percussion
In most production and ensemble settings these days, auxiliary percussion is used primarily to add extra sparkle and syncopated spice to a track. Yet, adding this flare effectively is more difficult than it sounds. If mismanaged, percussion additions can easily cause problems with the flow of your track. Let’s break down some of the ways you can […]
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Rhythm Section Essentials Workshop: “Locking in” with Bass and Drums
In most ensembles, a combination of drums, bass, guitar, percussion, and keys make up the rhythm section, which provides the rhythmic and harmonic direction of the band. Particularly for bass and drums, one of the most challenging things to understand is how to interact with each other to make music that achieves something specific. When […]
