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 moreThere are a few changes going on at Not So Modern Drummer and with me. First and foremost, Billy Cuthrell is the new owner of DrumSellers.com.
Read moreMy second George’s Drum Shop was located in Copley Ohio starting in 2002 then moved to Cuyahoga Falls Ohio in 2006. I made and sold a lot of drum sets and snare drums during those years.
Read moreNot a lot of articles this month. I suspect some of the writers are still shoveling snow off their driveways, BUT, there are some great ones. Especially Ed Tucker’s review of the first snare drums released by the new Slingerland company! An exclusive for NSMD.
Read moreI am also finished with my book I’ve been writing for at least a year – “ The Missing Rudiments – Expanding the American rudiment system with missing and long forgotten fundamental snare drum rudiments, plus the new drum set unison rudiments”.
Read moreThe Samba Train beat. video episode #5 in “5 minute lessons with George Lawrence”
Read moreEpisode #3 of 5 minute lessons with George Lawrence. This is a linear groove that Steve Klink taught me when I was teaching at Fork’s Drum Closet in the nineties; The Garibaldi Seven.
Read moreHere is the second video in the series "5 minute Drum Lessons w George Lawrence" shot at Memphis Drum Shop . We are publishing once a week on Saturdays. Hopefully there will be many more to come.
Read moreHere is the first of 8 videos in the series "5 minute Drum Lessons w George Lawrence" shot at Memphis Drum Shop . We are publishing once a week on Saturdays. Hopefully there will be many more to come. This can also be found on MemphisDrumShop.com. Just scroll down the front page.
Read moreDrummers! You must hear this music. Besides Shrieve’s incredible drumming, the sound of his drums is SOOOO good and big on this recording. The ambience and depth of the soundscape is hypnotic, entrancing. Captivating heavy grooves that defy categorization. You will want to listen to this masterpiece on a very high end stereo system or studio quality headphones.
Read moreThis one has me stumped. I’m not an authority on DW even though I was a dealer since 1985 and bought one of the first kits made. I’m thinking this is one of the first, if not the first, badge of kits made in the Fender plant in Encenada Mexico.
Read moreMy philosophy on snare drum tone and tuning is that the snare drum heads should be tuned as tight as possible, top and bottom. The shell will provide the most responsive and optimal tone with the heads tuned “tight as a drum”. Buddy Rich said, "I don't tune them, I tension them. There's a great difference” and, of course, he had the archetypical snare drum sound, especially after the advent of plastic heads.
Read moreOver the years, I acquired many collectable drums, cymbals, stands and pedals, percussion instruments, gadgets, etc. I have gone through two “purges” of selling my collections. What’s left are my favorite things - some new, some old.
Read moreThen Mose turned to me and said, “Here’s the drum rap. No hi hat on two and four, no sidestick, and when you solo just play as long as you want to and you can either stop and I’ll start the rest of the song or you can try to cue us in.” OK, I’m thinking let me unlearn, in one night, everything I know about playing jazz drumming that I learned at North Texas State University .
Read moreRichard Best, who is one of our NSMD columnists, has invented a nifty little drummer’s helper device that is designed to loosen or tighten wing nuts. I keep one in my stick bag now
Read moreThus my Rosebud: Like Citizen Kane’s sled named “Rosebud”, I have found the drums of my youth.
Read moreI recently bougth a Staccato kit in bop-sizes. I've researched the he** out of this but cant find much. Reach out to the family of Pete T, with no Lucky, and wrote to Micha in Germany as he is supposed to be a wizard. No luck there either.
Read moreMy cousin, Dean Stewart who lives in Alabama, is a drummer and vintage drum collector (yes, the disease runs in the family). He’s looking for a number of parts.
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