The wood Super-Sensitive with the decals that resemble inlays is an extremely rare drum. Back in 1985 I sent a picture of my drum like that to William F. Ludwig II and he called to give me some info on it. Those drums were made in 1929 when the Sensitive strainer was introduced. Supposedly, only 29 were made with the decals. Yours makes only the fourth one I've seen in all the years that I've been interested in vintage drums. That one is worth around $1500-$2000 but given your particular genre of playing, I would assume it's more valuable to you as an instrument. Just in case you ever need them, Mike Curotto has reproduced the internal (upper) snares for that strainer.
Read moreFelicia and the Rat
Illustrator, composer, drummer and story teller Mauro Magellan publishes a wonderful children's musical story book and companion videos about a lowly Rat who wants to play drums for the Elite Cats! Perfect Christmas gift for kids. Suitable for adults too! In hardcover and softcover with free MP3 down loads. Order Here
Read moreSlingerland's Special Solid Color Auto Lacquer Radio Kings
During Slingerland’s pinnacle time of manufacturing a drummer could actually request a special color order that they envisioned. Some of these orders produced were for a "mono" or one solid color lacquered painted finish. These unique finishes were much more uncommon to find on Slingerland drums of this vintage era. Here are four examples of Slingerland Radio King snare drums produced with "Solid" lacquer colored finishes.
Read moreRecollections: Buddy Rich - Chapter Eight
Not So Modern Drummer continues to celebrate the legendary Buddy Rich in 2017. Recognizing the 100th anniversary of his birth… Contributing their personal recollections and commentary on Buddy Rich are: Carmine Appice, Les DeMerle, John JR Robinson, Tim Smith, and Ed Soph.
Read moreDrum Yoda: The Voice of "Doom"
We were sitting around discussing our usual topic: drums. When we got around to the topic of tuning, the more senior drummer among us (defined as someone who'd actually had some real gigs) said: "A drum should go Doom."
Read more1893 C.G. Conn Silver and Gold Engraved Chicago World's Fair Snare Drum
This is quite likely a one-of-a-kind drum. Produced by the C.G. Conn Company as a special order/special occasion drum and/or a presentation drum purchased by, given to, or presented to H.M. Loomis at the time of the World’s Fair in 1893. How this drum was acquired by H. M. Loomis is unknown but the rest of the provenance is engraved on the shell of the drum: “H.M. LOOMIS WORLDS FAIR 1893.”
Read moreEveryone had a first set of drums... What was yours?
in the summer of 1982 my world changed when a group of kids that were 3-5 years older than me had a band and they played on the back of a trailer at the park. As I sat watching these guys play things I had never heard before like AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen I was totally sucked in to each band member feeling connected to what was going on. I knew my small hands would never be comfortable with a guitar or bass and I also knew I would never have enough confidence to stand out front of a stage and sing. What really caught my attention were the drums! The drummer was only three years older than me and I will never forget seeing that 1973 maple cortex set of Ludwigs with the shiny hardware and hollow logo Zildjians. I wondered how this kid knew what to hit, where and when and how he knew how to make them sound the way they did.
Read moreBill Bruford releases definitive boxed set "Bruford 1977-1980: Seemed Like A Lifetime Ago"
Drum legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bill Bruford, best known for his work with YES, King Crimson, Genesis and his prolific solo career, is releasing the definitive boxed set “Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like A Lifetime Ago.” Scheduled for release on Winterfold Records on October 28th, pre-orders are now being taken for the Limited Edition 8-disc set, which features unreleased, remixed or remastered material & a signed certificate.
Read moreOmar Hakim has been named the new chair of the Percussion Department at Berklee College of Music
Omar Hakim, a master drummer who has played on countless hits, from David Bowie's "Let's Dance" to Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," has been named the new chair of the Percussion Department at Berklee College of Music. Hakim is one of the most influential and sought-after drummers of the past 40 years. Renowned for his versatility, Hakim has hundreds of albums to his credit, collaborating with scores of prominent artists, including Miles Davis, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan, D’Angelo, and the late Bowie, who described him as "a fascinating drummer, with impeccable timing" and "always fresh in his approach." Hakim succeeds John Ramsay, who served as Berklee's percussion chair since 2008.
Read moreMystery Drum
Hello
I came across your website while searching information on an old drum and I thought maybe you could help us finding out information about it. There is no label on the drum. I would like to find out when this drum was made, possible by which company. Since it came to us from a good friend, we would like to to get to know about it...I attached some pictures.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Chidori Matsumoto
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Read moreEmile Boulanger/Duplex Snare Drum circa 1897
Difficult to date precisely, but this model appears in a 1885 catalog, and a patent of 1887 represents a perforated snare drum... This model must date from the late XIXth, circa 1897... Nickel-plated metal drum shell, 15'' x 5,5'' for dimensions, with 12 skeleton rods (as Boulanger called them... His patent which revolutionized drum history), with very fine tension rods in 5/16 ... This snare drum was made for street bands… This ultra rare snare is more than 110 years old, but after restoration it remains a pure jewel !!
Read moreAndy Doerschuck, DRUM! Magazine Founding Editor, Announces Retirement
Andy Doerschuck, DRUM! Magazine Founding Editor, Announces Retirement
Read moreReview: Canopus shows prototype of Zelkova drum set at Summer NAMM
The set was a four piece bebop size kit - 14 x 18 bass drum, 8 x 12 mounted tom, 14 x 14 floor tom and a Zelkova snare drum. It was tuned extremely high, in the jazz and bebop range. It sounded beautiful. Extremely clear tones.
Read more1928 - 1935 Slingerland Artist Model Snare
‘The Slingerland All-Metal Separate Tension Snare Drum is guaranteed to maintain its rigidity and its tenseness. It is unyielding to rough usage, due to the specially treated metal and its construction. One-piece shell and no solder used at any point.’
Read more1929 L&L 5x14 Standard Sensitive Snare - Mahogany/Decorative Inlay Finish
Here’s another unique snare drum that has just entered the collection. A special thanks goes to my good friend Bill Wanser of Olympic Drums & Percussion (Portland, Oregon) for making me a very fair deal on this snare drum and for his expert shell restoration. This drum was “ridden hard and put up wet” and needed a lot of work but I think that the finished product was well worth everyone’s efforts.
Read moreVisual Drum Design, In A Nutshell
I was in a conversation with a jeweler, an older man, talking about taste. He said, "Let me give you a word of advice. You need to decide whether you want fashion or style."
Read moreAustin Drummer Magazine summer 2017 issue
Nic Marcy's Austin Drummer magazine summer 2017
Read moreProfile: Drummer Tim Smith featured with Peter J. Newland and RadioXile
Upon moving to Nashville, Tennessee, Tim spent nine years playing with pioneering country rock band POCO. - Recording ‘POCO LIVE’ from the Bottom Line in New York City. He also toured with Brenda Lee, and legendary bass player and Funk Brother (the late) Bob Babbitt. Tim’s tour de force was drumming on the Multi-Platinum, Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning, self-titled debut album from “Jars of Clay” produced by Adrian Belew.
Read moreMike Clark: Words of Wisdom - Chapter 16
Guy walks in off the street and starts playing brushes on a newspaper he threw on top of the piano and plays with the duo, He was as good as anyone I have ever heard, and no one knew who he was. He got into a cab and drove off... Love New York City !!
Read moreThe P-p-p-power of Love
I'd like to dedicate this post to the memory of Jim Blackley, the man who I will always call “teacher”.
I recently spent a lesson with a youngster listening to a Katie Perry tune. This fellow was just beginning to be interested in music, and the tune really spoke to him. I like to work with real world examples, so we listened to the tune and talked about it. I pointed out things the drummer was doing that were things we'd been working on. For his next lesson, I prepared some exercises that he could play along to the tune. We spent maybe 10 minutes on the drums that day, but it was one of the best lessons ever because he got it, and he got it because it meant something to him.
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