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.

“My first true love was a love at first sight.”

My new book, The Missing Rudiments, is on sale as a printable pdf down load now in the NotSoModernDrummer Store. An excerpt from the book is in this month’s emailed issue.

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.

“Mike Clark has provided the pulse to innumerable influential rhythm sections over his long and varied career. The drummer’s association with Zilber has blossomed over the last decade, focusing mainly on their love for New York City’s hard swinging jazz tradition.”

We have to go to the Ludwig Drummer Magazines of that time or to dealer flyers to learn of the special “Hotsy-Totsy" and "Mottled Sepia" finishes offered in 1928. 

“Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts were drummers who played for the music, and supported the band. “Drummers like that will always work”

The Bread-and-Butter lugs are all perfect and the blue glass glitter wrap is flawless. There is not an issue anywhere on the drum. It is in excellent condition. I consider it one of my favorite snares in my collection.

‘Seven Steps to Heaven’ was one of my all -time favorites with Miles Davis, and the Stan Getz Quartet at Montreux 1972 -- Featuring  Stan Getz on tenor saxophone, Chick Corea – electric piano, Stanley Clarke – bass,  Airto Moreira – percussion with the amazing Tony Williams on drums.

Possibly my favorite is this Rocket badge. This specific badge is my recreation of a pretty rare badge out there, but they nailed that cartoon rocket shape that were found in many toys and comic books in that era. In my searches I could not find any single industry that had so many products that hitched on to space related themes. So it’s official; MIJ Drums are the champions of the universe!

Once someone played a Ghost pedal they had to have one. From drummer to drummer, stories of the Ghost spread first by word-of-mouth.

“My take away from this is that the overall sound, which is most important to me, is absolutely outstanding and I would place these drums up there with some of the finest sounding instruments ever made.”

I got this drum at the Chicago Vintage Drum Show many years ago.

As a long-time collector, I have a fascination with the unusual, the bizarre, and often the ultimately impractical. These drums fall into all three categories.

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.

Moving, inventory liquidation, July/August issue, spinning plates in the air.

I decided to write an article covering this to help people identify the three different generations of this parallel throw-off and the versions.

I was wondering if you could assist me with a drum kit. I currently have my father's Brady Drum kit he purchased in around 1992.

In this episode of Sanity Lounge, we sit down with the incredibly talented John Crocken—drummer, craftsman, and creator of Persimmon Drumsticks.

Most of the things I write about are just stating the facts as I have found them, but this one is purely an opinion piece, and just for fun.

“I was one of the early users of DrumSellers and over the years the site has become a regular part of my daily routine, which goes something like this; Get out of bed, brush my teeth, check DrumSellers to see what's new on the site, check other email then start my "regular" work day. I'll usually check DrumSellers throughout the day to get an update on a listing I may be pondering or just to look at all the great drums and gear on the site.”

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

Consider practice as basic as brushing your teeth.

This beautiful drum was made by Star as part of their “Midget” line. Most commonly seen as part of a four-piece “Low-Teen” drum outfit, they were also sold as individual snare drums.

There 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.

The name Club Date was actually used for the first time in the 1948 WFL catalog and was actually written as the DeLuxe Club Date.

Billy had been a major influence in the local drumming community since first studying with Joe Morello’s teacher, Joseph D. Sefcik.

With decades of experience and performance under his belt—from serving in the Army band to dazzling audiences alongside A-list celebrities and Broadway musicals—John harnessed his skills to infuse every pair of sticks with superior craftsmanship and an unrivaled ethos.