We are back from our Christmas break with a show all about stands! Mike tells us all about the drummer of the week, Ed Shaughnessy, we talk about Ramon Samson, the Guitar Center Drum Off Winner, and Carter is late! Show Notes Direct Download

Good to see that Louie Bellson is on the mend. This guy is a big reason we study jazz today. He really did a lot for drumming, jazz music, and musicianship in general. Here's to many more years! Source: ModernDrummer.com The great Louie Bellson was recently hospitalized a few months back while recovering from a hip-breaking fall. However, he has been enormously encouraged and thankful by the greeting cards and well wishes. Mr. Bellson has now transferred to ...

I've reviewed all three current editions of the HMMS and doing so has made me realize something. Letting the audience drive the clinic can be a really bad idea. It would seem that people are prone to ask certain question of clinicians just for the novelty of it being explained live. Jojo Mayer still gets questions about hand technique even though he has an entire DVD dedicated to the subject. Steve Gadd still gets questions about that groove that he did with ...

PRESS RELEASE World’s Largest Drum Competition Celebrates 20th Anniversary Offering Grand Prize Worth Over $45,000 For 20 years, Guitar Center has been committed to providing drummers across the country the opportunity to pursue their musical aspirations and achieve their dreams by way of the world’s largest drum competition: Guitar Center Drum-Off. Starting August 1st, drummers can sign up for their chance to win over $45,000 in cash and prizes, joining over 5,000 drummers from across the US to ...

Source: AP | Big Drum Thump It appears the retail giant, Best Buy, wants in on the music retail business and plans to start offering gear at their stores. Each site will use about 2,500 square feet of retail space and include roughly 1,000 different products with well-known brand names such as Fender, Gibson, Drum Workshop and Roland. "We're not just extending the shelf space in the store, we're creating a designated area specifically for this experience," said ...

The drummer's number one enemy when grooving isn't an inability to keep time (though that's a big one too)... it's the itch. It's the feeling you get to break out (musically) when you are locked in the pocket. It's like the musical equivalent of claustrophobia. Staying in a groove can make your musical universe seem very small. So you leave the pocket to come up for air... deep breath... and then you're back in again. ...

Today we cover playing along with pieces that don't necessarily call for drum parts (like in classical music!) ?uestlove is the drummer of the week, the ten-stroke roll is the rudiment of the week, and Dave rants on MikeDolbear.com's reader poll results! Show Notes

On the Creative Coordination DVD, Thomas Lang states that Independence and Interdependence are both different states of mind. And after considering and pondering what he said for a couple of minutes, I came to agree. If you think about it, the only difference between interdependence and independence is how you view what you're playing. If you view what each limb is doing as a separate rhythm, that's independence. if you view each limb as playing ...

This week, we discuss the historical and musical aspects of polyrhythms. Mike covers the news, the Lesson 25 is the rudiment of the week, and Thomas Lang is the drummer of the week. Show Notes Show Notes

Here's a little food for thought next time you sit down to practice. Drummers are often guilty of growing their kit instead of growing themselves, and I'm as guilty as anyone else. We often try and open new doors (musically) by adding something to the kit. New ride, new hats, cowbells, shakers, special effects crashes, and octobans. in the hopes that one of these new additions will spark a new creative streak, I think we actually ...