The Drum Department

The 1970s were a decade of decadence, change and growth for drummers. Huge drum sets, 7-minute songs, and drum solos reigned supreme - today the panel will have to see if they can identify some of the biggest names in the 1970s drumming by only hearing their drum parts - can you name that '70s drummer?

Music and art are 2 things that make our world richer. Both connect to us on a deep level, and no matter if we like it or hate it, we always have opinions about it! Aric Improta is one of the most creative drummers in the world, and he also happens to be a world-class artist, so we're going to dive into how our emotional response to artwork can influence music.

Ringo Starr is probably the most influential drummer of all time, and his clever but quirky drum parts have been the soundtrack to several generations of music lovers. Gregg Bissonnette is the drummer Ringo himself chose to play in his All Starrr Band - Gregg himself has played with many legends, but at his heart he is one of the biggest Beatles fans in the world. Today on The Drum Department, Gregg will share some of the stories, insight and drumming genius he learned from working with Ringo for over 20 years.

Drummers always hear a cool lick, fill or idea and want to try to learn it. In this episode of The Drum Department, we'll challenge the panel to learn a lick in 60 seconds. We'll see their learning process, and see who can get it closest in a minute!

It's a new year, and The Drum Department is going to look into the future to see if we can predict some of the big stories that will unfold in 2024. Who will be the big breakthrough new drummer? Who will change their career drastically? What will be the new gear or innovation for 2024? We will also share what you think will be the biggest drum stories of 2024. 

Dive into this episode as we explore the year's most impactful events, highlight the top drumming gear, and pay tribute to legends in the drumming world. Be sure to tune in and catch all the excitement!

All drummers have a signature style and sound - but can you identify them by only hearing them? Today on The Drum Department we're going to test our ears and our familiarity with our favorite drummers by stripping down some of their most popular tracks to just their sound on the drums. We'll learn what makes a drummer's sound and style so unique.

Eden Bahar has a dream job touring with Cirque Du Soleil's 'Kooza' production. On today's episode, we'll find out how Eden got the job, what a day in the life of a circus drummer is like, and discover why he has a Guinness World Record for stick spinning!

We often assume that metal drummers eat, breathe, and sleep metal music. While that might be true for some drummers, it's far from it for Art Cruz, Lamb of God's drummer, one of the best metal drummers in the world today, and our very special guest on this episode of The Drum Department. Join us as we stroll down memory lane with Art and discover how he became the drummer he is today.

Aaron Spears was a young phenom who came up fast in the drumming scene. He stole the show at the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival “Gospel Drummers Showcase” and went on to be a first-call drummer for massive artists like Usher, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. Gone much too soon at the age of 47, today we remember and celebrate the life of Aaron Spears, a truly amazing drummer and person.

Liberty DeVitto was Billy Joel's drummer for over 20 years. Liberty provided the backbeat that a generation grew up listening to both in the studio and live. We've asked Alex Cohen, Ramon Montager, and Jared Falk to record their version of Billy Joel's "Allentown", a song that has that classic feel, so we could see Liberty react in real time to these different versions of his parts in this episode of The Drum Department - who played it best?

Prog-rock music is a drummer's dream: lots of cool parts, big drum kits and odd times - it's a drummer's playground for drumming indulgence. The drum community elevates prog drummers as stars - and today we share some notable prog drummers, and learn all about what makes a prog drummer a prog drummer! 

Big in the '70s and '80s, rototoms seemed to all but disappear in the '90s. They have seen a resurgence in the past few years, showing up on drum-sets everywhere. Today on The Drum Department we learn all about the mighty rototom and check out how versatile they can be with the help of a kit we built entirely out of them.

All drummers have a signature style and sound - but can you identify them by only hearing them? Today on The Drum Department we're going to test our ears and our familiarity with our favorite drummers by stripping down some of their most popular tracks to just their sound on the drums. We'll learn what makes a drummer's sound and style so unique.

Dom Famularo was the world's drumbassador- no matter what style or era drummer you were, Dom wanted you to feel connected to the history of drumming. Equal parts pro drummer, world class educator and trailblazing motivational speaker, Dom dedicated his life to inspiring drummers all around the world. On today's episode, we pay tribute to one of the most important figures in the drumming community. We'll share stories, show some never seen clips of Dom, and celebrate the life and legacy of Dom Famularo.

Drummers love their snare drums. Some drummers will even set up two or three snares on their kit to have all kinds of different sonic options. We've always wondered, what would it be like if we turned a whole drum-set into snare drums? For today's episode, we actually modified an entire drum-set into snare drums! Check out what this crazy kit sounds like and how we did it!

A few months ago, we shared who several of our favorite unsung drum heroes were. These are drummers that really inspire us and that may not be household names. Our awesome audience had lots to say about drummers that inspired them, so today we're going to share 10 of the amazing, forgotten drummers that our audience loves.

The Drum Department's first call-in show! Check out the burning questions the drumming community has for us, and learn about what the future holds for Drumeo and the cool projects we are working on.

Today's modern rock and pop drummers bring a huge amount of energy and excitement to their performances. It makes you wonder, "what if a drummer from today was thrust back in time and played with some of our favorite bands and artists?" What would those classic songs sound like with today's edgy drumming? Today on The Drum Department, we put guest drummer Tosh The Drummer to the task of playing classic songs with modern drumming!

Drummers love to explore new rhythmic ideas, and we'll often use odd note combinations to add tension to a groove or fill. What if we took some of the world's most famous songs and added odd groupings to them? Today on The Drum Department, odd-time-drumming master Aaron Edgar will warp some of your favorite songs to see if they might be even better with more complex rhythms!

Electronic drums have been around since the 1960s, and every generation we see technological advancements that provide drummers new ways of making music on the drum-set. In the '80s we had the Simmons SDS-V; the 2000s brought us V-Drums; in 2023, we move into a whole new world of electronic percussive possibilities. Today in The Drum Department we check out a whole new way of connecting drummers to the world of electronic drumming.

The snare drum is the most crucial instrument on a drum-set, and the most personal one. There are literally hundreds of snare drums to choose from, ranging in price from $100 up to $5000 or more. Does the price of a drum really dictate its value or is it all smoke and mirrors? Today in The Drum Department we test several snare drums to see if you really do get what you pay for!

It's amazing how different music can sound and feel when you apply different styles of drumming to it. In this episode of The Drum Department, we challenge our special guest JP Bouvet to play the same song in several different styles.

Drummers all have their own style, which can really change the way a song sounds and feels. Today on The Drum Department, Dave challenges Kyle, Jared and Tyson to play the same song. They will hear it once and play it, and they won't get to hear what each other played. Let's see who comes up with the best part!

In the '60s and '70s, single-headed toms reigned supreme with their short attack and melodic sound. In the '80s they died a very quick death, replaced by their predecessor: the double-headed tom. Though we've largely stayed doubled-headed, many drummers of today are adding concert toms back into their setups. Today we compare these two types of toms and see what we think is the best tom sound! 

Peart; Bonham; Rich; Barker; Smith - all superstar drummers, but who inspired them? Who are the lesser known but very important drummers that we don't talk about every day who inspired our legends? In today's episode of The Drum Department we talk about some of the most overlooked but important drummers in history.

A.I. is very real and can be a valuable learning tool, but can it teach the drums? This week on The Drum Department we challenge A.I. technology to see if it can teach the drums better than the founder of Drumeo, Jared Falk.

The Purdie shuffle is a rite of passage for many drummers. It's a quite complex and difficult to play groove that when executed right, feels and sounds amazing! Though this groove and variations thereof have already been used in several different songs, we at The Drum Department think these aren't enough - we need more! So in this episode, get ready to hear the Purdie shuffle being played everywhere!

The hook of a song is that ear-worm that grabs your attention, and you immediately know the song. Drum parts can be equally identifiable, though drummers rarely get proper writing credit for their musical contributions. Today on The Drum Department we share the best drum hooks of all time!

Drummers always talk about chops. But what is a chop? What makes it different from a fill? Join us for this episode of The Drum Department where we finally answer these questions!

Drummers have drum-sets of all sizes and shapes, but what components do you really need? Frank Bellucci is a veteran pro drummer who makes a living playing on all styles of drum-sets. In this episode of The Drum Department, we determine how much kit you actually need to get the job done.

Drummers all have their own style, which can really change the way a song sounds and feels. In this episode of The Drum Department, we challenge Dave, Dylan and Brandon to play the same song; they will hear it once and play it, and won't get to hear what each other played. Let's see who comes up with the best part! 

Double bass drumming is super fun! Playing along with iconic double bass songs is great, but what if we added double bass to all kinds of songs and styles that don't normally have it? Does it make those songs cooler? Today in The Drum Department, Eloy Casagrande (Sepultura) joins us as we challenge him to add double bass to all kinds of songs!

Drummers love to buy new gear; whether it's a new cymbal, different drumheads or a full blown new kit, there are tons of options out there. There are always lots of great deals out there, but there are some key tricks for finding the best deals on the gear you need. Today we have some industry vets sharing the ways you can get the most drum gear for your hard earned money. 

Rhythm can really affect our mood and how we perceive things we experience. Drumming star Greyson Nekrutman has made a name for himself by sharing daring and dynamic covers ranging from jazz standards to TV Themes. Today on The Drum Department, we challenge Greyson to add drumming to some famous movie scenes to see how different drumming approaches can change the feel of a clip.

Finding the sweet spot between developing chops and serving the needs of the song can be a delicate situation, and sometimes we drummers get caught up in overplaying. But where do you draw the line? To explore this question, we're throwing down a challenge to the master of pop drumming himself, Kaz Rodriguez. Let's see just how far he can push the boundaries of musicality while staying true to the groove.

Cymbal stacks seem to be everywhere these days. They make a short, trashy sound that can be used in pretty much all styles of music, and you can buy all sorts of different sizes or make your own. We'll check out some cymbal stacks, and the crew will be challenged to make up the craziest stacks we can using all kinds of weird cymbals and objects!

Metronomes are a crucial piece of gear for a drummer. They help us keep good time, and align us with other musicians and musical elements, but they are often very uninspiring to play to. Piercing sounds that have no feel or flow that can become a distraction instead of an aid. Today on The Drum Department, we'll get into what we hate about metronomes, but we'll also share our favorites, and help you find the best metronome for you! 

The Paradiddle is often considered the most valuable rudiment for drum-set playing, equally useful in grooves and fills. How far can we push drumming legend Thomas Lang to create new ways to use this rudiment?

Classical percussion and drumming seem worlds apart, but are they really? This week on The Drum Department we're digging into the similarities between drummers and percussionists, and what we can learn from each other.

Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett is back! Sugarfoot gives us a glimpse behind the curtain of some of the biggest shows and tours he's played with the best-selling artists of all time. From what it was like working with the King Of Pop to all the insane shows he played with Madonna and many others! Plus, he'll be teaching Groove Of The Week!

Can we teach someone who has never played drums before to play along with songs in 10 Minutes? Dave will teach the groove of the week and we review the A&F Pancake drum and convertible snare stand. 

Drumeo has over 50 snares to choose from, but only a few are chosen time and time again. On this week's episode of The Drum Department, we'll play the most recorded snares, share our favourites and Jared will test out the new EVANS Snare Drum Tune-Up Kit

Julia Geaman returns to the Drum Department this week where we dive into drum dynamics- modern music demands bigger, louder drumming, but do we lose our dynamic ideas and feel? We challenge Julia to the ultimate Dynamic drumming test, Jared will teach a classic groove and we'll review some new Vater stick models.

In this week's episode, we share what lessons students need to know to make progress. After years of playing, studying, and teaching, we have experienced it all. Tune in to learn important tips that will really make a difference in your learning.  We are also testing out a new kick muffler from our friends at Kick Muffling, and Brandon Toews busts out our groove of the week!

This week, social media superstar Domino Santantonio joins us in The Drum Department where we'll discuss the evolution of what being a pro drummer is, remember Neil Peart on the third anniversary of his passing, and learn an all-new groove of the week!

This week, Jeff Woods from Woods Custom Drums drops by The Drum Department. We'll discuss what makes a drum sound good, new year's resolutions and we will debut a new segment: Groove Of The Week!

This week on The Drum Department, we tackle the most asked drumming questions, talk about blue drums, and demo the new Mapex Mars maple drum-set.

This week on The Drum Department, Revocation's Ash Pearson joins us to talk about blast beats! Though primarily used in heavy metal, we'll challenge Ash to make blast beats work in all styles.

This week on the The Drum Department, we talk about practice. It's easily the most asked question we get - and the answer isn't as simple as it seems. We share some tips and tricks on how to maximize your practice time and make it fun, and review the A&F foldable hi-hat stand.

No matter what level of drummer you are, you will eventually encounter a bad drum-set. Hard to play, worn out, or just plain ugly, drummers need to know what they can do to turn the worst sounding and playing drum-set into a kit they feel good about playing. We'll share some tips and tricks, and the hosts will be challenged with the 10-second setup challenge - will they succeed or fail?