⚡ Quick Hits
Owen Jackson chopping on eli.Orion's newest track🔥
Owen Jackson, session drummer for the likes of Carlie Hanson and Social Cig, posted a clip from the newest track by eli.0rion that rewards close listening. Watch for the paradiddle variations he works into the ride pattern and the funky shuffle feel he lays down on the hi hat. It is a compact performance that shows exactly why he's a fun listen. This groove is a must-practice!
Building a Groove Step by Step 🪜
Dany Kufner breaks down a groove in layers, starting bare and stacking complexity one element at a time until the full pocket locks in. It is the kind of side by side progression that makes the architecture of a beat suddenly obvious. If you have ever wanted to hear exactly what the hi-hat or ghost notes are contributing, this short clip makes the case better than most lessons twice its length.
I ain’t sure about this one. But the hands are feelin’ good today! 🥁
Rob "Beatdown" Brown posted this short groove clip with his own uncertainty baked right into the caption, which somehow makes it more watchable. The hands tell a different story than the self-doubt: the pocket feels locked in and the phrasing is clean throughout. Sometimes the takes you almost delete are the ones worth sharing.
🌊 Deep Dives
Scott Phillips - Creed - Tour Kit Rundown 🏟️
Scott Phillips has been anchoring Creed's sound for over three decades, and this Modern Drummer backstage rundown with host David Frangioni gives a close look at exactly what he's hauling on the current tour. Phillips walks through his full setup with the kind of practical detail that rewards patient watching, from shell choices to cymbal placement. If you've ever wondered how a band of that size and volume translates to a working road kit, this is the breakdown worth your lunch break.
🎓 Practice & Skills
A lick I copped from Nathan Camarena "Chon Puddle.”
Michał Jakubowski breaks down a lick lifted directly from Nathan Camarena's playing on Chon's "Puddle," isolating it as a focused study piece for left-hand double strokes at lower dynamics. Keeping the volume down forces cleaner technique and exposes any inconsistency in the weaker hand, making this a practical drill rather than a showpiece. If your ghost-note doubles feel sloppy, this short pattern is worth looping slowly.
Drum practice from the ground up
Sam MacKenzie posted a refreshingly unpolished first-touches clip built around a single creative constraint: Steve Gadd's flutter lick. Rather than showcasing a locked-in performance, he lets the early roughness show, framing it as a deliberate exercise in working within parameters. It's a useful reminder that setting a specific technical focus before you even warm up can turn those shaky first minutes at the kit into structured, intentional practice.
This is My Secret Weapon for Amazing Chops! 🔪
Zyck The Freak lays out a deceptively simple three-step framework for building reliable chops: learn it slow, play it slow, and mix it slow. The key early move is keeping new patterns on the snare only until they are fully internalized, resisting the urge to move around the kit before muscle memory is locked in. If you have been guessing through fills on gigs, this methodical approach is worth a close look.
🛒 Gear Picks
Drum Practice Pad for drumming drum pad and sticks (Amazon)
GrowDaily's 12-inch practice pad bundles two pairs of maple 5A sticks and an oxford cloth carry bag into a $23 package built around a three-layer construction: flexible rubber surface, high-density compressed wood core, and an EVA polymer base for noise dampening. The double-sided design offers a harder and a softer playing surface, giving players options for feel and volume. It's a practical, low-noise setup for beginners or anyone who needs a portable pad that won't rattle the walls. Grab this deal while it lasts!
Used Zildjian K Dark Thin Crash Cymbal 19in (1619g) (Timpano)
Timpano Percussion has a used Zildjian K Dark Thin Crash in 19 inches up for grabs at $343, weighing in at 1619 grams. The K Dark Thin is a go-to for drummers who want a fast, washy crash with a dark, complex tone that sits back in a mix rather than cutting through it. This one shows only stick and finger marks, with no cracks, dents, or keyholing. At this price it's going to sell fast!
Stick Control: For the Snare Drummer 📚 (Amazon)
George Lawrence Stone's *Stick Control* has been the foundation of serious practice routines since its original publication, and Modern Drummer named it the top drumming book of all time back in 1993. The 48-page staple-bound volume works through single-beat combinations, triplets, flam beats, and roll progressions with particular emphasis on developing the weaker hand. Currently on sale on Amazon, it remains one of the most cost-effective tools a drummer can add to the practice pad. Check out this classic video on stick control to help you get started.
🌎 From The Community
"El Chepe" feat. Bernard Purdie @ The Syncopated Summer Camp
Bernard Purdie sitting in for a jam session at Cory Wong's Syncopated Summer Camp is exactly the kind of footage drummers bookmark and return to. Recorded as a raw FOH board mix, the clip captures Purdie locking in alongside Joe Dart on bass, Jack Stratton on keys, and Joey Dosik on sax for a loose, swinging run through "El Chepe." If you've ever wanted to watch Purdie work in a room full of serious players, this is five minutes well spent.
"I'm so f**cking happy"
After years of battling depression and struggling to stay connected to the kit, Reddit user /u/Emluzsee posted a simple, heartfelt update: the love is back. Six years after first sitting behind a drum set and feeling something click, they describe this past week as rediscovering that original spark. If you've ever lost the thread and found it again, this one will hit close to home. A beautiful reminder of how helpful music can be for your mental health.
That's it for today! Thank you for carving out time to read! This community means a lot to me, and I'm grateful you're here. 🙏
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Happy drumming,
Matteo