djarrett Posted July 19, 2001 Share Posted July 19, 2001 I am perplexed with the variety of answers I get when I talk to drummers about the subject of drum magazines. Let's face it ... there is the "big 2", Modern Drummer and DRUM! and there is also Stick IT! Modern Drummer has been around for years ... I have my very first ... from 1979! I can remember rushing to the mailbox as a teenager like a kid in a candy shop and diving into the mag. I would take it to school and hide it behind my Social Studies book and read for days! Modern Drummer as they have grown have targeted an older demographic ... say 23- 46. I have seen an effort lately in the layout to give attention to the younger crowd as well. DRUM! obviously targets the younger and aggressive market. Just a different genre of drummers. A demographic of say ... 14-28. And they have done a great job of staking a claim in this small comparatively small market of drummint (I am saying that compared to mags like Southern Living, drumming is a tiny market place to make a living in if you are in the print business) ... But still the two fight for market share and ad dollars. Stick IT is focusing on a quarterly publication and education is a primary function of the mag. They are just coming on ... so hard to speak about them. When I ask drummers their thoughts on drum magazines there are those that hate both and there are those that love both. What do you think. *AND* If you could design the ultimate drum magazine ... what would you like it to be. What *WOULD* you like? Thanks, DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb thomas Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 I know a lot of post here ask for some type of debate if not out and out match if you will between Ron S. and Andy D. over this whole Athletic drumming issue. I second this motion for atleast a debate over where these guys stand on "extreme sport drumming". As this movement grows it would be educational to have this documented so we can learn from our history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
road2rock Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 With Drum Mags, a lot of it is the same, there is some super drummer from some famous band, and there is an interview and he says basically this "yeah back in my hometown I played rudiments since I've been in the womb" he talks about how great he his, BUT he's/she humble, and say they only do what they can." and SURE some of it is interesting, but I would like to see more stuff like deciphering drummer and musical lingo, "yeah my EQ is down from the overtones when mixed with the batter feedback through my Thompson 39XZ sound board mic resonator" What the hell are they talking about! I know a lot of musicians get what there talking about, and I know quite a lot of lingo as well, but there's is a percentage of people who are still trying to pick it up. IF a kid just picks up a Magizine from a corner store and is eager about learning music, drumming and the biz. Try and make it easier on them when they're starting off, if they open up the mag and they don't understand whats going on, then they're left high and dry and probably not really wanting to read the Mag again... Otherwise, Drum mags are great, Maybe I'm bitter. If this post annoys you, I can't argue against it, its quite a rant.... thanks Simeon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModernDrummer Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 Well, I'd have to agree with road2rock. It would be nice to see some additional information out there for younger or beginning drummers. Articles that would encourage them to pursue drumming, inform them about things that would help them, etc. As road2rock mentioned, sometimes the stuff you read in Modern Drummer or Drum! is over their heads. Over MY head! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif At the same time, I do enjoy reading product reviews and articles with drummers. I like finding out what a particular drummer thinks about their music, or their approach to drumming. I certainly learn from that as well. And ads, well, that's how they help pay for the production of the magazine. Otherwise, we'd probably pay $10.00 a copy for that issue we want. And ads are also a way to find out about new products. So I don't have a problem there. Uh, and Dendy, can we some BIG articles on the W.F.D. debate? LMAO! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Thought you might like that thrown it. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif J.B. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always have what you've always had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midispaceho Posted July 22, 2001 Share Posted July 22, 2001 All drum magazines need more naked women in my opinion Heeeeeere kitty kitty kitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamoflage Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 How about free a free cd rom that has some excerts from drum videos, or video lessons that could be played on a computer? Sometimes its so much easier to understand drumming techniques when you can actualy see and hear them instead of just reading about them and looking at 'stills' Like that Weckl video that you edited, just looking at that little segment answered some of the questions about matched grip. And people give away CDs as marketing all the time because they are so cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 23, 2001 Author Share Posted July 23, 2001 Hey, What if for an extra few bucks a year, you got access to a password protected area that offered video and audio excerpts from the magazine's stories? Also, with magazines, content is often dictated by ad space. (this means content is edited and cut if the ad space is needed) What if for this same few dollars, you got access to the "expanded version" of a story? What do you think of this idea? DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamoflage Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 To me it seems that any way to supplement an article with audio and video would be the most helpful... I currently don't subscribe to any drum mags, but this might be an incentive. I would also like to see more stuff on world rhythms applied to the drumset. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 I think they should be free considering the way I have to wade through all the damn advertisements to glean 4 bars of cool patterns or a hip chart. LOL-"more naked women" hilarious, but I don't agree. felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaddabout Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 I'm baffled that some readers think Modern Drummer doesn't do enough for the beginner drummer. I consider myself an intermediate player (on the grand scale), and most of the time I'm bored by their educational offerings. I do think everyone's made a salient point about drumming not being easily conveyed in print. There's a great need for more explanation through multimedia. I don't know how one does that in print on a regular basis. If I were putting together a drum magazine, I would do away with the Question/Answer format, and focus more on feature writing. Q&A is nice for a sidebar for quick-hitting questions, but it makes for painful reading when you have 50 or more inches of copy. Magazine feature writing allows the reader to see the subject through another person. It can certainly be done well on a month-to-month basis. In every issue, I would include one page for the 26 basic rudiments, and another page for an abridged drummer's dictionary (with accompanying illustrations, when need be). Give me a month, and I'll have thousand of ideas. Is someone really thinking about taking up this challenge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Originally posted by Gaddabout: In every issue, I would include one page for the 26 basic rudiments, and another page for an abridged drummer's dictionary (with accompanying illustrations, when need be). Well, your idea is good. If Modern Drummer would have already been doing this ... you would know that there are now 40 Standard Rudiments not 26. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Just giving you a hard time man! I couldn't resist. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 1. Think like an actual drummer who might read your magazine, not about the advertisers. 2. Divide the mag into regular columns including things that drummers care about: a. practicing b. session work c. live performance d. technique e. business Every month have one inventive and informative article on each of the above. 3. Don't recycle the same topic every 6 months: "So, you wanna be a session drummer." (yawn) 4. This is MD's problem: Don't use the same writers that you've had for the past 20 years! Make the mag 90 percent freelance, and seek out new writers regularly to keep things fresh. 5. Enough with the cover stories about drummers' personal lives. I don't give a rat's ass what Tommy Lee eats for breakfast. 6. Have a policy that informs advertisers in advance that you will not accept any gifts of any kind and that your articles will not include any plugs unnecessarily and that you will not spotlight any company (who gives a rat's ass about the history of Zildjian cymbals?). 7. Refuse to appeal to the lowest common denominator with XFL type subject matter in order to get attention: i.e. no WFD articles. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 24, 2001 Author Share Posted July 24, 2001 Ouch, careful sidereal: I think a good publication should cater to all genres of drumming. There are guys that live for WFD for sure, but there are guys that live for bebop drumming ... or drum corps drumming! Heck, I even know groups of folks that are eaten up with "bucket drumming" (yes, playing on the bottoms of plastic buckets). What about covering groups like STOMP, or Blue Man Group, or BLAST! All areas of drumming that you have to search for to read about! Except for your last comment, you had a great post!! Thanks, DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Just playing dj..... All opinions encouraged right? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif This message has been edited by sidereal on 07-24-2001 at 02:58 AM Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 24, 2001 Author Share Posted July 24, 2001 You got it, Side! DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaddabout Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 Bartman: Honest? I'm really showing my age. I never knew who decided on 26, particularly ones that seemed arbitrary like the ratamacue. Where can I find the current 40? Hopefuly they have expanded on the flam taps and inverts, my favorites! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 My one main complaint about drum mags these days is what I call the "web effect" - one page of almost every interview has text superimposed on a picture or graphic of some sort. I get enough of trying to read fuscia on canary yellow on the web, I want my pro media to reflect that professionalism and produce stuff that's readable. Luckily the first page of almost every article is filler so I don't worry about missing what's there. -- Rob I have the mind of a criminal genius.....I keep it in the freezer next to mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 28, 2001 Author Share Posted July 28, 2001 Gaddaboutit! You can find the current list of rudiments in a PDF format at www.pas.org. There are now a lot of "unofficial" rudiments that pop up with each new drum corps season. Seems with each new year comes more and more creativity. Thanks, DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 28, 2001 Author Share Posted July 28, 2001 Hey, Dwarf: I feel your pain. I know exactly of what you speak. There are times when I feel like if these guys try to be any more creative or artistic, that they may even try white print on white background (in the name of art!!!) http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif I have learned with MusicPlayer that when creating articles, there are so many things to consider. I have to check my work in Internet Explorer and Netscape. I have to check it on my Mac and my PC ( html behaves differently in both) and I have to chech in different size screens. It is an entirely laborious process, but there have been no universal standards set, so you have to check all possibilities to make sure anyone, anywhere can view your creations! Thanks for the comment. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted July 29, 2001 Share Posted July 29, 2001 I'd like to see my face on the front cover of Modern Drummer. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif One can dream can't they? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif ------------------ Bart Elliott http://bartelliott.com Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaddabout Posted July 29, 2001 Share Posted July 29, 2001 Am I the only one that used to paste personal photos over the faces of drummers on Modern Drummer? Man, I'm such a raging egomaniac ... it's a wonder I don't play guitar instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruBoz Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 I've always thought that Modern Drummer should include one giant centerfold in each issue. No, not of a naked woman, but of a drumkit. I don't know about you, but I like looking at drummer's kits. Sometimes, they provide good pictures of them, and they do usually have diagrams, but it would be cool to have a giant overhead shot of a drumset in each issue. Maybe a picture of the kit of whomever is on the cover for that month. You know, just to give us something to drool over. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 31, 2001 Author Share Posted July 31, 2001 Hey, BruBoz: A centerfold "kit of the month" is a killer idea. Even if it was an advertisement by a manufacturer whereby they came up with outlandish kits ... would be ok with me. (minimal text hype, however) But better would be overhead shots of actual kits used on tours, etc. with explainations about use, placement, etc. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 31, 2001 Author Share Posted July 31, 2001 What do you guys think about stories that would have extended multi-media presentations online? Say ... a story features a transcription from Omar Hakim ... and you could then log on and see a REAL movie of Omar playing the actual piece? Perhaps even an on-line lesson from Omar on how to learn the piece? Your thoughts? DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaddabout Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 That's the right idea, DJ. But don't assume people want to download any old thing. I would be upset if I took the time download Omar Hakim video footage and he was explaining paradiddles. I would love to see Omar explain the concept behind his posture, and how he became so fluid. I would definately download that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted August 2, 2001 Author Share Posted August 2, 2001 Good point Gaddaboutit! Of course, it is hard to tailor to each and every drummer (readers) desires. I think you are saying that the video downloads should be more substantive! Something that gives a great insight into a players style or thought process. Correct? DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaddabout Posted August 2, 2001 Share Posted August 2, 2001 Exactly. And it frustrates me when drummers who do lots of clinics get tired of answering the same questions. I can empathize, but I don't feel sorry for them. Most of the time, the reason a drummer is on a platform explaining something to other drummers is because of that special thing they bring to the instrument. I don't know why it's so laborious to repeat the same information, particularly since *I* didn't get to hear them explain it in Atlanta, Chicago, New York or Ft. Lauderdale. Ha! The only exception I can think of is Hilary Jones. She's an outstanding drummer, but every clinic she gets asked about what it's like being a "chick drummer." That has to get old real quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted August 2, 2001 Share Posted August 2, 2001 LOL Gaddabout... yeah it can get old. People always used to ask me what it was like to be a "chick guitar player" but I had a ready answer: "Oh, well I get crammed in the back of a van or a studio room with four or five really cute, talented guys for months on end. BOY, LIFE IS TOUGH!!" http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midispaceho Posted August 5, 2001 Share Posted August 5, 2001 I personally can't get enough information about paradiddles. Paradiddles rule! Heeeeeere kitty kitty kitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted August 6, 2001 Share Posted August 6, 2001 Especially when played by Tim Pederson. felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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