The Drum Department

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?

This week on The Drum Department, we'll showcase two e-kits and discuss how electronic drums are increasing in relevance in today's music scene. Also - can we tell real drums from electronic drums in a blind test?

This week we have double bass legend Tommy Aldridge stopping by to chat! We'll talk about working with Ozzy and Whitesnake, how to develop your own style and sound on the drums, and how to play and perform at a top level like Tommy has done for over 50 years!

Legendary drum builder Ronn Dunnett joins the crew this week and gets into the hotly debated topic of drum tuning! We showcase some of Ronn's drums, give away prizes and answer your questions.

The Halloween episode of The Drum Department is here! Krad returns from tour with some cool stories to tell, and the crew talks about the scariest drum parts they've heard.

This week in The Drum Department, Nic Collins joins us to talk about touring with Genesis and learning how to play drums with his dad, music superstar Phil Collins.

This week in The Drum Department, Jared and Dave run the show and talk about the biggest drummer pet peeves!

This week in The Drum Department, Brandon shares his experience at the Taylor Hawkins show in L.A., we discuss our favorite concerts and review the Sonor Perfect Balance standard pedal!

This week in The Drum Department - we battle it out over chops vs. groove, find out who did best in last week's blind sound test, and we feature RTOM's new Black Hole trigger system!

What's the deal with drum festivals? Are they worth it or just glorified trade shows? Find out in this week's episode of The Drum Department!

From talking about celebrities who kill it on the drum-set to why drumming makes you smarter, Kyle and the rest of the gang are here to nerd out on all things drums.

Welcome to the first episode of The Drum Department! From Roland's recent acquisition of DW, to trends in the drumming scene and what's happening in the Drumeo community, Kyle and the rest of the gang are here to nerd out on all things drums.