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. 

We recently attended the 2023 NAMM trade show, which is the largest music trade show in North America. Though it’s an incredible gathering of the music community, the show’s importance and attendance have waned over the past decade. We’ll discuss the good, the bad, and the future of these types of events.

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.