Recorded June 2025

Ron Tierno's name first came up in my interview with Hank Allen-Barfield, who mentioned studying The Melodic Snare Drummer—a book by Ron—while working with Billy Drummond at Juilliard.

Ron has spent his entire career based in New York, where he did some recording and worked extensively as a Broadway musician. He played on the first national tour of CATS and later joined the show's long-running Broadway production.

These days, Ron teaches out of Good Hands Drum Shop in Manhattan and continues to take on some freelance gigs. For the past decade, he’s also performed in holiday concerts with the Boston Pops. While he still enjoys playing, Ron now primarily identifies as a Broadway veteran and educator, drawing on his decades of experience.

https://www.rontierno.com

Ron's Broadway Drumming 101 interview

Ron's Books

The Melodic Snare Drummer

The Hip-Hop Snare Drummer

The Swingin' Snare Drummer

Good Hands Drum Shop in New York City

https://goodhandsdrumshop.com

Other Links

Andy Lalino – Sit In And Play Along On Drums

Jim Chapin – Profile Of A Jazz Drummer: Skin Tight

Music Minus One – For Drummers Only

The Sons of Champlin - Follow Your Heart

The music included with this episode is The Old Man by Frank Weber.

Practicing Drummer
practicingdrummer.com
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook

The drum intro is from Charles Ruggiero's Loop Loft sample pack.

Thank you to Bart over at the Drum History podcast for his technical advice and help getting this podcast started.