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!