George Lawrence is a professional drummer from Nashville Tennessee whose career highlights include:
-Recording sessions on major label rock, pop, country and jazz albums in Nashville, L.A. and Muscle Shoals.
- From 2004 to 2015, Recording and Touring drummer for legendary country rock pioneer band POCO
-Owner of George’s Drum Shop, Not So Modern Drummer Magazine and the Nashville Drum Show.
-Teacher of many high profile pro drummers including Keith Carlock, Gregg Lohman and Seth Rausch.
Remo Classic Fit Drumheads for vintage oversized drums prior to mid 60s
Looking for drumheads to fit your vintage kit? Remo listened and has developed the Classic Fit Drumhead for oversized drums made prior to the mid 60’s. The Classic Fit batter drumheads have a slightly narrower flesh hoop and step design yet maintains a standard outside diameter that does not interfere with the counter hoop. Available with Ambassador® Coated, Clear or Fiberskyn® film and sizes 12”, 13”, 14”, 16”, and 18”. Also available in a Snare Side Ambassador® Hazy, sizes 13” and 14”. The Classic Fit Drumheads will give you the classic sound and ease of head replacement you‘ve been looking for.
Read moreClyde Stubblefield Dead at 73. Famous as drummer for James Brown.
Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's one-time drummer and the creator of one of hip-hop's most popular samples, has died at the age of 73. Stubblefield's wife, Jody Hannon, confirmed the drummer's death to Rolling Stone. The cause of death was kidney failure.
Read moreWorking Drummer Podcast is a new feature in Not So Modern Drummer
Everything you need to know about being a professional drummer . . . and a few things you may not want to know. Hosted by Matthew Crouse, co-hosted by Zack Albetta and produced by Mike Jackson: the podcast Working Drummer covers it all in interviews with dynamic pro drummers. WorkingDrummer.net
Read moreTodd Sucherman: Beneath The Surface
The first Methods and Mechanics for useful and musical drumming was meant to be a galvanizing voice of reason to hopefully direct the next generation to the notion of employability. There was a lot of sensationalism with chops so it was important for me to direct useful musical ideas. Conceptual ideas about playing for the song – listening to the music – trying to get the song across - knowing what the lyrics are. You have to get into the song and become part of the storytelling process and I think those that do will have an easier time finding employment than others who look at it like mathematics or playing things just to impress other musicians.
Read moreDrummer/Songwriter Matt North’s Debut Release “ABOVE GROUND FOOLS” Out FEB 24, 2017
Above Ground Fools formally launches Matt North as a singer and songwriter of great emotional power and artistic depth. It is the self-produced debut solo album from a veteran session drummer, currently based in Nashville after a long tenure in Los Angeles who’s also enjoyed success as an award winning screenwriter.
Read morePASIC 2016 Wrap Up
Wes Little in clinic at PASIC 2016 w bassist Brian Allen
Nov. 9-12, 2016, Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN. PASIC is the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. If you haven’t been to PASIC, then you should make time to go! It’s a day totally devoted to drums, percussion, the education of percussive arts, and just about anything that can be translated to rhythm. Just imagine – a convention center filled only with drummers! There were many concurrent sessions (making it impossible to see everything) so I elected to attend the drum set clinics primarily, and peruse the exhibitor booths in between. Unfortunately, that meant I missed out on many percussion ensembles, marching exhibitions, electronics, etc… Please check out the 60 pics on the NSMD Facebook site.
Read moreUnpacking Polyrhythms Part 1: The Basics
According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, a polyrhythm occurs whenever two contrasting rhythms happen at the same time. That doesn't nail things down for us very well, especially given that there are a number of terms used to describe polyrhythms. What adds to the confusion is that the book uses the same bit of notation to illustrate several of these terms. So what gives?Terminology is helpful when it clarifies concepts, and a pain in the butt when it serves only to confuse. So I'd like to offer a few suggestions for interpreting the rather imprecise terms available to describe concurrent rhythms.
Read moreUnpacking Polyrhythms Part 2: The Others
Metric Modulation
This is a unique application of a polyrhythm, where a pulse is alluded to and then adopted as the new time signature. For example, if you play quarter-note triplets in 4/4 time, you are playing a polyrhythm. If you abandon the 4/4 pulse and use the triplets as the new pulse, then you have modulated to 6/4 meter at a new tempo. And you can go the other direction as well: 6/4 to a hemiola (2:3) to 4/4.
Hitting Bottom
I'd only playing for a few years and was about a year into my studies with a world-renown teacher, but at this particular lesson I was bombing. I didn't know why I was bombing. My teacher, who didn't often say much, was pacing the room slowing shaking his head. “Let’s try it again,” he said. That meant another month of the same material. So I knuckled down and did it all again. I was good at knuckling down. I had the discipline and determination to master the material I was assigned. And I HAD mastered it. Or so I thought.
Read moreRogers 1962 Swing Time Outfit, Mardis Gras finish
The set has the 3-ply Jasper shells and flat bearing edges, which were originally designed for calfskin heads. I have read that, starting in 1963, Rogers switched to Keller shells and a new sharper bearing edge. Another cool thing on this set is that both the floor tom and tom have “tall boy” hoops which were also designed for calfskin heads.
Read moreRogers 1978 Londoner V kit
I showed Jack MacFeetes a photo of one of the drums from this set and asked him to give me some comments I could use in this article. His comments were; "Five ply, maple birch. Color, Mohave Red, #84. 1976 Catalog shows this color in the Studio Ten Outfit, pg4. This drum made approximately 1978, Top hoop not correct. Memriloc hardware was developed through a collaboration with Dave Donoho and Roy Burns, and Rogers, of course mid 70s. Mounts are rock solid, stand up to the heaviest of hitters. Well made drums even though there were numerous moves during the Big R period, some of them very unnecessary, and quality at times affected by this. The hardware was about the best one could have at the time."
Read moreOddball 1951 - 1954 Slingerland 5 3/4" x 14" WMP 6 lug Radio King snare
--So why is the bottom re-ring shorter than the top re-ring? I have an idea. I seem to remember that older RK toms had 3 reinforcement rings, one on each end and the third one in the middle. Just a theory.
Read moreRecollections: Buddy Rich - Chapter Two
Not So Modern Drummer continues to celebrate the legendary Buddy Rich in 2017. Recognizing the 100th anniversary of his birth. Providing their personal commentary on Buddy are Pete Cater, Greg Estabrooks, Gordy Knudtson, and Ted Mackenzie
Read moreInterview w Matt North - "I sold it all. I sold my yellow Gretsch drums to some guy in Quebec.
I literally “sold my yellow Gretsch drums to some guy in Quebec” on eBay. I won’t get down in the weeds, but I have a child with special needs. Like many families in our shoes, we’ve had to hire attorneys to ensure he receives his developmental services. This song came from when I sold most of my vintage drum collection to pay legal fees. At heart, it’s a song about things we have to give up to keep going forward, how sometimes we have to dig a hole before we can fill it.
Read moreAnnouncement: Canopus Drums entering the 2017 Snare Drum Olympics
Canopus Drums is entering the 2017 Snare Drum Olympics! Japanese drum manufacturer Canopus is well known for their extremely well-engineered drum products and for the great sound of their instruments. In particular, the unique Canopus Zelkova snare drum which is hollowed out from one piece of two hundred-year-old Zelkova trees (Japanese Redwood) in a special parabolic shape. We don't know which drum or drums Canopus is entering in the contest yet, but any of their high-end drums will set an early benchmark for the contest.
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