By Jeff Johnson “The RTOM difference” I’ve never had students compliment me on my drum mutes - until now. What’s the change? I call it the “RTOM difference.” Drum instructors use drum mutes for multiple reasons. The mutes allow the teacher to talk or count while the student is playing. The reduced volume also [...]
Survival of the Fittest - RTOM Artists Relive Their Gig Nightmares By Michael Molenda From a bandmate not bothering to show up, to exploding amps, transportation breakdowns, and other calamities, most musicians have collected their own little portfolios of tour misfortunes. It doesn't matter if you're performing in small local venues or traveling across [...]
A Black Hole Rescue and the Glory of the BH Single-Zone Trigger Pack By Michael Molenda* Sometimes, brilliant plans devised in your brain quickly devolve into utter madness when they are deployed under the harsh and unforgiving spotlight of the real world. Case in point: During the early months of the pandemic, when [...]
The Importance of Early Attention to High-Volume Exposure Volume is the biggest danger to hearing that drummers face. Drummers have more hearing damage than any other musician because our instrument is the loudest of all acoustic instruments, and unlike amplified instruments, it isn’t easy to just turn it down. 57.6 percent of professional [...]
