In his 26 years of drumming with Styx – and even more decades of experience as a clinician, educator and beat-keeper – Todd Sucherman has watched and learned from his fair share of legendary drummers, even befriending many of them.

So who else is in a better position to share their passion for the greats?

This video is a “who’s who” of the drumming world where you’ll hear some of Todd’s stories about the most influential drummers of all time, including:

• Steve Smith
• Lenny White
• Mark Brzezicki
• Danny Seraphine
• Jerry Marotta
• The drummers of Steely Dan (Jeff Porcaro/Jim Gordon)
• Tony Williams
• Terry Bozzio
• Phil Collins

Todd features each of these drummers – and other must-know players – in individual episodes of his documentary series, Spotlight, available exclusively for Drumeo members (get a free 7-day trial here).

Along with rare footage and insider info (including the story of how Steve Smith responded to a letter Todd wrote at age 12), you’ll see Todd demo some of the best licks he’s learned from each legend.

If you like a solid deep dive into drum history, this video and the Spotlight series are for you.

Lesson Index:
0:00 – SONG: “Crash Of The Crown” by Styx
3:50 – Introduction
6:00 – What is Todd Sucherman’s “Spotlight” Show?
8:30 – The Genius Of Steve Smith*
14:30 – The Genius Of Lenny White*
20:00 – The Genius Of Mark Brzezicki*
25:05 – The Genius Of Danny Seraphine*
29:15 – The Genius Of Jerry Marotta*
35:33 – SONG: “Coming Out The Other Side” by Styx
38:15 – The Genius Of Jeff Porcaro and Jim Gordon*
41:53 – The Genius Of Tony Williams*
49:54 – The Genius Of Terry Bozzio*
56:50 – The Genius Of Phil Collins*
1:03:17 – Alta Forma (Antoine Fafard, JK Harrison & Todd Sucherman)*
1:09:50 – Spotlight highlight reel
1:12:00 – SONG: “Renegade” by Styx

*Full spotlight episodes available on Drumeo

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Todd Plays:
Pearl Drums
Sabian Cymbals
Remo Drumheads
Promark Drumsticks

Follow Todd:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

If Foo Fighters invited Styx’s Todd Sucherman to take the drum throne (R.I.P. Taylor Hawkins), we think he’d be ready.

Even if he’d never heard the set before.

In what’s quickly become a Drumeo tradition, we dared Todd to learn a song he’s never heard. In this video, he plays “Rope” from Foo Fighters’ 2011 album Wasting Light after just one listen.

Todd usually learns songs by ear and gives them his undivided attention when listening.

It’s tough even for the pros to learn in real-time. But you get to see it happen!

Watch Todd learn a song on the fly. How do you think he did?

Click here to get the sheet music so you can learn “Rope”, too.

We’ve challenged other pro drummers to play songs after hearing them once. See how they did here:

• Larnell Lewis (“Enter Sandman”)
• Dennis Chambers (“Schism”)
• Hannah Welton
• Greg Bissonnette
• Rashid Williams
• Gil Sharone

Styx’s Todd Sucherman is known for writing delightfully musical drum solos. If you’ve ever wondered how to come up with rhythms that tell a story, watch this video!

You’ll see Todd play a solo (“Evening The Odds”) that transforms over time (things get especially cool around 3:06) and hear him break down some of his creative choices, including:

• Why he phrased the 16th notes/flams section in groups of 5/5/3/3
• How he took a note from Tony Williams to create ‘triads’ on the toms
• …plus a samba-inspired moment and a double bass shuffle.

You can watch another epic Todd Sucherman drum solo here.

If you’d like to learn more about building drum solos, join Drumeo and watch Todd’s good friend Steve Smith’s course, “The Art Of Drum Soloing” (check out a free excerpt here).

Todd Sucherman, longtime drummer for Styx, is one of today’s top rock drummers. In this video, he shares five tips every rock drummer should know, from stick technique to practice mindset.

1. Mix yourself at the drums

If your drums sound good right in front of you, they’ll sound good in a club or arena. ‘Mix’ your drums at the source! By controlling your sound through dynamic limb independence (ie. being able to control the power and volume of each hand and foot) you aren’t putting it in the hands of someone else. Make the engineer do as little as possible. In rock music, the bass drum and snare drum should have a similar ‘density’ and consistency.

2. Play your hi-hat using the shank-tip technique

When you’re playing regular notes on the hi-hat, alternate with an ‘in and out’ motion (rather than an ‘up and down’ motion) between the shoulder and tip of the stick. It should look and feel like you’re cutting a steak or shooting pool. You’ll get a more musical and articulate sound, kind of like a shaker. You can always opt for the ‘chunky’ sound when it suits the music, but shank-tip should be your home position.

3. Play deep rimshots

You can get the biggest sound out of a snare drum with a rimshot. If you play it further back on the stick – where the stick is fatter – you’ll get a more epic and solid sound. Think about playing the verses with the tip in the center of the drum, and have the tip further up during the choruses.

4. Play with intent

Rock comes with a certain attitude and energy. You’re disrupting the status quo, so harness that bravado if that’s what your music calls for. It comes out in the way you hit the snare drum, in the pressure on the bass drum, and even the way you move behind the kit. Every drummer has their own personality, so think about your vibe and your intent and where you come from. Put heart and soul into how you play the drums.

5. Enjoy the process of improving

If all you can focus on is the finish line, you’ll never deeply internalize what you’re doing. We don’t all have time to practice all day, of course. But if you can get in one hour each day – or even put the sticks in your hands for five minutes a day – you’ll start seeing improvement with the routine. Don’t let your relationship with the drums fade by not practicing every day in some way. If you can spend 30-60 minutes a day where you work on a different idea for 10 minutes, every week you’ll get better in several areas because you’re working on a little piece every day. We are what we choose to practice; that’s the player we will become. The choice is yours!

If you like what you see here, you’ll love Todd’s Rock Drumming Masterclass: a 26-week online course that reviews say is a total game-changer!

In this impossible mountaintop video, Todd Sucherman of Styx performs “Gone Gone Gone” off Styx’s 2017 release, The Mission.

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly sought-after drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals. He is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Todd Plays:
Pearl
Sabian
Remo
Promark

Follow Todd:
Instagram
Facebook

In the early ‘90s, I was very fortunate to work with a lot of amazing musicians in Chicago. At that time, a large chunk of sessions were jingles: commercials for television and radio. A few active session players stuck out their necks for me and started recommending me to various producers when they couldn’t get their regular guys.

That’s when Styx came into my life.

It was 1995, and they had decided to re-record the song “Lady” for their Greatest Hits album. Unbeknownst to me, Styx’s original drummer, John Panozzo, was in ill health. Keith Marks, who ran all the cartage for recording sessions in Chicago, had worked with the band in the past and he recommended me for the session.

Now this was a band I’d seen three times as a kid, whose songs I covered growing up. In 8th grade, my buddy Alan and I wanted to see Styx, but neither of us had a driver’s license. My mom liked the band too, so I asked if she’d drive us down from the suburbs in order to find three scalped tickets and go together. She said yes. But when we got to the venue, no one had three tickets. They seemed to only come in pairs.

15 minutes before showtime, I looked at my mom and said, “Mom, is it okay if Alan and I go see the show, and you come back to pick us up?”

It hurt for me to say that. But she said yes, drove away, and Alan and I went to see Styx without her. I felt so guilty at the time.

Needless to say, being called in to record with this band was quite a thrill. But I went in as a professional, and was in and out of the studio in an hour.

The following year, they called me again to record a new original that was going to be on Greatest Hits Part 2. This time, there seemed to be much more interest in getting to know me. I could sense they were feeling me out as a human being, to see if I was an odd bird or a looney, or whatever. They asked me where I grew up. At that exact moment, I knew something was going on.

You have to spend 22 hours of the day with your bandmates offstage. Everyone in the band was very quick-witted, very intelligent. And I had to be able to socially hang with those guys if they were going to spend more time with me.

The next day, James Young called to offer me the summer tour…if I wanted it. That offer came with the caveat that if John Panozzo gets better, the gig is his, of course. I wholeheartedly agreed.

I’d never done a big scale rock tour at the time, much less with a band whose records I had growing up. I was 26 years old. I thought, you know, my recording session dreams have come true to some extent.

I said yes, and we were off to the races.

–

We rehearsed for about a month before launching the tour. One of the shows was a preview for family and friends. Of course, I invited my mom. After the show, I went up to her and said, jokingly, “Okay, are we cool now? Are we square? We good?”

She had no idea what I was talking about. She’d forgotten all about that show she’d driven me to in 8th grade. Eventually, she would be able to say she’s seen Styx a thousand times – so I think that debt has been repaid.

At this point, joining Styx on tour was a bit intimidating. I was the only non-original guy, they were all 15-20 years my senior, and I was replacing the bass player (Chuck)’s twin brother on drums.

People had asked me if it was a daunting situation. It wasn’t, musically – it was in my musical DNA, so to speak. But it was daunting to replace a guy who was sort of the Keith Moon of the band. John was the funnyman, the quick-witted crazy one. Everyone I ever spoke to said he was the funniest guy they’d ever met. So it was intimidating to take the place of such a large personality.

It was July of 1996, and we were in the New York City area for a week of television appearances and live shows. I got a phone call one morning from the tour manager.

He said that John Panozzo died last night.

They were all meeting in Chuck’s room. Of course, Chuck was stunned and numb. We were all there and I was quiet, letting them talk about what they were going to do. Do we fly for the services? Do we cancel shows? What do we do here?

That night, I went out with one of my best friends who happened to be in town. We walked for miles and miles through Manhattan together, talking about the whole experience and what had just happened as we hopped from one restaurant or bar to another. And when the night was over, I said goodbye to my friend and walked back to the swanky Upper East Side hotel.

As I entered the marble foyer, I could hear James Young’s laugh come out of the bar. I saw them all sitting there in a circle.

This was a moment I’ll never forget.

I stood there, looking at the bar to the right and the elevator to the left. I thought, what should I do here? Should I go into the bar? Will it be uncomfortable? Will it be a reminder that their longtime bandmate and brother just died? Will I not be welcome? Or do I go to the elevator and just sneak off to my room, easy, no harm done? What do I do here?

And I vividly remember standing still, contemplating: do I make a right or a left?

Do I make a right or a left?

Well, I finally decided to make a right and head into the bar. As I slowly approached the group, metaphorical hat in hand, I waited for their reaction to my being there. When they saw me, they immediately said “Todd! Come join us.”

Someone pulled up a chair. I sat down with them. And I listened to them regale, for the next hour or two, stories about John as they laughed, cried, and laughed some more. I think that was the moment they really accepted me.

I had the same feeling with them over the next two months.

–

The tour ended in Chicago. As I said goodbye to everyone, I thought I’d never see any of these people again. I figured it was a one time thing. It was unclear if the band was ever going to do anything in the future. It certainly would’ve been out of the ordinary for a session guy like myself to be called back. Maybe they’d want to try out someone else in the future. Who knows.

I really never thought I’d see them again.

Lo and behold, I got a call next spring. “Hey. We’re going to go out again next summer.”

Styx has been such a large part of the last 23 years of my life. It’s astonishing how much has happened. I’ve managed to maintain a career outside of the band as well, but to have this be the ‘main course’ through my calendar year for over two decades – to be in a band that plays and sings as well as they do, who cares so much and never phones it in, who leaves it all on the stage every night – I’m so proud of that.

To this day, people still ask me how I got the gig with Styx, and what the audition was like. I say “well, there never was an audition.” I got called to do two recording sessions. This all happened because I’d put myself in the pathway of opportunity by playing every gig I could in Chicago. This was the result of every gig I ever did.

This was the result of every gig I ever did.

I didn’t know someone’s cousin. They didn’t audition 50 drummers and I happened to win the lottery. All the work I did, from the time I first put drumsticks in my hands as a two-year-old to taking every session, playing every dive bar, every weird thing on the South side, and rehearsing in a barber shop led me to this opportunity. It was up to me to lose it.

If you’re smart, you should learn things as you go. As you play with different musicians, it’s good to be humble and ask someone who is older and more experienced: “What can I do to make this gig better for you?” If you try to make it great for everyone – not just great for you – other musicians are going to pick up on it and appreciate it.

Any gig is yours to lose. Or you can just relax and do it. I always say there’s nothing to be nervous about when you’re playing the drums. At some point, you saw your next door neighbor’s drum kit, or a live band, and it made you fall in love with the instrument. You’ve got to hang on to that feeling. The audience is on your side; they want it to be good.

If you’re auditioning for a band, you don’t have to be nervous. They want you to be the guy. A lot of people screw themselves up mentally. Just prepare and realize that the game is just to play as well as you know you can, and play as well as you hope to. Relax mentally, relax physically – your grip, arms, posture – because that’s the only way that you can be a conduit to your authentic self on this instrument.

And when you are your authentic self, you can align yourself with the magic that is inside the music.

Todd Sucherman

STYX

Ever wondered about Todd Sucherman’s pre-game warmup? Every drummer has their own go-to vocabulary, whether it comes out on the practice pad or it’s injected into a pattern on the kit.

Todd filmed a drum solo at Drumeo a few years ago, and in this video you’ll see some of the cool rudiments he used to build it: flam accents, pataflaflas (“fun to say, fun to play”), and flam taps. Once you have the motions, try playing them in succession on the toms and other sound sources.

Check out Todd’s full drum solo right here:

Todd Plays:
Pearl
Sabian
Remo
Promark

Follow Todd:
Instagram
Facebook

Playing the drums isn’t always about speed and showmanship. A lot of it relies on the essentials: locking down the groove and serving the music.

Todd Sucherman is one of the most prolific drummers in rock music today. He’s won Modern Drummer awards for ‘Best Rock Drummer’ and ‘Best Recorded Performance’, and he’s the mastermind behind our popular Rock Drumming Masterclass. So who better to use as a reference for nailing a rock ballad?

Here are three tips you should take away from this video:

1. Discipline

Play for the music, not to show off the new linear fill you just practiced. The best drummers know when to hold back. In this song, Todd doesn’t pull out his shred chops or add notes unnecessarily; he carefully places each hit, plans where each drum and cymbal sound should fall, and knows where to build and where to stay quiet.

2. Dynamics

Dynamics are key for bringing life to a song and they can also make or break your drum sound. If your cymbal volume is drowning out the kick and snare, your groove won’t be making the audience/listeners move. This varies for each style of music, but for rock you’ll always want to make sure you have a heavy back beat and groove to hold down the fort.

Todd uses dynamic limb independence to ensure the drum sound is ‘mixed’ before it even gets to the engineer. He doesn’t go overboard with cymbal volume. His snare and tom hits don’t overwhelm each other. By playing with the right dynamics for each section (such as bringing the overall volume down in the verses and building it up before each chorus), he’s making the producer’s job easier and controlling the feeling of the song from the very first take.

3. Timing

Todd lays back on his fills to keep the time feeling perfect. Many drummers speed up their fills while playing ballads. But in this performance, you can hear every hit is perfectly spaced. To practice this, you can play through slower fills with a metronome to get a sense of where each hit needs to be.

In this powerful performance, Todd knocks a ballad out of the park. The best part? It’s on top of a mountain. The cherry on top? The song, “Center Of Your Heart” is by his better half, Taylor Mills, from her album Lullagoodbye.

If you’re thinking “Wait…how did Todd get his drums on that mountain?” you need to watch the behind-the-scenes story on the most epic drum video we’ve ever made. Here’s a reminder in case you missed it:

What do you think of those neon yellow Pearls?

Todd Plays:
Pearl
Sabian
Remo
Promark

Follow Todd:
Instagram
Facebook

Registration for the Rock Drumming Masterclass is now closed.

Todd Sucherman’s original Drumeo solo absolutely blew up across social media when he first came to our studio in 2017, so we’re super stoked to bring you another solo by Todd (in a slightly different location this time). This entire performance is in 7/8, so do your best to count along to make the listening experience really “click”.

Massive thanks to Pearl, Remo, Pro-Mark, Audix, Sabian, and BC Helicopters for helping make this ambitious project possible!

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Rock Drumming Masterclass: www.Drumeo.com/rock/

When you’re on the road for eight months a year and play upwards of 150 shows as Todd Sucherman does, it’s crucial to have a warm-up routine that helps you stay loose and avoid injuries. If you hop behind the kit and go from zero to one-hundred without any preparation, you’re gonna have a bad time.

During our Day In The Life video shoot with Todd, we got to see exactly how Todd warms up before going on stage. He goes over the rudiments he primarily focuses on, as well as hand to foot combinations that ensure all four limbs are relaxed and ready to rip.

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Registration for the Rock Drumming Masterclass is now closed.

Understanding and learning how to apply ghost notes into your grooves and fills is a huge development point in your drumming journey. In our opinion, it’s where you go from being a beginner drummer to an advanced drummer. When used appropriately, ghost notes can have a major impact on your overall musicality and can drastically open up a whole new set of options when constructing drum parts.

Today, Todd Sucherman wants to share a personal story of how he first understood the application of ghost notes which resulted in a huge breakthrough in his drumming. After listening to “Enigmatic Ocean Part II” by Jean-Luc Pont at the age of twelve, Todd decided to e-mail the drummer on that song (which was none other than Steve Smith) to inquire about the drum parts. His response gave Todd major clarity on the topic, so he’s here to pass that information along to you now. Download the sheet music here and enjoy.
 
About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Registration for the Rock Drumming Masterclass is now closed.

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a drummer in a touring band that’s on the road for eight months a year and plays 150 shows? We took a trip down to Tulalip, Washington to meet up with Todd Sucherman of Styx and see what a day in the life looks like for one of the best rock drummers in the world.

Todd talks about everything from his warm-up gear, pre-show rituals, and his mental approach to playing live – all the way to his current wardrobe, backstage setup, and beverage of choice when he’s able to kick back. You’ll also get to meet Todd’s drum tech and bandmates who have a couple of funny stories to share!

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Registration for the Rock Drumming Masterclass is now closed.

Years ago Todd Sucherman was hanging out and trading drum licks with Steve Smith (you may have heard of him). Steve showed Todd a pattern (inspired by Tony Williams) that really gave Todd a challenge, so he figured it’d be a perfect fit for this lesson title!

There are many elements to cover with this difficult pattern, but just focus on one step at the time instead of trying to tackle it all at once. This isn’t exactly something you can become comfortable within one day. You gotta build up that muscle memory…

Download the sheet music here and take it behind your kit. If you DO get it down, upload a video of yourself playing it to Instagram and include the hashtag #drumeo so we can see it!

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

Registration for the Rock Drumming Masterclass is now closed.

It’s not every day that you haul a drum kit, a full audio and camera setup, and one of the best rock drummers in the world into two helicopters and fly into the mountains.

“Wild Horses” is a track written by Neil Zaza that features lush guitar riffs and melodic drum parts that are perfect for this outdoor setting. I’m still blown away by the incredible drum sound we were able to capture.

Watch the behind-the-scenes of this epic shoot right here (that also includes another song performance). Big thanks to Pearl, Sabian, Remo, Promark, and BC Helicopters for making this project possible!

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

In the most EPIC drum video we’ve ever filmed, we took two helicopters, a beautiful Pearl kit, and one of the best rock drummers of all time into the mountains of British Columbia – in the pouring rain!

This video is a tribute to drummers around the world. Drummers are a rare and amazing breed. We dedicate entire rooms of our homes to our passion, we buy vehicles based on how our drums will fit, and we set up our kits in the craziest of situations all because of our LOVE for music.

We’re so thankful for the drum companies who supported this ambitious project including Pearl, Remo, Pro-Mark, Audix, and Sabian.

And a huge thank you to Mischa Gelb and BC Helicopters for making this video possible. If you’d like to follow their incredible adventures (including a helicopter trip around the world), make sure to check out Mischa’s YouTube channel.

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.

When Todd Sucherman was in our studio for the making of the Rock Drumming Masterclass, we asked him to come up with three common myths among drummers (which especially apply to rock music). Todd will discuss myths regarding how to strike the drums and cymbals, the makeup of your own drum kit, and what skills you actually need (and which ones you don’t need to obsess over) to proficiently play rock music.

What are some other myths that you want to be dispelled among drummers?

About Todd:
Todd Sucherman is a highly demanded drummer for sessions, clinics, and drum festivals who is most well known for his work with the band Styx. On top of recording several top 50 albums with Styx and playing an average of 100 dates a year, Todd has recorded over 1,000 radio and TV spots and has worked with a wide variety of artists such as Peter Cetera, Brian Culbertson, Spinal Tap, Michael Bolton, and many more. Todd won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s poll for #1 Educational DVD and #1 Rock Drummer in 2009, #1 Progressive Rock Drummer in 2015, and #1 Clinician in DRUM! Magazine in both 2009 and 2015.