6 Underrated Drummers Who Should Be Household Names in 2026

First things first - grab your free transcription here.

This is a video I’ve been wanting to make for a while, but couldn’t find a good way to tell the story.

The subject of “underrated” players is familiar to any music aficionado: “no, but you really have to hear so-and-so, sooo underrated” is practically a cliche at music school dorm-room parties.

But in my searches, I haven’t been able to find much on it for modern drummers. And that’s a shame.

Larnell Lewis tells the story of his rise to drum-stardom as one of a chance meeting. Michael League happened to catch his performance in a Toronto club and like it, then Larnell sat in with Snarky Puppy a few times, and it just so happened that, the following month, League had the We Like it Here session booked, and needed a drummer to fill-in at the last minute. The rest is obviously history.

Carter Beauford was a “drummer’s drummer” in a fusion band before Dave Matthews plucked him from obscurity. Nate Smith was well-known in circles who also knew Chris Potter and Dave Holland, but nothing like the international brand ambassador he is today.

Which invites the obvious question, “what about everybody with tons of talent musical genius who DON’T get a lucky break?”

Or haven’t yet.

The six drummers I’m going to chronicle today are not “obscure”. They’re working players, with gigs. Some have substantial social media followings.

But, when you ask a New School student, in line for Nublu, or when I interview new students for my coaching program, there are the drummers who tend to come up - “legacy” folks like Nate, Thomas Pridgen, Nate Wood, JD Beck, Larnell, etc, “up-and-comers” like Jharis Yokley, Noah Fuerbringer, Roni Kaspi - and those conversations hardly ever include any of these six.

But, if there were any justice in the universe, they should.

To check my picks for 6 most underrated drummers of 2026, just watch the video.

Hope you enjoy!

The Real Reason You Can't Flow Around The Toms Like The Pros

First things first - grab your free transcription here.

The idea for this week’s video dawned on me when my (practice) roommate was out of town, and (as you do) I added an extra tom to the house kit to make a 5-piece.

I don’t think my hands are spectacular, but I like to think they’re pretty decent. And I’ve got a lot of experience flowing around the kit when it’s a 4-piece.

But all of a sudden, with that extra drum, it was like my hands regressed 5 years. I was getting tense, missing drums, hitting rims…

What gives?

This was my first clue that something more than simple hand speed is in effect when we see great “flow” drummers like Vinnie Colauita and Dennis Chambers - or modern greats like Gergo Borlai and Xavier Ware - fly around the toms as if the laws of physics didn’t exist.

If it’s only hand speed, try the experiment in the video - play a simple sticking pattern (as I outline) on the snare, and see what the speed limit is. Then, try to orchestrate it around the toms, with the same clarity, without missing or mis-hitting. If that’s hard, you might benefit from today’s lesson.

Proprioception. The awareness of where your body is in space. It’s what allows you to close your eyes and still touch your nose with your index fingers.

But I would argue there’s “drum proprioception” too. Memorizing deeply where all your drums are in space.

We may think we know - obviously we have eyes - but if we can’t play around the toms as fast as we can play on the snare, and/or if our speed and precision decreases when we add an extra drum, it’s not just hand speed.

No worries - the simple exercises in today’s video will get you started.

Hope you enjoy!

4 Modern Drum Ideas Most Drummers Miss

First things first - grab your free transcription here.

Did you know that there are unique musical ideas modern drummers are “cooking up”, which could help add variety and flavor to your ideas today…

…that most drummers probably don’t know about?

I’m not talking about faster chops.

Nor am I talking about “Dilla everything”, or stacks, though both have their place.

I’m talking about some really unique approaches to the drums that aren’t hard to do - they’re just stuff you wouldn’t necessarily think of if you weren’t looking.

And they can be very musical - when used wisely.

For this video, we’ll draw from drummers from Xavier Ware (of thumbnail fame) to Adam Deitch, to Cleon Edwards and Dana Hawkins.

We’ll talk about what makes these 4 approaches unique - i.e. why it isn’t just the same old thing you’ve already seen - we’ll show you some basic examples, then we’ll show them in context and demonstrate some of the musical things you can do with them.

If you’ve seen some of the “non-chop”/”non-dilla” flavors of modern playing and wondered how to get some of that, or reached a “plateau” with your existing ideas, and need an injection of inspo, maybe one of these approaches is for you.

Hope you enjoy!

I Was Wrong About E Drums

First things first - grab your free transcription here.

If you know me you know - I have historically not been a fan of E-drums.

And historically, E-drums haven’t been very good.

Sorry.

“Twacky” rubber, or mesh heads with unrealistic tactile responses.

“Gated” sounds that omit all the '“analog” gradations and “messiness” of acoustics.

And their general…unsightly…appearance.

And over the years, various E-drum companies have offered to send me drums to review, but I’ve always refused.

But this year, it just so happened that when one such manufacturer DMd me, I was in a bit of a “YOLO” state of mind. I needed a gear review for the content calendar anyway, so I said “yes” - on one big condition: there was zero guarantee of a positive review, and I wouldn’t propagandize for them. If they sent the drums, they would get a candid review - upsides, downsides, and all.

The company - Roland - agreed.

What followed was a comedy of errors: the sheer enormity of the shipment, which barely fit in my mail room, and required an environmental’s nightmare worth of boxes. My comic ineptitude with making sure I had all the cables, connecting them properly, then connecting everything to my digital audio workstation, so I could bring you the sound.

I really wanted to hate them. But I failed.

The truth is…E-drums have changed. These aren’t your great uncle’s E-drums. The response is way better, both tactilely and in terms of mimicking the sound response of “real” drums. The appearance is way more similar to a mid-tier acoustic “wrap” kit than their predecessors. This is a kit that actually looks good in the den or rumpus room. And the one item Roland requested I feature - the recorded sound - is really good, especially if you don’t have pro mics and a lot of experience mixing and mastering your acoustics.

Still, they’re not perfect, and they’re not for everybody.

For my complete review, including misadventures, pros, cons, and a cheeky flow warmup (the transcription), peep the video!

Hope you enjoy!