Mark Guiliana Explains The Problem With Modern Drumming
Trevor Lawrence Jr.
24,196 views
What is the biggest problem facing modern drummers today: social media pressure, algorithmic homogenization, or the rise of AI-generated music?
On this episode of The TrevBeats Show, Trevor Lawrence Jr. sits down with visionary drummer, composer, and innovator Mark Guiliana to break down the modern music landscape.
From anchoring David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, to pioneering the collision of acoustic jazz and electronic beat music, Mark has built a career by pushing boundaries and breaking rules.
Trevor and Mark go deep on the “copying a copy of a copy” trap, escaping the algorithmic loop, and why human imperfection may be the ultimate superpower against AI. They also talk gear, the iconic Istanbul Agop Clap Stack, playing without wing nuts, finding a unique sonic identity, and what it really means to serve the song in a hyper-digital era.
Leave a comment with your thoughts on the future of drumming, and share this episode with a musician in your circle.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Why the Listener Matters
1:13 Meet Mark Guiliana
2:20 The Magic the Drum Community Lost
5:35 From ’90s Rock to Jazz
9:15 The First Time Mark Heard the Clap Stack
12:23 How Electronic Music Changed His Drumming
16:41 How Failure Leads to Your Own Sound
17:35 Creating MARK and a Solo Drum Show
20:59 Doing Something That Scares You
22:39 Rethinking What a Live Show Can Be
26:13 Learning to Honor the Listener
27:54 Straight 08: Mark, Keyon Harrold & Sam Barsh
29:16 Inside Mark’s Drum and Cymbal Setups
34:13 Why Mark Plays Without Wing Nuts
36:59 What Great Improvisers Are Thinking
39:42 The Genius of Wayne Shorter’s Band
44:08 AI and the Future of Music
49:48 Why Human Imperfection Still Wins
50:06 The Chris Dave Factor
51:18 Will Individuality Survive the Algorithm?
52:06 Stop Copying a Copy of a Copy
53:39 Advice for Young Musicians
55:17 Final Thoughts
🥁 FOLLOW MARK GUILIANA
Website: markguiliana.com
Instagram: @markguiliana
YouTube: Mark Guiliana
Spotify / Apple Music: Mark Guiliana
Facebook: mark.guiliana
Bandsintown: Mark Guiliana
Bandcamp: markguiliana.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: markguiliana
💿 MAIN ALBUMS / RECORDINGS
2025 — questions | volume one
2024 — MARK
2023 — Mischief
2022 — the sound of listening
2022 — Music for Doing
2019 — BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC!
2017 — Jersey — Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet
2015 — Family First — Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet
2015 — Family First: The Alternative Takes — Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet
2014 — My Life Starts Now
2014 — Beat Music: The L.A. Improvisations
2014 — Taming the Dragon — Mehliana with Brad Mehldau
2013 — A Form of Truth
2006 — Locked in a Basement — Heernt
🎥 ECAMM LIVE
https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive?f...
Use code TREVBEATS15 for 15% off your first payment.
🎙️ GEAR USED ON THE SHOW (Affiliate)
LAUTEN AUDIO LA-220 microphone
🎧 STUDIO / CHART READING SETUP
https://www.amazon.com/shop/trevorlaw...
🎛️ SPLICE (Affiliate)
Boom Bap Drums:
https://splice.com/sounds/packs/that-...
Vintage Hip Hop:
https://splice.com/sounds/packs/that-...
🥁 PRODUCTS & RESOURCES (Affiliate)
🎁 Welcome Pack — Mini Drum Pack
One-shots + loops performed and curated by Trevor Lawrence Jr.
https://trevorlawrencejr.com
🎼 LYNGO — Music Term Pack
DAW-ready terminology for working musicians
https://trevorlawrencejr.com
📚 E-BOOKS
THE ENDORSEMENT PLAYBOOK — https://endorsement-playbook.netlify....
VIBE CODING FOR MUSICIANS AND CREATIVES — https://vibe-coding-trevbeats.netlify...
THE SHOW GOT BIGGER. THE SONG GOT SMALLER. THE CHOPS GOT LOUDER. — https://chops-vs-music.netlify.app
THE 360º PRINCIPLE — https://the-360-principal.netlify.app/
IT’S ABOUT TIME — https://itsabouttime-trevbeats.netlif...
🌐 WEB APPS
ChatRate — ChatRate-App.com
REDLINE — Redlineapp.co
🔌 PLUGINS
THE SNARE — https://trevbeatsmultimedia.com/
📲 iOS APPS
TREVBEATS APP
BAŘ$
Drum ID
SNARE LAB
BETWEEN
PROMPT-DUCER APP
MAIAI APP
D-Shot
WriteTone
DidYou?
GateFit
VET
KORNERS
RunCheck Dashboard
GLANCR FeeD
IZIT AI
SLANGR
All links: https://linktr.ee/TrevBeats
🎧 MUSIC
Tech Support — New EP by Trevor Lawrence Jr.
Precision. Texture. Modern execution.
Apple Music:
AppleMusic: tech-support
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Sq8ha...
📲 FOLLOW & CONNECT
Instagram: Instagram: trevorlawrencejr
YouTube: @thetrevbeatsshow
Websites:
https://trevorlawrencejr.com
https://trevbeatsmultimedia.com
🔔 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
Like. Subscribe. Share.
Built for musicians who think long-term, move with intention, and refuse to compromise.
BACKSTAGE MEMBERSHIP:
Introducing Backstage: A New Way to Connect 🥁
#MarkGuiliana #TheTrevBeatsShow #ModernDrumming #DavidBowie #DrumGear #JazzDrumming #AIinMusic #ServeTheSong
20 Comments
For me as a drummer I was really digging BT's micro production techniques that were so rhythmically out there: stutter edits, gravitational swing, accelerando and decelerando fills combined with crazy filters and sweeps... just whole new sonic palettes with a lot of percussive punch, and it makes a drummer want to carry something of that to the physical application on the kit.
Mark Guiliana Explains The Problem With Modern Drumming
Trevor Lawrence Jr.
24,196 views
What is the biggest problem facing modern drummers today: social media pressure, algorithmic homogenization, or the rise of AI-generated music?
On this episode of The TrevBeats Show, Trevor Lawrence Jr. sits down with visionary drummer, composer, and innovator Mark Guiliana to break down the modern music landscape.
From anchoring David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, to pioneering the collision of acoustic jazz and electronic beat music, Mark has built a career by pushing boundaries and breaking rules.
Trevor and Mark go deep on the “copying a copy of a copy” trap, escaping the algorithmic loop, and why human imperfection may be the ultimate superpower against AI. They also talk gear, the iconic Istanbul Agop Clap Stack, playing without wing nuts, finding a unique sonic identity, and what it really means to serve the song in a hyper-digital era.
Leave a comment with your thoughts on the future of drumming, and share this episode with a musician in your circle.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Why the Listener Matters
1:13 Meet Mark Guiliana
2:20 The Magic the Drum Community Lost
5:35 From ’90s Rock to Jazz
9:15 The First Time Mark Heard the Clap Stack
12:23 How Electronic Music Changed His Drumming
16:41 How Failure Leads to Your Own Sound
17:35 Creating MARK and a Solo Drum Show
20:59 Doing Something That Scares You
22:39 Rethinking What a Live Show Can Be
26:13 Learning to Honor the Listener
27:54 Straight 08: Mark, Keyon Harrold & Sam Barsh
29:16 Inside Mark’s Drum and Cymbal Setups
34:13 Why Mark Plays Without Wing Nuts
36:59 What Great Improvisers Are Thinking
39:42 The Genius of Wayne Shorter’s Band
44:08 AI and the Future of Music
49:48 Why Human Imperfection Still Wins
50:06 The Chris Dave Factor
51:18 Will Individuality Survive the Algorithm?
52:06 Stop Copying a Copy of a Copy
53:39 Advice for Young Musicians
55:17 Final Thoughts
🥁 FOLLOW MARK GUILIANA
Website: markguiliana.com
Instagram: @markguiliana
YouTube: Mark Guiliana
Spotify / Apple Music: Mark Guiliana
Facebook: mark.guiliana
Bandsintown: Mark Guiliana
Bandcamp: markguiliana.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: markguiliana
💿 MAIN ALBUMS / RECORDINGS
2025 — questions | volume one
2024 — MARK
2023 — Mischief
2022 — the sound of listening
2022 — Music for Doing
2019 — BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC!
2017 — Jersey — Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet
2015 — Family First — Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet
2015 — Family First: The Alternative Takes — Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet
2014 — My Life Starts Now
2014 — Beat Music: The L.A. Improvisations
2014 — Taming the Dragon — Mehliana with Brad Mehldau
2013 — A Form of Truth
2006 — Locked in a Basement — Heernt
🎥 ECAMM LIVE
https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive?f...
Use code TREVBEATS15 for 15% off your first payment.
🎙️ GEAR USED ON THE SHOW (Affiliate)
LAUTEN AUDIO LA-220 microphone
🎧 STUDIO / CHART READING SETUP
https://www.amazon.com/shop/trevorlaw...
🎛️ SPLICE (Affiliate)
Boom Bap Drums:
https://splice.com/sounds/packs/that-...
Vintage Hip Hop:
https://splice.com/sounds/packs/that-...
🥁 PRODUCTS & RESOURCES (Affiliate)
🎁 Welcome Pack — Mini Drum Pack
One-shots + loops performed and curated by Trevor Lawrence Jr.
https://trevorlawrencejr.com
🎼 LYNGO — Music Term Pack
DAW-ready terminology for working musicians
https://trevorlawrencejr.com
📚 E-BOOKS
THE ENDORSEMENT PLAYBOOK — https://endorsement-playbook.netlify....
VIBE CODING FOR MUSICIANS AND CREATIVES — https://vibe-coding-trevbeats.netlify...
THE SHOW GOT BIGGER. THE SONG GOT SMALLER. THE CHOPS GOT LOUDER. — https://chops-vs-music.netlify.app
THE 360º PRINCIPLE — https://the-360-principal.netlify.app/
IT’S ABOUT TIME — https://itsabouttime-trevbeats.netlif...
🌐 WEB APPS
ChatRate — ChatRate-App.com
REDLINE — Redlineapp.co
🔌 PLUGINS
THE SNARE — https://trevbeatsmultimedia.com/
📲 iOS APPS
TREVBEATS APP
BAŘ$
Drum ID
SNARE LAB
BETWEEN
PROMPT-DUCER APP
MAIAI APP
D-Shot
WriteTone
DidYou?
GateFit
VET
KORNERS
RunCheck Dashboard
GLANCR FeeD
IZIT AI
SLANGR
All links: https://linktr.ee/TrevBeats
🎧 MUSIC
Tech Support — New EP by Trevor Lawrence Jr.
Precision. Texture. Modern execution.
Apple Music:
AppleMusic: tech-support
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Sq8ha...
📲 FOLLOW & CONNECT
Instagram: Instagram: trevorlawrencejr
YouTube: @thetrevbeatsshow
Websites:
https://trevorlawrencejr.com
https://trevbeatsmultimedia.com
🔔 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
Like. Subscribe. Share.
Built for musicians who think long-term, move with intention, and refuse to compromise.
BACKSTAGE MEMBERSHIP:
Introducing Backstage: A New Way to Connect 🥁
#MarkGuiliana #TheTrevBeatsShow #ModernDrumming #DavidBowie #DrumGear #JazzDrumming #AIinMusic #ServeTheSong