Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: The great drum debate

  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Default The great drum debate

    Guys, totally awesome forum with a great bunch of guys. I sincerely mean that. I dont post often but i enjoy reading some of the many great posts here.

    I had a discussion yesterday with a guy who is a rather talented musician in his own right but had a friendly disagreement with him. He mentioned a few bands that he claims arent very good musicians along with a few famous drum beats/ grooves that arent difficult to play and he just cannot understand why they get so much attention.

    My response: its not so much about great talent or musicianship when it comes to rock n roll. Its the chosen few that have that " xfactor" of coming up with cool sounding/ catchy beats, lyrics, riffs, ect...
    As drummers, think of the intro to the rover by zeppelin, walk this way by aerosmith,
    Intro to over the mountain by ozzy, the cow bell of early guns n roses, the very simplistic drum fills in the song " I'll wait by van halen.. the list goes on. What about the very memorbale but simplistic guitar riffs or lyrics. Its that natural groove or sense of rythm that really differentiates. Look how simple early van halen lyrics were. Another great example is the band Ac/dc . Also, i think the band as a whole makes a big difference. Example, guns n roses sound better with steven adler despite matt sorum being a better drummer.
    Can you imagine the great neil peart joining led led zeppelin???
    I would love to hear opinions.

  2. #2

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Neil Peart would never fit in LZ. He is a very disciplined drummer compared to Bonham. At the same time, Bonham would never fit into Rush. If the 2 drummers were switched, you would have 2 bands still playing bars.

    The better drummer is the 1 who fits the music a band plays. Emerson, Lake, and Starr would suck. I could go on and on and on with the "what if's". I'll stop here.

  3. #3

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    What Rick said. I think it's about playing for the music... and meshing as a group.

    You can put 5 great musicians together and get a great band. But, you can put 5 "good" musicians together and get a great band as well (maybe even better). It depends on how they mesh together, play off each other, the attributes and feel they bring to the mix, etc.. Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

    It's like building a race engine. You can assemble all the best high-dollar performance parts together you want, but if they're not properly chosen to work together as a system and complement each other, it will disappoint terribly. On the flip side, you can take a basically stock engine, assemble a few well chosen but mild performance parts, and have a real screamer.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  4. #4

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Lexer, my thinking aligns with yours. Can you imagine anyone other than Ringo in the Beatles? It just wouldn't be the same. He's not a technical player but his style helped shape that band's sound. And of course there are many examples of this.

  5. #5

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Common knowledge IMO

    all the best...

  6. #6

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    The reason i started this post was not only for everyones opinion but hopefully a beginner might see this. When I started drumming many years ago i didnt have a good mentor around me and because i could never play exactly like neil peart or steve gadd i figured i just wasnt good enough and gave up drumming. Sounds ridiculous but its very true. Had a realized that everyone has their own specific style , i would have stuck with it rather than restart 30 years later.
    Another example, can you imagine Buddy Rich playing " misty mountain hop" by led zeppelin ??
    It would sound almost obscene. Would Buddy Rich throw away his drum sticks??? Of course not becuase he has a totally different style. Dont even get me started with John Bonham playing " tom sawyer" by Rush..lol..
    Of course we can borrow a lick from this drummer or that drummer and we can develope our own styles and then find a band that we gel with. A great drummer in a band is all about making the song sound good, not impressing other drummers.
    My style has evolved by my influence of john bonham, vinny appice, ian pace, and to a certain extent, steven adler. Notice they all use a single base? My musical mind just doesnt adhere to double bass drumming for whatever reason. I think a lot of these speed metal guys that do crazy double base kicks are missing groove. Just my opinion. Of course we have simon phillips and a few others but most double bass drummers dont appeal to me.
    A good band is like a great recipe, if one ingredient is removed or altered, it just doesnt taste right.
    I just hope some of the younger guys concentrate on their own style rather than constantly compare themselves to others so much. Musicianship is an art form, not a science to where its either right or wrong.
    Last edited by Lexer; 06-04-2017 at 08:17 AM.

  7. #7

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    I agree with all. Also like to add we are all born to be masters at something. As a drummer you have a talent which can be shared with any genre of musics. While some drummer's only talent are for one kind of a band like Ringo Starr ( Beatles), John Bonham ( Led Zep) etc . I would say Neil Peart but he is flexible to different styles of music other than Rush. For example touring as the drummer for the Buddy Rich Band shows is talent for drumming.

  8. #8

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Neil peart is a machine and can acclimate to different styles. Your example of his buddy rich tribute is a great one.
    Ringo is basically a beatles only drummer and the greatest example of a drummer being custom made for only ONE band would be Keith Moon. I just cannot imagine him playing with anyone else.
    By the way, Charlie Watts and Ringo are kind of similar so perhaps both could of sounded great in either the stones or beatles.

  9. #9

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    I agree with you man.

  10. #10

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    I think that depending on your drumming ability your style evolves around that. You may like other drummers and copy some licks, etc., but if you can't play most of their stuff you're limited by your ability and so your style has to evolve. You are at a real disadvantage if your speed is slow and you want to copy Peirt(sp?) but you can do ACDC. Maybe you like others' phrasing and that may prove to be better than speed as your skill level improves and you finally have a style.
    Last edited by slinglander; 06-04-2017 at 08:00 PM. Reason: Grammar
    SONOR 6 pc Special Edition 3007's red maple, old Pearl Brass 14x6 FF snare, Yamaha Tour Custom maple 8 pc., Tama 4 pc., honey amber B/B, Ludwig Supralite chrome 14x6.5 steel snare, Paiste, Saluda & Zildjian
    Loaned out Slingerland upgraded 4 pc 1963 black, wrapped maple + 14" Pearl birch FT
    The Almighty Speed King pedal, Speed Cobra, Sonor Single

    http://www.screaminmelinas.com
    http://www.facebook.com/DerailedRockers/

  11. #11

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    There is more than one way to be a "good" drummer. There are many drummers that sound great with their bands without being a master technician. There are the "Dave Weckl" type monster technicians as well.
    Calling one "better" than the other is more subjective. As already stated... playing appropriately and WITH the band is the key.

  12. #12

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Quote Originally Posted by slinglander View Post
    I think that depending on your drumming ability your style evolves around that. You may like other drummers and copy some licks, etc., but if you can't play most of their stuff you're limited by your ability and so your style has to evolve. You are at a real disadvantage if your speed is slow and you want to copy Peirt(sp?) but you can do ACDC. Maybe you like others' phrasing and that may prove to be better than speed as your skill level improves and you finally have a style.
    My friend, I think you hit the nail on the head. I have the disadvantage of being both slow AND non-technical. I pretty much suck. But, I can still find a way to fit in to pretty much any song. My style has evolved around my limited abilities, just as you describe.
    On a positive note, I rarely have to worry about "overplaying" a song. It also forces me to pay attention to the style and feel of the song.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  13. #13

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Quote Originally Posted by N2Bluz View Post
    My friend, I think you hit the nail on the head. I have the disadvantage of being both slow AND non-technical. I pretty much suck. But, I can still find a way to fit in to pretty much any song. My style has evolved around my limited abilities, just as you describe.
    On a positive note, I rarely have to worry about "overplaying" a song. It also forces me to pay attention to the style and feel of the song.
    SAME

    all the best...

  14. #14

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: The great drum debate

    Agree.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •