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bad, medium and great drummers


w,wert

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Bad drummers have bad meter .They might have decent chops and tone ,or not . Medium drummers carry their weight and do the job well but have some issues ,maybe too soft or loud but mainly although they do do the job ok its still like they may not BLEND into the sound ,they do not play the song, they might not have a FEEL for intricate changes and or have the ability to deal with all this . A medium drummer might have fantastic chops or not, he will have good meter and tone . He will sound good most the time but what separates medium from great is song awareness .

 

great drummers are really amazing ,They kick ass somehow without being too loud and blend w/ the band and it sounds like a well oiled machine . They are punchy when they have to be and delicate when its called for . They feel and play the actual song and listen to whats going on . They do play loud but not too loud .

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A lot of what makes a drummer great is the band they're playing with. Charlie Watts and Bill Bruford are both great drummers. I couldn't imagine Charlie playing in Yes or Bill playing in the Stones, though.

 

 

Exactly , there is a better fit for everyone somewhere.

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I agree, great drummers are amazing. I much them prefer them to bad drummers. I hope someday I will be a great drummer. I feel like most of the time I am an advanced-medium although most people tell me I am plain old bad. Mom always liked Joseph better anyway. That's why he got the rockin' accordion and I got stuck with the drums.

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I am sorry but the closer I listen to British drummers the more I think, with three exceptions, everyone of them sucks and plays nothing but simple rhythms too loud and tries to jerk off on them on. Yeah, that means every drummer Yes ever had , Jon Bonham and even the "great" Ginger Baker and Carl Palmer. Not a damned one of them is good enough to hold Buddy Rich's or Max Roach's or Gen Krupa's or Joe Morella's dirty jock strap.

 

The only ones who really "get it" and create a foundation and add something to the music, and, even more importantly truly define their band's sound are Ringo, Charlie Watts, and the late Keith Moon.

 

That is my opinion on it. And I didn't even TOUCH the fabulous Latin and Caribbean drummers, all of whom are far more sophisticated and just play hotter stuff than comes out of the UK.

 

Britain's got great guitarists and bass player and ivory guys, flutists and singers. But drummers? Not to these ears!

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While I sort of agree with what you're saying, there's no way I could group every drummer into three boxes. Numerous levels between medium and great.

 

 

I try to not overcomplicate . Theres a lot of difference between a drummer on the low end of the medium spectrum and the high ,yes . But to be great a drummer has to be perfect .Anything less ,hes medium or bad .I was talking about drummers in rock bands too .

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In pop genres the whole thing is sell, sell, cell, so you have this vain mindset that routinely spews hyperbole. Most drumming there occurs in bad mediums - you just can't quantify perfect. Matter of fact, perfect execution often sucks but for the execution; Yngwie being my favorite example. Superlatives like 'great' are overused and often misapplied.

 

You need to broaden the focus and consider the material and the context(s) before any scale of accomplishment has any relevance.

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In pop genres the whole thing is sell, sell, cell, so you have this vain mindset that routinely spews hyperbole. Most drumming there occurs in bad mediums - you just can't quantify perfect. Matter of fact, perfect execution often sucks but for the execution; Yngwie being my favorite example. Superlatives like 'great' are overused and often misapplied.


You need to broaden the focus and consider the material and the context(s) before any scale of accomplishment has any relevance.

 

 

By perfect I meant a drummer who blends in w/ the music and pushes the band by playing the song . Its impossible to describe but you can really feel it and its rare .When you gotta drummer like this playing a gig just becomes easier than w/ a competent drummer who plays well but doesnt quite have this magic touch . I did not mean super hot chops . I didnt want to talk genre much other than Im referring to rock music in general ,that could include pop or whatever but you see it gets overcomplicated when you do that . Im not talking about jazz ,super heavy metal ,just middle of the road basic rock .

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By perfect I meant a drummer who blends in w/ the music and pushes the band by playing the song . Its impossible to describe but you can really feel it and its rare .When you gotta drummer like this playing a gig just becomes easier than w/ a competent drummer who plays well but doesnt quite have this magic touch . I did not mean super hot chops . I didnt want to talk genre much other than Im referring to rock music in general ,that could include pop or whatever but you see it gets overcomplicated when you do that . Im not talking about jazz ,super heavy metal ,just middle of the road basic rock .

 

 

Alright. I use the expression 'just right'. That's as good as it can gets. 'Course guys with different tayze will always argue.

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If Neil Peart tried to play white stripes stuff with jack white it would sound like {censored}. well ok not like {censored}, but it would sound way to robotic and kill what's great about the white stripes.

 

If Meg played with rush.....well....she just simply couldn't.

 

it's not always about "talent". But it is ALWAYS about giving the music what IT needs.

 

Can you imagine Thomas Lang playing with James Brown???? uggghhh..

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Can you imagine Thomas Lang playing with James Brown???? uggghhh..

 

 

Yes, I could. Lang is a great drummer, and a seasoned session player that can play or handle any situation. That's what a great drummer can do....anything.

You are making an assumption, because of his over the top stuff, that he is incapable of playing otherwise. Total bull{censored}. I've heard commercial jingles he's done, and you'd swear it could be Hal Blaine.

That is one of the all time rancid cliche's in music, that a musician that is capable of inhuman feats on their instrument can't play simple when required, is just rubbish, but the converse is definitely true.

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I think there is a lot more to the players you see, then just what is on the u-tube videos and circulated stuff......the big name guys may be known for one style...but I guarantee they learned and can play many styles along the way. Peart is a decent big band player......his tribute to Buddy, the solo was him....but when he played with the band it blended nicely. Thats diversity. I would imagine if Thomas Lang showed up years ago at one of our opry shows, the man could have taught me a thing or two...

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Peart is a decent big band player......his tribute to Buddy, the solo was him....but when he played with the band it blended nicely.

 

 

OOF!

Are you referring to the Burning for Buddy vids from the early 90's?

 

We'll have to disagree: IMO, Peart was clearly not in his element. His playing was stiff, lacked any swing or life, he was not driving the band, but rather playing.his.robotic.part.in.purely.mathematical.terms...

And his kit sounded like ass.

 

I HAVE heard from folks who are into him that he spent time since getting better at swing/jazz, etc.

Can't imagine him doing worse...

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