I wish more drummers thought this way.

I agree. I at least wish more drummers would find that kind of playing rewarding, rather than technique and chops being the focus of so many musicians's attention. However, there are still a lot of great players that I encounter who do "get it", but for every one of them there seems to be several who think that drumming with lots and lots of notes is more "fun." Drums are not meant to be a solo-istic instrument!!!
 
Honestly, my favourite part of playing is just laying back and playing simple grooves, but perfectly in time.
 
Tyler Walton said:
I agree. I at least wish more drummers would find that kind of playing rewarding, rather than technique and chops being the focus of so many musicians's attention. However, there are still a lot of great players that I encounter who do "get it", but for every one of them there seems to be several who think that drumming with lots and lots of notes is more "fun." Drums are not meant to be a solo-istic instrument!!!
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Agree, but I think this applies equally to all musicians.
 
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mind you, if you don't have at least a decent level of technical ability, playing a solid backbeat is going to be a tough one...
 
wok said:
mind you, if you don't have at least a decent level of technical ability, playing a solid backbeat is going to be a tough one...
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Agree, but I don't think anyone here (or Steve Gadd) is disputing the value of having technical skill and ability. I think Gadd's point is that a musician needs to have the fundamental skills down solid or else all the fancy tricks and skills don't mean much - and that a player needs to be sensitive as to how he/she applies those skills in the context of a song.
 
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wok said:
mind you, if you don't have at least a decent level of technical ability, playing a solid backbeat is going to be a tough one...
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Deep Eddy said:
Agree, but I don't think anyone here (or Steve Gadd) is disputing the value of having technical skill and ability. I think Gadd's point is that a musician needs to have the fundamental skills down solid or else all the fancy tricks and skills don't mean much - and that a player needs to be sensitive as to how he/she applies those skills in the context of a song.
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Yep. Someone who can't play still can't play no matter how many Dave Garibaldi fills they try to throw in or not. In my working life more often than not I would get saddled with drummers who spend more time on a rock gig trying to fit in the fills they learned on a Dave Weckyl DVD than in actually playing the song with a good feel. Its all about musical maturity.
 
Kerouac said:
Honestly, my favourite part of playing is just laying back and playing simple grooves, but perfectly in time.
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Mine too. I'm asked to add fills much more than I'm asked to take 'em out.

The downside though is I'm not very good at fancier fills. It's something I need to work on.
 
I love playing at slow metronome speeds... 40 to 60 BPM. Can't get a single student to even practice that. :embarrassed:
 
Actionsquid said:
Mine too. I'm asked to add fills much more than I'm asked to take 'em out.

The downside though is I'm not very good at fancier fills. It's something I need to work on.
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Not really. I'd rather drummers played simpler and more impactful fill in the appropriate place than anything crazy.


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Kerouac said:
I love playing at slow metronome speeds... 40 to 60 BPM. Can't get a single student to even practice that. :embarrassed:
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Yeah, playing at those speeds with a metronome is really instructive. I'm surprised at how much I feel myself trying to rush or drag when I vary things.

Another thing I like to try to do is have the metronome silent on either the 2/3/4 or the 1 and 3. You really gotta watch yourself!
 
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Mark Wein said:
Not really. I'd rather drummers played simpler and more impactful fill in the appropriate place than anything crazy.
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Well, I mean there's a time and place for somewhat more involved fills. As someone who usually spends 90% of the time doing relatively simple stuff, sometimes I have to set aside some time for that stuff too. Spice of life and all. But yeah it all starts with the basics...
 
Actionsquid said:
Well, I mean there's a time and place for somewhat more involved fills. As someone who usually spends 90% of the time doing relatively simple stuff, sometimes I have to set aside some time for that stuff too. Spice of life and all. But yeah it all starts with the basics...
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absolutely. But many drummers can't find the right balance.
 
Actionsquid said:
Yeah. There is probably no substitute for having to record with a band and hearing clearly what works and what doesn't.
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I play with two drummers on a regular basis. One of them has great chops and tons of technical headroom and plays with great taste. The other one is more of a garage player and usually plays beyond his performance envelope to the detriment of everyone around him. He writes the checks though, so theres that.

Tyler is the drummer on my album. Even though this tune calls for more than a straight 4 rock beat he plays it pretty tastefully:

[sc]https://soundcloud.com/mark-wein/pop-rough-mix-3-8-13[/sc]
 
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