My recent encounter with my old band playing the material differently inspired me to bring this subject to light
Jen and I were sitting in the basement of the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis talking while she warmed up
The drummer from one of the other bands was there and was completely speechless at the warmup excercises Jen was doing
All kinds of deftly executed paradiddles and combinations, not only on the hands, but on the feet as well
Even though I knew the patterns she was playing, I knew that I would not be able to "get there" unless I practiced for hours and hours every day
Jen and I were discussing that and she remarked that I had something you just can't get from practicing and that is an un restricted flow of emotions whereas her technique will not allow her to "let loose"
She was once asked at a show "Whay can't you play the songs like Rockula?" whereupon she replied "I tried to but I hurt myself"
I make WAY more mistakes onstage than she will ever make in her entire lifetime

This brings me to this point
ANYONE can repeat an action so many times that they can do it at an amazing pace with amazing accuracy
However, does the average person understand this?
Even then, do they really give a fuck?

How many times have you seen a mediocre drummer excite a crowd with mediocre technique?
Of course, you have a very large number of music fans who are themselves musicians
I have found that musicians are the absolute worst crowds to play for because you can see it in their eyes "Yeah, he's alright but I could do that some much better"
The purists also tend to piss me off with their "noble stance" towards music
If I hear one more musician tell me how noble the pursuit of becoming the best drummer they can possibly be, I'm gonna fucking puke

All I can comment on is what I know
I understand the techniques applied to any Rush or Dream theater song
Could I do it?
Sure, if I wanted to sit for hours and go "tap...tap..tap tap tap....tap tap"
This leads me to the point Jen and I discussed next
She commented on the fact that her hundreds of thousands of hours sitting at a pad and working out all of these complex patterns has hampered her ability to completely abandon all common sense and become an animal
I know the whole drumming animal has been personified in a Muppets character
I also know that the animal drummer is usually some guy who has no skills but can beat the crap out of a drumkit

Pete Townshend (and countless others) have remarked that they get into an emotional state on the stage that can, at times, even be dangerous
He has remarked that several people who are not recognised band members (including a cop) have gotten their asses kicked because they walked up to him onstage when he was in full frenzy
The balance that I believe I have found is to have enough technical skill ingrained in the instinctive part of my brain that I can draw upon it when I surrender myself to the chaos that my civilized side keeps in check
I believe that this balance is truly a unique thing
Yeah, there's a lot of drummers out there that are a lot better players than I
But, one in a thousand fans out there really understand all of that technique
And they think they're better than you anyways








_________________
You say irritant, I say catalyst

A lot of emphasis is put on learning through repitition. For me it not only proves boring but also stifles any situational creativity. I'll take a feel drummer over an "out of the book" drummer anyday.








_________________
Do what you can and do it well.

www.myspace.com/spacelounge1
www.myspace.com/whitehallsessions

Just like with most things drumming related, a good balance is better then either extreme

most of what i know i taught myself purely out of curiosity and interest in the drum set. turns out that a lot of my natural motions and hand patterns were similar to rudiments. all the while i would watch and listen to other drummers. i always understood what they were doing, and could recreate the sound in my own way. it wasn't until two years ago that i actually picked up a book and "fine-tuned" my technique.
i found that over eight years of playing with just a natural, organic love for drumming has overall made me a stronger musician.
i'm not an emotional person offstage. i use emotion in my playing, and in most ways, my emotion is my technique.








_________________
Speak the rhythm with your hands.

http://www.myspace.com/yjamband



Pearls, Zildjians, Vics, Evans.

as for odd rhythms, patterns, and time signatures...i've always played by the philosophy of "this is what i want it to sound like, so this is what it's going to be".
that way i'm never worrying about things like "ohh...this is a complicated sig. i hope i can follow it through".








_________________
Speak the rhythm with your hands.

http://www.myspace.com/yjamband



Pearls, Zildjians, Vics, Evans.

all the technique a person has is just a vocabulary.

so when you do into that magical MAGICAL place, where you're not thinking about playing, you're watching yourself being a cohesive part of a group of people making music, you have the vocabulary to still sound good while being in heaven.

if a drummer is good he/she has to play with emotion.

the most perfect example that comes to my head is the studio recording of Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You". Listen to Bonham on that track. THAT'S EMOTION








_________________
"nothing can stop me. I am committed. Success is a state of mind. The idea of karma is a rationalization. Integrity is the only truth"
-Jon Farmer

i gotta disagree with ya there man. with all due respect, i think having the best technique makes it easier to show emotion on stage. things such as cresendos and decresendos, accents, and accelerando/decelerandos ,are things in which to express yourself in music and if you dont practice these things your only going to be able to be an average seteriotypical drummer who has two dynamics: loud and louder, instead of a well rounded percussionist.

I agree with the concept here. There has too be a balace between technique and feel. I tell my students that we practice technique and harder excercises so that we can play simpler stuff easier and with more confidence (stole that from Thomas Lang, of all people). However, the whole purpose of playing drums for most of us is to enjoy what we are doing, and to hopefully have others enjoy it as well. I have the utmost respect for chops masters, however, I have discovered that most of that stuff is not called for in almost any style of music (there are exceptions). I try to create a balance: I want to play with enough skill to drive the music, and satisfy my creativity however, also musically enough that the audience doesn't think, "Wow, this would be a cool song if the drums were less busy." I also try to enjoy myself and I think it shows to the audience.

Conversely, I can't stand the occasional person who hides behind his inferior skills by bashing technical playing. I have noticed that guitarists seem to be espacially bad about this, but we have some drummers as well. That old argument, "music theory stifles creativity" is weak to me. Whether they know it or not, everyone uses something based in the established norms. I can appreciate the "less is more" attitude and utilize it myself when needed, but eveyone has their own opinion, and looking down our noses at others for thinking differently is not cool.

Sorry to ramble. This is a good thread. BTW, I have seen you play, Rockula (can't remember where), and I think you have mastered that balance between feel and technique quite nicely! Rock on!

I think a balance is important. I think it also depends what you want to get out of your playing. Some players may play one or two specific genres that they're really into, and don't need to learn Jazz Independence for example. Other players might play a lot of styles, in a lot of different bands, and might need to have a broader technical knowledge. I don't think anyone can be right or wrong about the technique/ feel question.... It all kinda comes down to what floats your boat, I guess!

I will say though, I think ALL players need enough technique to play in time. That is where the job is, regardless of what genre(s) one plays, or what ambitions a player may have regarding their career. My own personal philosophy is 'When In Rome':- I always try to play the right thing for the tune I'm playing. Personally, I believe that everyone plays with feel the moment the step up to an instrument. We can only play like ourselves and with our own unique taste, regardless of education. Some people have a more technical agenda, others will prioritise the enjoyment of doing what they do. I think everyone is different & everyone wants to get something different from playing. The thing that unites us is that we all enjoy playing drums. I believe that is what makes music so diverse. It's because of our differences, not despite them!

Just play. Play what you think is right. Enjoy yourself!

i must say i am about 20% technical, 80% emotion, not exactly the best balance and I know I get alot of compliments on my drumming but when I look from the outside, I'm not the best. A musician will tell me I suck and a nonmusician will love what I'm doing. I do think its important to know what you're doing but I think its even more important to how to do actually do it.








_________________
www.myspace.com/crimsonorchidband

www.crimsonorchid.com

drumachine83 wrote:

i gotta disagree with ya there man. with all due respect, i think having the best technique makes it easier to show emotion on stage. things such as cresendos and decresendos, accents, and accelerando/decelerandos ,are things in which to express yourself in music and if you dont practice these things your only going to be able to be an average seteriotypical drummer who has two dynamics: loud and louder, instead of a well rounded percussionist.

Well, when it comes to humans, for some reason we tend to let only one side of the brain dominate the other side.

I've definitely noticed it in most 'technical' or 'mechanic' drummers, they seem to be just that: machines..
Meaning, they can play very well to a grid of rhythm, but when it comes to contributing their collective support to the rest of the band, it often throws all the music off balance. They can be very tasteless, and so you realize the big picture of why they're playing and they turn out to be more self-conscious of their ego and their technique. The music is supposed to appeal to humans - not to musicians.


Drumming is not about what you CAN do, but about what you're WILLING to do.

As a drummer, being an artist, it's always important to resonate with the rest of the soundscape through balance.

Potatoe Snack wrote:

i must say i am about 20% technical, 80% emotion, not exactly the best balance and I know I get alot of compliments on my drumming but when I look from the outside, I'm not the best. A musician will tell me I suck and a nonmusician will love what I'm doing. I do think its important to know what you're doing but I think its even more important to how to do actually do it.

Technique is simply that which one uses to bring what's on the inside of you out into the aural world of the listener. If your Self thinks, "Clappity-boom-boom-click" but your technique only "knows" how to play "Clappity-clicK".................well, there's a problem. That problem is that your creativity is negatively impacted by your body's inability to translate that which is in your heart/mind.

"...when the technique and the emotion come together at that split second..."[Jack DeJohnette]

Knowing the basics is key, but music IS emotion. I have seen half-assed drummers that put enough emotion and passion into their set, that it worked. A funny point was brought up by Tommy Aldridge in one of his instructionals- You could be playing the coolest beat, but if you don't look like you are having fun, and into it, the audience won't get it.








_________________
I PROUDLY ENDORSE MEDICINE MAN DRUMS AND SALUDA CYMBALS, and Bud light.



www.drumroadtrip.com
www.myspace.com/newconceptpercussion
www.myspace.com/bngrzn

Even people with tons of technique can get into it... What about Zbigniew Promiński (Polish, I know, nice name eh?) from Behemoth, I just saw him play last night, insane BPM double kick on his Axis while still headbanging in a circle.








_________________
english, motherf**ker, do you speak it!?
http://www.myspace.com/tuskband

For me it depends what style of music im playing... for eg, when i play with my punk band its about 75% emotion, 25% technique (although i still manage to pull of some quite technical things, at least for a punk band o.O)

If i played prog however it'd be about 40% emotion and 60% technique. If im just jamming to anything in particular i balance it in the middle 50/50.

Strange way to do it, i know.








_________________
http://www.myspace.com/kylefenton
http://www.myspace.com/pfreaks
http://www.myspace.com/redglory1
Yamaha
Zildjian
Remo
DW