3 "Secrets" Great Drummers Know (But Probably Won't Tell You)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2020
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Check out Stephen's original video - • The Secret Pro Drummer... - เพลง
Things I really like about this channel
- nate looking deep into my eyes while playing
- insightful af
- edited with wit and flair
Things I like less
- every example labelled ‘beginner’ is always someone who sounds considerably better than me and I’ve been playing for 25 years
Ned Potter ha hearin ya
I know the feeling
I get what you're saying buuut..
Stop counting years, and start counting hours of deliberate practice. :)
@@mikepostdrums dropping serious truth bombs there
Idk why but that second half made me crack up more than I thought it would have
😂 Your evil vinnie impersonation is a thing of beauty!!!
Great musicians have attention to detail and the ability to hear and evaluate themselves clearly in terms of pitch, tempo and articulation. Not-so-great musicians aren't able (or willing?) to hear themselves objectively--they often hear "from their head and not from their ears", which leads to them hearing it how they meant to play it instead of how it actually sounds.
I had the problem I heard mistakes where there were none. And once I figured out how to stop listening, because mistakes are quite my obsession, I learned to enjoy the groove, which gave me more room to fill it.
Ooijoö
Great teaching- I’m a guitarist and learn so much from your channel.
James Maxwell me too! I’ve been practicing drums daily before playing guitar for the past year in an effort to get my time better. Definitely learning a lot from Nate’s videos!
Ditto for me. I'm a bassist.
Ha me too! Great channel, for any musician to learn more about the ins and outs of the mother of all instruments!
Yup... even though I've never played drums (well, I mean, I hit a snare with a stick once, but that was on vacation) I still seem to somehow find ways to apply this stuff in my own music. :)
(also that one time I think I startled and reacted like a spooked animal, but not all our moments can be proud ones) :D
So...
Feel: Conscious Analysis Of The Space Between Notes.
Touch: Dynamic, Spatial, Cohesive and Euphonic control via fine motor skills.
Lock-Up: The ability to use Feel in real time in cohesive conjunction with other musician's sense of Feel.
Kit-Control: An extension of Touch, across limbs.
Musical Vocabulary: The knowledge required to build cohesive musical thoughts.
Love your videos. I would love to see these ideas boiled down into simple thoughts like these. It would leave more time to be creative with idea.
I am SO glad you included Steve Jordan here
I have been retired from drumming (as a full time career) for about 40 years. I made it through because I was a musician first, where as technically, speed/technique..etc.. I was useless. But at nearly 70 I have taken a liking to technique and developing speed. All the stuff I didn't want to learn.
It started with a Russ Miller video on speed. I was a two fisted drummer before, he explained how to get the rebound working in both hands.I want to say thanks for your free lessons. Can you imagine how much fun it is to have my passion for drums reemerge. Cheers! to you.
THIS!!!! Most important drum video EVER!! I see this drummer has attended a few drum clinics and master classes with famous drummers. He knows ALL their worthless answers. "Yeah, just do the rudiments to drum like me. Yeah! That's the ticket." :D
oh my god the audio quality is miles better this the best thing to happen to this channel
I told them, but they didn't believe me :P
Yeah, are you using the EAD here? Thinking about buying it.
@@willyfleming999 Do it
Lockup is so interesting. In my 25 years of playing, I have found that sometimes, being a hardass on your time can tear an ensemble completely apart. Music must breathe and flow. Sometimes being metronomically perfect is appropriate, and sometimes it is exactly what you don't want in the music. It's hard to explain, but I have found that some of the ensembles and music I have played in sounds best when it breathes and flows and terrible when played to a click, and vise-versa. With that, I strive to have great timing. At the same time, we must be able to flex when necessary.
My theory as to why newer drummers do not have a "feel" is because of overwhelming anticipation. Trying to anticipate that next note which leads to blocky playing, muscles tightening which then gets them out of the pocket or resorting to repetition. Just going by my own experience......
This is so true. I’ve been playing since I was 7 (I’m 20 now) and everytime there were people on my highschool that wanted to play drums they always tried way too hard and end up getting stiff and overthinking simple grooves thus ending up offbeat or just straight up stop playing mid song. I think having a real passion for it and just feeling the music is so essential and let’s creative flow way easier in your playing. When I play I have the biggest smile on my face and I look forward to playing everytime I get home from work and I know I’m not the only one
This was so good. I love how you go beyond just playing fast, chops and all. You keep reminding us that we aren't just drummers, we are Musicians.
Great video. It's definitely the things that aren't talked about enough. Right now I'm trying to work on my "linguistics". I'm a self taught drummer so my learning curve has been...long. I have had these periods of time when I've made those discoveries like finding the space between notes and realizing they help define my playing. Touch, feel and dynamics seem to reveal things all the time and they rarely have much to do with what pattern I'm playing. I really enjoyed this one.
Love it! Great job articulating something so simple yet evasive!
I have only just come across your videos and love your practical tips, even after playing for 20 years you still learn. Keep up the good work.
Love your videos. This was a really good one. Thank you for your dedication to the drum community. It doesn’t go unnoticed!!!!
Definitely one of the best video about drumming and, more important, being a musician!
Your channel is the first that I've clicked the little subscriber bell for. I just really love and appreciate your disposition and didactic style. Thanks for the videos!
Aaaaw thanks fam
Outstanding video! Feel is so gratifying to the listener, and personalizes your playing.
I applaud you on identifying the thing that separates "the greats" and "the amateurs" which is attention to detail. I wish more people would say this. I'd like to offer one super important thing that is often missed which is... tone/the sound of your drums.
The difference between the amateur and the professional in all of your examples is the sound they get out of the kits. I'm not necessarily saying the tuning of the drums (which plays a huge part), but more so how they approach the grooves/music with the drumset they're playing. You touched upon it when you talked about timing, touch and lock up. The technique that you choose (i.e. rimshots, open hi hats, playing at the edge of hi hats, ghostnotes) the time feel of what you're playing (i.e laid back, dead on, ahead of the beat) and dynamic of each limb (i.e bass drum heavy, light hi hat, medium snare, etc.) makes a huge difference in the tone you get out of the drums.
But to take it a step further, how did Thomas Pridgen make that cheap kit sound good? How does Benny Greb play on a toy kit and still get a good sound out of it? How does Brian Blade play a very open jazz kit sound tight and funky? We can say timing, and touch, and lock up... But I think there's something else that most drummers don't talk about which is how to achieve different sounds on different type of kits. I actually heard Pridgen say, "Sometimes you gotta hit the heck out of s***** drums to get a good sound." I've also heard Chris Coleman and Mark Guliana talk about "finding the sweet spots in a kit." So I'd say that's another thing to think about.
Great video! Loved it! Congrats professor.
This is great! Thank you for sharing! Learning a lot today! :)
Great vid! Do more like this!
Thank you so much, haven't visited you in a while, you ALWAYS improve my drumming. THANK YOU FOR POSTING !
Another masterpiece and indepth look into drumming which i really enjoyed. Its like discovering about the drumming cosmos listening to your videos and i look forward to the next one before i even finished the one i'm watching.
This was great and spot on!
Thanks
Killer video, drummer!!!! Very nice! Thanks for the hard work.
Top notch stuff as per usual 👌 Nail on the head - people take for granted how much of it has to come from the mind outward. I don’t even play drum set BUT - as a hand percussionist with a Drum Corps & Tap background - thanks for making quality stuff that has me violently shaking my head in agreement at the tv✊
Great Video
many thanks
This video is the best so far...:) i just love it!
For me timing/feel is what i takes to be a great drummer, not how fast or intricate you can play.
As a guitarist and amature song writer, all i want is timing and feel, nothing else! Just think of it like this: No matter what style of music you play, what do want the most?
A. an audience who looks like they wanna dance (perhaps they are dancing already?)
or
B. an audience who looks for the bar?
It´s always nice with chops aswell, but without timing/feel, you might aswel do something else.
i personaly think that we all can learn to get a good feeling/timing, but it comes with that you have to make an effort. Practice, yes! and learn to listen to what you do!
AND
watch this video!!!!!
This is both the funniest and insightful of your videos. Great teaching as usual !
Absolutely killer new episode, as always, Nate!
Personal story (somewhat). I don't do session work anymore on a reg basis, but when I do I only work with either my friends, either with musicians I trust. And I never make notes or charts when I do. I was blessed to have a great musical memory but I mainly learn material by playing with the musicians (that need my help) as if we were the band. Because I have to really feel out the tune(s). Because in my deeply personal opinion, that's the only way to learn material and that's the only way to actually PLAY the music pretty much. I can't read notes and not that I intent to, personally. Just like Steve Jordan mentioned, once you get together to work on the music, it all depends on the breakdown of things (arrangement) and how you pretty feel it. There quire a few offers from friends or friends of the friends in the past that I politely declined to work with. Not because I didn't like those ppl or didn't trust them. Because the material they were working with, wasn't for me (I personally didn't like it and therefore I didn't feel it out). I could still play and record but it goes against my principals, otherwise it would have sounded just another pre-programmed drum tracks if I accepted the offer. It's all really about how you navigate within the ensemble and how you truly feel what you play. Thank god, Nate you still around on social media and talk about these things. These are not part of academia, these things are part of real life situation :)
PS That's pretty much a main reason I hate seeing rock/metal/hardcore bands these days that play live with charts right in front of them. I find it insulting XD
great talk, thanks!
Nice video. Good points
Great vid as always 👍🏻
Great work! Between this and your 'false summits' vid, my practice sessions went from your typical self-taught play-along hobbyist type slap fest, to laser sharp focused workshops. My bandmates thank you haha.
When I started playing, the idea of feeling how many notes in different combinations with different rests on different limbs could be played between slow quarters would keep me mentally starstruck for hours. I actually had pages of patterns written out on graph paper, with an "x" in each square where the notes could be played. Nice to hear a seasoned pro talking about the same sort of thing, feeling those spaces and the possibilities that lie within.
Absolutely correct. However, in between work, family and various other commitments, what a privilege to get out there and just play with your fellow averages to a more or less unamused pub. I feel fantastic behind the kit, regardless of lack of ability. The drums are medicine to me and that’s hugely important. You’re videos and instruction and put together in a format that’s very enjoyable for me. Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks so much for spending time on this topic. I really wish someone would have explained “locking in” and how to achieve it when I was starting out.
Great breakdown! Thanks 80/20.
As a guitarist who’s been learning drums on the side, I feel like in a way this has been kind of an advantage. I have zero ego or expectation from myself playing drums, other than to keep good time. Currently I’m just practicing simple rudiments on a pad with 16th notes at 80BPM and working with putting the metronome on different parts of the beat, as a way to improve my time.
No chops, no speed, just time. It’s very liberating for me because I can get in a headspace where I don’t think about notes at all. Hopefully in a few years I’ll actually be good lol.
Luckily, there are no drummers today lacking lock-up OR the ability to play the drums well in isolation!
Quarantine jokes, woooooo! 🙂
You're getting deeper into the question of Quality lately. Respect.
11:58 I would have never thought to explain it that way. That was very concise. Thank you.
Dooooood I have the same spring loaded Tama cymbal clamp that you had on your alt hihat . Also great lesson, feel is paramount. I feel like Kit control would fall under that umbrella. Internal dynamics and self mixing your playing are definitely components to good feel. Thank you for sharing the Steve clip as well...gonna think about the space between two notes next time I try to add arbitrary ghost notes between the cracks haha.
Wow, I didn't know what I don't know. This video really helped!
Great video, can you do one about your transcription methodology?
Think could be a great one!
This is gold. Thank you.
That was funny as hell! Please keep the comedy as part of your videos it's a real pleasure
OK, so... being able to hear the articulation of your kick in these examples I feel is extremely helpful to getting the point across. Having said that, your bossa nova example KILLS! ... and oddly enough the "bad" bossa nova example demonstrates a quality that's, well, not so bad. lol And one can really hear that in this video with the audio adjusted the way it is, or the drum tuned the way it is etc... Great video!
Thank You Again,
Gabriel
sometimes when im playing in a band or tracking in the studio, i have a sudden realization that i am not fully locking in. then I have a sort of out of body experience almost as though I am looking at myself in third person. this then allows me to look at my playing as a whole and lock all my limbs together. sometimes you have to focus on the sound and feel coming off your kit rather then what sounds will be coming out of your drums in the next section of the song
Awesome video!! Do you happen to know any channels like this for guitar? Most guitar channels are focused around beginner stuff or just learning riffs.... thanks!
The "sentence" at 12:05 blew my mind. Okay, NOW I get it. (Thanks!)
1:39 - 2:08 is objectively the funniest drum content ever released, approached only by "HE ALWAYS FACES NORTH"
God I love this channel.
"Triple paradiddles bro" 😂 Fantastic videos!
Great video! 😉👍
Thanks brotha!
Years ago (mid to late 80s!), my drummer friends and I would point out these types of things - The drummers who didn't chop out but you knew there was an implied "something" to their playing that you could sense and feel that told you that they had something extra behind the scenes. One of the best examples we knew of was Kenny Aronoff. Just listen to Paper in Fire - those stick clicks are so perfect both sonically and in time, and the whole groove is magic. No chops to be found anywhere, but you know Kenny *knows* what he's doing, and possesses the secrets you mention...
Were you drumming in this one? I like the beat
Brilliant... had me laughing out loud. Oh, and great insight too...
The vinnie impression was enough for me to hit SUBSCRIBE... thanks for giving me a happy day. And an applause to all musical drummers.
Chad Smith did a clinic that talked about some of the basic things that people do wrong when playing around the drums he talked about hitting the beats or strokes that you mean to hit instead of half-assed ghost notes that sound sloppy and inconsistent.
This video also reminded me of Neil Peart after years of playing with Rush he wanted to relearn his skill using the traditional handgrip style to get a different perspective so as to expand his knowledge while leaning towards a more jazzy time of swing in his playing. I don't remember the guys name the video may still be on youtube but he talked a lot about time and space when playing as it relates to a broader perspective of what it is you're attempting to accomplish which contributes to the creative aspects of your instrument to expand and grow as a musician.
Great video.
Great video Nate!
Thanks bro!
YES. Thank You.
Nate, been watching you for a while. Have to say you've really opened my ears. Like you say, once you hear it...
yaaaay that's amazing
same
(btw nate i hate you for doing this to me)
Would you ever do a video about how to study a drummer? I don’t know what to do or look for
man that's a good question. Here's my two cents: when you study a drummer, you should be analyzing a wide variety of their material. For example, go through two or three records front to back that that drummer has played on. This way you will understand some of their "isms" or figures that they repeat over and over. Similarly, you will get an idea of their individual sound (e.g. tone of their drums and cymbals). From this, you should be able to dig a little deeper and pick apart their dynamics. If you're looking at a jazz drummer you might find that they accent a certain note in the typical ride pattern. Or if you're analyzing someone like Chad Smith, you might find that he accents the downbeats on a sloshy hi-hat often, with a heavy bed of ghost notes on the snare. Beyond this, it's on you to find out how to make those sounds on YOUR kit, and that will help you understand tuning, dynamics, timing, etc. so much better. Hope this helps!
Michael Dallara without a doubt that helped thanks a lot my friend. I’ll definitely take those on board I look forward to doing some research. Hope you’re well during this virus 👍🏻
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT . CLARITY . SO GOOD TO SPEND VALUABLE TIME LISTENING TO A COHERENT ENABLER. 👍
Big up to Nate, he's funny, great drummer and a real teacher.
Nate, Can you do a video on 'finding your own voice' as a drummer and being 'good with it' right now. There's always this push for improving, chops, and drum calisthenics. What about enjoying where you are at right now this moment? Yeah a balance needs to be struck. Everyone wants to improve but this is who I am in the moment AND I'm ok with it and I'm going to enjoy the people and the music I'm making this moment. Maximize and do the best with what you have this moment. In practice is where you keep an eye on improvement but don't forget to enjoy this moment.
See if this works - th-cam.com/video/EvIT5f1DKxY/w-d-xo.html , or this - th-cam.com/video/9F8Q7FvxIAU/w-d-xo.html
@@8020drummer Thanks Nate I missed those. Exactly what I was thinking in what you articulated. I thought your last video was hilarious and informative by the way. +1 on all the content!
Spot On.
Great Vid ..Treat your self to a new snare drum head bro ..you earned it
Your Comment Guy made me crack up so much thanks for the laughs, back to practice I go
The answer is simple; playing with feel and in the pocket, where all your notes are as evenly spaced as possible. That to me all comes down to a healthy balance of practice as well as learning to stop overthinking and allowing yourself to feel the music more at the same time having more fun, but more like productive fun....I think, well that' my 2 cents anyways. Hope it'll somehow help with this discussion.
nice video THx :)
I agree with your secrets to great drumming. You could look at very non-choppy drummers, like Ringo or Roger Taylor. Right away, their feel, dynamics, and control is what makes them sound good. I think this may also be the distinction between drumming being a sport (i.e. how fast can you play rudiment x?) vs being a musician.
The Drumming Sheldon Cooper.
Great video.
"They don't know you don't know" That really hits the nail on the head. It's easy to forget what had to be learned when you become adept at something.
I attended a Virgil appearance. Life changing..
He played for a few hours, and as you might expect, was inundated with questions about "how does he play the doubles with his feet on the 3rd bar of Track X, and whats the sticking pattern to blah", I could tell how tedious he found it.
I stood up at the end, thanked him for his contributions to the artform, and for the inspiration.
His features softened just for a second, I think he liked that...
Love your channel and method! With "amateur" Jazz Crimes, I heard the saxophonist being out of time; rest of the band sounded locked.
Thank you. The questions asked to the greats are brutal. So many interviews with little info.
I think some people seem to forget that when you go on Tour your playing everyday. That's going to have a some what big impact on your playing. Were or most of us serious drummers are capable of doing what some of these guys are doing. Yes we can. It just takes discipline and patients. Yes you've heard this before but it's so true.
“He who controls the SPACE, controls the universe!”
Nailed it. These 3 things are actually very well hidden, in plain sight. Or sound as the case may be.
That EAD10 is treating you right!!!! Good stuff brother! Keep it up!
I love your comments voice
Can you make a video on how to learn to improvise within form? How to know where the 1 is while going off on a tangent
im improving thnks to your channel
Hahaha Steve Jordan is high as a kite bro!!
Great content bro, love your videos!!!
Hahahaha 😜😜😜😆
"SILENCE" OMG I laughed so hard I dropped my coffee
I'm learning MUCHO! But, Nate, the "Fish in Water" analogy originally comes from Marshall McLuhan.
I play guitar, but I feel like this translates really well!
Nailed it....
Great drummers have incredible musicality and feel, coupled with the uncanny sense of time. This is the magic we all strive for.
I'm adding "COMNMON" to my vocabularic repertoire.
Those impersonations with the hat and glasses are too damn funny man. Oh and the video isn't so bad either
Thomas Lang said it: It has nothing to do with talent. Absorb everything you can and practice, practice, practice.
The Dennis Chambers on pots and pans just made me spit out my coffee and made my month
Yeah !!!
Could You make a vídeo analysing JD Beck? It would be dope
Brandon Scott just did a great one
Michael League's face in that clip is just absolute A+++ grade.