Playing Modern Pop on Drums with Aaron Spears of Ariana Grande's Band | Reverb
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Working with chart-toppers like Ariana Grande, Usher, and Carrie Underwood, drummer Aaron Spears transforms his gospel chops into pop perfection.
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That high hat game tho. Love it. Really nice bloke. There's a reason he's a pro.
H A R you sound like a pro, why don’t you upload a video of you playing “regular” drums
H A R use a handphone ..
So smooth
Exactly frfr I love that real talk I am having a problem with that at my Church I play for right now frfr❤
I'm not totally up on these pop artists but glad a dude like this is playing with them live
Most of the time the backing bands for pop artists are always Uber talented mercenary type musicians
@@jabez36 Haha, you say mercenary like it's a bad thing, but I think you're right for the pop artist that do use live drummers they are probably getting top level drummers, even if the songs don't call for all of their chops
@@davetbassboshaha I'm not saying it is a bad thing. I'm saying it in the sense of pay to play and not necessarily out of any personal convictions towards the music. I know because I have a friend who does this type of thing for Bieber.
@@jabez36 I hear you man, I've done the same thing (at a way lower level, lol) but you know, if the fans are having a good time at the show, I think that's something you can be proud of, even if you wouldn't want to go to that particular show yourself if you weren't playing it
@@davetbassbos Def
I feel like Aaron was the first drummer I heard pulling off those crazy, "gospel chop", fills on a major pop tour (Usher). At least the first one that caught my attention.
Before Aaron, Gerald Heyward was the dude (Mary J Blige, Destiny's child, Beyonce) in terms of "Gospel chops" drumming in pop/rnb
SuperCMusic yeah def Gerald is a pioneer. Also tony royster has been doing these big huge gigs of huge pop and rnb and hip hop artists since he was a kid. But who knows. All these gospel drummers in that generation are all influencing drummers of all genres today. Tony royster Chris Coleman Thomas pridgen Eric Moore aaron Spears Matt garstka are all guys who came up on these gospel chops dvds and now killing in their respective careers.
Don’t forget Khari Parker with Destiny’s Child’s first world tour in 2002, Mike Clemons on the Usher 8701 tour in 2001, Tom Knight with TLC in 1999 and quite a lot more.
Gotta love the Chops.
So so so tight. At 2:17 you can’t even hear the second triplet hit on the hi hat because it’s so tight with the snare and kick. THIS is a basic concept that no drummer can do without!!! Very simple but still amazing
Phenomenal drummer and really humble guy. Thums up for Spears!
THIS is what gets you gigs and brings food on the table. Playing solid grooves in 4/4 and being the perfect fit, even for modern pop music.
That flashy fusion drumming is great for technical purpose but drummers like him impress me the most.
Playing the drums for Arianna Grande has to be one of the best gigs ever. Great pay and great view
Savage!
3:22 Definitely "Usher Let it Burn" and he locked it. When a drummer can play a song with no music and fans know what he's playing, that's professionalism at it's finest
Love his perspective, attitude, demeanor! Thank you for doing and sharing this
He’s playing sounds more mature now, imo.
Very tasty grooves.
Jojo mayer admire Aaron
oh man i wanna study this guy, his pocket grooves really work and his transitions from verse to chorus and what not are so sexy!
This guy has very good feeling and touch.
So i'm 14 seconds in and I've already rewound it to get a second look at something. Aaron, man.
this man seems to be a pit of endless knowledge, i could hear him speak for hours
He makes the drum-set sound not only tasty good but also recognizable and relate-able.
If he's big like this you already know it's a groooove
Relax G
The first time I had the awesome opportunity to listen to hear Aaron was with Usher.(Mercy Mercy Me)🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Watched this video at least 5 times this dude just radiates good vibes it’s so entertaining to watch him talk
This Guy is a better teacher than half the drum teachers out there
Spears and BFM’s approach to playing “pop” by maintaining the groove and keeping it tasteful is where it’s at 💯💯💯
such a relaxed but controlled drumming style D: i am in awe
Just awesome. Thanks, Aaron!
Chops gives You chills.
Pocket pays Your bills.
Man alive he's really got it going on. Terriffic playing and the sound of these drums
are great. He's so right about doing your job on drums.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I was talking about how he has a dream job. Because he gets to tour and play music but he is allowed to live a normal private life if he wants
Drooling over the SQ1’s
Great interview!
The biggest dream for me in life was to be a drummer for someone special..
Play for the glory of Jesus Christ
Same
@@VeryScaryBiscuits lol
Priceless advice, thanks Aaron 🙏🏾
Yay finally some representation from pop thank you reverb
If you’ve never seen Aaron’s drummer world usher caught up drum video just go watch it now. My favourite drum video ever. I know many who agree.
Bro look at his right hand. His fingers!
Yeah cool playin
Wynton McClain he groovin
moeller technique man
I also noticed that, love it!
One of the best pocket drummers around
Pop music could really benefit from a resurgence of bands, rather than just the STAR.
Ha ha, IF the record company dudes WOULD want that.
But you're right.
---> As seen in the ,,Bohemian Rhapsody" movie.
Killer pocket!🔥
Very informative & respect your perspective. Enjoy your drumming & humbleness..#DMV FINEST
I really like this guy!
This should be required watching for every single drummer.
Wow dude you are a groove machine, awesome, thanks!
Pretty sure he was playing Usher’s U Don’t Have to Call at the end
Great advice from one of the best.
Very thoughtful. What a true pro.
Argon is the best-you can listen forever
Great drummer
great
You guys should really get Matt Halpern in there
Matt from Periphery? I went to High School with and played with him on our lunch break every day. Excellent drummer.
Nice to see a real drummer doing pop
Stefan McCabe This guy is way over qualified to play with the quacks he mentioned!!!!
You are 100% right thanks
He made one clinic here in Campinas - SP, Brazil , and i feel like he didn’t want to be there! I asked some drum questions about grooves, odd time signatures, gospel chops... and he sad he didn’t even know what he was doing, like , he is so good that he doesn’t even need to know... i don’t know man, really thought you were very humble, guess i was wrong 😂🤷🏻♂️
I’ve waited hours to see him play for 40 minutes, he entered and left full of security, didn’t want to answer people’s answers, c’mon bruh, wtf
Hmm really? He seems appreciative of his fans on Facebook etc. And here.
Victor burguês wow
I thought that too!! He is always smiling and looks very happy and humble.. i dunno, maybe was a bad day?
cool
One of the best to ever hold a pair of drumsticks!
He's been drumming for popstars for decades as they have come and gone for a reason
They’ve gone for a reason? Eh?
I enjoyed this video, but it did take a long time just to say, “play like the record.”
That's not the point of the video, he was trying to make an impression on people who want to become professional musicians. Making this your job means that sometimes you can't be as expressive and unique as you want to be. As a professional drummer he's teaching aspiring drummers how to fit the mold, to get gigs that pay bills.
Not sure if you're a drummer or not. But I need reminding from professionals to not overplay, stay in the pocket and mainly use fills for transitions. I prefer to hear the way behind and not just a single astute sentence that doesn't explain to me why I should just play the record. Aaron Spears is so much more talented than what you just watched, it dialed it back about 10 notches so us non-professional drummers see what's it like to play with the big names. I appreciate this video in it's entirety and he had great explanations.
Playing it 'like the record' is a *lot* harder to get right than it sounds. "Just copy it..." Well...... It's not your groove, it's not your clock, it's not your feel. But....you have to make everyone believe it is. Because the audience only knows the studio version, which may or may not be a 100% real person. Even if it is, that person got to sit in a room and do it over and over until they liked that *one* moment. Then record it without worrying one iota as to whether or not a human could perform it in front of people.
Play it like that, every time. That's *hard* stuff.
Well, he also explains why you'd want to play like the record and even why you'd want specific sounds (even down to type of reverb). It's clear after a couple minutes why artists want this dude to play for them. Pop fans have memories and emotions attached to the recorded versions of songs, so when they go to a concert they want to hear something similar. I mean it's mostly about the singer, but all the instruments play a part even down to little details fans might not be able to articulate but would still notice, like the right clap sample!
Ask him to play Caught Up
I love this guy. Tasty.
never noticed aaron let's his pinky come off the stick (which some would say that's bad technique...but F em')
there is hope
Blair Mc Gloiry i got really happy when I saw that too haha I’ve been told not to so many times but who cares lol if Aaron does it I’ll do it too
It's also a technique usually for faster doubles & sound texture (dynamics)
You can't keep your fingers on the stick at all times. He keeps all his fingers on 90% of the time until he needs that extra snap during faster multiple strokes, or when he starts using the moeller/whipping technique.
To me, it _is_ good technique, but honestly it just looks better than someone who's got their pinky/ring fingers dangling off to the side the whole time like their drinking fancy tea.
0:54 FAAACTS I get so tired of drummers being looked at as “not as good” or “sub par” because they’re not being as flashy as most famous drummers.
A quick question for everyone in the comments here, I recently ordered 3 items off of Reverbs website yesterday and I checked my email today and it said all three of my items got refunded. Has this happened to anyone else? I still want to buy those items but how do I fix it? I put in a help request a couple of hours ago but I didn’t get a response yet. If this has happened to you please let me know how you fixed this problem.
nice flow
Snare drum on the 2 and 4 not on the 1234567& 8.
You sir should play with John Mayer. I feel like you'd be a perfect fit
Keith Carlock tho.
🤔
Idk man, Aaron Sterling is killing it with JM right now
Wouldn't be more functional to play on a completely electronic kit like the TD-50 and create specialized kits for each song?
What snare and what skin?
I remember when he was Aaron Spears of Usher’s band :/
Are those sticks the vf titans
Apparently he has new signature stick from Zildjian.
Muito brabo !! Dá não kkkkk
Good drummer, good advice. By the way, "clap" = tambo, "snap" = rims. Just a thought.
excellent example of a dude with all the chops but ain't too proud to keep it simple.
He make that kit look so small
So if the audience wants to hear the exact same patterns and even the same sounds as in the record, why do they even hire real drummers when they could just use backing tracks?
Axel Lessio There’s a difference in having a live drummer. The feel is “live” and it’s a pop concert, not an EDM festival. Musicians performing on stage is still a thing.
@@shinma989 I'm not arguing with that, I love live music and I've never used a backing track in my life, my point is more of a provocation: why hiring a world class drummer that has tons of experience, creativity and a great acoustic sound and force them to use the samples from the record? Luckily more and more artists do it differently, they hire musicians to play on the record and let them play in their style, and then tour with that same band. That sounds like a more exciting gig for any musician if you ask me. :)
Axel Lessio I agree! I’m sure it’s a tightrope act trying to lay down a pocket while surgically playing the record.
Axel Lessio popular music has always been this way, we are just interfacing with modern music technologies.
The musicians who went on the road were amazing in their own rights as well but still just “played the record” every night because that’s what people pay to hear.
Because real drums sound better than tracks
get Quak Junyong in there
Does he normally have 1 Tom
I made a Watch Msuic please subscribe for more He said in the video he uses a 5-piece kit.
Rob Spears? Is he related to brittany Spears?
The best way to produce modern pop drums is through a computer, because it's going to sound like auto-tune bullshit regardless
Wouldn't it be nice if the Artists knew you were great and said, have fun with it.. So you didn't have to think if you should or shouldn't do something.. When I hire a drummer, they are going to be spoiled. Freedom to just be yourself..
Keep practicing bro one day you will be a drummer
Kidding ffs
I. Hate. Modern. Pop.
Don't listen to it. Problem solved.
Mirrorish still, he’s not wrong.
i don't blame any singers tho. they're doing what's good for their career. if they go about singing something nice and meaningful, they'd slide down the billboards and the best they'd get would be a #196
If we're talking careers (which this video is) - I'd rather play with Ariana grande, make close to if not more than 100k a year, than touring with a bunch of sweaty dudes in a van. I want to enjoy my life lol. I will play music that isn't creative if I need to.
@@rchayes1996 woah
Boys 'n' girls, the lesson here is: Be perfectly average and you can make some or even lots of money. It's not about art here.
Frank1979Zappa Lol
Im better than him he ain't doing nothing
darian yes! You are
Great player, thanks for ruining it with all the talking.