Drummer Discussion Thread

[PuffyPat]

As a drummer myself, I always find my self scouring YouTube and the dark depths of the internet for videos and info for my favorite drummers, but I never really have anyone to talk about all this stuff with. I thought this would be a good place to discuss who our favorite drummers are, and what makes them who they are, as well as us drummers to talk about how we got started, and what style we prefer playing and why.

My favorite drummer changes all the time, but right now, it has to be Thomas Pridgen. I just can't get enough of what he does. He has so much energy when he plays. I love it. Some other drummers that I am quite fond of include: Deantoni Parks, The Rev, Jon Theodore, Neal Peart, Stewart Copeland, Mike Portnoy, and many others.

[Sigz]

As a very, very new drummer myself, I've found myself paying even more attention to drums than I usually do. Gavin Harrison, however, still reigns supreme in my world.

[bss4life15]

Brann Dailor makes my penis cry.  Also Blake Richardson.

[Adami]

Thomas Lang is pretty rad.

[PuffyPat]

As a very, very new drummer myself, I've found myself paying even more attention to drums than I usually do. Gavin Harrison, however, still reigns supreme in my world.

How long have you been playing for?

[Sigz]

Like, a month

[MasterShakezula]

Tony Williams is a major favorite of mine.  His playing is a major reason why I feel Miles Davis's best recordings were from 65-69.

[PuffyPat]

Like, a month

Keep at it man. Drums are seriously the best instrument there is.

Tony Williams is a major favorite of mine.  His playing is a major reason why I feel Miles Davis's best recordings were from 65-69.

For jazz drummers I would have to go with Elvin Jones. His work with Coltrane is totally boss. But yeah Davis' work with Williams is some of his best.

[obscure]

As a drummer2B myself, I thought that I should follow this thread.... It's by far the best decision I've ever made....

Neal Peart, Gavin Harrison, Marco Minnemann
and of course MP and MM

[Xanthul]

For energetic (and awesome) drummers, Dino Campanella is where it's at. I was completely hypnotized during the whole dredg concert, I couldn't stop looking at the guy, he was hitting the drums like they hit on his sister.

[zxlkho]

As a very, very new drummer myself, I've found myself paying even more attention to drums than I usually do. Gavin Harrison, however, still reigns supreme in my world.

I distinctly remember you saying you preferred Chris Maitland

[Nekov]

As a drummer2B myself, I thought that I should follow this thread.... It's by far the best decision I've ever made....

Neal Peart, Marco Minnemann
and of course MP

I would also add Bill Brufford. His rhythmic and timing are just perfect.

[ReaperKK]

I'm a big fan of Harrison and Lang.

I'm also a big fan of Danny Carey, just recently saw a cool drum cam of him playing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnDtNeZqoqk

Oh and Carter Beauford is a beast.

[zxlkho]

Mark Heron, formerly of Oceansize, is fucking awesome as well.

[Zantera]

Mark Heron, formerly of Oceansize, is fucking awesome as well.

He's the best them.

[obscure]

As a drummer2B myself, I thought that I should follow this thread.... It's by far the best decision I've ever made....

Neal Peart, Marco Minnemann
and of course MP

I would also add Bill Brufford. His rhythmic and timing are just perfect.

mmm thanks.. will check his work out... 

[mizzl]

1) Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree)

2) Mark Heron (Oceansize)
3) Colin Greenwood (Radiohead)

[Gorille85]

I guess Gavin Harrison is my favorite though I need to think about it a little bit...

[Zantera]

Favorites would probably be:

1. Mark Heron (Oceansize)
2. Blake Richardson (Between the Buried and Me)
3. Orri Páll Dýrason (Sigur Rós)
4. Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree)
5. Martin Lopez (ex. Opeth)

[Gorille85]

3. Orri Páll Dýrason (Sigur Rós)

The end of Untitled 8 is one of my favorite drum sections ever.

[zxlkho]

3. Orri Páll Dýrason (Sigur Rós)

The end of Untitled 8 is one of my favorite drum sections ever.

YESYESYES I love this.

[Sigz]

As a very, very new drummer myself, I've found myself paying even more attention to drums than I usually do. Gavin Harrison, however, still reigns supreme in my world.

I distinctly remember you saying you preferred Chris Maitland

wat

[zxlkho]

It was in the PT thread somewhere, probably about 6 months ago. I remember this so clearly.

[Zantera]

I prefer Gavin over Chris in general, but Gavin hasn't impressed me too much on the earlier PT songs to be honest, though I admit that he did a very good job on Hatesong.

[Sigz]

You're remembering very wrong.

[Nekov]

As a drummer2B myself, I thought that I should follow this thread.... It's by far the best decision I've ever made....

Neal Peart, Marco Minnemann
and of course MP

I would also add Bill Brufford. His rhythmic and timing are just perfect.

mmm thanks.. will check his work out... 

Well, if you have never listened to him there are a couple of different things you can check out. For a more prog style, listen to his work in Yes (Yes through Close to the Edge). For more experimental stuff, King Crimson (Larks' Tongues in Aspic through THRAK). For a more Jazzy style, his solo work or his band named Earthworks.

[zxlkho]

I swear I'm not lying. I would go through the PT thread to find it but lol that.

[reneranucci]

I am now a drum enthusiast. I started playing attention to drums one year ago. Before that, I didn't care that much about them or what they could bring to the music. However, I already had some favorites who played stuff that was always flashy and fun to listen to: Portnoy, Billy Cobham and Bozzio. Then I started reading more about drumming and looking for music that highlighted the drummer's work (some threads in this forum were great for that), finding videos on youtube and other places (one interview with Gavin Harrison in Drumdepartment opened my eyes about lots of stuff), etc.

DT's search for a new drummer helped a lot to make me completely absorbed and obsessed about drumming, to the point of starting some lessons. People were talking about drummers, what they could do differently from Portnoy, etc. The Spirit Carries On videos were great, I've watched them at least 15 times, and I always enjoy watching that all-star roster playing with my favorite band. I compiled a short list of songs to sample every auditionee's work, and some of them became my favorites.

My list of favorite drummers would be: (probably I'm missing a lot of great drummer's I'm not familiar with, and some of my impressions might be flawed for my lack of knowledge about the instrument)

1. Marco Minnemann: an absolute monster. He has great style, technique and most of all creativity. He's also mindblowingly diverse: he plays jazz in his instructional videos, auditioned for Dream Theater, played with Necrophagist and is a more than capable songwriter. And in addition, he is this type of quirky-always smiling guy, the kind of personality I love. I haven't heard his work with The Aristocrats but I'll do that as soon as I can.

2. Billy Cobham
3. Mike Portnoy
4. Vinnie Colaiuta (talk about diversity here!)
5. Bill Bruford
6. Virgil Donati
7-10: Thomas Lang, Roger Taylor, Dino Campanella (Dredg) and Mark Heron (Oceansize). The last 2 are criminally undrerrated IMO.

For some reason, I'm not a big fan of Gavin Harrison (I think he doesn't go crazy enough, sometimes he sounds restrained although he's a master of intricate rythms) or Neil Peart.

I would say that drumming is one of the most difficult aspects of rock music to appreciate, since it is rarely at the front and its intricacies don't cause an immediate impression as the keyboards and guitar do. Anybody agrees?

[zxlkho]

Dino Campanella (Dredg)

Yesss, this guy rules.

[ReaperKK]

I can't believe I forgot about Dino from dredg, anyone who plays piano while playing drums gets a in my book.

[Sigz]

I swear I'm not lying. I would go through the PT thread to find it but lol that.

Just go to the thread then use the search function top right, it'll only search the thread.

[reneranucci]

For energetic (and awesome) drummers, Dino Campanella is where it's at. I was completely hypnotized during the whole dredg concert, I couldn't stop looking at the guy, he was hitting the drums like they hit on his sister.

I  this comment  Watching him playing is awesome, so energy, powah! He is perfect for Dredg and helps them to define their style a lot, a combination of raw power, melodic bliss and subtle atmosphere.

[zxlkho]

Well fuck me sideways, it was Seth in an old PT thread. Don't know why I thought it was you.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=14921.msg516113#msg516113

[Sigz]

God I love being right.

[zxlkho]

Maybe I thought it was you because you fail that hard at a lot of other things.