Author Topic: Mangini -- the most unique?  (Read 1350 times)

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Offline LKap13

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Mangini -- the most unique?
« on: February 10, 2019, 09:46:45 PM »
For better or worse, do you guys think Mangini is among the most unique of all drummers? It seems to me that in listening to music in the broader rock/metal genre, you get variations on one type of drumming. But Mangini sounds different, somehow.

I saw someone post somewhere that unlike other drummers, Mangini tends to rely more on the interplay of his snare and bass drums rather than snare and hi-hat/cymbal as as other drummers tend to. Is it a different school of drumming that we're seeing?

Offline gzarruk

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2019, 09:54:39 PM »
He's the only drummer I've seen out ther who's able to play fully right handed and left handed flawlessly. He's not only changing the leading hand, he also changes the leading foot and the side of the kit he plays on. Mindblowing.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline DarkLord_Lalinc

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2019, 09:56:54 PM »
MM is so technically advanced that I find it hard sometimes to actually notice and be aware of everything he does.

He's brilliant, but I don't think his brilliance always is easy to translate. I love the guy, tho.

That's my two cents.
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Offline fischermasamune

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2019, 10:36:38 PM »
I think it's hard to notice exactly what goes on, but he has nice tricks/techniques/choices (which I start appreciate only after I properly learn about them). Forum member erwinrafael has many posts dissecting his style and explaining his polylimbic manouvers.

Offline Max Kuehnau

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2019, 02:44:12 AM »
For better or worse, do you guys think Mangini is among the most unique of all drummers? It seems to me that in listening to music in the broader rock/metal genre, you get variations on one type of drumming. But Mangini sounds different, somehow.

I saw someone post somewhere that unlike other drummers, Mangini tends to rely more on the interplay of his snare and bass drums rather than snare and hi-hat/cymbal as as other drummers tend to. Is it a different school of drumming that we're seeing?
It is in some ways yes, because he combines two approaches: the US marching band tradition with these tritom things there (notice how his toms are laid out on his kit, very similar to tritom setups in these marching bands) and thinking like an orchestral percussionist (thinking melodically as oposed to strictly rhythmically) Combine that with his mastery of the open handed style (meaning playing lefty and righty equally well) and general technique and his massive musicality, and there you have him. (I'm trying to be as neutral as I can, as ever. Doesn't always work out unfortunately.)
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Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2019, 03:22:54 AM »
^ Yes. More than the technique, it is his drumming philosophy that is quite different from many drummers specially in prog. He does not tend to call attention to himself as he plays to integrate the song and highlight what the other instruments are doing. He usually uses the snare to mark time, while the bass drums do the more complicated patterns.

He loves playing fast rolls. When people say his fills are unmemorable because they are just fast rolls, I think they are missing the melody behind those fills. Like, they are actually air-drummable if you play in quarter-notes instead of sixteenth notes.  :lol

He also plays the cymbals differently. He does not use opening and closing of hi-hats frequently in his playing I think he prefers to hit cymbals of different tones as his orchestration technique. Opening and closing hi-hats is used more as a drone. Like what he does here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWhqGPKfqvA

Going up and down the scale with the guitars and keyboards is something he got from Steve Vai. But I think when given a freer hand, he does compose very melodic drum patterns. The drums in the intro of Paralyzed is one such case, and I really suspect that the riff was done around the drum pattern instead of the other way around. Other excellent examples include the drum into to Challenge Accepted in Into The Great Divide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlu0X_sA2ME , and Detonation by Annilator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew_V-un4rVc

One of his recent posts on Facebook is intriguing:

"We each wrote a similar amount for DOT in different forms, which is why this one is really a first. I made and used music clips containing all instruments to be able to communicate and contribute actual music notes writing, not just sat behind the drums offering beats and gave opinions and "ideas," which I did a bit on some songs on the DT self-titled. Some parts of Pale Blue Dot were written on the drums first. Two songs on DOT were written from drum beats made up in sound-checks. When ideas come from the drums, the others are still the writers of the music notes by default, unless a "boom" is a note : ) "


Offline Adami

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2019, 05:11:23 AM »
Yup.
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Offline Anxiety35

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2019, 08:23:19 AM »
Define unique. Unique to me means he is one of a kind.

MM has his way of doing things. He's technically superior to many drummers but does technicality translate to uniqueness? Not sure. His philosophy is different. His setup is different. But is different the same as unique? Not sure. Is showmanship the same as unique? Not sure. Is it a combination of all these things? Possibly. I think it's best left up to individual opinion to define unique.

Here is a short list (not exhaustive) of drummers who immediately come to my mind whom I would say are unique.
Colaiuta
Bozzio
Peart
Rich
Gartska
Chambers
Williams
Copeland
Moon

I think MM is borderline for me. He's an incredible musician.

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2019, 08:30:54 AM »
Are there other drummers who drum like MM?

Offline Mark Levinson Jr.

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2019, 09:40:57 AM »
I think he's a unique combination of technical ability, musicianship, enthusiasm, passion and excitement.
I love to watch him play because I just feel like he loves it all so much, it's contagious!

Offline EraVulgaris

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2019, 10:18:20 AM »
Here is a short list (not exhaustive) of drummers who immediately come to my mind whom I would say are unique.

I find your lack of Baard Kolstad disturbing.

Offline cramx3

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2019, 10:28:48 AM »
He's the only drummer I've seen out ther who's able to play fully right handed and left handed flawlessly. He's not only changing the leading hand, he also changes the leading foot and the side of the kit he plays on. Mindblowing.

I don't know anything about being technical as a drummer, but I find him so amusing to watch because of this.  The way he plays is unlike anyone I have watched and it's just mind blowing.

Offline Adami

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2019, 10:48:06 AM »
Are there other drummers who drum like MM?

Hopefully not many.  :laugh:
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Offline rumborak

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2019, 10:50:54 AM »
My best assessment of MM's approach to drumming would be that he is a "constructionist", in a sense that he tries to decompose drumming into irreducibly constituent parts, and then tries to rebuild what he desires from those building blocks. To my knowledge, nobody but MM approaches it that way. I think he has a strong sense that a cleanly built and flawlessly executed drum part will result in something that sounds good. (something I somewhat disagree with however)
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Offline LKap13

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Re: Mangini -- the most unique?
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2019, 11:36:38 AM »
Interesting. I'm listening to Labrie's Elements of Persuasion and to me mangini sounds totally different on record. He sounds more like an "average" prog metal drummer (which I happen to prefer to his style in dt)