Great Drumming on Spotify

I decided that I wanted to pass along some great drumming tracks to my percussionist brethren.   Using Spotify, I have started to develop a list of great drummers and great drumming to share with all of you.

Here is the link to the playlist titled Great Drumming

This first iteration is quite bare and I will be updating it weekly and monthly as I find more great tracks to share with you. My goal isn't to find just the fastest or technically proficient drummers out there, but rather to build a mix of musicians who bring a variety of qualities to the table.

On the first list you will find:

Steve Gadd performing Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover

Buddy Rich performing his infamous West Side Story (Live)

Bernard Purdie with Aretha performing Chain of Fools

Jeff Porcaro performing that nasty groove on Rosanna

Joe Morello performing Take Five

Stewart Copeland performing Message in the Bottle

Tony Williams performing Agitation

And many, many, more.

I would love to hear your comments on who should be added to the list. Once again you can get to it here.

Keep Drumming. 

A Drumming Thankful List

This Thanksgiving I wanted to make a list of things drumming related that I am thankful for. Some items on the list may appeal to every drummer, others to just a few of you, and the remaining are special to me. Enjoy and Happy Turkey Day to all.

1. Buddy Rich - I am thankful for Buddy because he continues to inspire me to this day.
2. Modern Drummer Magazine - Thanks to all involved for giving the drumming community our monthly Bible.
3. Ludwig - For giving us the first bass drum pedal in 1909, paving the way for future generations of drum set players across the globe.
4. Steve Gadd - Thanks for giving us the white whale of drumming with the groove to "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."
5. Kenwood Dennard - Thanks for never giving me a perfect grade during my private lessons, thus teaching this young drummer there is always room for improvement in everything he does.
6. Steve Jobs and the iPod - Thanks for giving me a convenient spot for all my albums so I can jam anywhere my kit takes me.
7. Amazon Kindle - Thanks for giving us drumming instructional books in digital format. Finally I can have all the lessons of the masters with me wherever I travel.
8. Electronic Drums - My neighbors thank you, and I thank you for giving me a way to practice without getting evicted from my apartment. 
9. Duct Tape - Thanks for giving me a way to fix my kit on the fly, help kill overtones, and for the million other uses you supply while on the road.
10. All the musicians I have and will play with - Each of you has and will continue to help me evolve into a better player and happier human being.

That's my list. What are you guys thankful for?

The Drumming Community... Another Reason it's Great to Play the Drums

I was on a mini vacation this past weekend and making my way around a small seafood festival with a margarita in my hand when another patron stopped me and said "hey man nice shirt".  Now, I had forgotten that I was wearing my Modern Drummer t-shirt and took a quick look down to remind myself, before giving him a heartfelt thanks followed by the appropriate question: "so are you a drummer too?"

That question opened up a small conversation between us. In a short time span we talked about the local music scene, the music scene from his hometown, who I was playing with, who he was playing with, and the types of tubs we used. It was nice to run into a fellow drummer on my mini vacation.

As I walked away I couldn't help but think that this is something very unique to us drummers. We seem to share a community that is open to anyone who bangs those skins. I believe we have more clinics in more towns than the players of any other instrument. We have strong magazines with long histories such as Modern Drummer and Drum! that are dedicated to our craft, and we have a plethora of websites that enhance our knowledge of that craft including www.drummersorld.com, The Drummer Cafe, and VicFirth.

It seems that drummers, more than any other musician, want to share their passion and the lessons they have learned with the future generations of players. You have Steve Gadd on his popular clinic tours across the U.S., Rich Redmond hosting his technical and business based Crash Courses for Success, and Tommy Igoe crafting manuals that help the next generation of drummers step up their game. This is something I am proud to be a part of, and why I developed my own book Rudimental Technique and Analysis.

I think the biggest reason the drumming community is so open and welcoming has to do with the nature of our instrument.

Drums were the first instrument on this planet. In fact drumming is even older than the human voice. This happened because the drum represents the heartbeat, and what early tribesmen saw as the soul of the body. To this date the most indigenous tribes in Africa still revere the drummer as the only member capable of speaking to the Gods. In their world the drummer is more powerful than our president.

I like to think that even today this tradition carries forward in every drummer out there. We are the heartbeat of the band and we still represent that pulse that gives music life. We are all part of the eldest instrument on the planet, and it seems we are all proud of what we do. No matter how big or how small.

Here's to the drummer!

A Steve Gadd Story Story from my Boss.

I was recently stressing out about a drum chart that gave me some trouble on the gig. I approached the bandleader to apologize for not getting it right the first time. "Don't worry about it. It isn't that important" he replied. But being the perfectionist I am I kept on stressing. Then he told me a story about Steve Gadd.

It turns out that my boss had the great pleasure to play with the legendary drummer. Not only did Gadd back him up, but he also played my bandleader's arrangements and even remarked on their top quality and readability. Anyway, back to my story.

My boss told me about his time sharing the stage with Gadd. He told me "you know when we rehearsed Gadd made mistakes, he wasn't perfect. The thing that separated him was that when he came back for the gig that night it was perfect."

As drummers we tend to look up to our heroes and place them on this pedestal, thinking that they have superhuman powers. Many do, and I am not belittling anyone, but we must all remember that with a little hard work, practice, and perseverance you can acquire great things with your craft. Just as Gadd did. Remember it was, and still is, his hard work that sets him apart.