I, Drummer

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A guy says to his buddy, "Hey did hear that band last night? They were great!" Oh ya? answers the buddy. "Ya, there were four musicians and a drummer."

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My musician friends have been known to razz me with that joke and, I admit, if the worm were on the other foot, I'd be right there with 'em.

It's a good one!

An audience member said to me once, "Drummers always look so pleased with themselves." I suppose that's true. After you've pounded the shit out of drums and cymbals for five hours, any pent up anger you may have had is gone.

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Drummers are quadri dexterous: able to move all four limbs independently in an organized fashion. A trait learned early on as we learn our craft. So don't try any of those bet-you-can't-pat-your-belly-and-move-your-foot-in-a-circle-at-the-same-time tricks on us. They're actually quite easy!

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Bonham or Peart

I have a cousin who will argue, very authoritatively, that John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) is a better drummer than Neil Peart (Rush). Before any drummers reading start throwing things at their computer screens, let me explain. My cousin is not a musician, or even a drummer... but she has a friend who is married to a guitarist. What my cousin means, in layman's/non-musician speak, is she loves Led Zeppelin and hates Rush. So, therefore, by her logic, the musicians in Zep must be better than the musicians in Rush.

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A drummer can learn a song, from beginning to end, riff for riff, without ever touching his drums. He can "see" what the drummer is doing when hearing a song and instantly commit it to mental and physical memory. Because of this ability, a drummer is learning every time he hears music. This is why he sometimes looks dazed when listening to music. He's visualizing ...and learning!

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Most non-musicians don't like Rush. The music is complicated and has a lot of timing changes. It's very much progressive-rock. Music made for other musicians. But, as for the above argument, I can tell you (for any of those who might agree with my cousin), I've played both Zeppelin and Rush songs. When I learn a song, I learn it exactly the way it is played on the recording I'm learning from. It's my little way of paying homage to the drummer who originated the part in the first place, and it's an excellent learning tool. I can learn any John Bonham part in a day or two, but a Neil Peart part takes about a week or more. When a band I was in during the 80s decided to play Rush's "Hemispheres" (an album side-long movement), it took us about a month to get it down pat.

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"Percussion" is the act of hitting one object with another object to create sounds and music.

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With that being said, the above argument is, to most drummers, silly and moot. After a musician reaches a certain level of musicianship it stops being about who's the fastest, who's got the most fingers on the fretboard, who's got the smoothest triplets, etc, etc, blah-blah-blah, and the field becomes equal, with musicians appreciating and enjoying the wide diversity of style. While a drummer, for example, may not like Neil Peart's busy style, he will always appreciate and respect the talent.

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"Creationists literally believe every word that Genesis says... I don't even think Phil Collins is that good a drummer..."

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So, is John Bonham a better drummer than Neil Peart? No. No more than Neil Peart is better than John Bonham. Both drummers are equally talented formidable forces, with very different styles. Just because a drummer can learn a Bonham part fairly quickly, he'd better be good if he (or she) wants to pull it off. When learning another drummer's drum part, he needs to basically channel that drummer's feel and style. Bad Company's Simon Kirke taught me that playing a simplistic part, and doing it justice, can be every bit as challenging as playing a complicated one. Subtlety can be just as affective as a long, impressive-sounding roll.

Respect and appreciation

As I said before, it's all about respecting talent. Abba are better singers than most non-singers... and many musicians! The Wiggles are better singers and dancers than your average Joe-Blow on the street. Very few musicians will actually like The Wiggles, but they'll respect the talent.

So, the next time you hear someone who calls them self a musician devoting a lot of time and air to talking trash about other acts and musicians, smile to yourself. They've just given you a pretty good idea of how good a musician they are... or aren't.

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Music is technically defined as a group or groups of organized sounds. So, alas, that crap your teenager listens to is, indeed, music.

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On a completely different subject: I've been asked a few times (Marisuewrites, Ann Smith, Mighty Mom and someone else, I think) to post an image of my tattoo, so I've finally done this. It's posted below, after the comments. The "sick ink" is on the outside of my right calf. It's my family crest (designed by me) representing my lineage: Iroquois, Scottish, German, English. The roses represent my immediate family.

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The two videos below are live performances by Blue Man Group and Stomp. The best examples of gifted and creative percussion I know of.

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Story and layout: LemonadeMultimedia