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Is Questlove a Great Drummer?

#4
I dunno about "hype" other than him simply being recognized for his accomplishments...but the question needs to be asked: " what constitutes a great drummer " to you? Is it flash? Have you seen him play? Can you decide based on that?
 
#7
IMHO, Questlove has an AMAZING feel. When he plays there's a huge pocket that's very musical. What he does with the kick, snare and hi-hats alone sounds much fuller than a lot of what I've heard from drummers who use more of the kit. Why? I think it's because he understands the value of space, and he uses it very meticulously.
 
#9
He's got a quirky name and people think that's cool. Imagine if his name was Bob Rosenbaum. :D But he is a fantastic drummer. Keeps it locked down and doesn't let chops get in the way of the groove. He also does a lot of listening and knows his music. I'm sure he'd have a lot more to say during a clinic than a good deal of the other revered drummers out there.
 
#12
Yes, absolutely. I watched the Roots July 4 concert in Philly where they backed up John Mayer, Grace Potter and an R&B guy named Ne Yo and maybe others. After seeing that I was convinced he's the Bernard Purdie of his generation. He's got a great groove. That's what a drummer needs to have. I'll take a drummer like Questlove over a Neil Peart any day of the week.
 
#13
If I could just grab my bass and jam with anyone it would be Questo, I love his style.

Maybe not technically a 'great' showy player (although he has chops) he does what's important--plays to the song and the style.
 
#15
He's got a beginer drum kit for sale new around 300 bucks. Their marketing for DJs and hip-hop who use live drummers as well as anyone looking for a portable drum set.

Does anyone know if this is actually a good kit?
 
#16
akukulich said:
Yes, absolutely. I watched the Roots July 4 concert in Philly where they backed up John Mayer, Grace Potter and an R&B guy named Ne Yo and maybe others. After seeing that I was convinced he's the Bernard Purdie of his generation. He's got a great groove. That's what a drummer needs to have. I'll take a drummer like Questlove over a Neil Peart any day of the week.
Click to expand...

This. All of this. I especially like "he's the Bernard Purdie of his generation." I think that is extremely insightful. He plays drums to make *everything* sound good and feel good, my favorite kind of drummer to play with.
 
#17
If you comment on Questlove's drum ability and haven't heard the "Philadelphia Experiment", you are not making a very well informed informed statement. He is amazing and the best part about it is he knows "when" to be amazing and when to be a solid drummer.

The fact is not only did he hang with Christian McBride, but he pushed him...
 
#18
He also is the musical director for the Roots when they do Jimmy Fallon or other special events, if not all the time, and produces a ton of stuff! He has incredible feel and sense of pocket, and is one of my biggest musical influences for those reasons.

I've seen the roots a couple of times, and once as the backing band for every musical act at the Stephen Colbert/John Stewart Rally in DC. They pulled off some amazing musical stuff that day. He also once pulled together and arrangement of a Bruce Springsteen deep cut while Bruce was being interviewed by Fallon, then the band played it flawlessly to go into a commercial break to surprise Bruce...?uestlove is the man, regardless of what you think of his drumming(which is also unquestionably dope).
 

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