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Qualities of a Good Drummer?

#41
Feel is what I look for the most, followed by dynamics. When you have found a drummer who understands how to play "around a beat" to give it a feel, you have found a good thing. Someone who understands how to play just behind a beat, or just in front of it...to give the song some flow and some groove.
 
#42
jaywa said:
"Love Shack" is a perfect example of this, and my band plays it almost every show. A lot of bassists and drummers ask us how we can deal with playing such a "boring" tune but the drummer and I both love just laying down a solid groove so we kind of go all zen on that tune and see how deep into the pocket we can get. The crowd sees we're having a good time with it, and they love the song to begin with, so it usually turns out to be one of the highlights of our show.
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"Spend less time worrying about what you're playing and more time looking at all the hot dancers out there, that's how."
 
#43
I also like drummers who not only have great time, but play with enough authority to say, THE BEAT IS HERE and refuse to give in to the lowest common denominator, time-wise.

Keyboardists, singers and guitards with terrible time feel are everywhere and if you're in a band where the drummer lets those guys carry him or her along, the whole band is toast.
 
#45
HolmeBass said:
First off, losing all the toms sounds like a WIN to me!! How many soundmen gut the bass low-mids to make room for "thunderous toms"? Too many. Ugh.
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I recently read in a Duff McKagan article that GnR "took away" Steve Adler's toms on "Sweet Child" maybe it was for other songs as well. i don't like when anyone overplays but when a drummer or keyboardist overplays it pretty much scrambles the eggs when you want em sunny side up
 
#46
jaywa said:
I also like drummers who not only have great time, but play with enough authority to say, THE BEAT IS HERE and refuse to give in to the lowest common denominator, time-wise.

Keyboardists, singers and guitards with terrible time feel are everywhere and if you're in a band where the drummer lets those guys carry him or her along, the whole band is toast.
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Agreed. The drummer should be the front line setting up the tempo and beat for the song. Everyone else should latch onto that IMO. You can help out with feel and groove etc., but fighting the drummer is a losing battle.
 
#47
#1 : Meter. Ive played with so many drummers that simply couldnt keep a beat. Invariably, the tune would always speed up (Hallmark attribute of a novice drummer). Woodshed with a metronome if you think you might need help in the meter dept.

#2 : Dont overplay. The novice drummers tend to be over-the-top when it comes to doing fills & solos. Sometimes (esp in jazz) simple is better.

#3: Pro Gear? Bah! A good drummer will make any drums sound good. I saw the drummer Jimmy Smith(not the organ plyr) was playing with a 4 piece (snare,hi-hat,ride,tom), $250 cheap student Del-Rey kit...he didnt even use a kick drum--he had a floor tom laying on its side with a pedal clamped on it and 2 bar pillows on either side to keep from rolling way. LOL ----i was amazed at melodic that kit sounded.
 
#48
For me a good drummer:

-Is dynamic in their playing style. (Can utilize all sorts of different patterns, and exotic percussion like chimes, timpanis, jimbes, etc.) (yes I probably misspelled some of those.)

-Knows how to fill like crazy but also knows when and when not to do it.

-Can create a memorable drum part (Ringo on "Strawberry Fields", Ginger Baker on "White Room", Neil Peart on....anything.... Nick Mason on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", etc.).
 
#50
CapnSev said:
Agreed. The drummer should be the front line setting up the tempo and beat for the song. Everyone else should latch onto that IMO. You can help out with feel and groove etc., but fighting the drummer is a losing battle.
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I actually had a gig where fighting the bass player (drums are my primary instrument) was futile. Things didn't start to work until I surrendered and kept her foremost in my mind. Things were great after that. She was awesome! I just had to settle back and let her drive the time.
 
#52
Surrendering to a drummer results in a completely adequate rhythm section. Bass and drums working in tight cooperation, feeding off each others good ideas, results in a superior rhythm section. My two cents.

This is why I like to be on the hi-hat side of the kit, preserving visual contact with the drummer. It facilitates that kind of synergy.
 
#53
1) Be able to groove. Help me create a nice, wide pocket for the guitars to play in and the vocalists to sing over.
2) Keep good time (and the RIGHT time).
3) The most important one...be MUSICAL. Be creative. Drum/bass interplay that isn't stale can be really important to the song - you can get some magical stuff if you listen to everyone else.
 
#54
I don't understand why I never asked these questions earlier. They're opening very new insights for me.

Now, I had a question out there that I don't think made it that noticable, so I'll ask again. I generally assume that all good musicians will only hire a drummer who can read.

Is it very important to have a drummer that can read? Please shed some of your background (genre, gig types and frequency, etc) so I can get a better grasp of what groups desire what; thanks1 :)
 
#56
WyrmDL said:
I don't understand why I never asked these questions earlier. They're opening very new insights for me.

Now, I had a question out there that I don't think made it that noticable, so I'll ask again. I generally assume that all good musicians will only hire a drummer who can read.

Is it very important to have a drummer that can read? Please shed some of your background (genre, gig types and frequency, etc) so I can get a better grasp of what groups desire what; thanks1 :)
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Well, it depends on what kind of gigs you're looking for. Really, reading drum charts is comparatively easy, so you might as well learn how. If you want to be an employable sideman then being able to read will definitely open a lot of doors. One of the bands I play in is a fourteen-piece cover band that generally plays corporate events and weddings. If the drummer couldn't read, his job would be much more difficult than it is and, if he ever needs a sub, his sub will definitely have to be able to read. My original band, on the other hand, involves absolutely no reading (we make significantly less money than the corporate band ;)). To answer your other question, I play mostly pop: disco, soul, funk, blues, lowest-common-denominator radio stuff, reggae... lots of different stuff. I play in bars, clubs, halls, theatres and festivals - sometimes in front of five people and sometimes in front of 1500. In a good month I'll play between nine and ten shows.
 
#58
WyrmDL said:
I don't understand why I never asked these questions earlier. They're opening very new insights for me.

Now, I had a question out there that I don't think made it that noticable, so I'll ask again. I generally assume that all good musicians will only hire a drummer who can read.

Is it very important to have a drummer that can read? Please shed some of your background (genre, gig types and frequency, etc) so I can get a better grasp of what groups desire what; thanks1 :)
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I play a lot of big-band jazz. For that work, reading is vital for everybody in the band, including the drummer. The band that I play in does not play huge numbers of paid gigs -- we are more like a community orchestra. Many of the guys in the band are pro's. We're in it because we love the music.

It's one of those things. If your band has written arrangements and minimal rehearsal time, then everybody has to read. The band I'm in plays different sets every month, and rehearses twice per gig.
 

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