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Who like drum solos?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Depends on the drummer. When I heard Max Roach and Andrew Cyrille play drum solos, I liked them very much.
I like solos as long as they are short and sweet. 16-32 bars! I get bored after that. But as mentioned above, if my attention is captured, I can handle a bit more solo time. Those Scott Ambush (I know a bassist) solos just wear me out. 5-8 minutes!
Steve Gadd can play great drum solos, so can a bunch of them also but I understand what you mean.
I usually don't care for drum solos.
I have though started amassing a large collection of Buddy Rich videos (so far, he's my favorite soloist drummer) and a few other rock drummers, just for comparison purposes.
I like him (as some other drummers of his era), because he usually doesn't stay in one groove for too long, many times jumping from one feel to a completely different one in a blink of an eye.
I also give him (and any others) extra credit for not using a "matched grip":
Certainly not one of his most dazzling performances, even before a funny (rare) flub @ 1:21:
buddy rich matched grip - Bing video
The true test of a drummer is not so much how they can dazzle playing by themselves (although if they're good, it's fun to watch), but how they play for and off the others.
Here's Buddy @ 61 yrs. old. His is/was at that time, the only drummer who could play drum rolls with either hand.
I think though he may be playing triplets with one hand, single or double strokes with the other, and then a downbeat with his foot, when played simultaneously, sound like a roll as seen here at 3:09:
He was also pretty fast with his bass drum foot.
Here he is at age 62:
I have though started amassing a large collection of Buddy Rich videos (so far, he's my favorite soloist drummer) and a few other rock drummers, just for comparison purposes.
I like him (as some other drummers of his era), because he usually doesn't stay in one groove for too long, many times jumping from one feel to a completely different one in a blink of an eye.
I also give him (and any others) extra credit for not using a "matched grip":
Certainly not one of his most dazzling performances, even before a funny (rare) flub @ 1:21:
buddy rich matched grip - Bing video
The true test of a drummer is not so much how they can dazzle playing by themselves (although if they're good, it's fun to watch), but how they play for and off the others.
Here's Buddy @ 61 yrs. old. His is/was at that time, the only drummer who could play drum rolls with either hand.
I think though he may be playing triplets with one hand, single or double strokes with the other, and then a downbeat with his foot, when played simultaneously, sound like a roll as seen here at 3:09:
He was also pretty fast with his bass drum foot.
Here he is at age 62:
Last edited:
I know what you mean...but as a younger listener, I loved them. I still recall seeing Tommy Aldridge (then of Black Oak Arkansas...yeah) throw his sticks into the crowd mid-solo and then continue another 5 minutes with his bare hands. Thought that was the coolest thing ever back in '72.
Nowadaze? How about someone like Cornell Rochester...a barrage with seemingly no barlines, etc. Basically, soloing throughout. Pretty happenin'.
Don't hurt yourself.
I hear ya. Not much on them either but....got a friend of mine who is pretty fun to watch and he is a great drummer. Here is one of his older bands from back in the day "Tom Collins" is the band. Kyle Spence is his name. He holds the drums down for many bands like Harvey Milk, Kurt Vile and Dinosaur Jr. On occasions. It is cool to see those sticks trail though. Solo starts around 1:45
Agreed, don't like 'em. I've seen Buddy Rich live in the 70's (Mr Kelly's in Chicago). He was undoubtedly one of the best at solos, but still.....boring. Thankfully, he had a full band with him including horns, so the overall show was good. The sheer power of his drumming was impressive, though.
Same goes for bass solos (heresy...gasp!). Even though the jazz greats often take extended solos, still....boring. I'll never forget the time I went to see Ron Carter back in '76 at a tiny club in Evanston, Ill. I still think he's the best bass player who ever lived, and I looked forward to that show for weeks. When we got there, it was just Carter. Alone. With just a piccolo bass. Alone on stage, soloing. I left after 10 minutes, disappointed and surprised there wasn't at least a drummer and piano. If I can't listen to the great Ron Carter solo, I definitely can't listen to anyone else either.
A drum solo is great for 5 seconds.
A drum solo is horrible for any other extraordinary amount of time.
A drum solo is horrible for any other extraordinary amount of time.
Solo bass usually mean playing a bass like it is guitar. I really like to hear bass sound like a bass.
jdthebassman
play to live live to play
i like drum solos bill bruford comes to mind I saw his band earthworks back in the 90s. using the electronics and real drums great stuff. ginger baker, neil peart ,buddy rich I could go on.
In the old band I as in, we had a percussionist and a drummer. We played long sets, so I loved the solos. They sounded ok without getting boring, and gave me time to take a leak, grab a beer, and scout the bar for honeys.
I lived in Atlanta from 98-00 and would see the Tom Collins regularly. Fantastic band and one of the few times I enjoyed a drum solo. I was actually at this very show at the EARL on a first date. Thanks for posting.
Love to hear good soloing on any instrument, including drums and bass.
No way. If I want to see a drummer show off their chops, they can do it during a song. Drum solos are, by definition, awful and disappointing.
