I see a lot of negative references to drummers in posts covering some type or another of jazz. I have to admit that I don't understand this. The overwhelming majority of the music I like includes drums. My favorite jazz grouping is drums/bass/piano. Did a lot of guys here have bad experiences with overly loud drummers or something?
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Double Bass Why don't drummers get more love here? (mostly a jazz rant - DB Forum Thread)
- Thread starter RBrownBass
- Start date
"It takes a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all" - Chet Baker
That's exactly the thing I've been reading! Stuff like this. It applies to any instrument, but drummers get singled out. Why?
I think it does NOT apply equally to any instrument and that is why, perhaps, drummers appear to be singled out.
IMO an ensemble can survive deficiencies in many (or most) other instruments. I say "survive", not necessarily thrive. But if the drummer is deficient the basic foundation for that ensemble is weak and prone to collapse or at least wobbling.
BTW I think that the opposite is equally true. A great drummer, with technique, feel, finesse and class, can literally pick up an ensemble and carry it. I think of Carmen Intorre Jr. with the Pat Martino trio or Manu Katche with Peter Gabriel's band, as examples.
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Q: What has 3 legs and an @$$ho£€??
A: A drum stool!
A: A drum stool!
I once was told by someone I respect, "If both are present, the bass is for the audience, while drums are for the band." While I don't know if that is universally correct, I can see his point: the bass gets the audience tapping feet, while the drums can be heard by everyone in the band and can keep them together.
This never actually happened.
I can only think about the frequent problem of drummers who can only play too loud, and unlike guitarists you can't simply accidentally pull their cable off their amp.
If you find a good drummer that lays down a nice pocket with a good foot - NEVER LET THEM GO!
What's the difference between a Drummer and a Park Bench?
A Park Bench can support a family.
A Park Bench can support a family.
Those are generic instrument jokes. I've heard them exactly the same for banjos. There's a library of them.
(Of course,some people say banjos are just male drums, too.)
(Of course,some people say banjos are just male drums, too.)
In my experience in the amateur or semipro sphere, there are so many drummers that are bad musicians but don't seem to be aware at all that they are bad. I guess the accessibility of the instrument is more prone to draw these kind of people than horns. However I think it could apply to the bass as well, but being a bassist myself I'm not a direct victim of this.
Take your typical jazz jam session, a bad saxophonist comes up, he's going to play a crappy solo, maybe lose himself in the structure, but it won't ruin the whole tune and you can still have pleasure playing with your rythmic section and there will be other soloists. A bad pianist or guitarist comes up, it begins to worsen, they are going to be lost in the structure a lot, but you can still play through that, telling them clues to find the right place again. Guitarist is more tricky since they tend to play louder and be less aware than pianists that they are lost. A bad bassist or drummer comes up, the tune is definitely ruined. But in my experience bass is more intimidating since less experimented bassist are aware that they need to walk on the structure without losing themselves for the whole tune, and I've rarely seen a bassist come up and not being able at all to do the job. A drummer on the other hand... you've all seen that guy that when the tune gets called says "I don't know it but it's alright I'm just playing dingading"
Take your typical jazz jam session, a bad saxophonist comes up, he's going to play a crappy solo, maybe lose himself in the structure, but it won't ruin the whole tune and you can still have pleasure playing with your rythmic section and there will be other soloists. A bad pianist or guitarist comes up, it begins to worsen, they are going to be lost in the structure a lot, but you can still play through that, telling them clues to find the right place again. Guitarist is more tricky since they tend to play louder and be less aware than pianists that they are lost. A bad bassist or drummer comes up, the tune is definitely ruined. But in my experience bass is more intimidating since less experimented bassist are aware that they need to walk on the structure without losing themselves for the whole tune, and I've rarely seen a bassist come up and not being able at all to do the job. A drummer on the other hand... you've all seen that guy that when the tune gets called says "I don't know it but it's alright I'm just playing dingading"
Do you think I might be because this is a bass guitar forum?
Everybody thinks they can drum until they sit at a kit. Drumming is like Bass solos. Only the musically educated understand what’s going on.
"Paddle faster...I hear banjo music!" is a reference to the 1972 movie Deliverance...Those are generic instrument jokes. I've heard them exactly the same for banjos. There's a library of them.
(Of course,some people say banjos are just male drums, too.)
How can you tell a drummer's at the door?
The knock gets faster...
The knock gets faster...
