Musical Drumming
What is Musical Drumming?
Putting the song first when playing with other musicians
Using dynamics and different sonic textures to help ‘color’ the groove from section to section within a song. Also, focusing on the overall sound of the band, and making drumming choices based on the needs of the music.
Playing with respect for the given style of music
Having a knowledge of the history of the style of music you are playing, and, at least as a starting point, playing the drums within the stylistic guidelines laid down by the original drummers who made the music what it is.
Where the musical style permits, playing less rhythmically and more melodically.
This means anything from using the melodic voices on your drum kit, such as the tom toms, to rhythmically responding to rhythms or melodies played by the other instruments. This is common in more improvisational music, but examples can be found in popular music as well.
Improvisationally using musical ideas rather than “licks and tricks”
When doing drum solos, thinking in a musical way is about creating themes or patterns on the drums, and developing and playing off of them. We create song-like improvisation this way, rather than just executing rudiments or playing at great speeds or using flashy patterns.
The musical drumming method
All of these elements constitute a crucial aspect of my teaching philosophy: the idea of learning the drums from a musical perspective. When you put that together with other musicians, you set the stage for greater muscial communication!
Who are some very Musical Drummers?
Here are several drummers who, in a variety of ways, best exemplify to me the idea of musical drumming:
(again, not a comprehensive list!)
Max Roach
Max Roach was perhaps the first drummer in history to treat his kit like an orchestra, playing musical themes and melodic patterns he would solo with improvisationally, even creating actual “drum compositions”. He was also one of a handful of drummers in the 40s who invented the bebop jazz style, which is based on playing over a musical form, while coloring and complimenting the music using melodic ideas expressed rhythmically.
Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd, playing in any number of musical styles from pop to jazz, is able to supply the kind of musical drumming to the extent that his beats would come to define the actual song he was playing. He is another of the most recorded drummers in history, and remains one of the most influential of all time.
Levon Helm
Levon Helm is know as the drummer in The Band, and created many grooves that have an incredible, inimitable feel. He also played drums while being a lead singer, using the lyrics and the melodies he sang to direct his drumming choices. You can’t get any more musical than that!
Terry Bozzio
After playing with Frank Zappa and several other bands through the 70s and 80s, Terry Bozzio began expanding his drum kit to encompass what eventually amounted to an entire orchestral section. Using tuned drums and cymbals, he took the “ostinato” concept of drumming to incredible heights, playing and composing musical pieces entirely on the drums.
Steve Smith
An incredibly versatile drummer, Steve Smith has worked in a range of styles from pop rock music with the band Journey, to straight ahead jazz and fusion with the bands Steps Ahead and Vital Information. He is also an educator and clinician, whose playing is always cutting-edge and extremely musical and dynamic.
Cindy Blackman Santana
Cindy Blackman, whose career has spanned both decades and multiple musical styles, is an incredibly musical drummer, whether playing straight ahead jazz music in the style of Tony Williams, Latin influenced rock with Santana or straight head pop rock with Lenny Kravitz.
More!
This list can go on and on, and I am personally influenced by so many different drummers, even to this day. Here are more drummers, from different ers, and in different musical styles, who continue to inspire: