Carter Beauford

[DrZoidberg[ITA]]

Hi all,i'm an italian drummer and i like very much this site.
I discovered Carter Beauford,here on this site (http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Carter_Beauford.html).. I love his "groove sense", his creativity and the way he plays splashes ..then i heard him playing with his band,"Dave Matthew's Band" and i think he's a great drummer.

Ps. I wish i wrote with a good english

[Raymond Bloom]

Don't worry, your english was pretty good! yep, well, Carter is one really awsome drummer...groovemaster...he has probbably the deepest pocket in the universe

[DrZoidberg[ITA]]

I watched your video,am i wrong or what you do with the bass drum is what jojo mayer does? it looks great :D

[Raymond Bloom]

Thank you! Yes, u are right that is what Jojo Mayer does (heel-toe technique), actually my idea was to record exactly the same what Jojo shows @ that video clip :)

Look into drum technique, there we chat a bit about that, maybe u'll get some usefull information!

[krazykenny5150]

he is awsome! one of my biggest influences lately, just to adapt funky grooves and his tripolet based fills. really sweet! If you wanna hear a slick groove i learned from em, listen to Stand Up by Dave Mathews Band, awsome groove.

[CarterB_Junkie]

Never hear of this guy, is he good ????

Just Kiddin' !

Carter's my boy !

My favourite drummer by far !

He has it all : deepest pocket in the cosmos, amazing groove, creativity ( you should see what this guy can pull off live, amazing !!!), incredible feel, his kit sounds gorgeous, his hi hat playing is (now) legendary, he plays the most beautiful tom fills since Cobham, he always smiles when he plays, he chews gum whan he solos (Like Dennis the Menace) etc etc etc.

He is the only guy I know who can play very busy (especially live) but still he can maintain an incredible deep groove while his hands are flying around his enormous kit ! Go Carter !

Do yourself a favour and go buy the Dave Mathews Band: The Central Park Concert DVD and be amazed, because Carter and the Boys were on fire that Night (playing in front of 100 000+ people must help) and the quality of the DVD (image and sound) is fantastic !
They do a 20 minutes version of their classic song Two Step with a Carter Solo in the middle jazz section which is just inspiring !

And Carter plays with such passion through the entire three hour set, seeing is believing !

Carter Beauford on the Drums ! Carter Beauford on the Drums ! Carter Beauford on the Drums !

Only Dave hardcore fans will get my last quote !!

[Damon Dapper]

Yes indeed,

Carter is one of my top influences along with Simon Phillips and Dennis Chambers. Carter has reintroduced "dynamics and power balance" into playing, and he has absolute focus during performances in the studio, and especially live. In my opinion he approaches the drums like a piano......very melodic.

I'd like to see Simon Phillips and ToTo on the scene like Dave Matthews Band, that would be Earth shaking man!.......

Dap.

[phonophunk]

I was going to say something, but carterB said it all... nothing to add
GREAT DRUMMER!!!

[Paul Quin]

Truly a great player - his innovation with his left hand on ride cymbal is great to hear. I generally prefer drummers who stay in the pcoket and tend to shy away from "busy" players. Carter is clearly the exception.

Carter is an endorser of Yamaha drums. Did anyone notice that when he played at Live "8" he was playing a Sonor kit? Was this just because of the nature of the gig or is he switching away from yamaha. I suspect the former.

Paul

[CartersChops]

Don't worry, your english was pretty good! yep, well, Carter is one really awsome drummer...groovemaster...he has probbably the deepest pocket in the universe

hell yea he has the deepest pocket....he never misses a beat and his cymbal work is absolutely unbelivable...his open handed playing, his feel for songs, his mind blowing double bass teqnique, did i mension cymbal dynamics...everything about him is simply unbelivable, one glance at a live performance an dyou will be hooked

[stagecustom]

he is one of the most talented, musical drummers besides danny carey , there are side by side in my book. Carter has it all, from groove, to technicality, to musicality

[Jason Dorn]

Carter is an amazing Drummer that has some great patterns and different feels to his playing. I dont think I would like DMB at all if it werent for him. But you really should try to see if there is already a thread about a drummer before starting a new one.

[Bernhard]

But you really should try to see if there is already a thread about a drummer before starting a new one.

I just merged the two threads - so ok now

Bernhard

[stagecustom]

you should check out that dvd of carter "under the table and drumming", man, i love this guy....

im actually about to go get the dmb central park concert dvd, hope its good

[DR.WHOO]

']Hi all,i'm an italian drummer and i like very much this site.
I discovered Carter Beauford,here on this site (http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Carter_Beauford.html).. I love his "groove sense", his creativity and the way he plays splashes ..then i heard him playing with his band,"Dave Matthew's Band" and i think he's a great drummer.

Ps. I wish i wrote with a good english
Ciao ragazzo

Italy here!!!

great drummer carter very good and solid drumming..
have u seen carter and wooten dvd?
very nice

T

[Wegadrummer]

he is the reason i drum.. because maby people use to call me retarded and stuff because i play open handed playing.. so, since he also plays it.. i always turn to Carter and his music when i feel down..
thanks carter..

[Bonham to the moon]

hey jammaster when i go to see your video it says that the playlist format is not recognized, is their n e other way i could view it?

[Garuda]

He is one of my favourite drummers. I know that he is left handed but plays right handed easily. (usually plays cross handed) Also he is ambidextrous (plays with left and right hands equally) When he started play drums he was only 3 years ago. He plays in dawe matthews band also played with carlos santana and many many others...

He uses his own promark signature series ; Carter beauford 5AB model. (5AB is different , standart 5a weight but peak tickness is 5B.

His setup ;

http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/band/CarterKit.gif

01. Yamaha 22"x18" recording custom kick
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
02. Yamaha 8" tom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
03. Yamaha 10" tom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
04. Yamaha 12" tom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
05. Yamaha 14" tom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
06. Yamaha 18" floor tom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
07. 13"x51/2" Ocheltree bronze snare
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
08. 13" Ocheltree bronze timbale
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
09. 14" Ocheltree bronze timbale
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
10. Zildjian 13" Z Dyno Beat hi-hat (on top) over 13" K Top Hi-hat (on bottom)
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
11. Zildjian 13" A Custom Projection Hi-hats
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
12. Zildjian 18" Oriental Trash Crash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
13. Zildjian 14" K Dark Thin Crash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
14. Zildjian 20" A Custom Flat Ride
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
15. Zildjian 20" A Custom Projection Ride
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
16. Zildjian 6" Zil-Bel
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
17. Chinese wedding bell
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
18. Zildjian 18" K Dark Medium Thin Crash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
19. Zildjian 17" K Dark Medium Thin Crash

20. Zildjian 10" A Custom Splash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
21. Zildjian 9" Oriental Trash Splash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
22. Zildjian 10" A Extra Thin Splash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
23. Zildjian 14" K Dark Thin Crash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
24. Zildjian 8" A Splash (piggyback on #22)
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
25. Zildjian 22" Oriental China Trash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
26. Zildjian 20" Oriental China Trash (piggyback on #25)
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
27. Zildjian 20" Oriental Crash Of Doom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
28. Zildjian 30" Hand Hammered Gong

[Jawnst]

you should check out that dvd of carter "under the table and drumming", man, i love this guy....

im actually about to go get the dmb central park concert dvd, hope its good

Hey, Not only is this DVD amazing, the jam break during "Two Step" is by far one of the best jams I've seen. Between Steffan Lessards amazing riffing on the bass and the flawless entry into a latin groove led by their piano player butch taylor and carter, it makes for an amazing session. I just recently went to the Dave concert in Camden, NJ and let me tell you, they saved "Two Step" as the final song of the curtain call and did the jam break... amazing. Check it out and keep rockin to carter brotha!

[Jawnst]

I'll tell you what, I am a huge fan of jam bands like the Spin Doctors but some of the most intense rhythms I have ever heard came straight from Carter Beauford on the Dave Matthews Band CD Crash. It is a track called "Drive in, Drive Out" and I am honestly blown away every time I hear it. I always make sure I keep my biased emotions out of my suggestions because I also play guitar and am just an over all fan of the Dave Matthews Band, but if you do'nt happen to like the band, keep in mind every drummer respects another drummers ability and skill where it is deserved, and folks... Carter deserves MAD props on his syncopated rhythms he layed down on "Drive in, Drive out". Thanks for readin and keep on tappin'.

[CarterB_Junkie]

Hey, Not only is this DVD amazing, the jam break during "Two Step" is by far one of the best jams I've seen. Between Steffan Lessards amazing riffing on the bass and the flawless entry into a latin groove led by their piano player butch taylor and carter, it makes for an amazing session. I just recently went to the Dave concert in Camden, NJ and let me tell you, they saved "Two Step" as the final song of the curtain call and did the jam break... amazing. Check it out and keep rockin to carter brotha!

That's what I was talking about in my previous post. The performance from Carter during the entire 19 minutes Two Step is flawless.
The jam middle section with the interaction between Keybordist Butch Taylor is amazing !

Any drummer should own The Central PArk DVD concert, your collection is not complete without it !

[CarterB_Junkie]

I'll tell you what, I am a huge fan of jam bands like the Spin Doctors but some of the most intense rhythms I have ever heard came straight from Carter Beauford on the Dave Matthews Band CD Crash. It is a track called "Drive in, Drive Out" and I am honestly blown away every time I hear it. I always make sure I keep my biased emotions out of my suggestions because I also play guitar and am just an over all fan of the Dave Matthews Band, but if you do'nt happen to like the band, keep in mind every drummer respects another drummers ability and skill where it is deserved, and folks... Carter deserves MAD props on his syncopated rhythms he layed down on "Drive in, Drive out". Thanks for readin and keep on tappin'.

The ride pattern he does at the end on Drive in Drive out is sweet !!! The whole song is a Carter festival.
Dave Matthews said that he wrote this song for Carter so that his drummer could display his chops !

[pc7411]

I am a huge fan of Carter... He is probably the biggest reason I started drumming!

Having said that, I'd like to clarify a few things: I checked back on the Live 8 footage, and Carter was still playing Yamaha drums (check out the lugs... classic Yamaha). Further proof lies in the fact that I was at the DMB concert at SPAC (near Albany, NY) later that night, and he was still using Yamaha drums. However, I noticed that Carter switched to Remo drumheads (at least for that night)!
Next, Carter, according to the Yamaha website, plays a 14x5.5 Roy Haynes signature copper snare. He could be playing Ocheltree snares and I may not have noticed, but he probably isn't since he isn't a Paiste endorser, and Ocheltree snares are REALLY expensive...
Finally, Carter is naturally a righty, but plays open-handed á la Billy Cobham.

Sorry about that anal-retentive burst of corrections, but I didn't want there to be any misconceptions.

But again, I idolize Carter... He is my God.

[stagecustom]

yes! i own the central park dvd, omg its amazing

[darkcherryfade]

I think what I like most about Carter is his colorful use of cymbals. He's definitely one of the greats.





He has it all : deepest pocket in the cosmos

He is the only guy I know who can play very busy (especially live) but still he can maintain an incredible deep groove while his hands are flying around his enormous kit !

You might be jumping the gun a little there, though.

[DrZoidberg[ITA]]

Ciao ragazzo

Italy here!!!

great drummer carter very good and solid drumming..
have u seen carter and wooten dvd?
very nice

T

Yes i seen that dvd.. that's Carter Beauford & Victor Wooten @ Making Music,right? :)
There you can see how he build an entire song..that's awesome :D

[Go-Go-Groove]

The cool thing about Carter is that yes yes yes he's a great drummer, but he's also willing to admit that half (if not more) of the stuff he plays is borrowed from other drummers- buddy rich,
dennis chambers etc.
If you ever check out "under the table and dreaming" which is his DVD of him basically explaining some of his little tricks and what not, most of what you find was initially being played by other drummers...
just a little input.

[darkcherryfade]

Good point, Go-Go Groove. He is EXTREMELY Dennis-y. Funny, when I worked in a drum store and customers would see the Dennis Chambers dvd playing, they would always say, "Hey, is that the guy from the Dave Matthews Band?" Half the time I'd tell them, "No, that's his dad."

[CarterB_Junkie]

Ah ! Big News Carter has been influenced by oher drummers ! Who would have thought such a thing ?

And don't forget the grand daddy of single stroke rolls Mr Billy Cobham !

Every drummer has influences and you don't create your own style from scratch, nobody does !

Yes Carter is very Dennis influenced but I say his playing is quite original and unique and when you hear Carter playing, you know it is him within seconds ( the hi hat grooves are HIS trademark), something you cannot say about every drummer.
And Carter is quite tasty regarding drummers he likes : Cobham, Chambers, Copeland, Porcaro, Gadd, Rich and other jazz greats.
Dennis chambers does the same thing on his dvd, he lists his influences and what he took from these influences for his playing !

Carter/Dennis are like twin brothers ! Dennis has said countless times that is often mistaken with Carter and they both joke about it and Dennis has nothing but good things to say about Carter and they both have the same special power :
they chew while they groove !

[Go-Go-Groove]

dont forget... carter can harmonize.

[darkcherryfade]

Ah ! Big News Carter has been influenced by oher drummers ! Who would have thought such a thing ?

And don't forget the grand daddy of single stroke rolls Mr Billy Cobham !

Every drummer has influences and you don't create your own style from scratch, nobody does !

Yes Carter is very Dennis influenced but I say his playing is quite original and unique and when you hear Carter playing, you know it is him within seconds!

Carter/Dennis are like twin brothers ! Dennis has said countless times that is often mistaken with Carter and they both joke about it and Dennis has nothing but good things to say about Carter and they both have the same special power :
they chew while they groove !

Not that anyone was disagreeing with any of this, right?

[eddrummer05]

carter beauford is my herooo

[DMwannaB41]

I am definitly glad of this sight, its nice to know that other than being apart of the normal life, filled with friends who have no carter beauford sense nor dmb music sence OR EVEN music sense. Its just glad i can ramble on.

Yes i am a Carter Fan, I started because of him, or should i say i restarted after listening to dave matthews band. And i have pretty much learned everything i have of drumming from him. In a way its kind of sad because when i jam with the band i used to be apart of. i would always play, somewhat a carter flow. So when i play that jsut jammin away all the sudden the music will stop.. all the sudden, "Jayson, that sounds like carter, play something else.." and in my mind you know "uh it is what i play, how i play.... its to hard not to."

There is so much i see that people around my town dont, some could possible think im gay if they didnt have any music sense, its just that im obsessed with his playing(Chops, unoriginal, of the beat in a way, but he always finds his way back to the normal if its 4/4 beats or any type), the set up of his drums, mainly including the double bass pedal, and his use of that and his hi hats... using those as a very big part to his drumming(Perfect), his face expressions(he loves what he does and i cherish him for that, playing with a smile on his face at all times). and ovcourse his roles and how fast he can go with each hand, i love slow mo'ing his solos and what not to wtach how fast he can play with jsut one hand(two step, central park dvd)

All i feel i do these days is try and find a drummer taht plays his area of music, i dont know if anyone knows one of those kind not to big bands that has the same drum ediquitee(however you spell it) as carter....


But ovecourse i do not play LIKE HIM, no one can, its perfect(in my sense). I jsut want to play like him, in a band of my own.

Plus a Minor Question.... Butch Taylor, why isnt he recognized as a band memeber its seems ALOT almost all footage of them he is on the side, and looking at cnetral park dvd(two step, WOW) and the gorge dvd(I dont know if many have seen it, it comes in the two disc cd music set, but if you have watch "seek up", damn)

[InnateDrummer]

Carter Beauford, you can't say enuff good things about him, he is one of the pioneers in drumming, he's got his own stlye, and amazes me everytime i listen, with his off-time and triplet fills, and all his percussion stuff added in in different places,u can surley tell that its him playing when u hear him, its an unmistakable sound, no matter how simple it is, Carter can make it sound GOOD, he's the man indeed.

[GPinney]

Carter is one of my biggest influences!!!

[aahznightsky]

I heard from my teacher (who knows Beauford) that the reason Carter seems like a lefty is that when he was a kid and was inspired to drum from some Buddy Rich videos, he reversed his own set to match what he saw on the screen!

[DMwannaB41]

Its true, he said it on his drum instructional video

[beaufordism3]

Beauford is my god, watching this guy live is an experience everyone should witness

[Scottylawton]

A very good drummer indeed, i would like to hear some of his solos if anyone can lend a hand.

[largo61]

Carter is a great drummer. I heard he is a lefty who plays open-handed and has his toms set up right-handed. I thought that might be true because of where he has his ride set up. Someone please clarify for me.

[silver_one_drummer127]

Carter Beauford is a fantastic drummer!!!!!!!!!!

[PearlDrummer014]

Carter Beauford is a great drummer. go listen to him nowwww

[timpanigrip23]

I became a Carter Beauford fan in 2002 when a friend introduced me to the DMB through a dvd. I automatically fell in love with His style; it was crazy man I was listening to so right and those chops in the chorus we crazy cool. Every time I see him play it blows me away.

[T.L.]

Carter's a monster player.........He's so unique in that he can play a fusion-ish style within a pop/rock context, and the music still sounds awesome. Great drummer.

[Rudy McRudster]

I always liked Carter Beauford. He never plays the same thing twice and totally passes it off while sounding great. Definately a funky player and a good musician.

[mattmn457]

my name is matt and i am 15 and have been playing for 9 years. Carter beauford is my absolute favorite drummer. the style of drumming he does most is referred to as linear drumming, where each drum beat is independent to another, if u listen closely u will notice he often never plays more then 1 drum at a given time, all independent. this style of drumming is very hard if your not used to it. this is why he is soo good, he has mastered linear drumming

[Crazy]

Tthe only thing I can say is that this guy is a blast. What makes him so great is that you can guess when he's behind the kit and that for me is one of the characteristics of a great drummer. He should be off for more clinics and other demo's he has a style of his own and sounds great. His open handed playing also helps....

[rendezvous_drummer]

Carter Beauford is one of my top 5 favorite drummers because he is so creative and diverse. Check out his studio recording for "tripping billies" with DMB. it's amazing.

[Fat Elvis]

I completely agree with Raz and the others on this thread -- Carter IS a Legend. He is an amazing drummer, such that traditional words or comparisons do not apply -- because he is completely unique.

The proof is here folks: The man standing at the front of the stage is one of the most creative popular song writers of our time, a fantastic (and self taught) guitarist, a very funny and coy persoanlity that shines through brightly, great dance moves and good looks... and some how Carter shines just as brightly by simply banging a few sticks on some drums.

ANYONE that can hold ANY sort of candle to dave matthews is a Legend. The fact that 95% of the people on this thread EMPHATICALLY agree should tell you nay-sayers something.

[geek_boy_in]

The proof is here folks: The man standing at the front of the stage is one of the most creative popular song writers of our time, a fantastic (and self taught) guitarist, a very funny and coy persoanlity that shines through brightly, great dance moves and good looks... and some how Carter shines just as brightly by simply banging a few sticks on some drums.


ahem .... is this a valid argument or an opinion ??

[Fat Elvis]

ahem .... is this a valid argument or an opinion ??

its both -- in case you have not noticed, these are all opinions. This is a message board, not an MIT Think Tank. Friendly discussion is what we do here. But I stand behind my comments about both Dave Matthews and Carter Beuford. Both are two of the very best in what they do.

[NaturalRaz]

The man standing at the front of the stage is one of the most creative popular song writers of our time, a fantastic (and self taught) guitarist, a very funny and coy persoanlity that shines through brightly, great dance moves and good looks.

Very well put...........and having Carter backing him up.......................*Indescribable* Let alone the rest of the band! I see the DMB...being a rock & roll hall of fame inductee very soon.

*Give a listen to Carters opening to the song (Say Goodbye) if some of you haven't heard it.*

[Fat Elvis]

*Give a listen to Carters opening to the song (Say Goodbye) if some of you haven't heard it.*

That has always been one of my very favorite pieces -- a great song with one of my favorite openings of all time. Just amazing.

[Nilis]

One of my favorite drummers mainly for his style on the hat. I play a lot like him but with a Real real definate funk sound.

[Damon Dapper]

I'm in a serious DMB cover Band, finally, and it feels good playing along with Carter's approach and method. But open-handed is key to alot of sneaky hi-hat and ride combo's that Carter is known for. I got my open-handed training back in 1992-2000 with the man Simon Phillips. In my opinion if your going to be in a cover Band its important to be 100% accurate with the chops, fills, feel, etc....... Thanks to Simon I'm able to hang with Carter's "live material" without switching up to the ride on my right (which makes things way easier)... But I still find myself switching up here and there......LOL

But yeah................

Carter is a top notch player along with my other favorite Chuck Morris.

Dap.

[Garvin]

I was really into DMB when I was in high-school, then kind of kept expanding my listening and playing and kind of forgot how great a drummer Carter is. I recently found a live recording in my girlfriends Ipod and can't stop listening to it. He is amazingly creative and controlled, and an incredible drummer to listen to. HOWEVER, I would encourage all of you to check out some of the gospel drummers today and you'll definately hear some similarities. I know it's hard to know what to buy, so here's a suggestion. Bishop Larry D. Trotter and the Sweet Holy Choir from Chicago. The drummers name is Calvin Williams I think and he is awesome.

One more thing about Carter. He is great, he's the man, he's an awesome force on the kit, but he's also famous. There are still a lot of cats out there that are just waiting to get discovered. Keep an eye out for Thaddeus Dixon from Detroit.

[crazyballa17]

Have to agree with everyone on here that carter is purely amazing. most of my background for drumming comes from gospel and jazz but man carter can play like no other from funk to rock and roll to anything. his hi-hat work simply incredible, something i dream of doing. i highly recommended "under the table and drumming" to any drummer out there.he can be imitated but never duplicated.

[Dunnett]

He is one of my favourite drummers. I know that he is left handed but plays right handed easily. (usually plays cross handed) Also he is ambidextrous (plays with left and right hands equally) When he started play drums he was only 3 years ago. He plays in dawe matthews band also played with carlos santana and many many others...

He uses his own promark signature series ; Carter beauford 5AB model. (5AB is different , standart 5a weight but peak tickness is 5B.

His setup ;

http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/band/CarterKit.gif


http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
07. 13"x51/2" Ocheltree bronze snare
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
08. 13" Ocheltree bronze timbale
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
09. 14" Ocheltree bronze timbale......

This is a wonderful diagram, unfortunatley it's about 4 years out of date. Carter switched to Remo this summer and he has been using a number of Dunnett Classic snare drums since 2001. Those would include 2 - 6.5 x 13" Titanium snare drums (one in translucent purple, one raw), a 6.5 x 14 Titanium with Titanium hoops (raw) and on this last album and tour a 5.5 x 14 Titanium (trans. purple). Carter is also using a 5.5" x 10 titanium accent snare and a 7" x 13" titanium timbale (polished with CR hoop).

Since there are obviously so many Carter fans I thought I might share a picture of his kit with everyone. This was taken in August 2005 at the Gorge, Washington. Enjoy!

http://www.dunnett.com/images/Carterkit.jpg
http://www.dunnett.com/images/carterA.jpg
http://www.dunnett.com/images/carterfisheye.jpg

[DrZoidberg[ITA]]

No Evans' drumheads anymore :(
why? :°
Anyway, the two snare drums finish looks beautiful

[Wegadrummer]

Thanks for the pics! i love it!

[Crazy]

Carter....just amazing, such a fine touch and his fills never sound busy and overdone...his groove, no comment....and his syncopated HH technique, killer, it inspired me alot, if you have a chance to see the video "under the table and drumming" he explains this approach and with a simple groove he incorporates HH variations and it brings so much color to the beat whcih technically is pretty straight forward...

....added to all this, his drumkit is sooo coooooool, I would love something like that in my house

[gazdrums]

well what can i say.
hes amazing. one of my biggest influences ever.
first heared carter with the dave matthews band and there another major influence on me.
first track i ever heared was "too much". if u havnt heared it, do so. u will understand wot i meen. i was instantly drawn into carters drumming and ever since i have studied his work.
dave seems to brings out his highest level of drumming with those grooves he gets going on. still havnt had the pleasure of meeting him yet or even seeing him live. one day guys. one day.
thats all we hope.
www.myspace.com/gazdrums1

[timebandit]

Dave Mathews is a great band !!! Butt.....Carter makes it what it is !!!!

[ewr32174]

Carter Beauford for president. Just think....some day, with lots and lots of practice.... I may never get the pattern that man lays down. He truely is amazing.

[SlowFoot]

Hello Mr. Carter

First let me say I enjoy your music, and really love that kit. I'm a beginner, I just started playing a kit. I come a marching band background were I was taught to play I call it tight and I seem to brought this to my way of playing on a kit. I can't move to fast around it and my fills are slow and off timing. And my foot sits still to much. Any tips?

SlowFoot

[my charts]

Carter's work on the Central Park concert is especially good I think. I love how he works in the double kick to accent certain rythems. Most drummers in mainstream bands just don't know how to utilize the double kick and make it sound out of place, but Carter keeps it just right.

[drum021]

Hey guys im new to this forum but im a huge carter fan. Lets just say he gave the four stroke roll a WHOLE new meaning!

o yeah, and in response to the Dave "Carter Bueford on the drums!" quote...


it's "Carter BOWford on drums!" HAHA

[MotleyKid43]

The best there is right now in my opinion. Somebody told me they think Neil Peart is the best, which you can certainly make an arguement for. I thought about it and if you put Carter in Rush he could totally do the job, but if you put Neil Peart in Dave Matthews Band I'm not so sure it would work out. THOUGHTS?

[ajgdrums722]

Carter Beauford is far and away my favorite drummer, and has been for years. He has influenced my playing like no other. I have every song from every DMB album (studio AND live) stored on my computer. I can identify 99.9% of DMB songs within the first few seconds of hearing it. I can't get enough of the band, or of Carter's playing.

I love the 'jam band' sound that DMB produces, and Cater's playing is just unbelievable. If you haven't heard much of him, let me suggest the following tracks...

-Ants Marching (Live At the Gorge or Live At Folsom Field)
-Tripping Billies (Live At the Gorge)
-Two Step (The Central Park Concert)
-Warehouse (The Central Park Concert) (Towards the end he does this double-time feel...INSANE.)

I'm going to see DMB this July (my second DMB show) and I can't wait. If you have the opportunity to see this band live, GO. They are unbelievable in person. Don't miss an opportunity to see one of the greats behind the kit...

[ajgdrums722]

11. Zildjian 13" A Custom Projection Hi-hats
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif

Is this still the main hi-hat he uses? Sounds awesome and I've been looking to get a new hi-hat soon.

15. Zildjian 20" A Custom Projection Ride
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif

And this is still the main ride cymbal? Also sounds amazing.

25. Zildjian 22" Oriental China Trash
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
26. Zildjian 20" Oriental China Trash (piggyback on #25)
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif
27. Zildjian 20" Oriental Crash Of Doom
http://www.davematthewsband.com/images/spacer.gif

Number 26 is what he uses most often, right? He crashes on that china for heavier feels, using it like a ride cymbal?

[incubotic]

Carter Beauford is far and away my favorite drummer, and has been for years. He has influenced my playing like no other. I have every song from every DMB album (studio AND live) stored on my computer. I can identify 99.9% of DMB songs within the first few seconds of hearing it. I can't get enough of the band, or of Carter's playing.

I love the 'jam band' sound that DMB produces, and Cater's playing is just unbelievable. If you haven't heard much of him, let me suggest the following tracks...

-Ants Marching (Live At the Gorge or Live At Folsom Field)
-Tripping Billies (Live At the Gorge)
-Two Step (The Central Park Concert)
-Warehouse (The Central Park Concert) (Towards the end he does this double-time feel...INSANE.)

I'm going to see DMB this July (my second DMB show) and I can't wait. If you have the opportunity to see this band live, GO. They are unbelievable in person. Don't miss an opportunity to see one of the greats behind the kit...

I was just listening to the Central Park concert yesterday actually. I love his drumming during the jam in 'Two Step', sooo amazing.

[CarterB_Junkie]

The Two Step version on the Central Park Concert is one of the most incredible drum performance I have ever witnessed/ heard !

Plus note that during the Jazz jam, people continue to dance, Carter can't help but being groovy and funky in everything he plays !


Check out also the Seek Up version on the live at the gorge dvd, just incredible !!!
The way he interacts with the keyboard player when he is playing the melody of the tune with his set of cowbells ( or whatever they are) and after the subtle triplets he does on his big ride cymbal !!! Tasty, delicate and marvelous playing all the way through !!!!

[mase11th]

Those are the hats and ride he used on last summers tour. I have that projection ride and love it for larger venues, but it is quite a thick cymbal and cuts through the guitars in a smaller club. I really like how Carter plays both ride cymbals next to eachother. The projection on top of that other flat ride (no bell) with the short string of beads for sustain, is a great set up. When playing the projection ride pretty hard, it will just touch the other ride creating unique cymbal-on-cymbal sustains.

The china trashs together sound great and it is what he will use for his biggest crashes.

[mase11th]

Hey one more thing Carter fans.... AOL Radio has the All Dave Matthews Band station back for a while! I've been streaming it for the last few days, damn I love Carter! AOL will play everything from live shows and studio tracks including a couple random solos, like the one at the central park concert.

[mrs.wega]

Carter Beaufrt is genious! I love his drumming, and the music of Dave Matthews Band..
He is my boyfriend's favourite drummer, and I like him more and more too..
He makes the music groove..!

[danielheier]

I just had the pleasure to see Carter with the Dave Matthews Band last night at Bonner Springs, Kansas at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. A few friends and I drove 6 hours, around 400 some miles just to see DMB. Carter amazed me the entire night, he was just solid, tasteful, and simply amazing. The group had so much energy and Carter just layed it down. He is one of my favorite drummers and if you ever get a chance to see him live, DO IT!!!!

[ajgdrums722]

I just had the pleasure to see Carter with the Dave Matthews Band last night at Bonner Springs, Kansas at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. A few friends and I drove 6 hours, around 400 some miles just to see DMB. Carter amazed me the entire night, he was just solid, tasteful, and simply amazing. The group had so much energy and Carter just layed it down. He is one of my favorite drummers and if you ever get a chance to see him live, DO IT!!!!

Did they have a good setlist (not that any DMB setlist is bad)?

What songs did they play? Were you lucky enough to catch a Carter solo (I'm guessing prob. not).

[funked_up]

I'm seeing them this Tuesday!!!!

[asht89]

im a big fan of carter and hes been one of my major influences over my years of drumming. He puts so much variety into his grooves with splashes and hihat off beats.

[tambian89]

I'm not a fan of DMB, but Carter has a lot of skill. Anyone notice his hand speed? This dude has some of the fastest hands I've ever heard; he's just as fast (if not faster) than a lot of death and black metal drummers.

- Marc

[MAPEXcellence]

I'll be seeing Him this wednesday for the 10th time!!! You guys are forgetting "Rapunzel" of the "listener Supported" album. Disc 1 track 3. OMG is that a beautiful piece of work on the drums!!! Just try and follow/count it all the way through!!! Those were the best shows, during that era too....best set lists...for drums anyway...

[Stu_Strib]

you should check out that dvd of carter "under the table and drumming", man, i love this guy....

im actually about to go get the dmb central park concert dvd, hope its good

I was never a DMB fan until I saw how truly great they were in the Central Park dvd. It is the best music dvd I've ever seen.

The song choices, the audio quality, the guest musician...all stunning. The only drawback in my opinion is the horrible sounding electronic violin.

[A thunder of Coxy]

I have really just got into this guy and the DMB. I am going out to purchase the "Drumming under the table" and Live in Central Park DVD. I want to know what heads he uses? His snare and toms just sing and fit so well with the music. Cheers

[spoonasm]

I have really just got into this guy and the DMB. I am going out to purchase the "Drumming under the table" and Live in Central Park DVD. I want to know what heads he uses? His snare and toms just sing and fit so well with the music. Cheers

Just thought I'd throw out my first post in honor of my favorite drummer. He uses Remo's Clear Emperors over Ebony Ambassadors on toms and a Coated Emperor over a Clear Ambassador on his snare. Beauford Buddy (http://www.beaufordbuddy.com/) has a lot of nice information on his set.

[crazyballa17]

hey all my carter fans out there. just glad to see this thread going. Im one of the biggest carter fans you will ever find. i just had the pleasure of getting to see them live (for my first time) up in pitttsburg the saturday night show. words cant describe it. in my 20 years of living i have done nothing better than to to witness this band play live and especially watch carter do his thang. of course they played my all time favorite Two Step asthe final song of the night, 20 minutes of pure magic ( a dream of mine is to play this song with the band ) and then one i hadnt heard before the American Baby intro. it was incredible. i enjoyed the show so much that i dropped 500 dollars more for better seats for their august 1 show, CANT WAIT. i think im gonna make a sign that says "Carter I need lessons!" who knows maybe something will work out. As long as Carter is around i say long live great drumming.

peace easy!

[dongrego]

Is there any other drummer in the world that can play such complicated but completely perfect in every other way beats like Carter Beauford can?
Whats more though, hes not jsut a drummer, the guy plays precussion like a seperate percussionist too! Plus hes super cool, always happy whilst playing live and is jsut one of the coolest most chilled looking blokes on the planet.
I have looked through a lot of the drummers on this massive site and still havent come across anthing like carter. He is jsut superb, amazing, brilliant, stunning! Never seen anything like it. My fav drummer, even beats Jojo Mayer and Bonzo.
Im trying to get my left hand to work as independantly and as well co-ordianted as my right hand and then maybe one day Ill be able to play a litte like carters style.
Fingers crossed but im not gonan hold my breath.
Greg

[mapexboy87]

To me, Carter Beauford is like an Albert Pujols. The best at what he does. I have listened to the Dave Matthews Band for... Oh man.... maybe 6-7 years now. I cant get enough of it. When I saw him play live for the first time,I was just blown away. The off beat jams, the complicated fills, having a ride cymbal on the left side of the kit... I never knew how intense he really was until I started playing. I wish I could have a tenth of the skill he has. Trying to play songs like Two Step, Granny, Warehouse, Pantala Naga Pampa, and the list could go on forever.... it takes so long to learn. He is so good. Probably the best alive right now, and for a good amount of years. My only sad part about him is that he recently turned over to the dark side of the force (lol) going over to Remo Heads. Dont yell at me about Remo, its just a JOKE!!!

[Dr. Jones]

I love Carter Beauford, but it seems that when ever he solo's he ALWAYS falls back on the four stroke roll, i.e. RLRL on the snare then RLRL on the tom (i guess it'd be LRLR for him though!) or some variation. Look at the ending of Ants Marching, the ending of Two Step (live at least, and in this circumstance it fits perfectly with the pattern being played by the band). Obviously that pattern is not even close to all he plays, but it just seems like a fall back for him, something very easy for him to play without having to constantly be creative. Not that he isn't creative, I mean his ride/hi-hat/snare interaction stuff is AWESOME, I just wish he would stretch out a bit more. But then again he's a millionaire and I'm living with my parents, so what do I know! :)

[mapexboy87]

I was never a DMB fan until I saw how truly great they were in the Central Park dvd. It is the best music dvd I've ever seen.

The song choices, the audio quality, the guest musician...all stunning. The only drawback in my opinion is the horrible sounding electronic violin.


Horrible Sounding Electronic Violin, are you kidding me? Boyd Tinsley is the man! What song do you think is annoying?

[Dr. Jones]

Boyd Tinsely is by FAR the worst musician in the band. He uses mostly pentatonics in his solos, and very poorly at that. What he lacks in musicianship he makes up in energy and love for the music, and I must admit that it's still fun to watch him play!

[NaturalRaZ]

Boyd Tinsely is by FAR the worst musician in the band. He uses mostly pentatonics in his solos, and very poorly at that. What he lacks in musicianship he makes up in energy and love for the music

You obviously haven't heard the new DMB album... lol Boyd focuses on the music, infact.. 1/2 of the record was inspired by his playing. The high energy and spazmistic flow that ones are used to from him has gone out the door on this album. Check it out!

[mighty si]

im new lol..

Carter is definitly a hero. I got given a compilation of stuff and Bartender was one of the songs. I didnt find out who the drummer was for like 2years... That songs incredible. And yeah trippin billies... mate this guys amazing.
Watching his open hand style also made it alot easier for me to learn it. any1 else find this?

[Sesh]

I've unfortunately actually started to go off Carter recently I'm afraid, but I will try to justify that before I get shot down:

I first heard DMB about 2 and a half years ago, and was absolutely blown away. Over the next 6 months or so I bought all their studio albums and developed into an obsessive fan. My playing style changed massively because I fell in love with Carter's playing, and they were my all time favourite band up until a few months ago. The trouble is, I've recently started to listen back to the stuff, and I do think that Carter overplays rather a lot - his grooves are so full to bursting with hi-hat flourishes and clever cymbal stuff that I find it quite annoying now.

I was a massive fan, and I still think Carter is still one of the most technically profficient drummers on the planet. I also think his soloing and jamming sections within the songs are fantastic. It's just his normal verse grooves - particularly within most of 'before these crowded streets' - he just seems to never give anyone else any room. Anyhow, it's just an opinion - I still have a lot of faves in their back-catalogue.

[NaturalRaZ]

Hey Sesh.....

Have you ever given any thought to the fact that more than likely thats what the DMB wants out of Carter? I'm sure that if they were unhappy, or thought that they as individuals were not having enough space to play they would have said something... don't you?

Infact, I know thats what the band wants from Carter. They want him to just rip the songs up and drive people/drummers crazy.

The DMB has somewhere around 15 or so albums that they have released. I'm sure that if Carter was a song-hog they would have ditched him.

Also, you have to take into consideration the other band members. There is only so much that the rest of the band can do for each song. For Carter.. the skies the limit due to the abundance of instuments on his kit. He has alot more to work with being a drummer. Also... he isn't really doing all that much. He.. as you know, plays open-handed which gives him more of an ability to use his kit and create more sound. He is just doing whats normal to him. I mean... c'mon. If you had hands and feet like that guy... whouldn't you use them to the best of your ability in your band, as long as the band agreed with it?

I'm not trying to say that your opinon is wrong... if you noticed, I never came close to it. I'm just asking if you have considered the quick points I have mentioned.

[Sesh]

Hey Sesh.....

Have you ever given any thought to the fact that more than likely thats what the DMB wants out of Carter? I'm sure that if they were unhappy, or thought that they as individuals were not having enough space to play they would have said something... don't you?

Infact, I know thats what the band wants from Carter. They want him to just rip the songs up and drive people/drummers crazy.

The DMB has somewhere around 15 or so albums that they have released. I'm sure that if Carter was a song-hog they would have ditched him.

Also, you have to take into consideration the other band members. There is only so much that the rest of the band can do for each song. For Carter.. the skies the limit due to the abundance of instuments on his kit. He has alot more to work with being a drummer. Also... he isn't really doing all that much. He.. as you know, plays open-handed which gives him more of an ability to use his kit and create more sound. He is just doing whats normal to him. I mean... c'mon. If you had hands and feet like that guy... whouldn't you use them to the best of your ability in your band, as long as the band agreed with it?

I'm not trying to say that your opinon is wrong... if you noticed, I never came close to it. I'm just asking if you have considered the quick points I have mentioned.

Hey,

Actually I thought long and hard about it anyway - it's been a slow process of my opinion changing on him on I'e questione things a lot. I agree with you entirely, I know that's waht the band wants, and I have 10 of their albums so I'm fully aware that they're more than happy with them - just look at interviews with Dave or any of them online. All I'm saying is for me it's starting to turn me off the Band a little bit - purely an opinion.

I think for me, I tend to lean towards music that features musicians one at a time, and gives the soloists and vocallists more space - it's the same reason I find a lot of Jazz very hard to listen to, I'm not really a fan of the drummers overplaying behind other instrumentalists sections (and I don't want to get into a debate about what overplaying is - I mean compared to fairly simple, supportive grooves featured in most pop/rock stuff). As Carter is influenced heavily by Jazz it's clear why he approaches drums like that - particularly since DMB used to have a percussionist and Carter chose to take on that role as well when he left. It's also fine that Band like that, and that a lot of fans also like it. For me however, it's just got to the point where I wish he'd back off a little more during verse sections and other instrumental solos than his own. It may be partly as he uses such bright cymbal sounds, that are often high in the mix on their studio stuff, it's a very "in your face" sound. A lot of other guys that play as many notes (Weckl for eample) use darker sounds that blend more easily into the mix, and are less obtrusive.

Anyhow, it is just my opinion, and it's unlikely to change - I still enjoy and am constantly amazed by Carter, I'd love to be able to play like that - he's a truly great drummer.

[NaturalRaZ]

Cool man. Ya, I do understand your points you brought out. It's actually an eye-opener for me. I was listening from your point of view today, and I gotta admit.. when I viewed it with your ideas I heard what you hear. Thanks. What an amazing drummer.

[fddrummer]

Hey all,

Out of any drummer I've heard - Carter has to be my biggest influence. I was the drummer for a Dave Matthews Tribute band for years, and I had to learn his parts in-side-out. It made me appreciate his playing even more. Not only is he skilled, but his parts are musical, and fit the songs he plays.

fddrummer

[Derek Matthews]

I'm listening to "#41", again, his playing is so spectacular to me!

[Cavemeister]

Well, what's to say? He's a fantastic drummer, who, could probably be considered one of the best drummers today. I'll narrow it down to one word: amazing.

[shuffle]

I'm just getting to know him, I usually don't like buying live stuff, and it seems that DMB has almost more live than studio albums.

Here is a small sample that I find great. It could have sounded so out of place and messy, but he makes it sound just perfect and groovy. I'll buy more. What should I get ?

[Green and Mean]

Great groove, technique. His sound is good too, but a bit too "straight" for me. Else I like his jams with Victor Wooten, these 2 are amazing! And he's 5th inmy top 5!

[Sebas]

Hello,

I'm so happy to have found this site. I've been playing drums for about 15 years and I started listening to the Dave Matthews Band about three years ago when I watched the Central Park DVD. Later that same year I went to see the band at the Gorge and seeing and hearing Carter playing live was an incredible experience for me. One of the things that impressed me the most was his use of the double kick ! Well, I came back home and I got a twin pedal. He changed my vision of what a drummer can do.
For example, in the Central Park dvd, his use of the double bass in the bridge between So Much To Say and Too Much is just amazing in its grooviness and control.

For me, he has the grooviest double kick ever!

[Sebas]

I'm just getting to know him, I usually don't like buying live stuff, and it seems that DMB has almost more live than studio albums.
Here is a small sample that I find great. It could have sounded so out of place and messy, but he makes it sound just perfect and groovy. I'll buy more. What should I get ?

Hello Shuffle,
you should check out the Central Park DVD or CD, it's a great compilation of DMB greatest songs and shows Carter in more than fine form. One of my favourite music dvds.
Sebas

[fddrummer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by shuffle
I'm just getting to know him, I usually don't like buying live stuff, and it seems that DMB has almost more live than studio albums.
Here is a small sample that I find great. It could have sounded so out of place and messy, but he makes it sound just perfect and groovy. I'll buy more. What should I get ?

I would recommend his 'Under the table and drumming' DVD. It's got plenty of studio footage and comes with a booklet with all of the songs tabbed out to learn. I originally learned #41 from watching that dvd. Check it out..

Regards,
fddrummer

[ajgdrums722]

I'm just getting to know him, I usually don't like buying live stuff, and it seems that DMB has almost more live than studio albums.

Here is a small sample that I find great. It could have sounded so out of place and messy, but he makes it sound just perfect and groovy. I'll buy more. What should I get ?

DMB's live stuff is amazing. Much better than the studio stuff.

The Central Park Concert is my favorite. You can get a 6-dics package from "The Gorge" which is just alot of music, and alot of amazing drumming. Live At Folsom Field, Listener Supported and Live In Chicago are three other great CDs/DVDs from DMB.

As I said previously, I have every DMB CD released, as well as some live concerts that I downloaded using torrents (DMB lets you record their concerts and trade them on the internet).

I went to a DMB concert last year and again this year, and was able to download the concerts and now have them to myself. It's great to listen back to the stuff you heard live. Just incredible playing. I reccommend anything on which Carter Beauford is playing.

[Fett2oo5]

Well.... A lot has already been said, I've been a huge DMB fan since the beginning, and went to every concert they had when coming to my area. For those concerned that they have more Live albums than studio. It's because you are limited in the studio recordings. But when you unleash these 5 (6 with butch) guys you get outcomes such as Central Park (omg amazing). If you are looking for some more music to drool over check out Under the Table (Ants Marching personal fav) and Crash here you will hear Drive In Drive Out, which you will appreciate more with my next suggestion.... Live at Red Rocks. Then I would go with Listener Supported - Pantala, Rapunzel, Jimi, Warehouse all greats from that one. So if you are looking for Songs/Albums that just cant be missed I would go with those. But if you are like me you can't resist acquiring all the carter has to offer. I will definitely agree with others when saying that no two songs are alike. Trust me on this one, you can't go wrong with purchasing more of Carter Beauford. A Drum god in my book.


PS- If you can get your hands on an underground copy of Lillywhite Sessions (was not released) then I would do so. It came out before Busted Stuff and has some songs on there I wish they would release. BTW- Grey Street is sooo sweeet check it out!

[Gymestyx]

What type of sticks does carter use any body know?

[Chris]

He uses his own signature model made by Pro Mark

[vadrum]

having lived in richmond, va (70 min south east of charlottesville) for about 15 yrs now i had many opportunities to see the DMB live. seein carter up close in a small club was a great experience. and i was able to meet the guy in cville when i went to a john d'earth gig that a great jazz drummer named al garnette(betty carter, abbey lincoln) was playing on. very, very nice guy. and its a trip to realize that he worked as a social worker for a while and gave up his 9 to 5 to drum full time. also, there was a local fusion band here back in the day (secrets was the name) that included the aforementioned john d'earth and carter playing drums. lucky for me i worked for a wedding band and the leader had a copy of that band's one and only album......which i promptly hi-jacked and have it safely nestled away to this day. its nice to break it out every once in a while and listen to it. that band gave the richmond area a lot of hope.....they thought it would be the next athens, georgia with a ton of bands jumping onto the scene. didnt pan out that way though.

carter has his act together on this instrument. definitely an inspiration.

[SoFlaJDM]

What can i say, this guy is the reason why i started drumming. He is like nothing i've ever heard before... just thought i'd throw these in here... here he is in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOssmcxTbZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ6pvkv1GLc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjrekLQbveg

:bowdown:

edit: we gotta get some smilies in here :)

[drumkicker]

The man is simply one of the greatest drummers of our time. He has inspired and fueled my playing over and over again, I can honestly say I wouldn't be half the drummer I am today without his influence. He is a huge idol/influence/hero to myself and many others.

Man, he's simply awesome!


PS- DMB is just an amazing band that will always be #1 in my book.

[Garvin]

And here's a...... ummm........ Different approach to Carter's playing (I hope Carter patented all of his fills).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNDPcURtr5Y

[SoFlaJDM]

And here's a...... ummm........ Different approach to Carter's playing (I hope Carter patented all of his fills).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNDPcURtr5Y



he needs to lay off the coke

[jimmy_falls]

I am just getting into drums, and I have to say Carter was a huge influence for me. I play guitar and have already been a DMB fan for years - Dave kicks ass! And the amazing playing Carter pulls off has made me want to learn drums. I am debating whether to try and learn open handed, or close handed. Maybe I'll do both...

[15yroldvirgin]

what hi hats does he use? they sound awesome on Ants Marching!!!!!!!

[cantstandyourfunk]

what can I say? One tasty drummer...

ps: His hats on Under the Table (and thus Ants Marching) were 13" New Beats. Cool hats. He has since switched to A Custom Mastersounds, I believe.

[Wegadrummer]

what can I say? One tasty drummer...

ps: His hats on Under the Table (and thus Ants Marching) were 13" New Beats. Cool hats. He has since switched to A Custom Mastersounds, I believe.

Isn`t he using 13" K hats now?

[jazzdrummer0829]

yea i gotta say, personally i think he had a much better sound with the new beats

[3vil0n3]

Now he's using the 13.25 inch K hybrid hats.

[drumbandit]

according to zildjian.com he's using a custom projections.

[fusssion]

While I thikn Carters stuff is really really cool ....and very innovative,....I've found that a lot of his grooves are very similar in tunes.....Ants Marching, Tripping Billies, Stay, 41....that's the only thing that bothers me about his playing.

He has that ...hesitation / stutter type groove ...which is cool and can be nice, but not in too many tunes...

Just my .02 ....dont' get all worked up Carter fans, ...not a bash,......just my perception of what he does ...AGAIN...I think he's amazing,....but ........

[dagurasu]

I love Carter Beauford, but it seems that when ever he solo's he ALWAYS falls back on the four stroke roll, i.e. RLRL on the snare then RLRL on the tom (i guess it'd be LRLR for him though!) or some variation. Look at the ending of Ants Marching, the ending of Two Step (live at least, and in this circumstance it fits perfectly with the pattern being played by the band). Obviously that pattern is not even close to all he plays, but it just seems like a fall back for him, something very easy for him to play without having to constantly be creative. Not that he isn't creative, I mean his ride/hi-hat/snare interaction stuff is AWESOME, I just wish he would stretch out a bit more. But then again he's a millionaire and I'm living with my parents, so what do I know! :)

Yeah, if i had a choice between playing that Billy Cobham lick every night or living with the rents, you'd know where i'd be =P

I've been listening and playing carter's stuff for about 11 years now, he totally changed and reshaped my playing style, and that lick is one that for me, and i'm sure for him, is a BLAST to play! That has to be why he does it so much. Trust me, take that lick all the way down your toms sometime, you'll be grinning ear-to-ear!

Oh wow, gotta check the dates on these posts! Sorry!

[Dibalo Jonze]

I see this thread is old but I just gotta get down my favorite things about his playing. Cuz its so deep, colorful, and controlled.

-Open handed playing
-Hard hitting bass drum foot and solid on all 1/16ths
-Great phrasing, odd-time playing, and ability to turn beat upside-down or inside-out.
-Awesome high hat work: he hits a solid, and pocky backbeat on the snare but inbetween ghosts so many snare notes and does so many high hat licks or fills wherever but he can keep them all quiet between those backbeats
-His drum and cymbal sounds and set-up
-His stage presence, chewing gum, and good backup vocals
-Great dynamics
-His left foot working DBL bass pedal AND HH pedal (which he said he got from Chambers)
-His playing on Rapunzel


OK I can see that's a lot of favorites but he's such an inspiration...

...on the other hand I do agree with:

While I thikn Carters stuff is really really cool ....and very innovative,....I've found that a lot of his grooves are very similar in tunes.....Ants Marching, Tripping Billies, Stay, 41....that's the only thing that bothers me about his playing.
.......

[That Guy]

-His playing on Rapunzel

That's a hard song to nail down right there.

[mottnt]

Carter is definitely one of my all time favorite drummers. Not necessarily the absolute most technical, but he is so musical and different and that is the name of the game. There is another drummer I've discovered that has a very similar style, almost scary, and you can find him here on the drummerworld site to check out. He's relatively unknown. His name is Gavin Harrison. He's just like Carter.......unbelievable. Also checkout someone who is not unknown....Vinnie Colaiuta.

[That Guy]

He's relatively unknown. His name is Gavin Harrison. He's just like Carter.......unbelievable.

He is not relatively unknown here my friend. He is a member of this forum. Just look under the drummer section.. his thread is at the top, and he responds to it regularly.

Welcome to DW buddy.

[mottnt]

Wow. I didn't know that. By "relatively unknown”, what I meant was the general population of drummers, or so it seems. His band "Porcupine Tree" is playing here in Raleigh tonight. I'm going to try my best to go see him. He's absolutely insanely good. His technique is great and he's so relaxed but blazing. Incredible. I'd love to get a lesson from him but in reality I couldn't even carry his stick bag. Although I'd love to.

[ULTIMATEDRUMMER]

I like his style of jamming with Dave Matthews band it's really kool!

[punkuzz900]

Trying to guess what Carter's cymbal set up is, is really hard! Yeah sure there's diagrams on google and zildjian.com has got his set up laid out for you to see and hear, but the thing with Carter is that he changes his cymbals quite regularly. For example if you watch the Under The Table and Drumming DVD, he's using Z Custom hats (at least on top anyway) and I always though Z's were crap! Anyway's I just thought I'd say, Carter's always experimenting with his sound and seems to change a few if not almost all of his cymbals each tour!

He owns, end of!

[punkuzz900]

he needs to lay off the coke

He needs to go live on mars by himself....

[Fett2oo5]

For setups I have noticed that he definately changes some of his cymbals for every tour (which would be every year). That guy looking for his Hi-Hats this past tour he was using 13.25 Hybrids.
As for trying to find most up to date setups I wouldn't trust the "Brands" website as I am sure they will say "such and such artist uses all this gear from us" when in reality they might have purchased it from this brand but they arent for sure using it.

I have found that the most up to date and accurate (to the tours) listing of what he uses can be found at the dmband.com

But don't think that that list is 100% accurate either as I have seen him change things from show to show (this last summer they played twice here and he made a few changes the second night) It's also cool to see drummers with endorsments using prototypes. For instance we saw him trying those new EFX cymbals from Zildjian before they came out, and nothing like a live performance to hear how they sound.

[Fett2oo5]

For anyone keeping up on this thread, and interested in some more samples I suggest of course Central Park concert if you haven't already. But more recently Live at Piedmont Park is very good I have hardly listened to any other CD since I got it.

[aparker2005]

For setups I have noticed that he definately changes some of his cymbals for every tour (which would be every year). That guy looking for his Hi-Hats this past tour he was using 13.25 Hybrids.
As for trying to find most up to date setups I wouldn't trust the "Brands" website as I am sure they will say "such and such artist uses all this gear from us" when in reality they might have purchased it from this brand but they arent for sure using it.

I have found that the most up to date and accurate (to the tours) listing of what he uses can be found at the dmband.com

But don't think that that list is 100% accurate either as I have seen him change things from show to show (this last summer they played twice here and he made a few changes the second night) It's also cool to see drummers with endorsments using prototypes. For instance we saw him trying those new EFX cymbals from Zildjian before they came out, and nothing like a live performance to hear how they sound.

Carter indeed does switch cymbals every tour, sometimes every night.

The 2007 Tour, he actually used 13" K Custom Darks, and 13" Armands for hats. The 2006 Tour is when he used the 13" Hybrids and 13" K Custom/Z combo.

His new left side china switched between a 19" K Hybrid, 19"K, and 18" Oriental Classic alot during the tour. Eventually, it settled to the 18" Oriental Classic.

He did in fact have that EFX before it came out which was awesome! During the 05 Tour, he was testing out the ZHT EFX before Zildjian introduced it, and it looked exactly like a Sabian Ozone. Carter is my fav. drummer ever!

Justin, aka "BeaufordBuddy", has the best site for Carter's current kit. Beaufordbuddy.com is the website. He is now in charge of updating the kit diagram on the main DMB page.

And, in case you haven't seen it, check out my kit for my Carter replica kit!

[cantstandyourfunk]

Gavin Harrison an "unknown" drummer???


while I'm a huge Carter fan and a huge Gavin fan, I'm also genuinely shocked....

[sushiserenade]

Sorry to be a bother, but does anyone know for sure if he is right handed or left handed?

I've read this thread and people have said both. Can anyone clarify on what he is naturally?

[That Guy]

Sorry to be a bother, but does anyone know for sure if he is right handed or left handed?

I've read this thread and people have said both. Can anyone clarify on what he is naturally?

Hey buddy! On the dvd "Under The Table And Drumming" Carter himself spoke of being right handed, but when he watched drummers on tv he set up his kit to mirror them. So, instead of having a traditional right hand set up, he mirrored the tv and ended up with a left hand set up and played that way for many years. Then, he set up his kit right handed and found out he had much more ability and worlds opened up to him traditionally. So, basically he played a lefty kit for years even though he is a righty, then switched to a righty traditional setup and used his lefty strength... "open handed."

In summary, he is right handed. But, by this point its pretty fair to say that he is ambidexterous.

[Urahara Kisuke]

Carter Rules! I just got his promark sig sticks recently to try them out. They have a good feel to them. I got the Carter Jersey too, ha ha. He is one of many of my favorite drummers.

[punkuzz900]

NOOOO!

lol

Can anyone tell me why and when he switched from Evans heads to skanky Remo heads? lets not start an Evans vs. Remo debate I just want to know why he switched :(

[aparker2005]

Carter switched because he kept going through Evans heads. He had Remo's on his hip kig kit at home and went with them.

[Trip McNealy]

FWIW, I went to two DMB concerts this summer where he had coated Remo heads on and his drums (the toms in particular) sounded like crap, really dead. The Evans were so much better.

[jonescrusher]

. So, instead of having a traditional right hand set up, he mirrored the tv and ended up with a left hand set up and played that way for many years.



Lol, so not the sharpest tool in the box then!

[aparker2005]

FWIW, I went to two DMB concerts this summer where he had coated Remo heads on and his drums (the toms in particular) sounded like crap, really dead. The Evans were so much better.

I have seen DMB on tour since he started using the coated heads and I think they are MUCH better sounding than the clears. They are SO much deeper and warm sounding. But, different strokes for different folks!

[That Guy]

Lol, so not the sharpest tool in the box then!


True! Though I forgot to mention that he was a little kid back then.. lol.

[diegote]

hola soy un baterista argentino y queria que sepas toda mi admiracion, lo mucho que has influido en la musica que toco y tambien como material de estudio, mis saludos y admiracion. Diego

[That Guy]

hola soy un baterista argentino y queria que sepas toda mi admiracion, lo mucho que has influido en la musica que toco y tambien como material de estudio, mis saludos y admiracion. Diego

umm, ya! Rock On!

202020202020

[intheruff]

Is there a transcription of, or does anyone know what he does, Carters roll 8:42 minutes into 'Jimi Thing' on the live Chicago CD? I've tried to get it and am not even close. HELP!