Meg White

jiltednut

Senior Member
I was just thinking ( while watching a white stripes video ). Meg has been playing for the past 10 years, yet her playin is still somewhat sloppy and uneven, I even tried playing along with some songs, and I couldn't replicate the drum parts. I mean its simple, but is it tooo simple. Is it possible, that shes a super drummer, and just plays this way to drive the rest of the drumming community into discussion. Or is she just really sucky, and I've drank too much red bull today? ( Sorry if that didn't make sense, also I wasn't sure if this should go into the drummers subforum ).
Ramble over.
 
oh no, I didn't mean it as bashing, simply an observation. I always assumed she was just another drummer, but now I'm not so sure. Also seen a video a while back and she has a pretty mean right foot.
 
Meg has been playing for the past 10 years, yet her playin is still somewhat sloppy and uneven, I even tried playing along with some songs, and I couldn't replicate the drum parts. I mean its simple, but is it tooo simple.


I've never tried to play White stripes songs, but I have a similar problem when trying to play Neil Young crazy horse material - the father of that garage sound. I am never happy with my version of "Keep on Rockin' in a free world".

I read in an interview that after 30+ years of playing, Crazy horse still sounded as if it was the first time they touched their instrument. And that is exactly the sound they're after.

A "stylish sloppy feel" is hard to achieve. From the little I heard from her, it seems that Meg is good at it.
 
Well, I think if you're asking if Meg White has a tremendous amount of technical ability, but she's playing so as to sound like she doesn't ...I'd answer no, I highly doubt that. I mean, she might have some more skill than she lets on, but I'm guessing she's no technician by any stretch.

But, I think she kicks serious butt. Though, I do wonder weather she arranges her parts, or if jack white tells her what to play. I'd probably guess it's some of both.

Anyway, though, I think that technical proficiency really has nothing to do with being a good drummer. It's like the whole speed thing -speed isn't good or bad ...it's just speed. Being technically proficient on the drums doesn't make you a good drummer or a bad drummer ...it just makes you technically proficient. It's like determining how good a fiction writer is by how many words they know or how many grammar rules they can recite, or how good a painter is by how photo-realistic their paintings are.

I only have the 'get behind me satan' album, but if I mentioned the specific names of a lot of highly esteemed drummers I think her playing far exceeds on that album I'd probably get accused of trolling. I love it because it's just got buckets of attitude and, to me, stuff like getting across attitude, emotion, ego and personality are what make a drummer great -or any artist great, for that matter.

Of course, I'll add my usual disclaimer here: I'm not saying technique is bad or somehow not worthwhile and, yes, there are plenty of musical situations where it's downright necessary. I've spend many, many hours developing mine and I practice a lot ...I just don't spend those hours under the misconception that developing that technique will make me a good drummer or a good artist.
 
I've spend many, many hours developing mine and I practice a lot ...I just don't spend those hours under the misconception that developing that technique will make me a good drummer or a good artist.

Nicely put, and so true.
 
i love thier music. Her playing does not destract from the music as most of the time i dont notice it (strange because i usually her the drum parts of songs before anything else) I love the white stripes so i think she is a good enough drummer. the white stripes are a very simplistic band, she's good enough....

one of these days she'll whip out a solo, you just watch =P
 
Jason, of all people you can't really accuse her of having a slightly odd setup. Yours is esoteric as well, as is everybody elses'! We all have our own preferences as such and as moderator, you should be more acutely aware of the personal differences that each drummer prefers in their own particular setup. Meg does her own thing, and that's fine by me. Not a White Stripes fan by any stretch, but they're having a blast, so I see no need to change anything!
 
.....
Anyway, though, I think that technical proficiency really has nothing to do with being a good drummer. It's like the whole speed thing -speed isn't good or bad ...it's just speed. Being technically proficient on the drums doesn't make you a good drummer or a bad drummer ...it just makes you technically proficient. It's like determining how good a fiction writer is by how many words they know or how many grammar rules they can recite, or how good a painter is by how photo-realistic their paintings are....

man...no matter how much many people may disagree,and even tho i love drums more than most things in life,drums arent(unless in the hands of Terry Bozzio),and never will be Musical instruments...and that doesnt mean you cant have that certain 'Musicality' to your playing...theyre not about chords,or melodies,or harmonies,or notes...theyre percussion...

to be a good druummer, technique is what its all about....you can have simple technique if it works with what you want it to work with,but you cant be a good drummer with a bad or non-existent technique.....

writing and painting are different arts...but as i say a writer with little or no technique to his writing is not a good writer....an artist who cant paint is not a painter...the impressionists may seem to go against this whole way of thinking but the impressionists were actually highly,incredibly proficient painters,who decided to "Simplify",(but by doing so made their work more wonderfully difficult)...

but one thing i do think is that if you have the technical proficienccy and you dont have the feeling,then your not a good drummer....and visa-versa...you need to find that balance where you combine both feeling and skill in one,and so therefore become a greater drummer...Meg White has feeling,but no skill, and therefore her drumming falls down...The White Stripes worked because Jack White held up wonderful riffs,great vocals etc(all debatable of course)...it was interesting at first,but her drumming does wear other drummers down to the point where they have to switch off...

technical proficiency has a lot to do with drums....

my opinion!

Sean
 
man...no matter how much many people may disagree,and even tho i love drums more than most things in life,drums arent(unless in the hands of Terry Bozzio),and never will be Musical instruments.



Similiar to how "rap" isn't music or "metal" is just noise? As many drummers have shown, especially the industrial ones, ANYTHING can be a musical instrument. Music, to me, Is a sound that is appealing to the listener, weither that be metal or a bird singing. An instrument is a tool/object that does something. Thus, A musical instrument is an object that makes music, and drums are those.

Now Meg White. IMO, she's a fine drummer, similar to ringo star with the beatles. Doesn't do to much fancy stuff, but yet she doesn't it need to to play with the White Stripes. some genres require less technicality and more simplicity, certain aspects of rock fit that ticket.
 
my opinion!

I'm stunned. I've never found an opinion I've disagreed with more than yours.

What about timbre and tone? Just because you're not terry bozzio doesn't mean you can't tune your drums. Danny Carey's a genius with tuning his drums so they resonate perfectly with the music. 100 different drummers can hit a snare drum and sound different, you can't do that with middle C on piano. You can create completely unique sounds with the instrument and the possibilities for composition are AMAZING. Why do you think ringo is respected? Not much in the way of technique, especially compared the scientists of today, but without him, the music wouldn't have been what it was. How is it more a technical instrument than a musical instrument? If you truly believe that, you'll play like that.

It's your opinion, so fine, have it. I'm sorry I had to respond but the idea of the drums being stripped of their musical importance by a drummer no less is kind of the embodiment of my nightmares.
 
man...no matter how much many people may disagree,and even tho i love drums more than most things in life,drums arent(unless in the hands of Terry Bozzio),and never will be Musical instruments......theyre percussion...

Seems to me you might have a 1 man definition of what music, percussion and instruments are. Are not marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel and orchestral chimes all percussion instruments? And to play them, do you not read music? And are not drummers also reading...music? Lines and dots and squigly marks on paper. Seems to me, everyone I've ever run into, whether they play an instrument or not, can identify sheet music. And if someone went to the trouble to write music out for those "tuned cylinders" you're banging on, then they might actually indeed be an instrument. Also, just by coloquiel definition, when you want to find a drum shop in your area, look in the phone book under musical instruments.
 
I was just thinking ( while watching a white stripes video ). Meg has been playing for the past 10 years...Is it possible, that shes a super drummer, and just plays this way to drive the rest of the drumming community into discussion.

You know, that's a very good observation.
Granted, I'm not a huge White Stripes fan, but I've seen them before and always remarked at her impeccable posture.
It's how you're supposed to sit at the drums.
Could be that she is "Drumming Superheroine" and no body's ever realized it before.

...hmmm....


Elvis
 
look at the second word on her drummerworld bio..... minimalist. 'twould appear it is their intention.
the way i see it is her drumming complements the other layers, which is what that style of music is often about. songs with fills every 4 bars are highly annoying. from the tracks i've heard on this site i don't recall hearing one fill any more complex than a single stroke.
they remind me of the dresden dolls. nowhere near as good but not bad.
 
Jason, of all people you can't really accuse her of having a slightly odd setup. Yours is esoteric as well, as is everybody elses'! We all have our own preferences as such and as moderator, you should be more acutely aware of the personal differences that each drummer prefers in their own particular setup. Meg does her own thing, and that's fine by me. Not a White Stripes fan by any stretch, but they're having a blast, so I see no need to change anything!

my my you do hold a grudge MFB.

don't use words like 'you as a moderator...' on me again. i as a poster have the right to express an opinion and i don't need you to preach to me how to do my job. very disappointing that you are still in this line of thinking.

meg's tom angle is ridiculous and i as a poster and drum teacher would advise any young drummer against such an un-ergonomic set up. i have every right to do so in this thread. if you have a problem with anything i have just typed please respond in PM and think carefully what you type. your best course of action would be to retract and apologise or just keep silent.

j
 
man...no matter how much many people may disagree,and even tho i love drums more than most things in life,drums arent(unless in the hands of Terry Bozzio),and never will be Musical instruments...and that doesnt mean you cant have that certain 'Musicality' to your playing...theyre not about chords,or melodies,or harmonies,or notes...theyre percussion...


Sean

i never in my life thought i would hear that from a drummer. if drums weren't musical then no one would have toms and every drummers kit would sound the same. there are certain situations where drums aren't suited to be musical like in mainstream rock, but then there's situations where music would be boring if the drummer didnt play with different rhythms and sounds like in jazz and latin music. the actual definition of a harmony is two or more notes played simultaneously, so when you hit your snare and bass together you are creating harmony.

but you are right about the fine line between feeling and technique. if being passionate was all you needed to be good at something then everyone would be an artist. and if everyone is an artist then no one is.
 
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