Dave Weckl

jamsjr44 said:
Vital Information does not suck, I guess you just don't like the music they play. But Barret Browne on bass is a highly regarded bassist. he used to record with Billy Cobham and alot of other great drummers.

Barret Brown and Frank Gimbale are too of the best at their trade. Add Steve Smith and you've got a hell of a band. (I don't know who plays keys, but he looks familiar).

So by 'sucks' I think he means "I don't like".

Stu
 
Dr Drums said:
Come on i'm not talking about his band's style... I'm talking about his sound & solos style.
He has like the "perfect" sound and everything sounds just the way it should.. Nothing special..And his solos are to very predictible. Man it's just a fact no doubt about.

So are you saying to be a special drummer you should have imperfect sound and play unpredictably?

If Weckl is so predictable, then why can't most of us play like him? (ok, so MD can, but he's an exception, hehe)
 
Well, I think dave weckl has the most musical phrasing on the planet.

I believe all of u see the weckl-gadd-colaiuta trading 4 videos.

it is obvious that steve gadd is the most "uniformed marching" style, most "predictable". U can easily memorize and hum out what gadd plays.

Vinnie colaiuta in between, more fluid than gadd, but still remains a bit of a "roll down the toms and a crash" feel when he solos.

But with dave weckl, it's all groupings of notes, displacements, when u hear at the first time u can even think of it kinda like a "free solo", but it just stays in the beat.

Well, Dave is not only about this video, through all things i ve witnessed him do, his phrasing "moving a tune without disturbing the melody" is the most advanced!
 
finhiggins
On the other hand, I saw him play in London with his band and I've never been so bored at a live gig in my life. Easily the worst "drum" gig I've ever seen. It's sort of like watching a well-programmed sequencer do its thing. Impressive for a while, but after a while it just becomes a constant barrage totally lacking in tension and release. And since he now plays pretty much exclusively fusion I have to sit there listening to music that sounds like it belongs in a lift or a porn movie in order to watch him do his thing.

Stunning, but simultaneously underwhelming. How do you communicate that? I find it's kind of like the opposite of inspiration. Watching Dave Weckl strips me of my motivation to practice, very rapidly. Which is odd, considering almost every other drummer I see inspires me in some way or another.[/QUOTE]
Well i can understand being bored with him. I don't though, but i can see where you're comin from. But I just can't see him being very predictable. His band is like a modern orchestra, i love it. The music is so well thought and well laid out. I love sittin back and watchin his performance at the drummers collective. But we both have our opinions.
peace
 
mikkeydee said:
Well, I think dave weckl has the most musical phrasing on the planet. . . .

I couldn't disagree more! He plays too many notes, and not enough music. He repeats the same phrasings over and over, and leaves little breathing room for contrast. Weckl is a great drum technician, but he may be the least musical drummer I've ever heard. Either that, or his music is so far over my head, I just can't appreciate it. NAAAAH!!!
 
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LiquidSoul546 said:
finhiggins . . . Stunning, but simultaneously underwhelming. How do you communicate that? I find it's kind of like the opposite of inspiration. Watching Dave Weckl strips me of my motivation to practice, very rapidly. . . .

LMAO. I knew there was something strange about Weckl, and I couldn't put my finger on it.
 
Come on people...as if Dave Weckle is predictable and/or boring for one who are you comparing him with? Weckle is so damn tight in everything he plays personally i think Coluita, chambers and Donati are better but he is way better than some other drummers that are on Drummerworld, there are some really dodgy drummers that are well known.
 
Scottylawton said:
Come on people...as if Dave Weckle is predictable and/or boring for one who are you comparing him with? Weckle is so damn tight in everything he plays personally i think Coluita, chambers and Donati are better but he is way better than some other drummers that are on Drummerworld, there are some really dodgy drummers that are well known.

I found him predictable and boring not in comparison to other drummers (that's just a pissing contest that nobody is ever going to win, since it's so subjective) but in comparison with himself. Huh? Yeah, I know it sounds silly. But my complaint with seeing him and his band was really that the impression I took away was of calm, collected, constant and largely uninteresting chops. There was no "high point", no real impression that he was making any conscious decisions to structure what he has under his control. Watching Weckl is just that - a constant stream of Weckl.

For a great demo of what I'm talking about here, check out Vinnie on "Ten Summoner's Tales" by Sting. He keeps his blazing chops and fills up his sleeves most of the time, just plays interesting grooving stuff everywhere. Then, when he actually uses the blazing stuff he has available it has about ninety times more impact than if he just kept doing it constantly. Weckl bores me because he never paces himself well. There's nothing wrong with his tone, his groove, timing or technique. I just find him a bit on the tedious side as a musician, which is probably why his music has few fans beyond the drum community.
 
Appreciating all of the sentiments so far, I've got to say that Weckl is more or less everything I want to be as a drummer, a professional musician and as a musical mind in general. I've been listening to him for almost 15 years now, and even in spite of all of the excellent drummers and drumming that I've heard, his is still my favorite by leaps and bounds.

I saw him play live in 1998 and was absolutely blown away. He seemed to have an endless bag of tricks, was playing some of the most demanding, clever drum parts I've ever heard and never hit a rim once. In fact, it's almost hard to appreciate other drummers because Weckl's playing, in my mind, sets the bar so high.

My $.02
 
Henry II said:
I couldn't disagree more! He plays too many notes, and not enough music. He repeats the same phrasings over and over, and leaves little breathing room for contrast. Weckl is a great drum technician, but he may be the least musical drummer I've ever heard. Either that, or his music is so far over my head, I just can't appreciate it. NAAAAH!!!
YA MAN! I couldn't agree more, and for those who didn't get my point, it's just it.
 
Dave Weckl had concert just a few days ago, in our capital city - Bratislava, I've been there, and I couldn't believe what I saw! first, he had a workshop - talking about his aproach...he showed one exercise, that sounded like a great drummer solo - and that was only a freakin' exercise!!!! after that, he played with his band, songs from the very live and plugged in album, and from their last album, it was great, amazing awesome, perfect, I love their music, and they now each other so well, it's just a great great band :) it was the best concert I've ever seen !@!
God bless

r
 
finnhiggins said:
I found him predictable and boring not in comparison to other drummers (that's just a pissing contest that nobody is ever going to win, since it's so subjective) but in comparison with himself. Huh? Yeah, I know it sounds silly. But my complaint with seeing him and his band was really that the impression I took away was of calm, collected, constant and largely uninteresting chops. There was no "high point", no real impression that he was making any conscious decisions to structure what he has under his control. Watching Weckl is just that - a constant stream of Weckl.

For a great demo of what I'm talking about here, check out Vinnie on "Ten Summoner's Tales" by Sting. He keeps his blazing chops and fills up his sleeves most of the time, just plays interesting grooving stuff everywhere. Then, when he actually uses the blazing stuff he has available it has about ninety times more impact than if he just kept doing it constantly. Weckl bores me because he never paces himself well. There's nothing wrong with his tone, his groove, timing or technique. I just find him a bit on the tedious side as a musician, which is probably why his music has few fans beyond the drum community.
'


I'm with this guy.
 
Yeah, you guys are right. Dave Weckl isn't a good drummer.
He's an unbelievable drummer.
He plays absolutely perfectly. He's got the ideal drum sound (look at all the university kids coming out these days like Weckl), unparalled technique and clarity around the drums. Does he EVER make a mistake? I don't think so. He's managed to develop his own sound and play some very complicated stuff. The time in his solos is perfect. What he plays when he solos always fits the music. It may be complicated but so many people bash drummers who have chops, I don't understand why. The central point is that any one of us would kill to play like Weckl.
That being said, old Weckl leaves me feeling a little cold- maybe too perfect. However, Weckl live is a great experience- he's a drummer that I feel can't get emotive in the studios.
 
I too have followed Mr. Weckl's career for a number of years and have had the chance to see him live on 2 occasions several years apart. Not only is he an astounding drummer and musician, but his playing clearly improves and evolves. For my money (which admittedly is limited), he is the best drummer alive.
 
Henry II said:
I couldn't disagree more! He plays too many notes, and not enough music. He repeats the same phrasings over and over, and leaves little breathing room for contrast. Weckl is a great drum technician, but he may be the least musical drummer I've ever heard. Either that, or his music is so far over my head, I just can't appreciate it. NAAAAH!!!


O.K. you are talking about Dave Weckl, right? Thats D-A-V-E W-E-C-K-L...This statement made me question everthing I have ever learned about music, drums, and musicianship...I don't think I've ever heard anything like this...Wait are you sure your talking about Dave Weckl? The least musical drummer you've ever heard? WTF? I just can't understand this...I've always thought of him as one of the most musical drummers in the world...Little breathing room for contrast? O.K. I'm convinced you have weckl and sombodyelse mixed up...
 
toteman2 said:
O.K. you are talking about Dave Weckl, right? Thats D-A-V-E W-E-C-K-L...This statement made me question everthing I have ever learned about music, drums, and musicianship...I don't think I've ever heard anything like this...Wait are you sure your talking about Dave Weckl? The least musical drummer you've ever heard? WTF? I just can't understand this...I've always thought of him as one of the most musical drummers in the world...Little breathing room for contrast? O.K. I'm convinced you have weckl and sombodyelse mixed up...

Don't just talk. Ur whole messege was "u sure is weckl? DAVE weckl? bla bla"
Show some thoughtful points and we might be convinced otherwise
 
Dr Drums said:
Don't just talk. Ur whole messege was "u sure is weckl? DAVE weckl? bla bla"
Show some thoughtful points and we might be convinced otherwise


well, i really do think he has him mixed up with someone else...Thoughtfull points? I would say go out and buy "Synergy" or "Rhythm of the Soul" and listen to the entire CD's...If your not convinced they are some of the most muscial, expressive, technical, and quality sounding drumming CD's you've ever heard then i don't know whatesle to say...I mean if you can tell Dennis Chamber is without a doubt a fatastic drummer and musician, you should be able to see that in Weckl..I know i can...
 
Also, his drum sound is so overlooked. If he couldn't play anything but Boom tap boom tap...and then hit each tom in quarter-note-intervals, I'd buy the albums.

Quite simply put, the best sounding drums ever recorded (thank you Yamaha!)

Stu
 
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Why hate on Weckl? He has a great mix of technique and chops (neither of which are very far out of range for most good drummers)as well as musicality. I think the only complaint I could make is that sometimes he gets a little boring, but he is the perfect example of a COMPLETE drummer.
 
toteman2 said:
well, i really do think he has him mixed up with someone else...Thoughtfull points? I would say go out and buy "Synergy" or "Rhythm of the Soul" and listen to the entire CD's...If your not convinced they are some of the most muscial, expressive, technical, and quality sounding drumming CD's you've ever heard then i don't know whatesle to say...

I agreed with the points that so astounded you, and I not only bought Synergy I also saw the band touring off the back of it. I returned the CD, and I found the gig extremely dull. The fact that beer cost an arm and a leg didn't help either, since I was at music school at the time.

But Stu is right about his drum sound, it's excellent. I guess that's what happens when a drum obsessive also turns into a sound engineering obsessive, which Weckl has - IIRC, he does his own drum mix from his own rig before sending it to the house board.
 
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