John Bonham

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How does Jon Bonham make the hi-hat / crash sound at 1:35 and other places in the song?
His playing seems to have this searing sound to it.

Is it just strength / technique? I watched this many times several months ago and it just blows me away, as it should, I reckon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dvrir5kig
 
John Bonham / Led Zeppelin - We're Gonna Grove...lovely bell ride!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NTkVbZDFko&feature=related

this is an awesome performance, Royal Albert Hall. I watch it over and over. Major ride crashing. Anyway, his drumming lives up to the Paiste names he's using .... "Giant beats"

There are some much slower versions of We're Gonna Groove, even by Zep themselves (earlier tour) but its so cool how they sped it up here.
 
Giant Beats...Giant Drummer...Giant Drumming...

this is an awesome performance, Royal Albert Hall. I watch it over and over. Major ride crashing. Anyway, his drumming lives up to the Paiste names he's using .... "Giant beats"

There are some much slower versions of We're Gonna Groove, even by Zep themselves (earlier tour) but its so cool how they sped it up here.
 
LOL, he does look exactly like Pippin, as someone in the comments stated :)!

lol - it's true! I read the posts before listening to the link and was confused, wondering how on earth Bonzo could look like Pippin :)

Bonzo clearly kept working on new things. In early vids his stroke didn't look as smooth as it does in the Kashmir clip. When I first bought Presence I was shocked to hear him play a Cobhamesque monster fill in Achilles Last Stand. The Fool in the Rain half time shuffle sounded like a new toy too.
 
Right hand crashing hat, left hand hits cymbal as he puts his foot down to close hats.

I'm wondering how he gets that sound. I've never heard anyone else s hi-hat and crash sound like that. Doesn't matter really it's just incredible playing.
 
When I first bought Presence I was shocked to hear him play a Cobhamesque monster fill in Achilles Last Stand.


Jimmy Page mentions that very fill in the Traps Magazine piece on Bonzo (2007), referring to it, with serious understatement as "absolute magic."
 
Jimmy Page mentions that very fill in the Traps Magazine piece on Bonzo (2007), referring to it, with serious understatement as "absolute magic."

The whole take is magic. Also love the snare/cymbal flurries - powerful and super effective. The groove he keeps with Jimmy Page is killer too. Would have liked a bit more dynamics in that song, though ...

*ducks*
 
Right hand crashing hat, left hand hits cymbal as he puts his foot down to close hats.

plus phase shifter (or flanger) on the cymbals. sometimes the studio recordings were slowed down to create the swells on cymbals and boom on drums (When The Levee Breaks).

and even the big cymbal crash in the live version of No Quarter from The Song Remains The Same contains flange (or phase shifter). Dazed And Confused (from The Song Remains The Same is actually slowed down.
 
My Favorite drummer. One of the best drummera to live.Came up with most beats rock drummers play today. I love his ludwig vistalite kit too
 
Q: Who wrote the bible on rock drumming?

A: John Henry Bonham.
 
I posted a couple of videos of me playing Good Times, Bad Times, Fool In The Rain, and Hots On For Nowhere. Bonham is definitely my favorite and most influential drummer. Check out the videos and let me know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWFMkllqqFQ&feature=feedu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYSqiP1UiJE&feature=feedu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N-Tw9a9qHw&feature=feedu
Good stuff!! Beautiful drums too but come on man, you've got to get that rack tom on a snare stand lol!
 
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