Stewart Copeland

He is one of those drummers that really nailed a niche. I just got done watching my synchronicity live concert dvd.

It was a terrible thing that the Police broke up...

Anyway, I always though Stewart had a *awesome* sounding kit and cymbals. Not just parts of it, but the whole kit was very unique sounding. His snare had a signiture tight and crisp sound---the same with his hats.

His style was extracted from reggae, and well off the beaten path of standard 80's drummers. The look of his kit was hybrid--like a scaled down prog rock or fusion kit. Complete with cool octobons. It was even a cool color. (Midnight blue)
StewartCopeland.jpg


I don't even know what he's doing now except maybe composing tv music.
 
I always found awesome that most of his performances were totally improvised, and even so, very difficult for us to re-do!!
 
finnhiggins said:
For a recent recording, check out the Les Claypool-fronted "Oysterhead" CD.

i'm not sure it was claypool fronting it, i think all three of them brought a fair bit of the crowd in. copeland, claypool, and trey anastasio.

that was a great cd - a little strange, but fantastic playing, especially by stewart.

he's one of those drummers whose style is really and truly unique. very few people can play a beat and leave out a backbeat at random times without it sounding completely wrong - and no one can do it like he can.

not to mention, of course, his phenomenal hi hat work.

definitely a drummer worth studying and listening to.
 
Yeah that was Omar Hakim....decidely NOT very Stewart Copeland lookin'
 
Stewart Copeland is by far my all time favourite drummer and the one who has inspired and possibly influenced me the most. what I found most amazing about him is his sound in combination with his playing style. He has such a signature - as did all of the Police. I immediately recognise his drumming. His whole drumset sounds unique - from the way he tunes his snare to his signature splash-cymbals. since I seriously started to listen to drummers I have never come across a drummer with such a unique playingstyle and sound. For me, he was definately the most unique musician in the trio. Sting was arguabely the gifted songwriter, but without Copeland the Police would have sounded radically different.

I might be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that Sting and Copeland actually never spent time together in studio when they recorded Synchronicity. Can anybody elaborate on this story?
 
My band has been working on 'Message in a Bottle' ... I'm very intimidated by the drumming, but finally taking it beat-by-beat and getting it broken down ... actually quite fun to play. I'll definitely be listening to other Copeland stuff to try.
 
glynes, I play Message In A Bottle too, it's good fun eh? There's a lot going on with the drums in that track. I find Copeland very hard to reproduce completely because his playing has a sort of haphazard looseness to it, but all the while being groovy as hell.

OLe - have you seen on the DVD when he's taping his hand/wrist up? What is THAT all about. He is like RoboDrummer.
 
Rosco said:
OLe - have you seen on the DVD when he's taping his hand/wrist up? What is THAT all about. He is like RoboDrummer.
Yeah, I´ve noticed that - and that he has a towel taped along his snare drum - probably to protect his leg from scratching against it I would think. I never really figured out why he would tape his fingers though. Maybe it´s the same thing as drummers you occassionally see wearing gloves - I never quite figured out that one either, but I reckon it is to get a better grip or something?

Copeland is a hard hitter and he uses a traditional grip - perhaps the tape strengthens his grip or something? Perhaps he is a bit sloppy and uses it as scratch-protection?
 
no one really knows what kind of hi-hats he used. some people say that he used paiste 2002 13" medium hats. others say that he used paiste 602 which are not made anymore either way I don't think anyone can recreate copelands hi-hat work. oh and gettting back to the conversation above...stewart copeland admited that he would some times do extra drum work in the recording process like message in a bottle sounds different live in some of the cymbal work. there was also the echo machine he work with that he put alot of his equipment through like his hi-hats on walking on the moon. he then stated that he did not redo anyof hid drum work after a while. one world (not three) wasthe first take of that song!!! one of his best drumming songs ever. I too have the DVD and the complete recordings so that added to my knowlege of stewart copeland and that after he inspired me to play drums I spent everyday researching him. the other thing is that he could play reggae which changes everyone's knowlege of druming, he was raised on jazz started with punk with the police then moved in to rock regge fusion. the best (rock) drummer out there.
 
OLe said:
Yeah, I´ve noticed that - and that he has a towel taped along his snare drum - probably to protect his leg from scratching against it I would think. I never really figured out why he would tape his fingers though. Maybe it´s the same thing as drummers you occassionally see wearing gloves - I never quite figured out that one either, but I reckon it is to get a better grip or something?

Copeland is a hard hitter and he uses a traditional grip - perhaps the tape strengthens his grip or something? Perhaps he is a bit sloppy and uses it as scratch-protection?

I tend to think the tape was strictly for the horrible blistering touring so much caused. In thier day The Police toured a hell of a lot more than most of thier peers.
 
NUTHA JASON said:
plus he's a hang of a composer. he did the soundtrack for 'blade runner' i heard.

j


yeah also "Tyson" based on Mike Tyson.
great drummer with a unique style and one of the best drum sounds of his era.
 
(Sorry to drag this back up, Nutha)

Stewart Copeland did not write the Blade Runner soundtrack!! Let's be sure of this. It was Vangelis. And what a masterpiece it is. A lesson in crafting sound. Ahhhh the analogue fatness. I don't think I've ever heard another 'album' (that word seems inappropriate) that transports me away from earth like this one does. Anyone who has the slightest liking of or interest in electronic music must own this soundtrack.

Sorry, now back to Stewy....
 
I heard he was very cocky and a pain to be around. A friend of mine said that he watched an interview where he was saying that there is no greater drummer than him and all that. Despite all of this, he is one hell of a drummer and is very talented!
 
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