Name famous songs where the drummer overplays

WhoIsTony? said:
if we went by that theory then this is underplayed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxifgnPnC4E

not one drum fill and never leaves the snare and hats ... and pretty much the complete opposite to the examples in my first post in this thread

is that song "underplayed"..... not in my opinion .... I never once catch myself saying... hey I wish there was a drum fill there

and I think both examples.....Tony and Moonie in my first post and Stewart here prove that there is actually only two kinds of drumming....good and the other kind
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I love that song! I remember "finding" it on the album when my brother and I decided to listen to songs other than "De doo doo do de da da da"....

Another example of a song that is "underplayed"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aeETEoNfOg

I love the cymbal work in this song.
 
Tony:

I realize that “overplayed” and “underplayed” is totally subjective and is a matter of musical taste.

However, that Police song, to me, sounds underplayed because it sounds like a digital drum track. It might in fact be one.

Here is possibly a good definition of underplayed.
If your drumming can be replaced by a constant rhythm digital drum track then you underplayed it. LOL


.
 
MileHighDrummer said:
+1. Most professionally produced albums are closer to under pronounced drumming than over. I'm sure there are more examples of over pronounced drumming on YouTube from self-released songs than successful/commercial music. Some would say that Kieth Moon frequently over-played but what he did worked so ... Other's would say unique or eccentric.
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When great drummers overplay we call it awesome. Mitch Mitchell was a total ham behind the kit, but he got away with it because of his incredible blend of skill and style.
 
The SunDog said:
but he got away with it because of his incredible blend of skill and style.
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The fact that he was backing a guitarist the likes of which had never been seen, didn't hurt his cause either. When you have that much room to move, a laid back 2 and 4 approach was never likely to be the chosen avenue.
 
Tony and Todd, I agree. If a take is kept then chances are it's what the band / bandleader / producer wanted, in which case it's just "busy" rather than "overplayed" (barring rushing due to finances).

It's subjective too. I find the density of playing by great players like Vinnie, Neil Peart and Gavin distracts from the arrangement but others would disagree. One time Bill Bachman posted a Nashville style approach to Tom Sawyer. Everyone who commented thought it was hilarious while I actually liked it better than the original because it gave me a completely different take on the song structure and the whole tune seemed more cohesive to me. Bill being Bill, there was still plenty enough flair and skill to satisfy while holding back.

An example that comes to mind is Mars Volta with Thomas Pridgen on Letterman, where the drumming is way overplayed to my ear, but if he toned down he'd disappoint fans of the band who are especially looking for thrills and spills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfX6ze7dtBU

Whatever floats ...
 
Anon La Ply said:
One time Bill Bachman posted a Nashville style approach to Tom Sawyer. Everyone who commented thought it was hilarious while I actually liked it better than the original because it gave me a completely different take on the song structure and the whole tune seemed more cohesive to me..
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Blasphemer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
what worked for me was when I was younger was I started singing while drumming. That cures overplaying pretty quickly. Basically, if the singer is singing - no drum fills.

Listen to Don Henley, Phil Collins and Levon Helm, and where they put their fills.

Serve the song first, then your ego.
 
Mike_In_KC said:
Reminds me of one of my favorite cartoons...

youre-hired1.jpg
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I have a perfect example for that
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgpdBYq3E1g
Yep, that's thomas lang doing the exact opposite of what he does in his clinics.
 
cDark3r said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIitol2vfnk
Not really I famous song but you get the idea.
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LOVED IT!

Kid took a boring predictable 2-4 pop tune and gave it a proper lashing on the kit...stick tricks and all...if I could have played that way at 18 I would do the same thing!

Anybody "disturbed" by his remix really missed the point I think.

To me it was entertaining, fun, and honestly made drummers look pretty cool in a day and age when that type of music is all about 12 year old girls jumping about without their brains engaged.

lol
 
Mongrel said:
LOVED IT!

Kid took a boring predictable 2-4 pop tune and gave it a proper lashing on the kit...stick tricks and all...if I could have played that way at 18 I would do the same thing!

Anybody "disturbed" by his remix really missed the point I think.

To me it was entertaining, fun, and honestly made drummers look pretty cool in a day and age when that type of music is all about 12 year old girls jumping about without their brains engaged.

lol
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All of the girlish baton-twirling moves certainly engage my brain. Everything you like about this video are things this kid is going to have to overcome if he ever wants to succeed professionally in music as anything other than a circus act or street performer.
 
toddbishop said:
All of the girlish baton-twirling moves certainly engage my brain. Everything you like about this video are things this kid is going to have to overcome if he ever wants to succeed professionally in music as anything other than a circus act or street performer.
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As I said originally-some people apparently just don't get it...this video has NOTHING to do with "succeeding professionally". Your reply smacks of a little bit of snobbery and the idea of having to "overcome" a 4 minute period of overplaying on youtube to be successful is really humorous to me. (Apparently, elsewhere he demonstrates note-for-note accuracy in his covers so to judge by this one example is a little unfair). The kid was just having FUN and showing off.

Drummers routinely "overplay" (we call them solos in some cases...) and "girlish baton-twirling moves" were/are employed by a lot of non-circus act or street performers to very effectively entertain "the masses". Heck, I dare say that Buddy Rich made a good living and a great reputation "overplaying"-by that I mean he brought the drums to the forefront of the music, and we all should be thankful he did!

That's cool though...
 
Mongrel said:
Drummers routinely "overplay" (we call them solos in some cases...) and "girlish baton-twirling moves" were/are employed by a lot of non-circus act or street performers to very effectively entertain "the masses". Heck, I dare say that Buddy Rich made a good living and a great reputation "overplaying"-by that I mean he brought the drums to the forefront of the music, and we all should be thankful he did!

That's cool though...
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how does one go about overplaying when they are the only one playing ?

Buddy never "overplayed" when the band was playing
 
Mongrel said:
As I said originally-some people apparently just don't get it...this video has NOTHING to do with "succeeding professionally". Your reply smacks of a little bit of snobbery and the idea of having to "overcome" a 4 minute period of overplaying on youtube to be successful is really humorous to me.
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I'm talking about the playing habits, not the video.

(Apparently, elsewhere he demonstrates note-for-note accuracy in his covers so to judge by this one example is a little unfair). The kid was just having FUN and showing off.
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The question at hand is not "is this guy having fun and showing off." I mean, the answer there is definitely yes. We're talking about making music.

Drummers routinely "overplay" (we call them solos in some cases...) and "girlish baton-twirling moves" were/are employed by a lot of non-circus act or street performers to very effectively entertain "the masses".
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Well, yeah, I can dig that you think this type of thing is more entertaining than music. That's a viewpoint.
 
Ok...let me back down a bit...not trying to stir anything up.

First, apologies to toddbishop if it sounding like I was saying you are a "snob". I only meant that to make a judgment on this kids whole career mindset based on this example would be wrong.

Next-my initial comments only had to do with the Luke Holland example and not about "overplaying" in general. If Luke Holland used that as an audition for that tune-YES he's wayyyy off the mark. Beyond "overplaying" into the realm of obnoxious and more.

I completely agree that drummers (any musician) can overplay. Not sure that we can all agree as to what we would consider "overplaying" for a particular tune or not. It's already been said-to some Moon was perfect to others Moon was over-the-top. I guess some would say Ringo underplayed others would say he could have played "more".

Without definitions it's difficult to communicate right?

From my perspective there is overplaying that ruins a song, and overplaying that doesn't ruin the song but is still more than necessary to carry the tune. That is kind of where I was coming from when I mentioned Buddy Rich. NO I don't think Buddy's playing ever "ruined" a song. I do think other drummers could do the same tune justice and play less. And some drummers could conceivably play "more" and ruin the tune. This is all very subjective. Buddy himself could probably play the same tunes over/under at will and they would still sound great because of his musicality. I dig Buddy not just for his beyond-human skills but also because he commanded respect as a drummer and FOR drummers by bringing the drums to the forefront of the music. By the same token I love Jim Keltner because he put life/soul into tunes by laying back and just being a foundation for the tune.

As I think this over there is a realization that I may even be confusing "busy" playing with "overplaying"-again what's in a definition?

Lastly, at the root of what I'm getting at may not even be overplaying or busy playing-but showmanship playing. Playing with an INtention to get Attention. Maybe this is more of a problem than over/under playing? There are also the "big show" drummers who use rotating kits and flashing lights along with "girlish baton twirling" skills (man I love that description-and so glad I can't 'twirl'! lol) to "wow the crowds"...

Anyway-YEA we should all strive to "play for the tune".

But again, I've strayed wayyy off the OP and really need to go sit in under the porch...

lol...
 
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