FEMALE DRUMMERS: YOUR FAVES & WHY?

NickSchles

Junior Member
I love the fact that drumming community is inclusive and supportive, and that it really doesn't matter whether you're a boy / girl / non-binary... If you got groove, you got groove. Simple!

Some of my favourite female drummers include:
  • Anika Nilles - I like her creativity behind the kit. She's a powerhouse, and a great composer! She's got insane chops and is very innovative.
  • Cindy Blackman - I love Cindy's groove. To me, she's about great feel and can blaze on the kit too. She's a monster drummer!
  • Elise Trouw - I really like her musicianship, using loops to create fantastic music. She's got a great voice to match, and a great vibe to her playing.
Who are yours? :)
 
The first girl drummer I saw on screen was Irlene Mandrell as my dad watched their variety show on TV. Other than pictures of Karen Carpenter, I hadn't really seen any girls behind the kit.

Debbie Peterson of the Bangles was huge for me. Met her once in the late 80's at a radio station remote in Philly & she was really nice. Very supportive for young drummers like me who was just getting started.

Roxy Petrucci of Vixen was a big crush for a teenage me. Loved her mototcycle drum kit used on the video for How Much Love such an eye opener.

Fast forward to the early 2000's & I saw Mercedes Lander of Kittie. Blew me away. :love:
 
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I love the fact that drumming community is inclusive and supportive, and that it really doesn't matter whether you're a boy / girl / non-binary... If you got groove, you got groove. Simple!

Some of my favourite female drummers include:
  • Anika Nilles - I like her creativity behind the kit. She's a powerhouse, and a great composer! She's got insane chops and is very innovative.
  • Cindy Blackman - I love Cindy's groove. To me, she's about great feel and can blaze on the kit too. She's a monster drummer!
  • Elise Trouw - I really like her musicianship, using loops to create fantastic music. She's got a great voice to match, and a great vibe to her playing.
Who are yours? :)
I like Elise Trouw, too.
Amazing multi-instrumental artist.

I also enjoy the Brooke C videos

However, the main reason I'm posting here is alert anyone who's unaware of her to check out Sylvia Cuenca.
First call NY Jazz drummer. Superb talent. Check her out...
 
Sheila E was one of the first drummers I saw live, period, and I was blown away from her. Even from my modern, more educated perspective, she still has amazing chops. So love her.

My absolute favorite female drummer, and just favorite drummer period that has come up in the 21st century, is Emmanuelle Caplett. She's amazing.

Annika is good but I just don't care for her style all that much. Plus I don't care for her cymbal or drum sound at all.

Other female drummers I've discovered quite recently that I really like are Sarah Thawyer (best drum face in the business!) and Heather Thomas (who is one of the best singing drummers I've ever seen, she can play complex metric modulation crap while singing lead vocals.....really impressive).
 
My absolute favorite female drummer, and just favorite drummer period that has come up in the 21st century, is Emmanuelle Caplett. She's amazing.
+1
 
Senri Kawaguchi is SO FAR Beyond me. Wow, what a player


I also am highly impressed with Sarah Thawer, Annika Nilles is definitely one of my favorite drummers in general right now. Effortless groovy talent.

Nikki Glaspie GOES OFF! I also like Brooke C's playing. I like her TOOL covers! Man, that's a lot of time signature madness to get correct.

Oh, and the Pocket Queen! Fun, groovy music. Doesn't go out of her way to show off, very solid playing.
 
Watched some Go-Gos videos recently--I've been meaning to watch the documentary but haven't yet--and while I remember thinking back in the day that Gina Schock was really tasteful, I'd never noticed before just how good her feel is, how perfect her fills are and, most of all, what a sledgehammer for a left she's got going on the snare. She's really bringing the power!
 
Chrissy Lee, extremely talented jazz drummer from the UK and from well before female drummers were even really a thing.
 
I love the fact that drumming community is inclusive and supportive, and that it really doesn't matter whether you're a boy / girl / non-binary... If you got groove, you got groove. Simple!

Some of my favourite female drummers include:
  • Anika Nilles - I like her creativity behind the kit. She's a powerhouse, and a great composer! She's got insane chops and is very innovative.
  • Cindy Blackman - I love Cindy's groove. To me, she's about great feel and can blaze on the kit too. She's a monster drummer!
  • Elise Trouw - I really like her musicianship, using loops to create fantastic music. She's got a great voice to match, and a great vibe to her playing.
Who are yours? :)
Currently Tarn Softwhip (she is a drummer from Thailand and she hits hard and is very precise. fun to watch.
 
Senri Kawaguchi is SO FAR Beyond me. Wow, what a player


I also am highly impressed with Sarah Thawer, Annika Nilles is definitely one of my favorite drummers in general right now. Effortless groovy talent.

Nikki Glaspie GOES OFF! I also like Brooke C's playing. I like her TOOL covers! Man, that's a lot of time signature madness to get correct.

Oh, and the Pocket Queen! Fun, groovy music. Doesn't go out of her way to show off, very solid playing.
The thing with Senri for me at least, is that I can play what she plays no problem, but to me it just sounds like a bunch of random fills with no purpose. same for Annika and I don't know about Sarah, but I rather have a drummer that grooves than one that just tries complex patterns for the sake of using them and not because they actually help the music.
 
Hillery Jones.
 
Karen Carpenter
- my dad had me playing along to early Carpenters stuff as a real young [4-5 years old] kid; she was always smiling

Sandy West - The Runaways
- one of my first "wow, this stuff is mean and angsty" exposures to punky stuff; friends older brother would play them while skateboarding/riding BMX bikes in the late 70's

Cindy Blackmon
- she kicked my ass with Lenny Kravitz back in the 90's; mean, mean, sick, phat beats

Evelyn Glennie
- saw her in clinic at PASIC a few times, and came across her via her marimba playing;

Amy Farina - The Evens
- I LOVE her simple, rootsy, loose interp; got to meet her after The Evens played an art gallery here in town, and she was sooo fun to talk to: I asked her bout her drumming, and she lit up:" wow. Thank you. No one ever asks me about my drumming..." was her reply. Then we talked for a good hour or so

Pitchu Ferraz - Nervosa
- she played so ferocious and fast in what I think is one of the best thrash bands to come out of t he past 15 years; eyes closed, I though it was a young Dave Lombardo

Annika Nilles
- first exposure to her was her video for the Phil Fill song "Electrify Me"...so solid; i was in love with her bass foot technique
 
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