Great clinician drummer, no-so-good band drummer?

Bingo! Yep, Tyler is reputed to have guided Joey, and rumored to have played some of the tracks himself. Tyler can talk the talk, and apparently Walk (This Way) the walk!

I wouldn't swear to any of it in court, but I've got some reliable sources.

Bermuda

I know someone who worked at "their" restaurant for a bunch of years and said what you said of the overall attitude, in less polite terms.
 
Very true. All things being equal, playing-wise that is, a producer or artist or band will hire the 'nice guy'. As I've said for decades, in this business, nice guys finish first.

There are a few well-known drummers who have a reputation for being difficult, and that's already part of their legacy. When you think of Ginger Baker 40+ years ago, you think Cream, Air Force, and him breaking barriers in rock music. Ask anyone today what they think, and "Beware Mr. Baker" is what you'll hear.

Why hire Ginger when he's going to be a pain in the studio? Because it's cool, and the producer gets to tell stories later. :)


Well sure, that's one kind of difficult... there's people who can't cope with lackluster cue mixes or turn into a rabid 4 year old if they ordered a ham, turkey & swiss with no onions and it comes in as ham & swiss, no turkey with onions. Some people will just pick off the onions & eat it anyway. Others might freak and bring everyone down. Bad moods are a virus in the studio.

But then there's "musically & gear difficult" which is basically a death sentence for studio work.

Whether its dealing, or not dealing with a strange kit like Mr Rockstar from my earlier post... who in reality as a guy with multiple endorsements & signature products could've easily had his own stuff there and saved everyone a lotta grief.

Some people can't cope with not having their own gear and in a studio, especially a hired gun situation you have to be open to suggestions. Producer might suggest, or outright ask to change the snare and a couple of cymbals because they aren't in key with the song... or even swap the whole kit for one that suits the aesthetic of the music.

The best cats are the ones who are thinking about the songs first and equipment second. Its like a few weeks ago I saw this video with Chad Smith cutting tracks as a hired gun, playing Paistes and a Rogers kit with 3 rack toms! Not the setup he's known for playing...

https://youtu.be/TKZW1P6mUXU

He seems genuinely stoked to be there and have drums to hit. Its not, oh I can't play because I don't have my magic widget. That's life in the studio!
 
Berklees acceptance rate is far lower than PIT. Money alone won't get someone in there. These two schools have different criteria as regards admissions.

No doubt. PIT publishes requirements, but the reality is you just need to be alive with a source of payment. lol

I remember being so happy when I "passed" the audition, only to find out later there were plenty of students who barely could hold their sticks.


I think their reputation can get ahead of them at times, but the drummer you're talking about didn't graduate... You can't judge a school by it's first year drop-outs.


Berklee is still pretty picky about who it accepts, and the audition process is still pretty rigorous, so they don't let just anyone in, regardless of money. You need to be proficient at your instrument, and it's very competitive as they only take about 100 drummers per class year.

Here's the guideline for the drumset audition:

-One prepared piece (with live accompanists, or recording)
-4/4 Swing
-3/4 Swing
-Rock
-Funk
-Shuffle
-Bossa Nova
-Samba
-Trading fours and eights in 4/4 Swing, Shuffle, and Rock grooves
-Brush technique

https://www.berklee.edu/admissions/general/drums_and_percussion.html


I'm not saying that you need to be the best to go there, certainly not the case, but you do have to be a solid drummer to make it in. Many musicians will drop out after the first year, as it's difficult, especially for performance majors (about 28% of students at Berklee).

Uh, it doesn't say you actually need to know all that.

It says "You may also be asked to play selected examples from the following list of grooves"

Maybe also implies maybe not.

I'm not saying they don't have a process, but based on what I've seen from people who went there for only a short time, their requirements are not as stringent as I thought they were.
 
I think it's a mix of personality and musical tastes.

Playing in bands is all about compromise

... especially for drummers and bassists

... more especially again (I imagine) for world class virtuoso drummers

... even more so for world class virtuoso drummers who don't like mainstream music.

It seems like a smart idea for a drummer of that ilk to make a living teaching/demonstrating, only having to play music they love and probably enjoying a more stable home life than touring with bands.


BTW hi Abe. LTN chat!
 
I think it's a mix of personality and musical tastes.

Playing in bands is all about compromise

... especially for drummers and bassists

... more especially again (I imagine) for world class virtuoso drummers

... even more so for world class virtuoso drummers who don't like mainstream music.

It seems like a smart idea for a drummer of that ilk to make a living teaching/demonstrating, only having to play music they love and probably enjoying a more stable home life than touring with bands.


BTW hi Abe. LTN chat!

allo, allo, Grea! Fascinating opinions on this thread. More importantly... howyoubin? What in Trumpsworld is LTN chat??

...
 
I think it's a mix of personality and musical tastes.

Playing in bands is all about compromise

... especially for drummers and bassists

... more especially again (I imagine) for world class virtuoso drummers

... even more so for world class virtuoso drummers who don't like mainstream music.

It seems like a smart idea for a drummer of that ilk to make a living teaching/demonstrating, only having to play music they love and probably enjoying a more stable home life than touring with bands.


BTW hi Abe. LTN chat!
Good point!
 
Band & studio work isn't about compromising, its about serving the songs.

Look at the cats with long careers in that world... Purdie, Chamberlin, Aronoff, Gadd etc

They all show up and lay it down, its simple.

I dig explosive drumming as much as anyone but in the real world your gonna be asked to play songs, not drum solos.

As a producer when I call someone in to cut tracks I don't need a drummer, I need a musician.
 
... don't need a drummer, I need a musician.

...


Thanks for putting it all in one sentence while I went on like a busted piniata !!

However, I didn't mean for the thread to be about working musicians or the size of their pay-check. It was about their notoriety or making a name for themselves mainly as technicians.

Also didn't mean for it to be about chops either. Aren't there groovy drummers who are better known for their clinics than their 'music'? Zoro? Any others?
( I could be totally wrong here, and if I am, my apologies for being ignorant )


...
 
Back
Top