Listening to music that you can’t play well

drummingman

drummingman

Gold Member
Kind of a funny question, but do you enjoy listening to music and drumming that you find very hard to execute well? Meaning things that are technically above your skill level or even conceptually above your ability to fully understand it? Are you able to really enjoy the music and the drumming if you’re not able to emulate it accurately? Or is that a barrier for you being able to truly immerse yourself in the music as a listener?
 
For me, being able to play it well... no. Fully understand may be a stretch.... but not having a grasp of the concept at all would require effort.... but I've listened to lots of music over the years, so that doesn't really happen all the much any more. Though when I was younger - and I knew that something I was getting was supposed to be significant musically - I would make myself keep coming back to it until usually I would start to get it (or grow into it).

So enjoy - and totally immerse - don't really always have to go hand in hand. Sometimes this process of getting better requires some work - and some doing stuff that's not always that enjoyable (at least for awhile).
 
In the 80's and 90's a lot of the music I listened to most was on the ECM label, especially The Pat Metheny Group.
In my day job I played alt-rock and recorded pop music. The European style jazz was a fantastic escape from my work.
I can understand jazz music, appreciate it and understand the drumming too, but I cannot play it. The drumming in general is technically way above my personal skill set. But I love it.
If I was capable, my dream gig would have been playing with Pat Metheny, but I knew I wouldn't be able to play the music, so it never entered my head as an option.
Apart from many forms of dance music, my next listening music of choice is Eberhard Weber, Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner, Kenny Wheeler, Pat Metheny and of course Herbie Hancock and Mikes Davis.
 
I don’t discriminate either way. I love to listen to players better than me, and that goes for my main instrument bass as well, but I get just as much joy out of music I could play in my sleep, as long as it’s what I consider good.
 
At best I can play bar-band type of songs. So, in essence, almost everything I listen to (stoner rock, doom metal etc) is over my head or technical ability to pull off accurately. I'm not being paid to play, I do it for fun and as a challenge.

In my own mind, I'm awesome and that's ok with me. :)
 
Yes I do, though for me it doesn't have to be technically difficult to enjoy. It can also be something I personally can't play well like Mel Lewis's wonderful swing feel or Steve Jordan's deep groove.
 
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Lots of people listen to, and enjoy, music they can't execute themselves. In fact, I would say all non-musicians fall into that group ;)

I enjoy very complex drumming and I do work on the parts. I feel a great sense of victory when I figure it out, but I never feel bad if I just say "that's one song I'll probably never learn all the bits of". I enjoy drumming from genres I will probably never get seriously into learning. I appreciate musicality and technique. I likewise appreciate great guitar and bass playing, both of which I stand great odds of never being able to do myself.
 
drummingman said:
Kind of a funny question, but do you enjoy listening to music and drumming that you find very hard to execute well? Meaning things that are technically above your skill level or even conceptually above your ability to fully understand it? Are you able to really enjoy the music and the drumming if you’re not able to emulate it accurately? Or is that a barrier for you being able to truly immerse yourself in the music as a listener?
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Yes... I used to think Hot For Teacher was impossible for a single person to play, for years I had that notion that it was studio magic, until I tried (and succeeded at playing it) and therefore I don't see any drumming now as impossible just not possible for me yet. (as long as an actual drummer played it and not a cut an paste recording).
There are some ridiculous polyrhythms that I don't want to attempt because I don't really enjoy them, I think they are impressive but not really fun to play so I don't want to put time to learn something that I don't enjoy playing. I feel you have to be able to enjoy listening to stuff you can't play because if you didn't, you probably wouldn't listen to music at all. I like complex guitar solos too and I can't play them either, I can play super fast strumming and I can fake my way through a bad guitar solo, but to actually play like say... Randy Rhoads.. no, probably never will but I still enjoy listening to him.
Maybe if you are keen on being able to play those particular parts, you have to overcome the barriers that prevent you to do it.
The first one is understanding what the drummer is doing. This can be solved easily with a DAW. select the section, slow it way down, loop it and learn what it's happening, then use the loop to practice the part at slow speed. increase speed until you can actually play it at the original speed.
The only way I don't see this approach working is with some ridiculously fast double bass (my current nemesis) for that you can't just fake your way to speed you have to train hard to get there.
 
drummingman said:
Kind of a funny question, but do you enjoy listening to music and drumming that you find very hard to execute well? Meaning things that are technically above your skill level or even conceptually above your ability to fully understand it? Are you able to really enjoy the music and the drumming if you’re not able to emulate it accurately? Or is that a barrier for you being able to truly immerse yourself in the music as a listener?
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Interesting Thread starter. As only a low to mid Intermediate Player, at home for recreation in retirement, I can Play the standard Bar Standards (on most days!), but there are certain tunes and bands that above my Pay Grade > I still have a hard time playing (and keeping up with) "Good Lovin" by the Rascals (Dino Danelli), more than a handful of Tunes by Chicago ( and Blood Sweat & Tears too) with well skilled Jazz / Rock Drummers, and scores of other tunes. However, I still immerse myself into that music, enjoying it thoroughly. I'm a bit of an anomaly, grateful to be playing drums 1 hour a day, being a 72 yo, who resurrected playing drums after 50 Years [1969] in 2019. When I can play successfully to Petty, Mellencamp, Stones, Cars, Eagles, and More, I'm relatively happy. I did stumble upon the discovery on Amazon Music as a play along genre: Acoustic Classic Rock On Guitar. Classic Rock Tunes - with No Drums. If I can play along to these without many faults - I'm Happy.
 
I listen to songs I enjoy. Some I can play well, and some I can't. I don't even think about whether or not I can play it.

Some songs will fool you though! They can sound easy, but they aren't.
 
Yes, I will, but mostly no for a diff reason.

I don't often even listen to recorded music for pleasure. And my view on being a Jazz musician is that it seems as rewarding as being a journalist. You develop a lot of vocabulary and get little respect and recognition as compared to the input invested. "Why bother", is what I'm left with. Positively, I could do it somewhat, but would I enjoy that? Not so much.

Extreme metal drumming seems more intriguing even though there is largely no dynamic variation. I don't work at it either, but I'll look at it before Jazz just to consider and appreciate that it's a developing craft.

I'll listen to well developed alternative Talk instead.
 
@drummingman can't shouldn't be in your vocalalabriryatory.

at least do your best to understand it
not that you can actually physically have it instantly or ever.. work for you;
understand the mechanics of what it is you're hearing/ best you can..
 
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Huh?

You should be listening to all kinds of music. It really helps to know how far musicians can go in the art of expression. Heck, I dabble on piano, yet listen to Glenn Gould playing Bach all the time. I aspire to be that good even if I know it’ll never happen. Same thing with listening to Miles Davis while I can probably only get close to 30% of a 17-year-old Tony Williams.

Listening to music that’s better than you helps to push your envelope. It shows me what’s possible and sooner or later I try to push into that realm. And at the same time, there’s no question I’m absolutely NAILING “Mustang Sally”, or “Green Onions”, or even “Black Dog”. Tune your radios to other stations often! (there’s a “show your age” statement, eh?)
 
For completeness I should have pointed out that I was 7 years old when I got into The Police… didn’t understand it, couldn’t play it, bloody loved it (and still do!)…:ROFLMAO:(y)
 
PorkPieGuy said:
Some songs will fool you though! They can sound easy, but they aren't.
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I say it too much probably, but Molly Hatchett Dreams. It sounds like an easy mid-tempo exercise. It's a mid-tempo mental test of your ability to concentrate enough to master just 1 song. The up strikes with down beat strikes, the down tempo accent strike shift in the middle then a double time part.
If you can play that fluidly and accurately without mixing the parts around, then you grad to the next level.

The song has about as complex movements and phrasings like some Rush songs. Not a hand and foot technique speed thing, but it's a mental challenge.

Last year my then band at a sparce gig suggested it. The bassist negged saying it'll trainwreck with a new drummer. He negged a 2nd time. I told em to run it since I'd looked at the song a couple months before. When we finished the guitar player turned, threw his arms out open and said, "Dude! Ok, we're playing that Saturday night", at a St Judes benefit with 3 other bands. 'Oh heck no', I said. It went well for a first run, but wasn't that ready. Let's stick to American Band and Mother.

Both of those will give a drummer an opportunity to embarrass him/her self.
 
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