Keith Moon

  • Thread starter tuckerduncan2002
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Bo Eder said:
The music he made with The Who. If it weren’t for the songs, we may have never heard of him.
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Agreed. But if it weren't for Moon's playing, many of us—even hardcore music fans like us, and certainly the larger population—wouldn't have heard those songs; his playing (and Entwhistle's) was absolutely integral to their success, both artistic and commercial. (Strange as it is to those of who raised on classic rock and AOR, the Who were never the sales behemoths of the Beatles or even the Rolling Stones, never having a #1 song or LP, and only a single Top 10 single—Moon's playing [and perhaps his off-stage behavior] is absolutely every bit as big a reason for the Who's fame in the 60s and 70s as Townshend's amazing songs.)
 
drummingbulldog said:
This drummer is not the guy I would want in a Who tribute band. He struggles the whole time with Moonies parts.
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I'd say that a nice word for playing it correctly would be 'Mooning your way through the setlist', but that sounds a little raunchy
 
As some of you have said, Moons drumming does not fit into normal drumming rules. The music The Who created was written with the drums in mind. Lots of drum fills are an integral part of the songs. Unlike any other music. Playing Moon style with non-Who songs sounds terrible.

One of the secrets to Moon's playing is that he was playing the melody and the guitar parts. Listen closely, most of the time his fills mirrored the melody and the guitar riffs of the song. In order to play like Keith Moon, you need to hear the song like Keith heard the song. You need to play fills that mimic Townshend's guitar playing and Daltrey's singing.

I love playing Who songs. It's totally liberating. It's drumming heaven !
 
Hollywood Jim said:
As some of you have said, Moons drumming does not fit into normal drumming rules. The music The Who created was written with the drums in mind. Lots of drum fills are an integral part of the songs. Unlike any other music. Playing Moon style with non-Who songs sounds terrible.

One of the secrets to Moon's playing is that he was playing the melody and the guitar parts. Listen closely, most of the time his fills mirrored the melody and the guitar riffs of the song. In order to play like Keith Moon, you need to hear the song like Keith heard the song. You need to play fills that mimic Townshend's guitar playing and Daltrey's singing.

I love playing Who songs. It's totally liberating. It's drumming heaven !
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I think this also applies to progressive rock/metal (which i love by the way). It's about breaking through barriers and doing things that aren't the 'established order'. But like all human things; stray too far from the main flock the flock and you'll be criticized.
 
How do i find my drummer level to see if i qualify to play Who songs in my covers band?:unsure:
 
Keith Moon is a legend because he played with a legendary band called "The Who" ? Now there is "The Guess Who" and guess what I had to look up Garry Peterson. So it must be more than just being the drummer in a successful band huh?
 
On paper, few things about The Who "work"... The drummer keeps time in the loosest sounding way, the bass player plays the roots along with everything else, the guitarist wants to be a classical musician and the singer is in a loud blues band.
That is works so well is almost kind of amazing ;)

The fact that few drummers (and bands) can replicate the method is why The Who endures, imo.
 
KamaK said:
Current youtube'er norms demand that participants quantify and rank everything. It's a societal problem that we're currently looking into a solution for.
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Give them real jobs, let them rank themselves amongst their coworkers. This crap will stop real fast. Once they realize the only thing they are good at making are lists that dont matter, they will move on. There is going to be a lot of tears, whining, and disappointment. It's good for personal growth. Now pull up your pants, comb your hair, and do something productive for once.
 
good vid, i'm kind of surprised how dead the toms sound without any muffling on them (that i could see) they fit perfect for the songs though..
 
He mastered the art of sending explosives down toilets, sometimes blowing up the piping as well! Jeez!
 
GretschedHive said:
Agreed. But if it weren't for Moon's playing, many of us—even hardcore music fans like us, and certainly the larger population—wouldn't have heard those songs; his playing (and Entwhistle's) was absolutely integral to their success, both artistic and commercial. (Strange as it is to those of who raised on classic rock and AOR, the Who were never the sales behemoths of the Beatles or even the Rolling Stones, never having a #1 song or LP, and only a single Top 10 single—Moon's playing [and perhaps his off-stage behavior] is absolutely every bit as big a reason for the Who's fame in the 60s and 70s as Townshend's amazing songs.)
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I concur that The Who as a whole package is important, but at the same time, the reason they were playing anywhere is because of the songs being written. It’s the same with every drummer: no music, no playing.
 
KamaK said:
Current youtube'er norms demand that participants quantify and rank everything. It's a societal problem that we're currently looking into a solution for.
Click to expand...
This is a problem that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time. We still label, rank, and pool people based on semantics and society does not benefit from it at all. Let me know if you manage to find a solution, because we'd like you to tackle homelessness and world peace after that.
 
From a drummers perspective, my choice of top songs would be - in no particular order:

Bargain
My wife
Overture
Who are you
Love is coming over me
Won't get fooled again
The real me
Young man blues
Water
Doctor Jimmy
Sparks
Underture
Picture of Lily
Go to the mirror

And I could list a few more great songs...
 
Moon played some great stuff with The Who. His sound & feel were fantastic on many recordings. Yes he went off the rails and very sadly lost it at some point but remember when he was good he was a brilliant and a fantastic entertainer to boot.

Underneath all the drug abuse and flamboyance he was a wonderful musician and he should be remembered as such.

I present exhibit A which in my view is breathtaking


And what he laid down in the studio here is fantastic and again serves the music so well. Not too many men could sustain that level of energy for 8 odd minutes. glorious music and performance.

 
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