Chad Smith - Without doubt, one of my biggest inspirations as a drummer. For me, Chad has a unique and instantly recognisable style; he’s a powerhouse, yet so dynamic and expressive at the same time. His parts take us on a journey and, in my opinion, Chili Peppers’ songs wouldn’t hit nearly as hard if it wasn’t for this man’s contributions. This is a recent clip of Chad playing a song he’s never heard before on Drumeo and absolutely nailing it. I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear throughout!
Stewart Copeland - This is an example of a proper fusion drummer incorporating so many musical styles into his playing; rock, pop, punk, jazz, reggae - you name it. I love listening to The Police; not only are they great tunes, but his drum parts are always exciting and inspiring to listen to. He plays with so much creativity and energy, yet also precision. Here’s a clip of them performing “Message in a Bottle”
Carter Beauford - This man is a magician. If I were to attempt playing like Carter, I would be immediately accused of overplaying and receive a lot of raised eyebrows. Not only does this guy get away with it, but his creative freedom adds so much flavour and is a joy to listen to. Here’s a clip of him playing a Dave Matthews’ tune in the studio. I could watch him all day; he makes everything look SO easy:
Ringo Starr - Don’t buy all of this ‘not the best drummer in The Beatles’ nonsense. Not once have I listened to a Beatles track and thought that something doesn’t sound quite right with the drums. All of his arrangements perfectly match the song and groove big time. In my opinion, it’s a big part of why so many Beatles tracks are so catchy and successful. Here’s a great compilation of him playing some of the hits from back in the day
Dave Grohl - Let’s be honest, he’s a rock legend, but also, WHAT a drummer. Although his parts don’t particularly push the technical boundaries and tend to feature pretty standard rock grooves and fills, his execution is absolutely impeccable. There’s no one I would prefer to play me a 16th-note rock fill than this guy. The clip below is a perfect illustration of what he’s all about and really blew me away when I first saw it
Your message
John’s Heroes
Viola Smith One of the first professional female drummers! She truly did pave the way for female musicians as a whole and not just drummers, Literally known as the ‘Fastest girl drummer in the world’ She still played occasionally with bands at a whopping 107 years old and her dynamics were still in a league of their own. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a drummer with as much control as her, I only found out about her in the last couple of years but the influence she has had on me as a player/performer is unmatched. I only wish I’d heard of her sooner!
Karen Carpenter has to be up there with the greats! Don’t think I’ve ever seen a drummer with as much stage presence as her. She’s Definitely one of my biggest inspirations, her dedication to her craft and her love for it is so clear whenever she gets behind a kit, she’s the epitome of “playing for the song” without sacrificing an ounce of talent!
Gene Krupa was one of THE most influential drummers in the history of music and it’s clear to see why. An absolute maniac behind the kit and is considered to be “the founding father of modern drum set playing” for good reason! His stamina is off the charts without losing any technique what so ever, I can only hope to be even half as skilled rhythmically as he is.
Dorothia Taylor is Quite Literally “The Godmother Of Drumming” her technique and rudiments are absolutely flawless! She’s the most unsuspecting rock/punk/metal drummer I’ve ever seen but she absolutely dominates each and every genre she plays!
Philip Selway I love his ability to mix complex drum parts with electro percussion so effortlessly. He manages to make every groove he plays sound deceptively simple, which I feel is a huge part of the Radiohead vibe. I’ve seen him be referred to as a “Rhythmic Magician” by Off Beat and I think that’s the perfect way to describe his style. 15 Step is a great example of what I think is the perfect mix of this:
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Vinnie Colaiuta With a discography 32 pages long, this guy really has done it all! One of the most recorded drummers in history, Vinnie’s playing can be tasteful, in-your-face, gentle and mind-boggling. His authentic breadth, from Joni Mitchell to Megadeth, still amazes me. Some of my favourites are Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Talesand Jeff Beck’s Live At Ronnie Scott’s. I got to see him with Jeff in 2018 and I can still remember the whole theatre nodding their heads along in time with his groove.
Jo Jo Mayer I first came across Jojo on his DVDs, Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer (parts 1 and 2). Although these focused on technique, his phrasing and dynamics blew me away. Jojo became known as a ‘technique guy’, helping to popularise the ‘Moeller technique’, but his use of technique to solve creative problems fascinated me. One of the first to ‘reverse engineer’ electronic music back to acoustic instruments, his band Nerve also humanised the style with improvisation which he continues with explore in Me/Machine with AI.
Neil Peart Rush were one of the first bands I obsessed with. His melodic style, mirrored in his lyrics (and his books!), complemented the music in such a unique way. Rush were pioneers in the progressive rock genre, it’s no wonder he appears on many drummers’ lists of influences, including Danny Carey, Taylor Hawkins, Lars Ulrich and Chad Smith. His solos during shows were some of the most creatively detailed displays I’ve ever seen, using electric xylophone and other drums to create full compositions. As well as all that, he also produced the Burning for Buddy project, a tribute to Buddy Rich involving himself and other legendary drummers.
Tomas Haake Meshuggah are one of most rhythmically interesting bands out there. Formed in 1987, Tomas has been central to creating their style of complex guitar rhythms with backbeats that you can nod your head to. Like other drummers on this list, he does way more than just keep the time, often using his snare and bass drum to mirror what the guitars are doing. For someone who claims they don’t play much between tours, his speed, precision and power are really something to behold. My favourite ‘shuggah albums are Koloss and Alive.
Steve Judd I was hooked on Karnivool in my mid-teens and still here new levels of detail to their music when I revisit it. The way Steve blends with the band is unlike any drummer in the prog rock genre. Using polyrhythms (rhythms that resolve in different places across time) around his kit to create huge percussive feels, or just grooving it out on the hi-hat, he can go to so many interesting places with his playing. I recon if you don’t think ‘wow I would never have thought of that’ when you hear this guy, you’re not really listening. Karnivool’s Sound Awake is a masterpiece.
Twenty Five Drummers
Everyone Should Know About!
It constantly surprises us and maybe it shouldn’t, that when you ask many of our students, “Who is your favourite drummer?” - they don’t have one. Worse still, they don’t know any! It was just natural for all of us to find out who the drummers were on our favourite tunes and who played for our favourite bands. After all - if you support a team - you know the players, and you have favourites, right? Not only that, you know all the players in the teams you don’t support! So what’s going on? We felt we needed to start to remedy that with a page of suggestions from the faculty. So here are five drummers from each of us - with little history and a link to watch them in action:
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Pete’s Heroes
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Dommy’s Heroes
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Harry’s Heroes
Matt Garstka If you’ve never heard of this beast before, take a look into him. He plays in progressive metal band called Animals as Leaders and it’s not for the faint hearted. He uses a variety of gospel chops and fusion grooves to create some utter bonkers tunes. He plays very unorthodox and plays with incredible flow, which I admire a lot.
Danny Carey is another one of these drummers who is just a massive legend in the drumming community(quite literally!). When I first took a listen to Lateralus by TOOL, I was confused more than anything. He plays the drums so percussively and with much finess it’s like watching a wave. He’s a no joke hard core guy as he used to practise hand rudiments with his feet!
Mario Duplantier This guy is completely jaw dropping. He incorporates jazz fills and polyrhythmic playing into his parts in his band Gojira. But when most songs become more melodic than heavy chugging. He’s one of these drummers if you watch him, his energy will pass to you!
Scott Rockenfield From the band “Queensryche” . The rock band isn’t the type to play hard and intricate stuff. But Scott knows what to pay to fit the piece. He throws in simple but effective hi hat licks that are so nice. He keeps the band tight and locked in and he plays things really tight. I believe he is one of the best, but surprisingly not many people have heard of him.
Dan Foord and his band Sikth I believe were the band that really formed progressive music into what it is today. With their effects and melodies to its fast heavy beats, they are definitely worth a look into. I work closely with Dan at my college, and get the opportunity to see him play a lot. As I looked more into his music and had college drum lessons with him, I’ve been able to play polyrhythms that I didn’t even know I could play.
Liam’s Heroes
Buddy Rich Born in Brooklyn, Buddy Rich was on stage by the age of 3, alongside his parents who were a Vaudeville act. He was in on the very birth of the Drum Kit in the format that we know now, and was part of a grand parade of truly great players who refused to just stay at the back of the stage and play time. Together with Gene Krupa (see Dommy’s heroes below), Philly Jo Jones, and Louis Bellson et al, he was in the first vanguard of players who became true heroes to generations of drummers in following decades. This clip is special to me, not just because the playing is phenomenal, but because just an hour before this was filmed I shook the man’s hand.
Omar Hakim Few people outside musician’s circles will know his name but plenty will have heard him. He plays on such legendary Pop tracks as Let’s Dance, Money For Nothing, and Get Lucky - to name but a few. His playing spans genres and defies pigeon-holing : Kate Bush, Chaka Khan, Bruce Hornsby, Weather Report, George Benson, the list goes on and on. He first came to my attention on Sting’s first solo Album and here is a drum break from the tour that followed - so legendary is it that it’s just referred to as “that solo” .
Phil Collins So before you roll your eyes, just let me tell you what Phil means to me. Most people know him for “that song”, but WAY before this he was a drummer first and foremost. He was the first drummer that I discovered purely for myself, and where I found that not all music is 4 beats in the bar. I entered through the Genesis live album, Seconds Out and was hooked. By that time Prog Rock as it’s called, was apparently on the wane. I couldn’t get enough, and Phil became a treasure trove of ideas. His solo stuff followed proving he had great groove and was able to make simple ideas work too. However the scorn from the (UK) press only increased. Just shows what critics know! This clip is just a tiny glimpse into the world of Phil and his sidekick Chester Thompson in action, so two for the price of one!
Manu Katche- I discovered Manu’s playing on Peter Gabriel’s So Album. Yes, he’s the man behind Sledgehammer! He’s gone on to play drums for Sting, Tears for Fears, Tori Amos, Dire Straits, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell , the Bee Gees . . . the list goes on. He plays kit more like a set of percussion, and invents grooves like no other drummer, and man does he know how to use a splash cymbal! This clip has a couple of examples of just that!
Jeff Porcaro - has to be here. He died tragically young at 38, and left a big hole in the drumming world. Famous for the band that he formed at school with his brothers, Toto - those grooves in Africa, Georgy Porgy and of course Rosanna speak for themselves. However he also played (often along with his band mates) for Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, Randy Crawford, Paul McCartney, George Benson - and literally dozens more. He had a way of making anyone he played for sound better, and such was the greater tragedy that he didn’t stay around longer. He also is the man who Pearl made the first drum rack for - which nearly everyone copied at one point. Here he is with is mates, doing what he did best.
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