.....my teacher was asking me what kind of music i'd been listening to. I guess he was trying to figure out styles i was into so that he could pick a song for me to learn. i say 'i've been listening to queens of the stone age a ton' and he rolls his eyes and doesn't say a damn thing. then he completely changes the subject. as if to say 'i can't believe you listen to grohl he's so lowbrow'........wtf?
hey dudes what the hell is up with this grohl thing?
- Thread starter monster
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Whoopysnorp
New member
Find a different teacher. If you and your teacher are that far apart in terms of what you dig, not much will come of the relationship. Find somebody who likes to rock.
For the record, I think Grohl rocks, even if he is basically just a pounder.
For the record, I think Grohl rocks, even if he is basically just a pounder.
there it is! rimshot, i like you dude (from your posts) but that's exactly the elitist drummer bullshit I'm talkin about. I'm 6 mo. into playing! want me to try portnoy? I think he should have encouraged me to mimic grohl (and at the same time learn rudiments. And if you noticed, I didn't mention grohl as a great drummer in this post I just mention I liked the band! just like i did to my teacher. My intention to him was just to let him know what kind of music I was listening to- NOT who I thought was a great drummer! I think that just like learning anything, motivation is the key. If grohl motivates me, so be it. Maybe later I will get into some major and cool drummer and it could have been somebody as "pathetic" as grohl who helped motivate me get there!
Rimshot
New member
Okay, monster. Your point is taken. I am responding to the attitude directed at jazz musicians and jazz listeners being "efitist pencil necked geeks". In todays music world, there is "more COOL" in an ounce of jazz than in a ton of of pop/rock, punk, hip hop that is dominating the airwaves. The kind of "yuppie" jazz that is played on the "easy listening jazz stations"is the bane of most jazz musicians and listeners.
There are hundreds, even thousands of GREAT drummers out there working today, and all the press seem to go to really mediocr drummers that just happen to be in popular groups. That is what I was reacting to.
Being a drummer in one of today's
pop/rock groups must be horribly boring creatively. Just holding a 4/4 ride all the way through with no signature shifts, very few rise and falls and that constant downbeat. It must be like playing in a wedding and Bar Mitzvah band all the time. You get rich....but what are you doing?
I'm sorry about my tone. You are not the only one that gets frustrated you know. I occassionally get calls to play that kind of music in sessions.
There's no challenge to it.
There are hundreds, even thousands of GREAT drummers out there working today, and all the press seem to go to really mediocr drummers that just happen to be in popular groups. That is what I was reacting to.
Being a drummer in one of today's
pop/rock groups must be horribly boring creatively. Just holding a 4/4 ride all the way through with no signature shifts, very few rise and falls and that constant downbeat. It must be like playing in a wedding and Bar Mitzvah band all the time. You get rich....but what are you doing?
I'm sorry about my tone. You are not the only one that gets frustrated you know. I occassionally get calls to play that kind of music in sessions.
There's no challenge to it.
I'm surprised there are so many Grohl bashers here. IMHO Grohl's got a great and distinctive sound, and while the parts that he plays on Songs for the Deaf may not be blazing in odd-time signatures, they are often layered and more subtle than at first listen, and are always great for the song.
rushfan33
New member
I think Grohl is a great MUSICIAN! He's not a super awesome drummer but he plays tight and appropriately! I can see both sides of this coin and I agree that if your teacher is not open minded enough to learn about your likes and needs, 86 the mofo! I took lessons for about a year when I first started 20 years ago. I hated being told what and how to play. Since a music teacher is usually a one on one session, the teacher should find YOUR strengths and build on THEM. Not teach you his or her technique and shove it down your throat!
You're so very right! If you tell a teacher that you've been listening to Queens of the Stone Age, he should not simply assume that Ghrol is your influence. A more thorough line of questioning should follow that conversation.
It chaps my hide a little that the question of what drummers you've been listening to even came up. It's as if his entire approach to teaching is to teach all his students how to play like someone else. To me Neil Peart is the drum God of all time, but I would never push that on someone. Especially a student!
You're so very right! If you tell a teacher that you've been listening to Queens of the Stone Age, he should not simply assume that Ghrol is your influence. A more thorough line of questioning should follow that conversation.
It chaps my hide a little that the question of what drummers you've been listening to even came up. It's as if his entire approach to teaching is to teach all his students how to play like someone else. To me Neil Peart is the drum God of all time, but I would never push that on someone. Especially a student!
Rimshot
New member
rushfan,
Neill Peart is a good example of someone that I would consider a great drummer. He doesn't just "keep the beat" and wait for an opening to "wow and amaze" impressionable newbies with shredder fills and then go right back to playing the same repetative beat. He is thinking all the way through and adding voices and accents that augment the music,soetimes drive the music and sometimes just sit back. Fortunately for him, the kind of music that Rush plays isn't redundant and has many shifts. I also admire him that even when he was at the top of his game, he decided to stop and re-invent himself and went and studied with another master, just because he cared that much about being musician.
There are many other wonderful drummers out there in that league. Some of them are playing
in groups that may not be playing
the "most popular" type of music, but damned if they aren't wonderful musicians. One that comes immediately to mind is Steve Gadd. He is another "drumming god" that sometimes plays very undersated but with the kind of insight and control that shows his absolute mastery.
There are probably more great drummers out there working today
than there have been anytime in the past.
Neill Peart is a good example of someone that I would consider a great drummer. He doesn't just "keep the beat" and wait for an opening to "wow and amaze" impressionable newbies with shredder fills and then go right back to playing the same repetative beat. He is thinking all the way through and adding voices and accents that augment the music,soetimes drive the music and sometimes just sit back. Fortunately for him, the kind of music that Rush plays isn't redundant and has many shifts. I also admire him that even when he was at the top of his game, he decided to stop and re-invent himself and went and studied with another master, just because he cared that much about being musician.
There are many other wonderful drummers out there in that league. Some of them are playing
in groups that may not be playing
the "most popular" type of music, but damned if they aren't wonderful musicians. One that comes immediately to mind is Steve Gadd. He is another "drumming god" that sometimes plays very undersated but with the kind of insight and control that shows his absolute mastery.
There are probably more great drummers out there working today
than there have been anytime in the past.
theletterq
New member
Drum teachers aren't what I would call "necessary". If you want to learn rudiments, etc get a copy of Stick Control and get to work. If you want to play rock music put on the headphones and practice, practice, practice. Drums are one of those instruments where there are no quick substitutes. You HAVE to practice for hours upon hours. As far as I'm concerned, kids sitting in their bedrooms bashing away to rock music is the foundation of this Nation!
. Let me tell you, Everlong is a great way for a kid using Dave Grohl's "bad" drumming (which I disagree with) to learn a lot.
TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
Rimshot said:
If you want challenge and creativity then learn another instrument. It's next to impossible to find a good rock/blues drummer because all the good drummers want to be 'artists'.
Drums and bass are support instruments. Nobody but other drummers buys a CD because of the drummer.
A truly good drummer does what is best for the song. Most 'jazz' drummers are just selfish wankers who can't play to a click. If I come across another drummer who's too good to play a straight groove without a fuckin fill every 2 beats I'm going to brain him with a mic stand.
Rimshot
New member
TexRoadkill said:If you want challenge and creativity then learn another instrument. It's next to impossible to find a good rock/blues drummer because all the good drummers want to be 'artists'.
Drums and bass are support instruments. Nobody but other drummers buys a CD because of the drummer.
A truly good drummer does what is best for the song. Most 'jazz' drummers are just selfish wankers who can't play to a click. If I come across another drummer who's too good to play a straight groove without a fuckin fill every 2 beats I'm going to brain him with a mic stand.
And then there are the "Diva" melodic instrumentalists that just want to hog all of the limelight "jerking off" their guitars. They really don't like drums or drummers and would be perfectly happy with a loop, or a pathetic drummer that plays like one. They can only conceive of linear time, circular time is beyond them. THEY, you see are the "true" musicians. Drummers are mere "apes" that should be grateful just to hang out with the "real" musicians. So, you're upset that some little drummer wanted to be an "artist" and stepped on one of your "brilliant blues licks" (because after all, the music IS all about YOU!).
Those of you that haven't been around that long, please take note of this. This is the kind of "dickhead" attitude that you will come accross all too often. Someone that doesn't consider you a musician, doesn't want to play together with other musicians, just wants them to accompany him, and would be perfectly happy wih a loud clock
instead of a drummer.
And, I'm not sorry about the tone of this. I think I've exhibited great restraint!
TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
Rimshot said:
Exactly. Any single musician who places themself above the song is a wanker. That's why if I was putting together a group to do some straight rock music I would take Dave Grohl over Neil Pert anyday.
Rimshot
New member
TexRoadkill said:
Fair enough. You obviously don't really like drums and only use them to set the clave. I probably wouldn't like your music, different strokes for different folks.
Good news for you: there are just hundreds of thousands of drummers like Grohl out there, and very, very few like Neill Peart, so take your pick.
