A mix for an aspiring drummer
October 22, 2011 10:30 AM Subscribe
Help me create a mix-CD for a ten-year-old aspiring drummer.
I know a kid who I think could use some inspiration and goals for his drum kit. I'd like to show him what's possible. His parents are classic rock fans so I'm leaning largely in that direction, but that's not an absolute restriction.
So far my thoughts are: Van Halen: Hot For Teacher (and yes, I did clear this track with his dad), Jimi Hendrix: Fire, and The Police: Next To You. I'd like to maybe include some Rush, perhaps some live Ween (I heart Claude Coleman's style), and definitely some Zeppelin, though with these I'm unsure which track I'd pick first. Suggestions please?
I know a kid who I think could use some inspiration and goals for his drum kit. I'd like to show him what's possible. His parents are classic rock fans so I'm leaning largely in that direction, but that's not an absolute restriction.
So far my thoughts are: Van Halen: Hot For Teacher (and yes, I did clear this track with his dad), Jimi Hendrix: Fire, and The Police: Next To You. I'd like to maybe include some Rush, perhaps some live Ween (I heart Claude Coleman's style), and definitely some Zeppelin, though with these I'm unsure which track I'd pick first. Suggestions please?
show them the episode of Freaks & Geeks where Nick moves in with Lindsey and geeks out with her dad about Jazz drumming.
posted by custard heart at 10:44 AM on October 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by custard heart at 10:44 AM on October 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
The live version of Rush's YYZ has an awesome drum solo.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:48 AM on October 22, 2011
posted by rmd1023 at 10:48 AM on October 22, 2011
Not classic rock, but check out Shannon Leto's drumming for 30 Seconds to Mars for "what is possible."
It's more than just keeping the beat. It's melodic and adds to the texture of the music. Particularly: Edge of the Earth; Fallen; Night of the Hunter.
(Plus many others.)
posted by The Deej at 10:53 AM on October 22, 2011
It's more than just keeping the beat. It's melodic and adds to the texture of the music. Particularly: Edge of the Earth; Fallen; Night of the Hunter.
(Plus many others.)
posted by The Deej at 10:53 AM on October 22, 2011
James Brown - The Funky Drummer (Clyde Stubblefield)
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:54 AM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:54 AM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Steve Smith is an amazing drummer if you think he might get into the fusion thing. If he ever has the chance to see Smith live, take him in a heartbeat -- it's loads of fun to watch Smith do his thing, and it would be very inspiring for a young drummer.
Here's a neat tune that gives you the idea.
posted by mikeand1 at 10:58 AM on October 22, 2011
Here's a neat tune that gives you the idea.
posted by mikeand1 at 10:58 AM on October 22, 2011
Dammit the YouTube I just posted cuts off the solo at the beginning. (Why???)
Here's a neat video though.
posted by mikeand1 at 11:02 AM on October 22, 2011
Here's a neat video though.
posted by mikeand1 at 11:02 AM on October 22, 2011
Back when I was figuring out the drums, Black Sabbath's War Pigs (Luke's Wall) hit me like a ton of dynamite. It starts out a little slow, but the rest of it could be just one long drum solo if they wanted it to be.
Listening to it now. Holy crap this is ridiculous.
posted by General Malaise at 11:11 AM on October 22, 2011
Listening to it now. Holy crap this is ridiculous.
posted by General Malaise at 11:11 AM on October 22, 2011
Two words for you Simmon Phillips and Omar Hakim.
Yes these are jazzy tunes, that should not dissuade you. As much as I love Moon (Quadrophenia is my favorite album), he doesn't seem particularly well suited as an instructional tool.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:13 AM on October 22, 2011
Yes these are jazzy tunes, that should not dissuade you. As much as I love Moon (Quadrophenia is my favorite album), he doesn't seem particularly well suited as an instructional tool.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:13 AM on October 22, 2011
Gene Krupa on Sing, Sing, Sing
Or any Gene Krupa :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:17 AM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Or any Gene Krupa :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:17 AM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Led Zep, Fool in the Rain
[Why Bonham was so great: he could swing]
posted by Bron at 11:28 AM on October 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
[Why Bonham was so great: he could swing]
posted by Bron at 11:28 AM on October 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
Anything with Bill Stephenson (Descendents, All, Black Flag).
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 12:48 PM on October 22, 2011
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 12:48 PM on October 22, 2011
Put some Tim Alexander-era Primus on there. Anything off Frizzle Fry or Sailing the Seas of Cheese.
Tommy the Cat (Bonus: Tom Waits!)
Jerry Was A Racecar Driver
Groundhog's Day (Give it a couple minutes...)
John the Fisherman (With a little Rush tease at the beginning)
posted by bondcliff at 12:49 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Tommy the Cat (Bonus: Tom Waits!)
Jerry Was A Racecar Driver
Groundhog's Day (Give it a couple minutes...)
John the Fisherman (With a little Rush tease at the beginning)
posted by bondcliff at 12:49 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Smashing Pumpkins -- anything from Siamese Dream
posted by empath at 12:50 PM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by empath at 12:50 PM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
In no particular order:
I don't know the drummer's name, but I always enjoyed Steve Miller's Fly Like an Eagle for the drumming. Not flashy, but it grooves. I largely learned to play a drumset by playing along to Book of Dreams and I'm still happy for it.
For the Police, I'd add Driven to Tears (check out the video. I just got chills watching Stewart Copeland). From Zeppelin the fill at the end of Rock and Roll still amazes me every time I hear it.
I'd also add Santana's Soul Sacrifice from Woodstock. The guy playing traps could really play and the pure energy of the whole band is fantastic.
There's a lot more you can do with drums than rock and roll, of course. Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints (the link is to one of the songs from the album) can be a good gateway album to some amazing percussion. It's the kind of thing you can listen to forever and always catch new details.
And I'd definitely second anything with Tim Herb Alexander's Primus days.
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 2:05 PM on October 22, 2011
I don't know the drummer's name, but I always enjoyed Steve Miller's Fly Like an Eagle for the drumming. Not flashy, but it grooves. I largely learned to play a drumset by playing along to Book of Dreams and I'm still happy for it.
For the Police, I'd add Driven to Tears (check out the video. I just got chills watching Stewart Copeland). From Zeppelin the fill at the end of Rock and Roll still amazes me every time I hear it.
I'd also add Santana's Soul Sacrifice from Woodstock. The guy playing traps could really play and the pure energy of the whole band is fantastic.
There's a lot more you can do with drums than rock and roll, of course. Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints (the link is to one of the songs from the album) can be a good gateway album to some amazing percussion. It's the kind of thing you can listen to forever and always catch new details.
And I'd definitely second anything with Tim Herb Alexander's Primus days.
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 2:05 PM on October 22, 2011
entertain by sleater-kinney. i think janet weiss is one of the best drummers i've ever seen, and apparently went on tour with a band just two weeks after starting on the drums. here's another video of her drumming (it's a little loud), and her in a drum battle in portland (also a little loud) with another drummer named sara lund. she joined sleater-kinney starting with their album dig me out, for reference, if you want to listen to any more of it.
posted by koroshiya at 2:42 PM on October 22, 2011
posted by koroshiya at 2:42 PM on October 22, 2011
Double Nickels on the Dime by the Minutemen has a number of great drum tracks.
Like this one.
posted by mikeand1 at 3:17 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Like this one.
posted by mikeand1 at 3:17 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
+1 for all the stuff mentioned so far.
For sheer musicianship, Neil Peart's La Villa Strangiato (with Rush) and Terry Bozzio's The Black Page (with Frank Zappa) are hard to beat. I'd also include something from Matt Cameron (Soundgarden) and Bill Bruford (King Crimson and Yes).
posted by tomwheeler at 3:30 PM on October 22, 2011
For sheer musicianship, Neil Peart's La Villa Strangiato (with Rush) and Terry Bozzio's The Black Page (with Frank Zappa) are hard to beat. I'd also include something from Matt Cameron (Soundgarden) and Bill Bruford (King Crimson and Yes).
posted by tomwheeler at 3:30 PM on October 22, 2011
> another drummer named sara lund
I was coming here to mention Unwound, which Sara was the drummer for. Valentine Card is my favorite of their songs, and has great drumming in it.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:32 PM on October 22, 2011
I was coming here to mention Unwound, which Sara was the drummer for. Valentine Card is my favorite of their songs, and has great drumming in it.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:32 PM on October 22, 2011
IAAD. IANYD. I'm going to weigh in on the studio/metal/prog side of things. It might be best to have him watch these videos so he can connect the movements to the sounds. Check out drummerworld.com to find elite drummers that suit his taste.
[Studio] Akira Jimbo utilizes both acoustic and electronic drums in his kits:
posted by troll at 5:25 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
[Studio] Akira Jimbo utilizes both acoustic and electronic drums in his kits:
- Aerobics of Alien
- Pink Dolphin Dreams
- Sonic Tapestry
- Cyber City Slicker
- James Bond & Mission Impossible Solo
- Thriller (Micheal Jackson)
- The Chicken - live on Letterman
- Untitled
- Dog Day
- Aim
- Nights in Tunesia
- Rhythmic Designs
- Rhythmic Illusions
- Displacement
- 19 Days
- Arriving Somewhere But Not Here - Porcupine Tree (with eggshaker!)
- The Sound of Muzak - Porcupine Tree
- Blackest Eyes - Porcupine Tree
- So it Ain't!
- School
- Peppered Cancer
- Cereal Mouse - Spastic Ink (composed to a scene from Charlottes Web)
- A Wild Hare - Spastic Ink (composed to scenes from Bambi)
posted by troll at 5:25 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
She Said She Said - Beatles
Tonight Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
Spoonman - Soundgarden
Three Days - Jane's Addiction
posted by John Cohen at 6:36 PM on October 22, 2011
Tonight Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
Spoonman - Soundgarden
Three Days - Jane's Addiction
posted by John Cohen at 6:36 PM on October 22, 2011
Levon Helm's ability to sing lead while drumming (and what a drummer!) always impressed me.
posted by Lorin at 6:56 PM on October 22, 2011
posted by Lorin at 6:56 PM on October 22, 2011
For the Zeppelin you def. want When the Levee Breaks
posted by Angus Jung at 9:05 PM on October 22, 2011
posted by Angus Jung at 9:05 PM on October 22, 2011
The drummer of the house is sound asleep (although I do recall off the top of my head that he emphasized the importance of "getting touch with his inner Bonzo.")
I see some very good recommendations. In order to sort them, listen for things that emphasize "groove." Drumming is the skeleton of music; the tricky stuff is fun and cool, but rhythm is paramount. Songs with a more defined cadence will be instructive for him to play, and will be a good foundation for any direction he wants to go.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:40 AM on October 23, 2011
I see some very good recommendations. In order to sort them, listen for things that emphasize "groove." Drumming is the skeleton of music; the tricky stuff is fun and cool, but rhythm is paramount. Songs with a more defined cadence will be instructive for him to play, and will be a good foundation for any direction he wants to go.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:40 AM on October 23, 2011
How about throwing some Dave Grohl on there? You could pick from Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age (Songs for the Deaf), or his metal side-project Probot. He does simple beats and hits the drums hard. Granted that most of the Foos drumming on later albums was done by Taylor Hawkins, but he's still really good too.
posted by XhaustedProphet at 3:54 AM on October 23, 2011
posted by XhaustedProphet at 3:54 AM on October 23, 2011
Nobody's suggested Dream Theatre or Dragonforce yet?
Or, for solid drumming that's humanly possible, there's always Metallica.
posted by thatdawnperson at 6:43 AM on October 23, 2011
Or, for solid drumming that's humanly possible, there's always Metallica.
posted by thatdawnperson at 6:43 AM on October 23, 2011
Battles - Atlas. The drummer is the hero of this track. This version shows it well.
posted by Sutekh at 6:43 AM on October 23, 2011
posted by Sutekh at 6:43 AM on October 23, 2011
I'll add three session players not mentioned so far:
Kenny Aronoff. Most famous as Mellencamp's guy, but he really gets around. Always serves the song, yet has a distinctive style. Rain on the Scarecrow is not a bad place to start.
Then there's Manu Katche, another well-traveled session guy with jaw-dropping skills.
And for goodness sake, no one's mentioned Steve Gadd!
posted by dust of the stars at 12:04 PM on October 24, 2011
Kenny Aronoff. Most famous as Mellencamp's guy, but he really gets around. Always serves the song, yet has a distinctive style. Rain on the Scarecrow is not a bad place to start.
Then there's Manu Katche, another well-traveled session guy with jaw-dropping skills.
And for goodness sake, no one's mentioned Steve Gadd!
posted by dust of the stars at 12:04 PM on October 24, 2011
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posted by drjimmy11 at 10:33 AM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]