Influences

Ugly Man On Parade · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 7:12 pm Post subject: Influences

I have seen and read many different opinions both on this board and elsewhere about influences. Is it better to watch your favourite drummers and learn from their techniques, or is it better to develop your won independant style? Personally i think you can learn a lot from different drummers.

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609

You have it right on. I have posted this multiple times, but I will post it yet again:
"Immitate, assimilate, innovate."
-Clark Terry

In order to reach the last word, first you must listen to everyone else. I would find it hard to believe any drummer that claims they "just decided" to do one and three on the kick and two and four on the snare. From listening to them, and learning how to play what they played,you then can take that and begin to take these licks and integrate them into your regular playing. From there, you can move foreward.

It is always feasible to grow to a high level on one's own with no outside influence, but honestly, what's the point of being a purist? You can learn so much about drummming, from movement to licks, to uses of rudiments, to soloing, to groove and so on from watching and listening to them!

Max Roach grew from watching guys like Philly Joe Jones, and all the guys at Berklee, lord knows they learn from all the old guys. In sum: yes, you should develop your own sound, but do take a listen to drummers out there. They've been doing all this stuff well, so they must have been doing something right!

crowley35 · Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:35 pm Post subject: Influences

The best advice I can offer for influences and how to use them is to combine your influences into your own style. Kind of take the best elements of everyone. For example: I try to play along with some Dave Weckl Band stuff ("Swamp Thing," in this case), and I use a kind of Carter Beauford style in switching which hand is on the snare and which hand is on the hihat. This allows me to swing the groove without losing beats. I also incorporate a bit of Stewart Copeland in the use of the bell of the ride cymbal as a tool for adding accents (think The Police's "Message In A Bottle")

carrollhach · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2003 9:16 pm Post subject: Influences

I think that you should watch and listen to as many different musicians (not just drummers) that you can. And lessons are always appropriate. Copying somebody else's style is great because no matter what you do it will still be YOU playing it. Listen to Elvin Jones, John Bonham, Dave Grohl, Steve Jordan, Vinnie, Al Jackson, Dave Tough, Art Blakey, Chad Taylor Jeff Porcaro, etc all you want. Every performance can inspire us all to do greater things than we thought possible.

[This message has been edited by carrollhach (edited February 07, 2003).]