Who inspires you the most?

Swiss Matthias

Platinum Member
Pick only one drummer who's inspired you the most in the last couple of months or year.

It doesn't necessarily have to be "the best", or one you objectively find to be
the best. But the one that has the biggest impact on you, "speaks to you" and
changes your drumming and musicianship for the better!

I'm interested! :)
 
Steve Moore (the Mad Drummer), Keith Moon, Simon Phillips, Jack Bruno, "Turtle" Morgan, Hal Blaine, Stephen Perkins, Jerry Fourmy, "Papa Joe" Jones, Joe Morello, of course Krupa and Rich, and whoever the drummer was with The Music Machine back in the 60s on a song called Talk Talk.
 
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I have no idea of the drummers names that i have been listening to.. But lately i have been learning songs by a band called "lafayette afro rock band" and i love the drummers work...

P.S. i think my all time goal would be to play like Bill Ward.. but i just don't have it in me :)
 
Simon Phillips.

The fact that he has now pretty much left arena rock to concentrate on his jazz playing is inspiring. He's aging gracefully like a fine wine.

How many people in the world are a first call musician to guys like The Who as well as Hiromi? Talk about two widely different scenarios.

Yet he always sounds like Simon.

EDIT: And this guy too...

http://www.break.com/video/armless-drummer-totally-kills-this-dynamite-cover-2868722

Next time you want to complain about how bad you have it, keep quiet and remember this guy.
 
Gosh so many drummers just on Drummerworld site and forum that inspire me-then too some who have been playing five years compared to my 50 and make me look like a beginner kind of disillusion me to sale all my kits. Course it isn't really inspiration if they don't evoke some perspiration that you work on it. What good is inspiration with no perspiration-you gotta work on it.
 
Simon Phillips.

How many people in the world are a first call musician to guys like The Who as well as Hiromi? Talk about two widely different scenarios.

Yet he always sounds like Simon.
Indeed Jeff, Simon is my first call inspiration, even though I'm not a "drummer follower" kind of guy.

over the last year or so, I think I've been influenced by George Cook more than anyone. He has his own unique style of apparently simplistic playing that's so effective it's untrue. I can relate to his choices (especially what he chooses to leave out) & apply some of them to my own playing.
 
Viiiiinnnnnnnnnnyyyy.

Actually I'm more inspired by my own bandleader than I am drummers, Vinny excepted.

Vinny is as perfect as it gets for me.

Jeff Beck said...paraphrasing....no slight to any of the drummers I've worked with in the past, but for me, Vinny just hits bulls eyes all night. He can do the Cobham thing but he also has this swampy groove going on.

(It was something close to that)
 
Charlie Watts.

I can waste time dreaming about playing like Neil Peart, or I can become a better drummer by emulating the musicality of Charlie Watts.

If I were to raise the bar technically, I'd say Gene Krupa.

The real technical monsters baffle me. I might as well be listening to a huge set of drums falling down a long flight of stairs.
 
Charlie Watts.

I can waste time dreaming about playing like Neil Peart, or I can become a better drummer by emulating the musicality of Charlie Watts.

If I were to raise the bar technically, I'd say Gene Krupa.

The real technical monsters baffle me. I might as well be listening to a huge set of drums falling down a long flight of stairs.

TMe, i kinda of agree with you..but for me it would be ringo... The Technical monsters seem to lack groove and feeling (not all of them of course)
 
Stewart Copeland. He inspired me so much after watching him at a small gig, that I bought a kit the following weekend and resumed drumming after a 6 year break.
 
Currently, I'd say Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead. Garcia is my favorite guitarist too. I really enjoy that type of drumming that goes with the type of music they play. There's this sort of swinging, folky sound that existed in Rock music before all that heavy 4/4 stuff came in the late 60's. It was like old Country & Western with Blues roots, but it took on more of a shuffle type groove. I guess you can call it early Rock n Roll. You can hear it in songs like Jailhouse Rock and Dean Martin's Little old Wine drinker Me. A more modern example would be Phish's Get back on the Train. Kreutzman and Hart are just masters of this type of playing.
 
Can't pick just one

In my early years Steve White, first introduced me to tasteful/musical playing. Currently studying with him every so often these days which is cool.

Then I obsessed over Mitch Mitchell as I discovered triplets.

Recently Tony Williams and Elvin Jones. Tony for his general playing and his right hand. Elvin for his left hand/explosive playing.

Last but not least, my Uncle Tony Mann. Thanks to the power of the internet And as I find myself getting really into Jazz I can now go on iTunes and purchase a lot of his recordings from his large body of work. Something I didn't fully appreciate / have access too when I started playing, other than a couple of vinyls/cds

Could pick a few more but those above have the most impact on me.
 
Jim Gordon, a drummer to really listen to about taste.

I too have a major weakness for the drumming of the great Jim Gordon. So musical. Loved his musical choices.

Slight backpedal, another thing Jeff Beck said about Vinnie....(Apparently Jeff lets Vinny count the band in) Vinny counts off at such the perfect tempo....without a click....dead on all the time. (I'm paraphrasing, I forget his exact words. Jeff seemed really impressed at that skill)

Jeff originally wanted Pino Palladino to be the bass player, and when Pino couldn't commit, Vinnie recommended Tal. Vinnie heard a bass player rehearsing somewhere...just by ear alone he said..."Who's that?" Then when she came bopping out, they were kind of taken aback by her appearance. So Vinny bought Tal to Jeff Beck, who was like..."Who is this little girl?"...at first. Until the first note was hit of course.

All this is from a great YT Jeff Beck interview about the Ronnie Scott gigs I saw.
 
Pick only one drummer who's inspired you the most in the last couple of months or year.

It doesn't necessarily have to be "the best", or one you objectively find to be
the best. But the one that has the biggest impact on you, "speaks to you" and
changes your drumming and musicianship for the better!

I'm interested! :)

Can you guys not read?
 
-Mike Johnston, for his ability to make so many amazing drum techniques accessible to the common player - like me. I know he comes in for a lot of criticism simply because he is so popular with so many people, but the man has integrity, a great attitude, and the ability to TEACH.

-Carter Mclean, probably one of the most tasteful drummers I've ever laid ears on. I admire the way he de-emphasizes the drum solo, yet is able to blend inspiring technique into everything he plays. He's one of those rare guys who manages to utilize his technique to express deep, rootsy, groove with soul and feeling. Check him out on youtube demonstrating George Way drumsets.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Can you guys not read?

I'm afraid I cannot.

Impossible just picking one and leaving the others out would almost be an injustice, given how much they have inspired me personally.

No harm done I guess?











Keith Moon too


; )
 
Lately, and over the last few years - Pat Mastelotto. Absolutely love the projects he's involved in. From the revamped Crimson, to Stick Men, KoMaRa, TU, O.R.k. - just tons of very interesting projects. For me, it's all about the music he's involved in creating and less about what he's playing (though that's very cool too).
 
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