I've noticed a number of threads where people bring up play two and four as if it were groovy. Maybe in comparison to multi cultural drumming, chops or in lieu of musicality, etc. It seems like to me play two and four is nothing more than marking time, am I missing something?
It's not what you play, it's how you play it.
WADR, IMO, you are missing the sizzle on the steak, the poetry from the words. Like missing the forest for the trees. Like looking at a Rembrandt and going...so what?
Marking time and feeling time....is like the difference between surviving life and enjoying life.
The devil is in the details.
My unpopular opinion....marking time is not a criminal sentence, it's what drummers do. How well a person "marks time" is directly proportional to how well a drummer feels the time.
Another analogy is drumming is like making love. A person going through the motions is not nearly as compelling as a person who is really feeling it. Same thing. It's not the what it's the how.
2 and 4 is beautiful. It's what everyone needs. It feels so good. Why is 2 and 4 vilified so much when it's a major part of our reason for being up there? Lyric based drumming is probably the most strict of all the instruments. There is a need for 2 and 4. It's the framework everything is built from. It's really vital to a song. Groove is a beautiful thing, and a predictable pulse is essential in much music. Too many drummers can't play one beat for more than 8 bars without a fill because they think they are boring. Huge pitfall. You can't groove with that mindset. Repetition...too many drummers think repetition is the bane of their existence. These drummers are not seeing the big picture IMO.
Groove is what makes women dance. Given the choice of hearing a drummer with a great irresistible dance-able groove, and hearing a drummer who doesn't deeply understand groove, but can pull off some really cool drum chops....how many women will opt for the latter? An overwhelming minority is my guess. Drummers that don't get what role the drumset plays in an ensemble situation are ineffective.
Groove is to drums is what a great story is to lyrics.
Groove is the drummers super power.