Ringo's Drumming: Harder Than It Looks

Ringo is a musician who plays drums, as opposed to the guys who haven't made it out of the "I have to impress everyone with my awesomeness" stage. Musician drummers fly under the radar to the public in a large way. They don't call attention to themselves. They are inside the song, not stuck on top and all up in your face. They are the frame of the car. The guys playing with the musical drummer understand what they bring to.... and leave off of... the table. But the public generally disses the musical drummer in favor of the impressive guy, because the impressive guy is working harder and is dancing faster.

Dance monkey dance!
 
"Musician drummers fly under the radar to the public in a large way. They don't call attention to themselves. They are inside the song, not stuck on top and all up in your face."

Love this Larry. I think of trying to be the rail upon which the rest of the band rides.

I have been in places where beserk drummers fill the heck out of every space and people will say to me, knwoing I'm a drummer, how impressed they are. I just smile and nod.
 
Even if Ringo walked into the studio one day, sat down and ripped When the Levee Breaks and then moved into Achilles Last Stand, you don't think Paul would have ever let that out? Not with Paul's ego.

Ringo had to deal with 2 megalomaniacs. Sure the money made it easier, but he was rich after they released Sgt Pepper. He stayed for the music and was the big factor which kept the band together for Abbey Road and Let It Be. He was more than a drummer, he was a diplomat. And no matter his age, he still is cool, whereas, Paul has made a fool out of himself over the last 10+ years.
 
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If I ever have an afternoon free, well there's always a good long Ringo thread to read. Shall we take bets how many posts for this one?

Easy, hard, simple, or not, Ringo did his job, and did it very well.

I really cannot understand any hate or bashing of him, or any other drummer, at least on a musical level.
 
Even if Ringo walked into the studio one day, sat down and ripped When the Levee Breaks and then moved into Achilles Last Stand, you don't think Paul would have ever let that out? Not with Paul's ego.

Ringo had to deal with 2 megalomaniacs. Sure the money made it easier, but he was rich after they released Sgt Pepper. He stayed for the music and was the big factor which kept the band together for Abbey Road and Let It Be. He was more than a drummer, he was a diplomat. And no matter his age, he still is cool, whereas, Paul has made a fool out of himself over the last 10+ years.

He, really, really isn't. Something that pretty much any Scouser will attest to.
 
isolated drums part in I Feel Fine.

Cool! Wish that was around when I had to figure it out.. I used the old 'ear to the speaker' trick to figure out the kick drum pattern (which was kind of buried in the mix).

He uses cross-stick on the studio version, but used regular snare hits live.
 
I have been in places where beserk drummers fill the heck out of every space and people will say to me, knwoing I'm a drummer, how impressed they are. I just smile and nod.

I know exactly what you mean. There's nothing you can say. I honestly think that a lot of people have no concept of good music/bad music. Either that or they think that because they're impressed, you must be too and they are trying to bond lol.
 
Oh, look. Another drummer circle-jerk about Ringo. To quote Jafar's parrot companion: "I think I'm going to fall over and die from not surprise".
 
isolated drums part in I Feel Fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77H2sFdF7pM
In the live versions posted above there is a more complicated fill after the middle break than what is on this version.

Also the snare remains in cross stick mode throughout this studio cut, not saying Ringo the rock drummer couldn't do this, but its not of a/the rock drummer mindset, and more difficult to pull off, the snare cross sticks tone is consistently 'on' throughout.

I would guess a Ringo would at least go tip to head on the snare in the 2 and 4 sections. Great producing? Maybe, if the drummer is able. A drummer versed/comfortable with latin style beats would remain cross stick throughout... as it went on that recording.

I can understanding Ringo not playing cross stick in the live examples, but also notice in the live examples the rhumba'd tom accents Ringo plays are consistently two simple sixteenth notes throughout, whereas on this recorded version there's some attempted one handed ruffs going on via a tight tom head.

Snare ruff accents appear to be attempted on the end of phrases @ :57 and 1:53, again more difficult in cross stick mode.
 
If you take the black and white picture of Ringo in this thread, and I believe its the same gig, there is youtube footage of this. Ringo is by far the best musician on the stage. The pic is of him singing one of his showcase songs. They just stuck a straight mic stand in front of him and off he went. Despite it being between his snare and hi hat he never missed a beat. Cymbal stands rocking, no monitors, kit moving around like its on ice. A true pro.

You try playing without monitors, with a crowd screaming so loud you cant even hear another instrument around you. As I say a true pro.

Also, why would he need to change the way he plays over the years? Millions of people love the way he plays, its his signature. You seriously expect him to buy a double bass pedal or start playing Grunge, These guys invented almost every style of pop/rock during 7 short years, give him a break.
 
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Cop out, drop out, or just not into it?

If you're a drummer, you play. If you're a drummer, you want to play, that's what you do.

Ringo would be the first example of a famous drummer playing great, complex grooves for 8 years, then just coasting on his bank account for another 50 years. Does that make drumming sense?

Some hidden health issue? Some reason he doesn't want to play cool stuff anymore?

Do the Eagles, who are on their third post breakup tour, playing any cool stuff or just riding their bank accounts. They all do it. Davy Jones of the Monkees, until his recent death played the world on old Monkee tunes. Audiences want to hear the old stuff because most of the current stuff is trash.
 
What 'is' the origin of the whole 'Ringo not being such a great a drummer' anyways

People like his style. It sounds great and seems do-able. Like Charlie and Phil Rudd, he shows that it's possible to make the music sound great without being "amazing". A lot of players who also fail to be "amazing" find that inspiring - it makes us want to play.

So we love 'em.

For a while ... until we start hating them because it's harder than it looks. The nuances make all the difference. Then we listen back to those nuances and think HTF did they do it like that??

Then we go on drum forums and say what great drummers they are. This annoys people who haven't spent time trying to get some of Ringo's more awkward drum parts right.
 
...why would he need to change the way he plays over the years? Millions of people love the way he plays, its his signature. You seriously expect him to buy a double bass pedal or start playing Grunge, These guys invented almost every style of pop/rock during 7 short years, give him a break.

Not buy a double bass, but per the ' I Feel Fine' studio example above, nowhere live does Ringo play a mambo type groove with that adeptness post 1965, he never shows chops like that again is my point.

Show me any live example of Ringo playing a mambo type grove with a cross stick snare... none.

Further listening of the studio track reveals the right hand cascara pattern is never duplicated live with the same proficiency. Latin grooves are driven by the cascara pattern, its played tight, on the beat, Ringo's live examples are not there, they're behind the beat and simple'd out like a rock drummer would play them.

So the reality is if one can do it in the studio, there's no reason (at least) some of the same would be done/shown live, and Im not talking about leaving out a few beats, Im talking about proficiency. Don Henley plays live with the same proficiency he does in the studio, weather or not its the exact same parts doesn't matter.

On the 'I Feel Fine' studio example, Ringo never again shows the same level of proficiency. That IFF studio vid BTW is titled 'The Beatles - I Feel Fine isolated drum track, drums only', there's no mention of Ringo.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAS1R2umcpk
In the live versions posted above there is a more complicated fill after the middle break than what is on this version.


Hmmmm, I don't hear that fill being 'more' complicated, I do hear it more behind the beat, unlike the studio version, and I also hear everything else about the live examples being crap compared to the studio cut, like its a different drummer.

The studio cut sounds like some experienced drummer came in and said "Hey man, that's a mambo feel!" and then proceeds to overdub it like someone versed in latin grooves, i.e. with a cross stick and a tumbao patterned kick... and not just a bullshit attempt, the stuff is on, way more on than I believe a 1965 Ringo could play it.

If you listen to other 1965 period outtakes of the Beatles in the studio its clear the drumming is lagging, not on it, they're even adding tambourines to tighten up the groove. I could see a producer suggesting the need for tighter drum tracks, Ringo clearly is not on it. They couldn't digitally adjust tempos back then, they would bring in a drummer who could overdub.

So when I hear a Don Henely, or a Jim Keltner, or a Vinnie Coluita, I hear the same, or even a heightened level of proficiency in their playing now as I did years ago. When I listen to the IFF studio track and other 65' Ringo playing examples the levels of proficiency don't jive between the two.
 
No....all the same drummer....Ringo.I've listened to stuff I did years ago,and sometimes,I played it on the beat,sometimes a little behind.Kind of like most drummers I hear.Listen to most live Police cuts,and Copeland is pushing it so much,that he gets ahead of it it sometimes.

Run this past Rich Pagano,Mike Portnoy,Greg Bissonette,Alex Van Halen,Jim Keltner and thousands of other guys,and they'll just shake their heads,because they know Ringo's the real deal.

Steve B
 
Cop out, drop out, or just not into it?

If you're a drummer, you play. If you're a drummer, you want to play, that's what you do.

Ringo would be the first example of a famous drummer playing great, complex grooves for 8 years, then just coasting on his bank account for another 50 years. Does that make drumming sense?

Some hidden health issue? Some reason he doesn't want to play cool stuff anymore?

I imagine once you've been the drummer in the most iconic/historically significant and successful rock band in history, there probably isn't much motivation to then go do studio work. Ringo accomplished more with drums than most people dream about, so I'd suspect he felt doing anything else with drums would probably would feel like going backwards.

I imagine there was far more pressure and motivation to step out from behind the kit and out from behind the shadow of John, Paul and George as a singer and front man. Which is what he initially did, releasing a handful of successful solo albums in the early 70's, and continuing to release solos albums here and there over the years.

And then he was record producer for a bit in the 70's.

And then he's directed, acted and done voice overs in film and television.

And since the late 80's, continue to present day, he's lead the Ringo All Star band with touring every year.

So, with all that, why should he feel motivated to play on records?

Don Henley played drums on the best selling album of all time (Eagles Greatest Hits) but really has barely touched the drums since. None one really questions why he doesn't drum more.
 
A little OT.Henley did a MD interview years ago,and said he really dosen't consider himself a drummer.He also states now a days,he considers himself a songwriter and recording artist.No mention of drums,as I don't think he really never had a love for the instrument.......but Ringo still does.

Steve B
 
People like his style. It sounds great and seems do-able. Like Charlie and Phil Rudd, he shows that it's possible to make the music sound great without being "amazing". A lot of players who also fail to be "amazing" find that inspiring - it makes us want to play.

So we love 'em.

For a while ... until we start hating them because it's harder than it looks. The nuances make all the difference. Then we listen back to those nuances and think HTF did they do it like that??

Then we go on drum forums and say what great drummers they are. This annoys people who haven't spent time trying to get some of Ringo's more awkward drum parts right.

So true Grea, Ringo, Phil or Charlie seems to have a very "simplistic" approach to drum parts and always seemed very do-able for the majority of us drummers... until we actually try for ourselves, it's not a question of technical merit as such, most of us can replicate the technical side of their drumming, what's much more difficult is to get is the feel and pulse right when we cover these drummers, especially Ringo and Phil, it's much harder than it looks (sounds) to make it authentic, that's when you realise there is more going on than meets the eye (ear).

How many a time I heard that AC/DC songs are perfect for beginners... well, I'm not so sure about that, it takes a little something to make it happen like Phil does, I know I can't do it...

They're brilliant drummers :)
 
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