How do you tell if someone is a 'bad' drummer?

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

I've read more than once that Patrick Carney from The Black Keys is a crappy drummer. I listen to the songs and he seems OK to me.

But I'm no musician, so what makes someone a bad drummer?

[Cranjis McBasketball]

What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians?

The drummer!

[cabbageboy]

If the guy actively drags down a song or album with his noticeably bad drumming. I'd say Chad Channing was a lousy drummer that was dragging down Nirvana. Listen to Bleach and you'll realize it. Dave Grohl joined up a year or so later and they skyrocketed.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

well the obvious one is tightness. if dude can't keep a steady beat and is always out of time he's a pretty lousy drummer.

[Deleted]

[The Unconquered Sun]

If he doesn’t look like this, he’s a bad drummer 

[dirtyoldman]

Oct 3, 2018 6:22:47 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians?

The drummer!

Isn't that the bass player?

How you know a singer is knocking at your door? He's out if time and doesn't know when to come in.

How you know a keyboard player is knocking at your door? Who gives a f**k

[Woo]

I will defend Ringo Starr always. He did his job perfectly. Had he busted out a 5 minute drum solo during Help! it wouldn't have worked. You put Keith Moon in the Beatles and they don't fit.

[Deleted]

The only way that someone is a bad drummer is if they can’t keep time. That’s the drummers main job,

[Deleted]

Basically it's a matter of being able to keep time. I took class with an audio engineer who has worked with The Black Keys and he said he had to chop the drum takes up and edit them together to make a loop because Patrick didn't have any solid takes.

It's one thing to be sloppy on a record (it's usually gonna be edited/corrected anyhow), but bad live drumming is so damn annoying. QOTSA sounds so much better since they got a new drummer, that dude with tattoos was always rushing.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Oct 3, 2018 14:53:38 GMT -5 @akeemresurrection said:

The only way that someone is a bad drummer is if they can’t keep time. That’s the drummers main job,

I would say there are other ways to be a bad drummer, but the number of people this is true of is shocking.

I played in the band for a stage show of The Wedding Singer once and the drummer couldn't keep time.

Pavement's original drummer also famously couldn't keep time. Listening to the demos of their later material with their original drummer you can really tell, although I actually like his just-too-slow playing on the demo of Grounded better then the album version.

Other bad drummers - whichever asshole was playing in Smashing Pumpkins when they played Glastonbury. Rushed 'Tonight, Tonight' and it was just bad.

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

ONE QUESTION!

Rushing or dragging?

[Deleted]

His name isn't Gene Krupa or Buddy Rich.

[King Boo]

Oct 3, 2018 13:27:16 GMT -5 Woo said:

I will defend Ringo Starr always. He did his job perfectly. Had he busted out a 5 minute drum solo during Help! it wouldn't have worked. You put Keith Moon in the Beatles and they don't fit.

He didn't even want to do a solo during "The End" and had to be convinced to do it. Soloing like that just isn't the kind of player Ringo is, which is exactly why the rest of the Beatles loved him. He was perfect for their songs.

Beginning with a guitar solo and the lines "Oh yeah, all right, are you gonna be in my dreams tonight?", the song features, uniquely on a Beatles track, a drum solo from Starr. It took some persuading before the group's stalwart drummer agreed to the solo.

Ringo would never do drum solos. He hated drummers who did lengthy drum solos. We all did. And when he joined The Beatles we said, "Ah, what about drum solos then?", thinking he might say, "Yeah, I'll have a five-hour one in the middle of your set," and he said, "I hate 'em!" We said, "Great! We love you!" And so he would never do them. But because of this medley I said, "Well, a token solo?" and he really dug his heels in and didn't want to do it. But after a little bit of gentle persuasion I said, "Yeah, just do that, it wouldn't be Buddy Rich gone mad," because I think that's what he didn't want to do.


Paul McCartney

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

Being a great drummer isn't just about busting out really long, insane solos (though those are cool too). Some people don't seem to understand that and shit talk Ringo as a result. It's completely unfair and uninformed.

[Bub (BLM)]

Oct 3, 2018 14:53:38 GMT -5 @akeemresurrection said:

The only way that someone is a bad drummer is if they can’t keep time. That’s the drummers main job,

Exactly. Now, there are certainly plain drummers and boring drummers (Lars Ulrich is a great example) but if they keep time then it's pretty much inaccurate to call them bad.

[Deleted]

Oct 5, 2018 14:34:24 GMT -5 King Boo said:

Oct 3, 2018 13:27:16 GMT -5 Woo said:

I will defend Ringo Starr always. He did his job perfectly. Had he busted out a 5 minute drum solo during Help! it wouldn't have worked. You put Keith Moon in the Beatles and they don't fit.

He didn't even want to do a solo during "The End" and had to be convinced to do it. Soloing like that just isn't the kind of player Ringo is, which is exactly why the rest of the Beatles loved him. He was perfect for their songs.

Beginning with a guitar solo and the lines "Oh yeah, all right, are you gonna be in my dreams tonight?", the song features, uniquely on a Beatles track, a drum solo from Starr. It took some persuading before the group's stalwart drummer agreed to the solo.

Being a great drummer isn't just about busting out really long, insane solos (though those are cool too). Some people don't seem to understand that and shit talk Ringo as a result. It's completely unfair and uninformed.

I agree about the whole drum solo/chops thing. To be fair, Quincy Jones had that hilarious story of working with Ringo and Paul in the studio and how shitty they were.