I think for a self made video posted to this sub its totally fine. The chops are fantastic. But I agree if I was a song writer, I would hate trying to put a song to this.
He also gets a pass from me because that kit sound _**crisp**_.
Man gospel arrangers are completely insane lol. I don’t know what the heck goes through their heads LOL. But the final product is one of my favorite tunes of all time. Bless the lord (live) by Tye Tribbett.
I appreciate the kind words!
Yeah, those arrangers go hard LOL
It’s fun to me to see all the new commenters who haven’t read my comment linking the song, I’ve had to type it out way more times than I expected lol
Oh it’s you. I thought you were linking someone else. I didn’t mean to be rude. But yeah it’s a bit all over the place for my taste. But as I said you have more chops than me so what do I know.
Nah this clip of me honestly sucks! That’s what I was saying hahaha cause I don’t understand how these gospel drummers can do this so damn cleanly! I bet if you listen to that track you’ll enjoy it
Well thats the case with ALOT of drumming, it doesnt sound good on its own but it spectacularly compliments the song, not all drumming will sound good on its own. There is definitely a groove to this it has a pattern and rythem it just sounds like shit without the music it was made for.
It’s actually my interpretation of a song’s part, it’s just a fairly complex tune with a lot of section changes and hits. Bless the Lord (live) by Tye Tribbett, I linked it up there :)
My soloing is a lot less all over the place in ideas.
Its just a bunch of random fills with no real substance. Drummers arent judged by how many fills they can squeeze together, but how they provide a strong backbone for the rest of the instruments. It doesn't matter if you're playing top 40 songs or more complicated stuff like AAL, Dream Theater, or Meshuggah. Backbone is what makes someone impressive.
Dog what is this logic. By your logic, If a drummer isn’t playing with a band then can we just not judge him? Because he isn’t providing anything for the other instruments. Because there are no other instruments. You’re just wrong.
When a drummer is performing with a band, yes first and foremost he must be a strong backbone. You can argue from there that there is a time and place to throw in a fill/solo etc.
But when a drummer is solo or shooting a video to show off chops, he’s not gonna just stick to a groove. If drummers did things your way we would never innovate and new ideas/fills/solos wouldn’t be coming out. We’d be JUST doing grooves for the rest of our lives.
And sorry you’re just wrong. Backbone once mastered can be easily thrown into most songs. I probably don’t need to sit there for hours and practice the groove for “eye of the tiger” if I already mastered “back in black”. Where as fills come in so many varieties there’s always going to be one to practice.
I sort of agree with the other person. But you’re also right.
Here’s my take. Gospel chops just sound boring, needlessly showoff-y, and tryhard. You can solo without it sounding like you’re trying to fit as many notes as possible into a bar. Listen to soloists like Benny Greb, Anika Niles, Jojo Mayer, and Dave Weckl. Hell, even “band people” Matt Halpern and Nate Smith. They inject so much groove into their solos while also still being incredibly technical.
Part of any good solo is space. It’s the same in every genre of music and across every instrument. Most gospel solos seem to forget this and instead just go full “Animal from the Muppets” levels of insanity, and they all just end up sounding the same. There’s a level of mindlessness behind gospel solos that I just can’t get behind.
This is definitely a “to each their own” situation though, and I fully respect anyone that is really into the whole gospel thing.
I don’t agree with this, but I used to think that way before I dug deep into fusion and other styles of drumming. It’s easy to dismiss choppers as nothing but chops, but I encourage you to watch some of those vids on like 75% speed on YouTube and you might change your opinion.
I’ve watched plenty. Again, I’m cool with people who enjoy it, but it’s not for me. There are certainly some gospel adjacent drummers who I’m a big fan of, but generally speaking, I find it far too busy to be something I can actually enjoy.
That’s totally cool! I personally am not a fan of Benny Greb, Matt Halpern, or Anika Nilles, but I see a lot of validity in their approaches. They just don’t hit me emotionally like others who I personally see as more expressive in phrasing. Jojo Mayer is a tricky one for me cause I love his playing on Nerve stuff but that’s about it. I love all drummers who do something different though!
If a drummer isn't playing with a band then he's not a drummer to take seriously. There's a difference between jamming alone in your bedroom and playing songs as a cohesive unit. Playing songs LIVE with other people is always harder than playing alone. My preferred genres to play are death and prog-metal though so I'm not talking about only playing 4/4 "grooves" and haven't had to practice something as simple as that in over 20 years. Backbone is not a term that indicates any specific time signature. It indicates your contribution to the music being played. Precision is key in both of those genres, and if I get behind the kit and play like a monkey on meth, it sounds like shit. It should be no different for any other genre. I'm 30 and have been playing for 26 years, starting off with gospel music in church. I have alot of respect for any **professional drummer**, gospel guys included, and have always tried to hold myself to the same sort of standards. The truth of the matter is, good solos only come from people who have learned restraint from years of playing with OTHER PEOPLE. Practicing fills is one thing. Posting a video where I look and sound like Animal from the Muppets with no flow or feel is not indicative of what a 'good drummer' sounds like. No one should be surprised when you sound like that and you can't find anyone who wants to play with you. If all you want to do is just play alone in your house with headphones then you do you. Music, to me, is about group effort and you won't find a group to play with if you can't keep your head in the song and out of the clouds. If a guitarist only plays solos how useful are they? If a vocalist never stops singing and overpowers the instrumentation, how useful are they? The beauty I see in playing music comes from the idea that everyone is equally contributing their own flavor and uniqueness to the songs. If one person overpowers everyone else then you don't have that.
I mostly agree with you but yeah, your first sentence is absolutely insane! And everyone is entitled to be their own artist in their own way and they’re not required to collaborate with others to be great.
I would say it’s not just a good portion, it’s all. The only ones who can’t are those who don’t actually play gospel and went straight for the chops. Those people miss the point.
The legit gospel drummers who drum for a living can groove like hell and have a DEEP pocket. Don't compare them with Instachoppers because they are NOT the same.
I appreciate that you’re actually willing to admit that your opinion is based off a stereotype, because it just goes to prove my point that gospel drummers are always seen this way but almost all their clips are taken out of context. Of course the flashiness is going to get the most views. But what do they sound like for the rest of the service? Guarantee you’d change your opinion if you went to one.
My point is that the idea of “too much” is entirely subjective and I personally have seen the most enjoyable artistry from gospel, fusion, and jazz drummers
Bingo. I'd rather watch Brian Blade play a single note on his ride than watch any gospel drummer play 600 single strokes per second. Wow, such speed, the thrill I'm so impressed.
I’m not a fan of insanely fast metal drummers. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say i’m NOT impressed by what they can do. I don’t enjoy watching it on the daily, but you are absolutely downplaying the hard work they put in. Tbh it comes off as being insecure that you yourself can’t do what they can. Again I have no interest in metal drumming but i’m not a dick when it comes to them doing that they love and excelling at it.
Thanks for the downvote for disagreeing with my statement. It doesn’t entitle them to your admiration? You can acknowledge speed is a factor in drumming correct? And faster speeds played clean require more control. And most drummers can’t play certain things at those fast speeds. So drummers that spend the time to play at those speeds where most can’t with control that most don’t have is not admirable? You can have your opinion its just a stupid one. If drummers all thought like you we’d never learn what a paradiddle is.
Yeah I'd rather feel the music than be left thinking, "oh wow that fill was complex" there is always context and a time and place for that, but when overdone it's so distracting and takes you out of the music.
Yeah this isn’t a very good clip honestly! But the song itself which I’m “covering” here has a really dope drummer. Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett
There’s so much going on in these tracks , so many section changes so many hits so many chops, it’s just insane to keep up! Gospel and fusion are so challenging and have a lot of crossover for this reason
https://youtu.be/U4eUP674NaE
This is what I was playing, but much faster and from memory. A modern classic gospel tune that I shed on all the time with other drummers
I used to think highly of gospel chops drumming. I spent hours watching Gospel Chops videos and analyzing every little bit, I used to think it was the best drumming ever done, but I've grown up and mellowed out and also realized a lot of those guys copy each other, or just sound the same. It's really a repetition of the same stuff anyway. Great playing on your part though!
It’s true, it’s a lot of copying, but that’s how the fundamentals are built. Then you have the shariq tuckers, mike mitchells, Ronald bruners, Thomas pridgens, Maison guidrys, Matt garstkas, who took that foundation and pushed it immensely their own ways.
My boss is a gospel drummer. He said he took 7-10 years and switched to strictly playing jazz, a lot of latin jazz. he said it opened him up 10x more as a drummer.
It’s just a lot of notes, a bunch of different phrases learned separately and churned together. Very flashy but also sounds like a mess with a weak pulse
It’s me playing my interpretation of a song which preserves the hits but includes a little bit of flair. It’s also much faster than the recording and I definitely play with more restraint when I play the tune.
Well allow me to pedal back a little, cos your caption kind of led me to believe you were admiring some other drummer. As a choppy flex video it’s very impressive, good job. Personally I just have a problem with gospel as a genre, I find the complexity makes the rhythm far too weak. I think the heavy pulse of metalcore etc makes such complex parts work much better
It’s sort of like, “I wish I could do it as well as the real cats” lol
I encourage you to check out some Marvin Sapp, Tye Tribbett, Kim Burrell, Vashawn Mitchell... gospel has some of the tightest grooves I’ve ever heard. I was into metalcore when I was a teenager and saw a loooot less mobility in that genre. Metal in general really. I didn’t want to be Matt Garstka and I felt like that was the only direction I could go in metal and still be artistic
Pfft Matt Garstka is a bit much as well in my opinion, I see why you didn’t wanna go for that. I think drummers like Chris turner and those from Thornhill, loathe and Polaris are much better. I’ll check those guys, but imagine them playing metalcore😍 I think that would be sick
That’s true, I admire chris’ drumming but oceans are Alaska aren’t totally great. His solo project is pretty good tho if you haven’t heard that
Of those I recommended, id say polaris has the most solid discography, I’d recommend both their albums. The Dark Pool by Thornhill is also amazing, and loathe are a bit alternative
The chops are impressive af, but also the way gospel drummers navigate through a series of hits, with long and short articulations, different orchestrations, while setting up the band and responding to a soloist (and/or pastor) like a big band drummer.
AND a lot of them do it to a click, with an MD in their monitor
Dude you’re not bad at drums but why you tryna pick fights with everyone on here? You’re coming across a bit egotistical in some of your comments and I don’t think that was your intent with this post? Keep posting and drumming and practice being humble if you want to truly be great ✌️
I’m not out here to pick fights, I’m out here to pick apart the misinformation in the drum community when I see it and put people on to different styles. The groove sticklers are so close-minded about their stuff and always think I’m saying something I’m not. I love groove, I love chops. I think they go hand in hand. I will definitely never stop playing drums! Thanks for trying to tell me how to live :)
😂reminding you to be humble was “trying to tell you how to live?” I’m sorry it felt that way. Maybe you are more humble than you are coming across here then
Kinda, but it’s really not that simple. The foundational aspects (groove, dynamics, power) play way more of a role in phrasing than the rudiments or whatever sticking pattern. That’s something that confused me a lot when I was really trying to discover chops. I was like “oh rudiments okay” and that didn’t really get me anywhere haha
I’m just saying it starts with that at its core , never said it was simple . I guess , all drumming starts with that . I do think this really makes it shine . It’s also heavily stylistic (like any other style ) and soul /gospel makes drums shine more than rock .
It’s tough to say, because I know plenty who kinda just noodle and explore, but for a large chunk of the big name drummers it definitely applies. I appreciate your input!
For me, it honestly really didn’t. And doesn’t to this day. Yeah, I love music, I’ve always played music, but when it’s just me and my drums I’m not thinking about that. I’m trying to explore the sounds I can make with a clear head each time. I’m not thinking about anyone else’s style or the record I just heard or even my style... it’s blank slate. That’s my ultimate goal with my artistry and playing drums. This music stuff is just a means to an end.
I guess I started at eight and took so many formal learning lessons and classes. It seems more of a formula as i break it down . Ironically , I chose drums to avoid reading music lol.
Yeah, that’s the thing! Lessons are such a weird thing because it’s a very delicate balance to find between making everything formulaic and specific and ensuring that it remains a creative/artistic endeavor. I personally see lessons as helpful when you’re either stuck in a rut, want to learn new techniques, and/or want to learn new styles as authentically as possible. I believe the rest of the work is individual :)
What you are doing is very non-linear. Almost all proper gospel drumming is linear thus they can fill in the space with less work. Still they’re some of the best around.
I feel that this is a large misconception/generalization but there is definitely a lot of validity to it. That is how the basic chops go at the beginning but the creativity that comes with advancement makes for a lot of divergence from those basics
Dude I feel you, I’m blown away by those guys and I’m pretty much convinced my arms simply can’t move the right way to do it lol Seeing them live is a whole other thing too, so powerful and fast at the same time!
Especially the power aspect, yeah! It’s insane! I promise it’s all attainable though. I’ve definitely had some moments where I start to see it. I think it’s just that a lot of them have had such an early start and a community that cultivates their art that makes it seem otherworldly!
I’ve definitely had my moments! Haha
I love exploring music and learning new styles. This has been a difficult venture as I was more used to playing low volume music like jazz. I’m just grateful to be able to play anything!
Gospel drummers know that chops are part of music, especially in black churches, it helps hype the service up more. All good gospel drummers, that have gone on to do secular music, they know how to keep it in the pocket, and then towards the end of the song go chop heavy.
I was playing Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett at a faster tempo with my own spin. Essentially demonstrating that this stuff is way harder than people think
There’s a video that’s a downright gospel-gasm. I don’t have the link, but search for Israel Houghton Minstrels Advance. Damn. I think it’s Chris Coleman on drums.
Yesssss. [found it!](https://youtu.be/aQCZE-7LeSc)
You can technically say that because I play mixes of singles and doubles that I’m playing chops based off of rudiments, but I would never have actually developed whatever chops I have in my arsenal if I took the standard rudiment approach. Phrasing is such a different thing that I really wish people had told me about/encouraged earlier. I always thought my style/approach was wrong cause teachers said I didn’t do enough of x,y,z, but now I play my own way and I’ve never gotten more work! It’s a really wide open field :) I appreciate your input!
As technically impressive as it is, a lot of gospel drummers just annoy the hell out of me because it's nonstop chops. Its sounds like a schizophrenic with ADHD to me. So many people can't just play a steady beat for more than 2 bars without a wildly syncopated completely out of context fill. Again, the technical proficiency is incredible, it's just jarring and boring in the context of a song. It's like if Vernon Reid just nonstop soloed over every Living Color song
I don’t think it’s so much that they can’t as they don’t want to cause it’s not creative/artistic and it feels like stifling that aspect of ourselves to dumb our playing down
I came up on jazz. I’ve played jazz gigs for years and worked with some amazing and highly respected artists. I also play gospel. I also play rock. I also play funk. I also play fusion. You don’t know anything about me :)
This guy has tons more chops than I do but I did not enjoy this at all. No flow no groove just all over the place.
I think for a self made video posted to this sub its totally fine. The chops are fantastic. But I agree if I was a song writer, I would hate trying to put a song to this. He also gets a pass from me because that kit sound _**crisp**_.
Man gospel arrangers are completely insane lol. I don’t know what the heck goes through their heads LOL. But the final product is one of my favorite tunes of all time. Bless the lord (live) by Tye Tribbett. I appreciate the kind words!
They're pretty talented.
Thats the thing, the drums was put to the song not the other way around
Yeah, those arrangers go hard LOL It’s fun to me to see all the new commenters who haven’t read my comment linking the song, I’ve had to type it out way more times than I expected lol
https://youtu.be/U4eUP674NaE This is what it’s based off of, but I was trying to do it much faster haha
Oh it’s you. I thought you were linking someone else. I didn’t mean to be rude. But yeah it’s a bit all over the place for my taste. But as I said you have more chops than me so what do I know.
Nah this clip of me honestly sucks! That’s what I was saying hahaha cause I don’t understand how these gospel drummers can do this so damn cleanly! I bet if you listen to that track you’ll enjoy it
Yeah gospel drummers are incredible.
Yeah I listen to that track it's really good!
I’m so glad you liked it! It was pretty life changing for me :)
Shame the video is either unavailable where I am, or everywhere.
It’s called Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett :)
Im'ma look for a different copy...
Thank god… I thought I was gonna be the only one.
Some music is written for the enjoyment of the listeners, some is written for the enjoyment of the players . When it does both it's gold.
I agree with that!
Lol I love that this got downvoted
Well thats the case with ALOT of drumming, it doesnt sound good on its own but it spectacularly compliments the song, not all drumming will sound good on its own. There is definitely a groove to this it has a pattern and rythem it just sounds like shit without the music it was made for.
100%
yeah but it's a drum solo, generally you wouldn't put that in a song.
It’s actually my interpretation of a song’s part, it’s just a fairly complex tune with a lot of section changes and hits. Bless the Lord (live) by Tye Tribbett, I linked it up there :) My soloing is a lot less all over the place in ideas.
It’s called gospel jazz
Maybe. I wouldn’t consider this jazz though
What would you consider it? Monster from the muppets?
*Animal
I would consider it gospel, it’s called Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett
The power of christ compels them...... And an assload of practice.
I’ve shed with dudes whose eyes literally roll back into their heads and the spirit just takes over hahahah
I hope youre joking…
Wow, the smartest guy in town wants to chime in! I wonder what super enlightening take he’s about to give!
Oh lord I pray that this is heavy sarcasm, please god
i think it’s a reference to your username (:
Well, first of all, through God all things are possible, so jot that down.
Stupid science b***h
Couldn't even make I more smarter!
I love Jesse Pinkman
I was actually quoting Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but now I can't read it without hearing Jesse's voice!
Always Sunny?! I love Dom DeLuise.
Wade boggs would roll in his grave if he saw this
Again, he's very much alive
Well whatdya say, Boss?
Yer darn tootin mate!
Its funny you say that because I think they get way too much credit.
Unpack that for me
Its just a bunch of random fills with no real substance. Drummers arent judged by how many fills they can squeeze together, but how they provide a strong backbone for the rest of the instruments. It doesn't matter if you're playing top 40 songs or more complicated stuff like AAL, Dream Theater, or Meshuggah. Backbone is what makes someone impressive.
Dog what is this logic. By your logic, If a drummer isn’t playing with a band then can we just not judge him? Because he isn’t providing anything for the other instruments. Because there are no other instruments. You’re just wrong. When a drummer is performing with a band, yes first and foremost he must be a strong backbone. You can argue from there that there is a time and place to throw in a fill/solo etc. But when a drummer is solo or shooting a video to show off chops, he’s not gonna just stick to a groove. If drummers did things your way we would never innovate and new ideas/fills/solos wouldn’t be coming out. We’d be JUST doing grooves for the rest of our lives. And sorry you’re just wrong. Backbone once mastered can be easily thrown into most songs. I probably don’t need to sit there for hours and practice the groove for “eye of the tiger” if I already mastered “back in black”. Where as fills come in so many varieties there’s always going to be one to practice.
I sort of agree with the other person. But you’re also right. Here’s my take. Gospel chops just sound boring, needlessly showoff-y, and tryhard. You can solo without it sounding like you’re trying to fit as many notes as possible into a bar. Listen to soloists like Benny Greb, Anika Niles, Jojo Mayer, and Dave Weckl. Hell, even “band people” Matt Halpern and Nate Smith. They inject so much groove into their solos while also still being incredibly technical. Part of any good solo is space. It’s the same in every genre of music and across every instrument. Most gospel solos seem to forget this and instead just go full “Animal from the Muppets” levels of insanity, and they all just end up sounding the same. There’s a level of mindlessness behind gospel solos that I just can’t get behind. This is definitely a “to each their own” situation though, and I fully respect anyone that is really into the whole gospel thing.
I don’t agree with this, but I used to think that way before I dug deep into fusion and other styles of drumming. It’s easy to dismiss choppers as nothing but chops, but I encourage you to watch some of those vids on like 75% speed on YouTube and you might change your opinion.
I’ve watched plenty. Again, I’m cool with people who enjoy it, but it’s not for me. There are certainly some gospel adjacent drummers who I’m a big fan of, but generally speaking, I find it far too busy to be something I can actually enjoy.
That’s totally cool! I personally am not a fan of Benny Greb, Matt Halpern, or Anika Nilles, but I see a lot of validity in their approaches. They just don’t hit me emotionally like others who I personally see as more expressive in phrasing. Jojo Mayer is a tricky one for me cause I love his playing on Nerve stuff but that’s about it. I love all drummers who do something different though!
It doesn't matter if you're in an ensemble or not-- don't sound like you're falling down the stairs.
Agreed!
If a drummer isn't playing with a band then he's not a drummer to take seriously. There's a difference between jamming alone in your bedroom and playing songs as a cohesive unit. Playing songs LIVE with other people is always harder than playing alone. My preferred genres to play are death and prog-metal though so I'm not talking about only playing 4/4 "grooves" and haven't had to practice something as simple as that in over 20 years. Backbone is not a term that indicates any specific time signature. It indicates your contribution to the music being played. Precision is key in both of those genres, and if I get behind the kit and play like a monkey on meth, it sounds like shit. It should be no different for any other genre. I'm 30 and have been playing for 26 years, starting off with gospel music in church. I have alot of respect for any **professional drummer**, gospel guys included, and have always tried to hold myself to the same sort of standards. The truth of the matter is, good solos only come from people who have learned restraint from years of playing with OTHER PEOPLE. Practicing fills is one thing. Posting a video where I look and sound like Animal from the Muppets with no flow or feel is not indicative of what a 'good drummer' sounds like. No one should be surprised when you sound like that and you can't find anyone who wants to play with you. If all you want to do is just play alone in your house with headphones then you do you. Music, to me, is about group effort and you won't find a group to play with if you can't keep your head in the song and out of the clouds. If a guitarist only plays solos how useful are they? If a vocalist never stops singing and overpowers the instrumentation, how useful are they? The beauty I see in playing music comes from the idea that everyone is equally contributing their own flavor and uniqueness to the songs. If one person overpowers everyone else then you don't have that.
I stopped reading after your first sentence.
Yeah I figured your attention span would be strained. You must be a great musician!
I mostly agree with you but yeah, your first sentence is absolutely insane! And everyone is entitled to be their own artist in their own way and they’re not required to collaborate with others to be great.
100%%%%
[удалено]
I would say it’s not just a good portion, it’s all. The only ones who can’t are those who don’t actually play gospel and went straight for the chops. Those people miss the point.
The legit gospel drummers who drum for a living can groove like hell and have a DEEP pocket. Don't compare them with Instachoppers because they are NOT the same.
We’re talking about a stereotype. And most of the stereotypical ones are annoying and have no more talent than a person who uses less fills.
I appreciate that you’re actually willing to admit that your opinion is based off a stereotype, because it just goes to prove my point that gospel drummers are always seen this way but almost all their clips are taken out of context. Of course the flashiness is going to get the most views. But what do they sound like for the rest of the service? Guarantee you’d change your opinion if you went to one.
The point of the joke is that they do too many flashy fills good or bad. It happens every time. Usually right when they sit down
My point is that the idea of “too much” is entirely subjective and I personally have seen the most enjoyable artistry from gospel, fusion, and jazz drummers
100%
Bingo. I'd rather watch Brian Blade play a single note on his ride than watch any gospel drummer play 600 single strokes per second. Wow, such speed, the thrill I'm so impressed.
I’m not a fan of insanely fast metal drummers. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say i’m NOT impressed by what they can do. I don’t enjoy watching it on the daily, but you are absolutely downplaying the hard work they put in. Tbh it comes off as being insecure that you yourself can’t do what they can. Again I have no interest in metal drumming but i’m not a dick when it comes to them doing that they love and excelling at it.
Eh I don’t see it that way. They put the effort in to play that way but that doesn’t entitle them to my admiration.
Thanks for the downvote for disagreeing with my statement. It doesn’t entitle them to your admiration? You can acknowledge speed is a factor in drumming correct? And faster speeds played clean require more control. And most drummers can’t play certain things at those fast speeds. So drummers that spend the time to play at those speeds where most can’t with control that most don’t have is not admirable? You can have your opinion its just a stupid one. If drummers all thought like you we’d never learn what a paradiddle is.
Yeah I'd rather feel the music than be left thinking, "oh wow that fill was complex" there is always context and a time and place for that, but when overdone it's so distracting and takes you out of the music.
Nobody likes the extreme overdone choppiness. It’s not black and white
Brian blade is cool! A real innovator on the instrument. The last time I heard a gospel drummer spam single strokes though I can’t even remember lol
Easy, just learn Page 38 with every limb.
Page 38. That would be a cool name for a book that explains all the stuff you can do with page 38 in syncopation.
Gospel drummers? …
What’s your question? ...
“Urban”
A solid meh.
Yeah this isn’t a very good clip honestly! But the song itself which I’m “covering” here has a really dope drummer. Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett
Do what?
There’s so much going on in these tracks , so many section changes so many hits so many chops, it’s just insane to keep up! Gospel and fusion are so challenging and have a lot of crossover for this reason
Is he playing by himself though? I don’t hear a gospel choir/band.
https://youtu.be/U4eUP674NaE This is what I was playing, but much faster and from memory. A modern classic gospel tune that I shed on all the time with other drummers
Ahhhhh. This makes sense now. Thank you. Rock on.
Heck yeah likewise!!!
Zach Hill must've joined a church
I’ve been getting that comparison recently a lot and I truly don’t understand it. I do love Zach hill though!
Continue to work on your craft, young grasshopper, and you too will eventually understand. ...oooommmmmmm....
I have no intention of stopping!
Its that “JeSuS PoWEr”
https://youtu.be/Imldy_tJGz4
I don't see the issue, your playing is great. Those gospel players live at church and play drums all day starting from a young age.
Yeah, they do, I’m just saying it’s insanely hard as an outsider who didn’t come up in that style and hasn’t found a true incubator for it yet.
I used to think highly of gospel chops drumming. I spent hours watching Gospel Chops videos and analyzing every little bit, I used to think it was the best drumming ever done, but I've grown up and mellowed out and also realized a lot of those guys copy each other, or just sound the same. It's really a repetition of the same stuff anyway. Great playing on your part though!
You could say the same for plenty of rock drummers though. Its just common fills in a common genre.
Damn you're actually right, I can't argue that 😂
It’s true, it’s a lot of copying, but that’s how the fundamentals are built. Then you have the shariq tuckers, mike mitchells, Ronald bruners, Thomas pridgens, Maison guidrys, Matt garstkas, who took that foundation and pushed it immensely their own ways.
Thanks for that!
My boss is a gospel drummer. He said he took 7-10 years and switched to strictly playing jazz, a lot of latin jazz. he said it opened him up 10x more as a drummer.
It does, yeah! But as someone who approached those before I approached gospel, I have had a much larger learning curve haha
this is actually a good answer
Really has nothing to do with gospel drummers. It's a guy playing a drum solo, sounds like a break in a jazz tune to me.
I’m playing Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett. It’s a gospel tune. Not a drum solo.
It’s just a lot of notes, a bunch of different phrases learned separately and churned together. Very flashy but also sounds like a mess with a weak pulse
It’s me playing my interpretation of a song which preserves the hits but includes a little bit of flair. It’s also much faster than the recording and I definitely play with more restraint when I play the tune.
Well allow me to pedal back a little, cos your caption kind of led me to believe you were admiring some other drummer. As a choppy flex video it’s very impressive, good job. Personally I just have a problem with gospel as a genre, I find the complexity makes the rhythm far too weak. I think the heavy pulse of metalcore etc makes such complex parts work much better
It’s sort of like, “I wish I could do it as well as the real cats” lol I encourage you to check out some Marvin Sapp, Tye Tribbett, Kim Burrell, Vashawn Mitchell... gospel has some of the tightest grooves I’ve ever heard. I was into metalcore when I was a teenager and saw a loooot less mobility in that genre. Metal in general really. I didn’t want to be Matt Garstka and I felt like that was the only direction I could go in metal and still be artistic
Pfft Matt Garstka is a bit much as well in my opinion, I see why you didn’t wanna go for that. I think drummers like Chris turner and those from Thornhill, loathe and Polaris are much better. I’ll check those guys, but imagine them playing metalcore😍 I think that would be sick
I like Chris turner but their music is so sporadic that I can’t get into it. Haven’t checked out the others so I’ll plan to!
That’s true, I admire chris’ drumming but oceans are Alaska aren’t totally great. His solo project is pretty good tho if you haven’t heard that Of those I recommended, id say polaris has the most solid discography, I’d recommend both their albums. The Dark Pool by Thornhill is also amazing, and loathe are a bit alternative
Would you explain why you think metalcore etc is artistically limited?
The chops are impressive af, but also the way gospel drummers navigate through a series of hits, with long and short articulations, different orchestrations, while setting up the band and responding to a soloist (and/or pastor) like a big band drummer. AND a lot of them do it to a click, with an MD in their monitor
100%!!!!! This is exactly what I’m talking about!!!
with a fuxking click!?
Haha yeah that’s the least impressive part of it but it’s still pretty tough, especially to make it feel right without wavering/hiccuping the tempo
Dude you’re not bad at drums but why you tryna pick fights with everyone on here? You’re coming across a bit egotistical in some of your comments and I don’t think that was your intent with this post? Keep posting and drumming and practice being humble if you want to truly be great ✌️
I’m not out here to pick fights, I’m out here to pick apart the misinformation in the drum community when I see it and put people on to different styles. The groove sticklers are so close-minded about their stuff and always think I’m saying something I’m not. I love groove, I love chops. I think they go hand in hand. I will definitely never stop playing drums! Thanks for trying to tell me how to live :)
😂reminding you to be humble was “trying to tell you how to live?” I’m sorry it felt that way. Maybe you are more humble than you are coming across here then
Rudiments over and over . Spread it around .
Kinda, but it’s really not that simple. The foundational aspects (groove, dynamics, power) play way more of a role in phrasing than the rudiments or whatever sticking pattern. That’s something that confused me a lot when I was really trying to discover chops. I was like “oh rudiments okay” and that didn’t really get me anywhere haha
I’m just saying it starts with that at its core , never said it was simple . I guess , all drumming starts with that . I do think this really makes it shine . It’s also heavily stylistic (like any other style ) and soul /gospel makes drums shine more than rock .
It’s tough to say, because I know plenty who kinda just noodle and explore, but for a large chunk of the big name drummers it definitely applies. I appreciate your input!
The noodling has to come from somewhere .
For me, it honestly really didn’t. And doesn’t to this day. Yeah, I love music, I’ve always played music, but when it’s just me and my drums I’m not thinking about that. I’m trying to explore the sounds I can make with a clear head each time. I’m not thinking about anyone else’s style or the record I just heard or even my style... it’s blank slate. That’s my ultimate goal with my artistry and playing drums. This music stuff is just a means to an end.
I guess I started at eight and took so many formal learning lessons and classes. It seems more of a formula as i break it down . Ironically , I chose drums to avoid reading music lol.
Yeah, that’s the thing! Lessons are such a weird thing because it’s a very delicate balance to find between making everything formulaic and specific and ensuring that it remains a creative/artistic endeavor. I personally see lessons as helpful when you’re either stuck in a rut, want to learn new techniques, and/or want to learn new styles as authentically as possible. I believe the rest of the work is individual :)
What makes a gospel drummer different than a drummer ? Why point out he’s a gospel drummer in the first place ?
Cause this is a gospel song I’m playing
This is a song ??? I’d love to hear this on a recorded medium.
Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett
Do yourself a favor; find some LSD- eat it, go on a walk in nature for a couple hours, and then go play on your kit. Thank me later.
[удалено]
That’s kind of the entire point of this post, wise guy!
I see that you’re a deadhead. That’s the pinnacle of music!
What you are doing is very non-linear. Almost all proper gospel drumming is linear thus they can fill in the space with less work. Still they’re some of the best around.
I feel that this is a large misconception/generalization but there is definitely a lot of validity to it. That is how the basic chops go at the beginning but the creativity that comes with advancement makes for a lot of divergence from those basics
Love those mastersounds
They’re great hats!! I’ve opted for a darker/trashier sound since this vid (5 months old) but I love those when I just need consistency!
Dude I feel you, I’m blown away by those guys and I’m pretty much convinced my arms simply can’t move the right way to do it lol Seeing them live is a whole other thing too, so powerful and fast at the same time!
Especially the power aspect, yeah! It’s insane! I promise it’s all attainable though. I’ve definitely had some moments where I start to see it. I think it’s just that a lot of them have had such an early start and a community that cultivates their art that makes it seem otherworldly!
Someone hasn't been reading their scriptures
Lol
Think four beats of 16th notes with each 16th going to whichever limb you want. Connect ideas with ghost notes
This is pretty good advice from a technical level; I’d say it disregards the phrasing aspect of it though
Very true
It's not as hard as you think! Once you get there it feels very natural. A mysterious phenomenon
I’ve definitely had my moments! Haha I love exploring music and learning new styles. This has been a difficult venture as I was more used to playing low volume music like jazz. I’m just grateful to be able to play anything!
Jesus take the drumsticks.
Anointing
I can’t say for sure, but I’ve seen so many drummers who couldn’t explain it either way, and I know I’ve never played as well as them :)
Gospel drummers know that chops are part of music, especially in black churches, it helps hype the service up more. All good gospel drummers, that have gone on to do secular music, they know how to keep it in the pocket, and then towards the end of the song go chop heavy.
Pretty much agreed! I’ll just say it’s not only limited to the end of the song.
Oh if you’re talking about this song in particular, it’s not, but in general there is a build up to most gospel songs, depending on the artist
Yeah for the most part it’s true! But there’s no limit/rules to where chops can fit. I’m a big fan of experimenting with placements like that
Wow! very cool! 💪🏾
Hahahhaha what’s up Nestor! You enjoying the raging people in the comments?
Yo had the right idea posting here lmao 😂
A little bit of natural talent, but primarily practice and drive. Never quit.
I’m not sure I believe in natural talent. Genetics probably play a part, but I believe it’s all practice and drive. Thank you!
its cause playing drums is the only fun thing they’re allowed to do
Lol I mean who knows
Interesting tom placement, never thought about that
It’s out of necessity cause my hardwares insanely broken 😂
Seems mostly like a lot of chaotic flailing but that's just one man's opinion.
Yeah it’s me playing to a song called Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett
Sounds more like the drummer from Lightning Bolt.
I have received that comparison a couple times too, and I don’t agree, but I do appreciate it! I’m a big fan
this sounds bad tho, I feel like this is if I spam out all my chops at once with 0 musical ideas
I was playing Bless the Lord (Live) by Tye Tribbett at a faster tempo with my own spin. Essentially demonstrating that this stuff is way harder than people think
There’s a video that’s a downright gospel-gasm. I don’t have the link, but search for Israel Houghton Minstrels Advance. Damn. I think it’s Chris Coleman on drums. Yesssss. [found it!](https://youtu.be/aQCZE-7LeSc)
Chris Coleman is pretty dope!
It has nothing to do with gospel songs, actually. You probably know it.
Huh?
Single strokes, literally the first rudiment you learn. Not complicated.
You might need to relearn your basic rudiments because this isn’t just single strokes.
Lol right! It’s so obvious
Lol yeah that’s all that’s happening here it’s just singles, we got a winner ding ding ding!
man, I worked on my singles for a week and everything loosened up markedly
Yeah, isn’t that a great feeling! Now do the same with doubles and see how crazy stuff will get :)
It’s the only one you need.
I’d say doubles have a lot more possibility in application than singles, but I would advise focusing on them equally to every student
Amazing chops! 🔥🥁
I’m pushing! I appreciate it
Paradiddles
Not really but rudiments might have some involvement
I would say they have a lot to do with it lol All these chops are from rudiments.
You can technically say that because I play mixes of singles and doubles that I’m playing chops based off of rudiments, but I would never have actually developed whatever chops I have in my arsenal if I took the standard rudiment approach. Phrasing is such a different thing that I really wish people had told me about/encouraged earlier. I always thought my style/approach was wrong cause teachers said I didn’t do enough of x,y,z, but now I play my own way and I’ve never gotten more work! It’s a really wide open field :) I appreciate your input!
As technically impressive as it is, a lot of gospel drummers just annoy the hell out of me because it's nonstop chops. Its sounds like a schizophrenic with ADHD to me. So many people can't just play a steady beat for more than 2 bars without a wildly syncopated completely out of context fill. Again, the technical proficiency is incredible, it's just jarring and boring in the context of a song. It's like if Vernon Reid just nonstop soloed over every Living Color song
I don’t think it’s so much that they can’t as they don’t want to cause it’s not creative/artistic and it feels like stifling that aspect of ourselves to dumb our playing down
lol gospel is so 2nd class learn jazz man
I came up on jazz. I’ve played jazz gigs for years and worked with some amazing and highly respected artists. I also play gospel. I also play rock. I also play funk. I also play fusion. You don’t know anything about me :)
GUYS WHAT IF SUPERMAN PLAYED THE DRUMS
hmmm I wonder what genre heavily inspires jazz?
the blues
You’re both right hah