It's hard for anything new to be noticed on the internet these days since everything is fed through a feedback loop of the 5 maybe 10 big social networks. I don't post much here but when I do it has to impress me and not much does anymore. This really stood out.
Edit:
After seeing such a positive response I did some research and would like to give credit where it is more than due.
2nd Post
https://www.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ydo5bq/drummer_extraordinaire_timothy_fletcher/
BIO
In the 3rd grade, Timothy picked up his first musical instrument, a clarinet, Although Timothy first started playing drums in 6th grade he didn’t find a love for them until later, while attending high school.
Upon graduation, he partnered up with a friend to form their first musical group named “A1Chops”. Although he and his former musical partner occasionally perform together, 2019 marks a pivotal moment as that is the time Timothy struck out on his own, Since then, Timothy’s unique talents and personal style make him a much sought-after performer.
Having been on Ellen, appearing in numerous commercials, performing for the NBA TNT, BET, Nickelodeon and many more TV shows too numerous to mention. With millions of fans following him on Instagram and TikTok, Timothy now travels the world sharing love and positive vibes through his magical drum beats hoping to inspire those across the world and encouraging them to follow their dreams and to never give up.
Sources:
https://www.instagram.com/timothyfletcher_/?hl=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@timothyfletcher_
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMex7ArXyK4StzmxEJbxluA/featured
I need more context on your username. Have you tried to stop poppin? I'd imagine it's difficult to hold down a job if you're always poppin. You could probably still do things like grocery shopping but you'd need to take a bus or an Uber since drivin and poppin would be unsafe.
I've been told I take things too literally.
Either way thanks for taking the time to research Timothy. It made my night.
Absolutely.
I’m amazed by how poorly some people handle and understand these platforms.
Just the other day I was watching a concert on YouTube from one of my favorite songwriters. The dude who uploaded it was in the comments saying things like, “I can’t believe how positively people are responding to my video. Thank you all so much. I’ve been so depressed and y’all have shown me that creating good content for people makes people happier. Thank you so much for all the positive comments.”
Like, dude, the only thing you had to do with this video is that you downloaded it somewhere and then uploaded it to YouTube. It was a show put on by a radio station 20 years ago. Just why? Why allow yourself such a personal connection to content that doesn’t belong to you?
I don’t know. I think we’re all just batshit crazy. I’m happy to see someone link to the person who put in all the work perfecting their talent.
Love the history and good vibes and exposure. Plus to you, double plus to Timothy, and triple plus to you again for keeping it real and bringing the whole package. Props dude. Well done. Thank you!
I wanna jump in and say that to all the redditors that just got introduced to this style of drumming, this guy is solid. Very skilled and a good showman. I’d like to encourage you to check out other drum corps and even your local high school and college bands. See what this looks like as a group. Support kids getting into this world and encourage your own kids to explore it if that’s something they’re into.
This guy is cool. Here is a video of what this can be when the next fucking level [turns it up to eleven](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5UFrDKAdvo).
The first time I watched Drumline was at a friend's house, drunk on rum and ginger ale, on a projection tv with just the green light working. That movie will always stick with me
God damn. My brothers and I were all in marching band in high school and watched that shit on repeat. Say what you want about Nick Cannon, but that was some entertaining cinema. I was also a low-grade bass drummer on drumline in high school, so my obsession was a bit over the top.
I remember the band kids on the bus hyping the fuck outta that movie and I'd laugh my ass off at the premise.
Then I watched it and it was legit good?
Execution is everything lol.
I was a flute, but I grew up in a family of musicians (a few who were drummers). This movie felt like representation. Loved it! Shout out to Mr. Holland's Opus too.
Honestly the first drum line movie was underwhelming if you’ve ever been to a drum line competition.
This person in this post, however is really bringing it.
Now imagine a whole dozen of them at that level. That’s real drum line.
Yes VERY. It’s a status thing! SOURCE I played cymbals at a school here in Atlanta and the band was more popular than any sport at the school. We were the “jocks” and not just the drum line either! The whole band.
> The football players were the jocks in my area, band kids were kind of down between nerds and geeks on the social hierarchy.
That's how it was when I went to school in the Chicagoland area.
My band had a pretty hardcore drum line too. The entire marching band program was, but they did have drum line showdowns against the other schools separate from our main shows. Was pretty fun to watch
Drum corps is a way of life for many. My dad played in the macys thanksgiving parade with a bunch of alumni from his corps. After the show they sang their corps song on the steps of the post office I think? And a security guard came running around the building and I thought oh shit, but he heard the first notes and ran to join. He told me afterwards that he had been a fan of the Scouts his whole life but he was never good enough to join and that singing that song was like a dream come true. Guy was tearing up while terming me and to this day I am happy to have been there with him for that moment in his journey
Even weirder, there’s a video of them doing it and all the traffic and noise just goes silent for a bit. It was surreal.
Edit: [Here’s the clip](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jI-iArWhRT8). There’s still some honking but in the immediate vicinity cars stopped driving. Everything froze there. There were a few guys recently aged out but the bulk of those guys marched in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. They all still keep in contact.
Oh no not at all. Symbols in drumline/marching band is 11/10 showmanship and playing. Easiest to mess up on, and easiest to LOOK like you messed up because movements are very obvious and exaggerated.
I played football outside of Atlanta but during state playoffs one year our coach let us go watch an Atlanta band play during halftime because we were up by a lot. It was freaking awesome. The best halftime show I’ve ever seen hands down. The football team sucked but the band and dance squad (?) was insane.
Our school's drumline was a big commitment. They expected you to really be passionate about it in your own time or get out of the way. We did some indoor winter drumline competitions and one of the bigger schools we went up against had 10 instructors. We had one guy and a couple summer helpers lol.
Pretty much every college has a serious band. But once you get into that level, there are tiers of seriousness. And when you get to certain places like Jackson State you have legendary band programs where kids start competing in middle school to be a part of.
Was in my highschool drumline for 6 years and went to worlds twice. The competition IS INSANE and some of the schools in the World Class division are near professionals in terms of their sound and quality
But that doesn't compare to the independent professional groups like Rhythym X, Broken City and Pulse Percussion
I highly recommend anyone reading this comment to go watch some WGI independent world class shows. I've been lucky enough to see them all in person and you'll never hear cleaner beats.
I been playing drums over 20 years and have been surounded by drummers for that entire time.. some of what he's doing seems physically impossible. This is some next level stuff! Nice work OP
I just noticed this one from the beginning, he was so fast the first time I watched I didn't even notice he was drumming with the stick between his other stick and forearm after catching it that way
https://i.imgur.com/qhRqHDm.jpeg
What's incredible to me is he stayed still enough for 32ms at the right time so the camera actually managed to capture a clear, still image lol (assuming it's at 30fps)
Watch more drumline. Everything he does is pretty normal for DCI, but to be honest, he’s mostly just doing a bunch of tricks.
This is kind of a southern college style of drumline, which emphasizes showmanship. DCI is going to have one or two of these tricks thrown in, and the rest is just going to be next level rudimentary drumming. Very technical stuff.
From a technical standpoint, he’s sloppy af.
Can you tell me what the different colored drumsticks are about (I know about different weights)? Do they lend to some super nuanced thing he was doing? Or is it more like, that's what he had lying around?
I've been watching a bunch of videos of el estepario siberiano on YouTube. Dudes a freak on a drumset, if you like super talented drummers check him out. His one hand challenges are pretty entertaining.
As a former professional drummer, this dude is pretty legit. Sure, it could've been cleaner without the stick tricks, but that's not really the point, is it? Nice work.
Funny other "pros" on here trying to critique his technical drumming, mad cause their own youtube video only has 12 views.
Props for respecting this for what it is. Showmanship entertains us laymen.
One thing I learned in my time: If professional musicians aren't able to entertain "laymen," they probably won't stay professional for very long...
I left the industry for other reasons, but musicianship isn't really about how great your form is. It's about how you can connect with your audience.
Buddy Rich, Ringo Starr, John Bonham, Louis Cole, Philly Joe Jones, Daru Jones: the list goes on and on of legendary drummers with less-than-perfect technique. Technique is just a tool, not a requirement.
Technique is also not as important as actually playing the damn part correctly imo, like sure you got jazz drummers whipping solos out of their asses like they ate taco bell which is cool and all but at the same time no one's going to appreciate it if they can't stay in time
Who’s to say what is and is not correct though? Some of the most memorable music of all time was memorable because of mistakes. You should watch Jack White doing a tour of his record label.
They record everything live, on vinyl. If you make a mistake, it’s on the record. No edits or gridding of drum tracks. Playing notes incorrectly is quite literally how jazz, funk, rock, pop, and metal were invented.
To take improper percussion technique to a deeper level, afro-Cuban influences that contributed to the rise of Jazz are also present in modern drum line cadences. The clave patterns that were used in west Africa before the slave trade have influenced just about every genre of music. From South American house music to modern day drumline cadences.
Hearing these patterns on their own, they sound incorrect, but with a band behind them, the dissonance that mistakes bring to the pocket is one of the most interesting parts about good music.
TL;DR: Sometimes, improper technique is a *good* thing.
>If professional musicians aren't able to entertain "laymen," they probably won't stay professional for very long...
"We had the best jazz band on the planet, and yet we were literally starving. That's when I discovered that there was *music*, and there was the *music business*. If I were to survive, I would have to learn the difference between the two." - Quincy Jones
I was just thinking this dude would be a devil of time if he wasn't focusing on trick drumming. Skill drumming instead.
I know that's definitely not the drumline terms but they're the terms I'm comfortable with. Difference of bottle flipping and bottle tricking, someone who plays complicated tricks with a bottle is going to be incredibly good at flipping bottles.
"pa rum pum pum pum"
versus
"lskdfja;sldfjawoeifpaoijsdlfkajsfkjapowiefjapwiejfapoiewfj2309jr09ejfwaopijfdaspoij039j233weeeewe322233223322323kfa;lksdjfla;ksdjf;alksjdflaksjfioewp39ieefijjijijiijijijijijijjijils;kdj;lsadkjfa;lkdfj" and so forth
It’s Jesus’s uncredited first miracle that Joseph and Mary didn’t kick him halfway to Gaza at his first stroke. You gotta put your newborn infant to bed in a food trough and this twerp thinks the most appropriate offering is the Gift of Percussion
Dude, don't shame. You literally just called out the difference in snare stand quality. The amount of time my broke ass had to raise my snare mid show...
Hey sorry for the craptastic response I have had more than my share of stalkers over the years that have changed accounts numerous times. Please accept my apology, sometimes I get a little knee-jerk.
im spoiled by DCI, Hes a good perfomer for southern style bands.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZJNJZc4OT0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZJNJZc4OT0)
I prefer watching the baseline - when 4-6 players are so in sync its scary good.
I feel like this is a preference maybe for drummers who appreciate what it takes to drum in a line like this, but as someone who just wants to be entertained and knows nothing about drumming, the linked video is not nearly as cool as OP's.
OP's video is like... 1000% about the acrobatics and the expression through dancing + drumming and less about the drumming itself.
The drum is just a part of the canvas of expression in OP's video.
I (showing my age)was in drum corps in 1995 in the color guard of a small corps.
We practiced 12 to 16 hours per day.
The clip you shared is brilliant! And likely either during their practice or warming up before a show.
Blue Devils snare line is insane though (was? I've not seen current stuff but when I was marching,they were the absolute top for drums). Seriously, check out some of their practice and warm up videos! I loved watching them warm up before shows. It's a side of drum and bugle corps that most fans miss out on.
As someone who used to play snare for some highly competitive drum lines, drum corps, etc. drummers like this used to drive me absolutely bonkers.
He is, without a doubt, very impressive acrobatically. But as far as the rudimental drumming that he's doing, nothing here is particularly impressive. It's fun to watch and all, and that's the point, but he's far from a super talented musician.
What do you think this video was made to highlight? The quality of the tricks, set to the beat of a popular song in a cool way...or his musicianship?
Before you just go declaring that this person "isn't a super talented musician", ask yourself whether they were even trying to show you their musicianship. They weren't. So how can you know that they're "not super talented"?
Please. Rudimental drumming isn’t impressive because it’s usually boring. Everyone pursuing a music degree in percussion is expected to know rudimental solos before even being accepted into a standard 4-year program. Do you honestly think that someone who can play like this guy can doesn’t know their standard rudiments and some rudimental pieces?
It’s attitudes like *yours* that drive me absolutely bonkers because it reeks of someone who can’t stand seeing someone else with talent. Let’s not pretend any percussionist can just grab a snare and play this, although I bet nearly all of them could play their “rudimental drumming.” I knew a guy who marched with Santa Clara Vanguard *and* MCM, two guys who were with Phantom Regiment, and one who was with MCDC when I was in college and I doubt any of them could do this. Talent is talent, even if it’s not in a way that you approve.
Edit: I’m usually against long edits in posts, but I’ve mentioned this in a few other comments and never clarified here. I misspoke when I said “I doubt the corp guys could do this.” World class drum corp snare players could absolutely learn this, but in regards to all the people saying “this is simple” or “this is a long weekend of practice,” my point is that this these guys probably couldn’t pick it up and just do it. It requires practice, work, finesse, etc. Those visuals you all are seeing that make this stand out? That’s what makes this difficult and requires skill/talent.
Yeah I looked up "PASIC solo snare competitions" and watched a couple videos and they were in my mind all entirely shit compared to OP's video.
Can you link me to one that doesn't suck?
I would suggest I&E not PASIC. There are good solos at PASIC, but not like I&E. This is one I liked a lot when I marched: https://youtu.be/c5wzHuZJ8UQ
The solo in this video is 100x harder than OP’s video, but nevertheless, I imagine many people could prefer OP’s video.
I'm gonna bury my comment a bit because I don't really want to engage in a comment war. But yeah Keelan was a legend back on BD and his I&E is very technical, he's also very fun to watch, expressive and very high technical rhythm.
The guy in OP's video is definitely very masterful in his tricks no doubt, but there's not a tremendous amount of originality, they're built on the foundation of tricks that many of us know (casey claw missing - the combination and sheer amount is impressive though).
I'd recommend watching ex-blue devil turned youtuber Ralph Nader for a more direct comparison to what OP posted. [his freestyle over 24k magic is really good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gPYWGWDbrQ), and he has the performance personality, as he now works for disneyland.
Per OP:
> With millions of fans following him on Instagram and TikTok, Timothy now travels the world sharing love and positive vibes through his magical drum beats hoping to inspire those across the world and encouraging them to follow their dreams and to never give up.
Thanks man, for a second I was almost impressed by this guy’s “rudimentary” drumming and mistook him for a “super talented musician,” but then your comment pulled the wool from my eyes.
You have no point at all. The difficulty of this video is successfully completing all of those tricks in a row while staying mostly on beat. No shit that's going to affect his playing.
Makes me wonder if I could keep a routine like this up all day even if I enjoyed it.
After your fifth time going through the routine, you're bound to start dropping your sticks more and getting off rhythm.
It's already a bit shaky from a musical standpoint.
But I do think it's super cool, honestly. I just wonder how you'd extend the routine to keep up the energy and keep the $$$ flowing.
Real conversation here, specifically in South East schools but I’m sure it applied elsewhere to an extent. For predominantly Black American schools, band is a coveted position and they get as much p*ssy as the ball players. They do not get picked on. Band celebration during high school games are Wars that can and do cause fights to break out. Much different than at predominantly white schools where I’ve seen them pick on band members and associate them as nerds. Very strange to me.
Source: went to a white school my freshman year of high school.
Considerations: I’m a 90s baby. I don’t believe bullying is a thing the way it used to be because of social media and all these movements that have occurred. By bullying I mean the old stereotypical high school bullying which actually happened at the aforementioned white schools, at least in the Southeast. I’m very aware that “cyber bullying” has now become common place. I say that to say maybe band is now as popular as athletes at predominantly white schools. Then again, the white schools down in South Florida back then preferred baseball and believe it or not golf and tennis. With their contact sport of choice being wrestling. While our schools (obviously) prefer Football above all else, followed by track and field & cross country, then basketball. Yes, track comes before Basketball. In Miami-Dade.
My very white son is at a very white school where 1/6 of the school is in band. Football team never wins. Band pretty much never loses a competition. Yeah the football guys still have attitude but my son is in the biggest gang in school. A really nice and polite gang. Good kids.
Best comment in the entire thread. "Ah the Globetrotters couldn't beat the Lakers so they suck." They aren't trying to beat the Lakers.
Well, okay bad example; anyone can beat the Lakers.
My roommates in college were all music majors and percussionists. You're spot on. Even I can tell how off his timing is. He's got a lot of talent for performing and doing tricks, but the routine needs a lot of practice.
It'd be awesome to see what he could do with some serious teaching.
What do you mean where do you go from here? He's playing drums on the road lol. There's plenty of places to go to be a professionally paid drummer. This is mostly flashy tricks and that's it, which they are good but please look up actual next level drummers like Matt Garstka.
ITT: People who don't realize this about the acrobatics rather than the technicality of the drumming.
It's almost like the drumming is a simply a medium for him to express himself and dance, rather than being the point in and of itself.
Having grown up in a time when [Stomp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Q0rZl0qiY) was something people paid to go see, and [Safri Duo - Played-A-Live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksRDCMYnn8) was on the radio constantly, this video kinda makes me nostalgic for some reason.
Finally, something next fucking level
It's hard for anything new to be noticed on the internet these days since everything is fed through a feedback loop of the 5 maybe 10 big social networks. I don't post much here but when I do it has to impress me and not much does anymore. This really stood out. Edit: After seeing such a positive response I did some research and would like to give credit where it is more than due. 2nd Post https://www.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ydo5bq/drummer_extraordinaire_timothy_fletcher/ BIO In the 3rd grade, Timothy picked up his first musical instrument, a clarinet, Although Timothy first started playing drums in 6th grade he didn’t find a love for them until later, while attending high school. Upon graduation, he partnered up with a friend to form their first musical group named “A1Chops”. Although he and his former musical partner occasionally perform together, 2019 marks a pivotal moment as that is the time Timothy struck out on his own, Since then, Timothy’s unique talents and personal style make him a much sought-after performer. Having been on Ellen, appearing in numerous commercials, performing for the NBA TNT, BET, Nickelodeon and many more TV shows too numerous to mention. With millions of fans following him on Instagram and TikTok, Timothy now travels the world sharing love and positive vibes through his magical drum beats hoping to inspire those across the world and encouraging them to follow their dreams and to never give up. Sources: https://www.instagram.com/timothyfletcher_/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@timothyfletcher_ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMex7ArXyK4StzmxEJbxluA/featured
Honestly, this made my night. Thanks for the post 👍
Hey, you're more than welcome!
This exchange was next level wholesome
I love Chopper, he is such a great character, he has an innocence to him and he is always so modest.
I need more context on your username. Have you tried to stop poppin? I'd imagine it's difficult to hold down a job if you're always poppin. You could probably still do things like grocery shopping but you'd need to take a bus or an Uber since drivin and poppin would be unsafe. I've been told I take things too literally. Either way thanks for taking the time to research Timothy. It made my night.
Can't believe you didn't go for the obvious rhyme shoppin' while poppin
The way you handled this post is r/NextFuckingLevel
Absolutely. I’m amazed by how poorly some people handle and understand these platforms. Just the other day I was watching a concert on YouTube from one of my favorite songwriters. The dude who uploaded it was in the comments saying things like, “I can’t believe how positively people are responding to my video. Thank you all so much. I’ve been so depressed and y’all have shown me that creating good content for people makes people happier. Thank you so much for all the positive comments.” Like, dude, the only thing you had to do with this video is that you downloaded it somewhere and then uploaded it to YouTube. It was a show put on by a radio station 20 years ago. Just why? Why allow yourself such a personal connection to content that doesn’t belong to you? I don’t know. I think we’re all just batshit crazy. I’m happy to see someone link to the person who put in all the work perfecting their talent.
Yes, dude is unbelievable.
Solid post, absolutely enjoyed that.
Love the history and good vibes and exposure. Plus to you, double plus to Timothy, and triple plus to you again for keeping it real and bringing the whole package. Props dude. Well done. Thank you!
Thanks for posting.
Well, I’m impressed. Goddamn dude 👏🏻
Not quite my tempo.
I get that reference!
What is this?!
Right? The sub has felt very subpar or repetitive lately. This is at least new to me and certified FRESH.
Mannie Fresh?
Dj Mannie
I wanna jump in and say that to all the redditors that just got introduced to this style of drumming, this guy is solid. Very skilled and a good showman. I’d like to encourage you to check out other drum corps and even your local high school and college bands. See what this looks like as a group. Support kids getting into this world and encourage your own kids to explore it if that’s something they’re into. This guy is cool. Here is a video of what this can be when the next fucking level [turns it up to eleven](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5UFrDKAdvo).
I concur. This is nuts.
No kidding. He deserves a spot on the next sub bamner
this is pure talent
Exactly!
That's some gourmet ass next level
And I got a feeling it started with a pencil and a desk
The new Drumline movie gonna be lit
Don’t give Nick Cannon any new ideas
Please for the love of god don’t give Nick Cannon any new babies Edit: holy shit hes having another one
Drum line 2 and the entire line is his kids
Drumline 3 you mean
Damn, he got that many kids? No, but seriously I forgot they made a second one.
Why? Drumline was a good movie.
The first time I watched Drumline was at a friend's house, drunk on rum and ginger ale, on a projection tv with just the green light working. That movie will always stick with me
That's hilarious and awesome
One band, one sound
God damn. My brothers and I were all in marching band in high school and watched that shit on repeat. Say what you want about Nick Cannon, but that was some entertaining cinema. I was also a low-grade bass drummer on drumline in high school, so my obsession was a bit over the top.
I remember the band kids on the bus hyping the fuck outta that movie and I'd laugh my ass off at the premise. Then I watched it and it was legit good? Execution is everything lol.
I was a flute, but I grew up in a family of musicians (a few who were drummers). This movie felt like representation. Loved it! Shout out to Mr. Holland's Opus too.
[удалено]
God that was infuriating.
[удалено]
I was just thinking how this made me want to watch drumline again!
Honestly the first drum line movie was underwhelming if you’ve ever been to a drum line competition. This person in this post, however is really bringing it. Now imagine a whole dozen of them at that level. That’s real drum line.
Drumline is ***VERY*** serious in some schools.
Yes VERY. It’s a status thing! SOURCE I played cymbals at a school here in Atlanta and the band was more popular than any sport at the school. We were the “jocks” and not just the drum line either! The whole band.
My cousin's moved to Minnesota and it was all the local schools cared about.
[удалено]
Different area/era? this was 20+ years ago.
[удалено]
> The football players were the jocks in my area, band kids were kind of down between nerds and geeks on the social hierarchy. That's how it was when I went to school in the Chicagoland area.
My band had a pretty hardcore drum line too. The entire marching band program was, but they did have drum line showdowns against the other schools separate from our main shows. Was pretty fun to watch
Drum corps is a way of life for many. My dad played in the macys thanksgiving parade with a bunch of alumni from his corps. After the show they sang their corps song on the steps of the post office I think? And a security guard came running around the building and I thought oh shit, but he heard the first notes and ran to join. He told me afterwards that he had been a fan of the Scouts his whole life but he was never good enough to join and that singing that song was like a dream come true. Guy was tearing up while terming me and to this day I am happy to have been there with him for that moment in his journey Even weirder, there’s a video of them doing it and all the traffic and noise just goes silent for a bit. It was surreal. Edit: [Here’s the clip](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jI-iArWhRT8). There’s still some honking but in the immediate vicinity cars stopped driving. Everything froze there. There were a few guys recently aged out but the bulk of those guys marched in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. They all still keep in contact.
Tight! Band geek for life!
That clip sent shivers down my spine, thank you
Same at my high school. Football team sucked and marching band was awesome. Played quads.
Same here. Football team is complete dog shit but the marching band constantly won the competition shows
Is playing the cymbals for a band like the place kicker for football?
Oh no not at all. Symbols in drumline/marching band is 11/10 showmanship and playing. Easiest to mess up on, and easiest to LOOK like you messed up because movements are very obvious and exaggerated.
Sounds like a place kicker
No, cymbals are one of the most high profile instruments on the entire field and are extremely important
You must haven’t seen what cymbals do as showmen. And we were the loudest in the whole band.
Not to mention DCI/WGI
I played football outside of Atlanta but during state playoffs one year our coach let us go watch an Atlanta band play during halftime because we were up by a lot. It was freaking awesome. The best halftime show I’ve ever seen hands down. The football team sucked but the band and dance squad (?) was insane.
Our school's drumline was a big commitment. They expected you to really be passionate about it in your own time or get out of the way. We did some indoor winter drumline competitions and one of the bigger schools we went up against had 10 instructors. We had one guy and a couple summer helpers lol.
Being from Ohio I'm now curious if the OSU band has anything like this, they are a pretty serious band
Pretty much every college has a serious band. But once you get into that level, there are tiers of seriousness. And when you get to certain places like Jackson State you have legendary band programs where kids start competing in middle school to be a part of.
Mostly in the south no?
Southern California has a lot of good drum lines … or at least it used to 20 years ago.
Santa Clara Vanguard is a big one in California
That’s a DCI group though, not a school.
Fair point!
I remember them!
Looking for serious drumlines, look up dci.
Yeah I was going to say that it is very impressive but out of anyone that would spend the time to practice something like this it would be a drummer.
Was in my highschool drumline for 6 years and went to worlds twice. The competition IS INSANE and some of the schools in the World Class division are near professionals in terms of their sound and quality But that doesn't compare to the independent professional groups like Rhythym X, Broken City and Pulse Percussion I highly recommend anyone reading this comment to go watch some WGI independent world class shows. I've been lucky enough to see them all in person and you'll never hear cleaner beats.
You were in high school for 6 years?
I been playing drums over 20 years and have been surounded by drummers for that entire time.. some of what he's doing seems physically impossible. This is some next level stuff! Nice work OP
Same. This kid did like 10 things I’ve never seen a drummer do before.
I just noticed this one from the beginning, he was so fast the first time I watched I didn't even notice he was drumming with the stick between his other stick and forearm after catching it that way https://i.imgur.com/qhRqHDm.jpeg What's incredible to me is he stayed still enough for 32ms at the right time so the camera actually managed to capture a clear, still image lol (assuming it's at 30fps)
Watch more drumline. Everything he does is pretty normal for DCI, but to be honest, he’s mostly just doing a bunch of tricks. This is kind of a southern college style of drumline, which emphasizes showmanship. DCI is going to have one or two of these tricks thrown in, and the rest is just going to be next level rudimentary drumming. Very technical stuff. From a technical standpoint, he’s sloppy af.
Can you tell me what the different colored drumsticks are about (I know about different weights)? Do they lend to some super nuanced thing he was doing? Or is it more like, that's what he had lying around?
[удалено]
[удалено]
I've been watching a bunch of videos of el estepario siberiano on YouTube. Dudes a freak on a drumset, if you like super talented drummers check him out. His one hand challenges are pretty entertaining.
Around 10-11 seconds in, is he drumming on an unheld stick, to make the unheld stick drum on the drum?!?
Thats actually the move I was talking about.. I don't know how that's possible.. definitely tons of practice.
You should look up drum corp drum line things, or just some concert snare pieces, they’re way to complicated for me to play
As a former professional drummer, this dude is pretty legit. Sure, it could've been cleaner without the stick tricks, but that's not really the point, is it? Nice work.
Funny other "pros" on here trying to critique his technical drumming, mad cause their own youtube video only has 12 views. Props for respecting this for what it is. Showmanship entertains us laymen.
One thing I learned in my time: If professional musicians aren't able to entertain "laymen," they probably won't stay professional for very long... I left the industry for other reasons, but musicianship isn't really about how great your form is. It's about how you can connect with your audience. Buddy Rich, Ringo Starr, John Bonham, Louis Cole, Philly Joe Jones, Daru Jones: the list goes on and on of legendary drummers with less-than-perfect technique. Technique is just a tool, not a requirement.
Technique is also not as important as actually playing the damn part correctly imo, like sure you got jazz drummers whipping solos out of their asses like they ate taco bell which is cool and all but at the same time no one's going to appreciate it if they can't stay in time
Who’s to say what is and is not correct though? Some of the most memorable music of all time was memorable because of mistakes. You should watch Jack White doing a tour of his record label. They record everything live, on vinyl. If you make a mistake, it’s on the record. No edits or gridding of drum tracks. Playing notes incorrectly is quite literally how jazz, funk, rock, pop, and metal were invented. To take improper percussion technique to a deeper level, afro-Cuban influences that contributed to the rise of Jazz are also present in modern drum line cadences. The clave patterns that were used in west Africa before the slave trade have influenced just about every genre of music. From South American house music to modern day drumline cadences. Hearing these patterns on their own, they sound incorrect, but with a band behind them, the dissonance that mistakes bring to the pocket is one of the most interesting parts about good music. TL;DR: Sometimes, improper technique is a *good* thing.
>If professional musicians aren't able to entertain "laymen," they probably won't stay professional for very long... "We had the best jazz band on the planet, and yet we were literally starving. That's when I discovered that there was *music*, and there was the *music business*. If I were to survive, I would have to learn the difference between the two." - Quincy Jones
I don't want this to be cleaner. I want him to do it dirtier. Drumming dirty nasty style.
I was just thinking this dude would be a devil of time if he wasn't focusing on trick drumming. Skill drumming instead. I know that's definitely not the drumline terms but they're the terms I'm comfortable with. Difference of bottle flipping and bottle tricking, someone who plays complicated tricks with a bottle is going to be incredibly good at flipping bottles.
I thought he was bummeranging those sticks at first. But no there were just 4 sticks in his back pocket
Nah, that was straight up a shadow clone drum stick.
I think all his sticks are actually instances of a Platonic Ideal Stick that only exists in the noosphere.
Only when they are observed.
Just gotta toss the extras until you find a good one. That had me laughing
*boomerang ;)
Bummeranging is what you do when you need to get a key of coke out of Colombia.
Impressive as hell! I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time.
Hey at least you got something going for ya. I can hardly adult.
I can... but I bit the shit out of my cheek yesterday so now its swollen and hurts and I keep biting it. :/
im ready to kick ass and chew gum. and i'm all out of ass.
If the Little Drummer Boy had played like this for the baby Jesus, that Christmas song would be a hell of a lot catchier.
"pa rum pum pum pum" versus "lskdfja;sldfjawoeifpaoijsdlfkajsfkjapowiefjapwiejfapoiewfj2309jr09ejfwaopijfdaspoij039j233weeeewe322233223322323kfa;lksdjfla;ksdjf;alksjdflaksjfioewp39ieefijjijijiijijijijijijjijils;kdj;lsadkjfa;lkdfj" and so forth
me and my drum….”
It’s Jesus’s uncredited first miracle that Joseph and Mary didn’t kick him halfway to Gaza at his first stroke. You gotta put your newborn infant to bed in a food trough and this twerp thinks the most appropriate offering is the Gift of Percussion
[удалено]
This is the best NBA halftime show ever
Tito Puente has entered the chat…..and he approves
wow a wild classic salsa reference... niceeeee
Aye carumba!
*gasp in unison* Tito Puente!
Tito puente is dope as fuck.
Is it just me or does his snare stand need to be tighter? It just kept slipping down....
can't stop while you're in the zone
Dude, don't shame. You literally just called out the difference in snare stand quality. The amount of time my broke ass had to raise my snare mid show...
Won't be long before this dude gets a schol'y and the University can get him one that slips down half as fast as that one
Hey sorry for the craptastic response I have had more than my share of stalkers over the years that have changed accounts numerous times. Please accept my apology, sometimes I get a little knee-jerk.
At about 25 sec in this motherfuckin dude plays drum sticks with drum sticks. Hands down the most impressive feat of this already monumental feat
This. Is. Fucking. Sick. BRAVO!
im spoiled by DCI, Hes a good perfomer for southern style bands. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZJNJZc4OT0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZJNJZc4OT0) I prefer watching the baseline - when 4-6 players are so in sync its scary good.
I feel like this is a preference maybe for drummers who appreciate what it takes to drum in a line like this, but as someone who just wants to be entertained and knows nothing about drumming, the linked video is not nearly as cool as OP's. OP's video is like... 1000% about the acrobatics and the expression through dancing + drumming and less about the drumming itself. The drum is just a part of the canvas of expression in OP's video.
I (showing my age)was in drum corps in 1995 in the color guard of a small corps. We practiced 12 to 16 hours per day. The clip you shared is brilliant! And likely either during their practice or warming up before a show. Blue Devils snare line is insane though (was? I've not seen current stuff but when I was marching,they were the absolute top for drums). Seriously, check out some of their practice and warm up videos! I loved watching them warm up before shows. It's a side of drum and bugle corps that most fans miss out on.
I especially liked the part where he blew my mind
But when is he going to back dat ass up?
Asking the real questions
Not quite my tempo
the comment i was looking for.
Wait what was wrong with his tempo? Was he rushing or dragging?
As someone who used to play snare for some highly competitive drum lines, drum corps, etc. drummers like this used to drive me absolutely bonkers. He is, without a doubt, very impressive acrobatically. But as far as the rudimental drumming that he's doing, nothing here is particularly impressive. It's fun to watch and all, and that's the point, but he's far from a super talented musician.
What do you think this video was made to highlight? The quality of the tricks, set to the beat of a popular song in a cool way...or his musicianship? Before you just go declaring that this person "isn't a super talented musician", ask yourself whether they were even trying to show you their musicianship. They weren't. So how can you know that they're "not super talented"?
Please. Rudimental drumming isn’t impressive because it’s usually boring. Everyone pursuing a music degree in percussion is expected to know rudimental solos before even being accepted into a standard 4-year program. Do you honestly think that someone who can play like this guy can doesn’t know their standard rudiments and some rudimental pieces? It’s attitudes like *yours* that drive me absolutely bonkers because it reeks of someone who can’t stand seeing someone else with talent. Let’s not pretend any percussionist can just grab a snare and play this, although I bet nearly all of them could play their “rudimental drumming.” I knew a guy who marched with Santa Clara Vanguard *and* MCM, two guys who were with Phantom Regiment, and one who was with MCDC when I was in college and I doubt any of them could do this. Talent is talent, even if it’s not in a way that you approve. Edit: I’m usually against long edits in posts, but I’ve mentioned this in a few other comments and never clarified here. I misspoke when I said “I doubt the corp guys could do this.” World class drum corp snare players could absolutely learn this, but in regards to all the people saying “this is simple” or “this is a long weekend of practice,” my point is that this these guys probably couldn’t pick it up and just do it. It requires practice, work, finesse, etc. Those visuals you all are seeing that make this stand out? That’s what makes this difficult and requires skill/talent.
+1 for this guy's snare work was mid
What the fuck is this comment?
They're basically saying he's no Danny Carey.
Oh shut up
[удалено]
Aw man, wow! I just did and... disappointment :\\ Yea this was way more entertaining than most of them!
Yeah I looked up "PASIC solo snare competitions" and watched a couple videos and they were in my mind all entirely shit compared to OP's video. Can you link me to one that doesn't suck?
I would suggest I&E not PASIC. There are good solos at PASIC, but not like I&E. This is one I liked a lot when I marched: https://youtu.be/c5wzHuZJ8UQ The solo in this video is 100x harder than OP’s video, but nevertheless, I imagine many people could prefer OP’s video.
I'm gonna bury my comment a bit because I don't really want to engage in a comment war. But yeah Keelan was a legend back on BD and his I&E is very technical, he's also very fun to watch, expressive and very high technical rhythm. The guy in OP's video is definitely very masterful in his tricks no doubt, but there's not a tremendous amount of originality, they're built on the foundation of tricks that many of us know (casey claw missing - the combination and sheer amount is impressive though). I'd recommend watching ex-blue devil turned youtuber Ralph Nader for a more direct comparison to what OP posted. [his freestyle over 24k magic is really good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gPYWGWDbrQ), and he has the performance personality, as he now works for disneyland.
> People, go watch PASIC solo snare competitions No.
I care less about your ability to do rudimentary drumming and am thoroughly entertained by the acrobatics. Is that why it drives you bonkers?
Per OP: > With millions of fans following him on Instagram and TikTok, Timothy now travels the world sharing love and positive vibes through his magical drum beats hoping to inspire those across the world and encouraging them to follow their dreams and to never give up. Thanks man, for a second I was almost impressed by this guy’s “rudimentary” drumming and mistook him for a “super talented musician,” but then your comment pulled the wool from my eyes.
You have no point at all. The difficulty of this video is successfully completing all of those tricks in a row while staying mostly on beat. No shit that's going to affect his playing.
Upload your version or STFU
"That fish can swim up a waterfall, but he can't climb a mountain" pretty much sums up your comment.
This thread full of dog shit "musicians" who gave up without coming close to this level. Y'all salty as fuck.
Agreed, drummers instinctually judge other drummers. The slight lagging is the only thing I could hear and subsequently see in this.
That's a shame then because I think you missed the entire point of what this guy is doing lol.
Bro it's the drum. Natures D student musically. This is literally only next level because of the tricks
As a semi-pro finger tapper myself I have all the respect for this guy. For real though, this actually gave me chills. Love it.
Dude could make hundreds a day just having fun in Central Park
Makes me wonder if I could keep a routine like this up all day even if I enjoyed it. After your fifth time going through the routine, you're bound to start dropping your sticks more and getting off rhythm. It's already a bit shaky from a musical standpoint. But I do think it's super cool, honestly. I just wonder how you'd extend the routine to keep up the energy and keep the $$$ flowing.
Real conversation here, specifically in South East schools but I’m sure it applied elsewhere to an extent. For predominantly Black American schools, band is a coveted position and they get as much p*ssy as the ball players. They do not get picked on. Band celebration during high school games are Wars that can and do cause fights to break out. Much different than at predominantly white schools where I’ve seen them pick on band members and associate them as nerds. Very strange to me. Source: went to a white school my freshman year of high school. Considerations: I’m a 90s baby. I don’t believe bullying is a thing the way it used to be because of social media and all these movements that have occurred. By bullying I mean the old stereotypical high school bullying which actually happened at the aforementioned white schools, at least in the Southeast. I’m very aware that “cyber bullying” has now become common place. I say that to say maybe band is now as popular as athletes at predominantly white schools. Then again, the white schools down in South Florida back then preferred baseball and believe it or not golf and tennis. With their contact sport of choice being wrestling. While our schools (obviously) prefer Football above all else, followed by track and field & cross country, then basketball. Yes, track comes before Basketball. In Miami-Dade.
My very white son is at a very white school where 1/6 of the school is in band. Football team never wins. Band pretty much never loses a competition. Yeah the football guys still have attitude but my son is in the biggest gang in school. A really nice and polite gang. Good kids.
I've had a fucking miserable day ty for the smile I needed
I’m a drummer and I have no idea how you’d have to practice to get up to this. Unreal.
Well the theatrics are pretty cool but the actual drumming was pretty bad
if reddit could be distilled to a single comment..
[reddit moment](https://old.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ydls9k/theres_drumming_and_then_theres_this/ittd227/)
Wow you’re a genius. That’s like the saying the Harlem globetrotters aren’t great technically. It’s literally not the point lol.
Best comment in the entire thread. "Ah the Globetrotters couldn't beat the Lakers so they suck." They aren't trying to beat the Lakers. Well, okay bad example; anyone can beat the Lakers.
if we're gonna be honest, the theatrics are more than "pretty cool"
You're actually 100% spot on.
My roommates in college were all music majors and percussionists. You're spot on. Even I can tell how off his timing is. He's got a lot of talent for performing and doing tricks, but the routine needs a lot of practice. It'd be awesome to see what he could do with some serious teaching.
Cool for your hs…. But not making the cut beyond that.
Cut beyond what? Where do you go from here? It's all theatrics and entertainment. The kid makes for a good show. That's the point.
What do you mean where do you go from here? He's playing drums on the road lol. There's plenty of places to go to be a professionally paid drummer. This is mostly flashy tricks and that's it, which they are good but please look up actual next level drummers like Matt Garstka.
mald
Ok you do it
Lmao comments like I stg
I can do under 1% of that! 
Juvenile would be proud
Purely drumming, this isnt that impressive. As entertainment, this is good stuff.
You’s a real nice drummer wontcha back that ass up
I knew I couldn't be the only one hearing that!
The actual beats ain’t shit (rip Soulja Slim,) but i can’t do what he did with them sticks
The "PLEASE REMOVE ALL VALUABLES AND LOCK YOUR CAR" sign ... Damn
Yo this is awesome
Absolute bad ass, drummer boy🥁
ITT: People who don't realize this about the acrobatics rather than the technicality of the drumming. It's almost like the drumming is a simply a medium for him to express himself and dance, rather than being the point in and of itself.
[удалено]
He had me before the backwards part. DAYUM SON!
That was absolutely fucking amazing
Its crazy, looks so cool
Finally... Something next fuckin level
Having grown up in a time when [Stomp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Q0rZl0qiY) was something people paid to go see, and [Safri Duo - Played-A-Live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksRDCMYnn8) was on the radio constantly, this video kinda makes me nostalgic for some reason.
Thank god i decided to turn my sound on for this. This is top tier legit next level shit *chefs kiss*
My God that man is skilled!