michael saulnier Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 A few classic rock bands from the 60's and 70's used two drummers, both playing full time. Notably the Allman Bros. Band. I like the groove they get, but I always wondered what other drummers felt about it since most often there's only one at a time. Are there good reasons for or against doing this? Do you like this approach? Have you ever done it? just a curious, guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwirk Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 I just know I've had a hard enough time getting ONE drummer to leave enough space for the rest of us, let alone two. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif ~clockwirk~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansouth Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 No, but multiple percussionists are okay. I saw Paul Simon touring in support of his Brazilian album - don't remember the title - and he had one drummer and four percussionists. It was AWESOME when those guys would let loose!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 I'll take all the drummers I can get. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 Normally NO. but there are exceptions. The Allman bros. drummers weren't all that great as individuals but they came up with some great grooves (sometimes) together...I think the Grateful Dead is another example of this...two mediocre drummers can make one great one http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif. (of course many would disagree with my opinion of these drummers but that's how I heard them anyway). One other notable exception is James Brown who often tours with 2 drummers and a percussionist....these players have so much taste that it just works beautifully. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 The best of two drummers for all time (in my opinion), ... the Doobie Bros.!!! Keith Knudson and Chet McCracken! Now that was drummin' DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 I personally have played in groups where there was a second drummer besides myself. It's fun as long as the other drummer is as good (or better) than yourself. Doobie Brothers, Allman Brothers, 38 Special, James Brown, Grateful Dead and others do some great things with two drummers. I think that having a percussionist has taken the place of having a second drummer in this day and age. A lot of Motown records were recorded where a different drummer played a different instrument; one guy on the kick drum, one guy on hi-hat and snare, another guy doing all the tom fills ... it was great! Listen back some time and check out those thick layered grooves. I know I get a lot of work because I play both; drums and percussion. A lot of times I will play drumset grooves but using my percussion rig. So to answer question: I DO like having two drummers as long as they work well together and are competent. The more versatility the better! The negative side of having two drummers would be if they can't play together, insist on playing all the time, or if they are not sensitive to the music. You can come up with some cool grooves ... and you don't have to have a sequencer or loop to play to. Go for it and have fun. Be sure that you designate one drummer to be the dominant so that the second drummer understands his role so that he will know to lay out on certain songs, etc. Oh ... and if you are in a church band ... two drummers would be bad. People complain about the drums being to loud as it is! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif ------------------ Bart Elliott http://bartelliott.com Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 My favorite band with two drummers was Adam and the Ants. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Seriously, their first album in the early 80's just rocked, and I saw them on that tour and it was too cool! There was another band I used to see a lot in the mid 80's in L.A., called Burning Sensations. They didn't have two full drum kits but they did have a percussionist who had this HUGE rack mounted percussion array, might as well have been a second drummer. They just kicked ass - it was kinda punk, funk and jazz on top, but the bottom was Afro-Cuban/punk. If you can picture that. You wouldn't have thought it would work, but did it ever. Grooves for days. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoman_nsyahoo.com Posted May 21, 2001 Share Posted May 21, 2001 Originally posted by Bartman: Oh ... and if you are in a church band ... two drummers would be bad. People complain about the drums being to loud as it is! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif YIKES!!! Most definitely bad....... this topic scared the heck out of me. "Two drummers.... we have a hard enough time getting people to accept our one drummer!!" But anyway, back to the topic....... I like two drummers, assuming the second "drummer" is a percussionist. I can't really comment about two real drummers, because I haven't heard that much music utilizing two. But I do really like a percussionist and a drummer, it sounds really great. ------------------ John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This message has been edited by KeyboardFreak on 05-21-2001 at 11:39 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansouth Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Originally posted by Lee Flier: I'll take all the drummers I can get. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Mmmm, yeah, Lee... But do you mean one at a time or all at once? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 pretty funny LOL felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Originally posted by dansouth@yahoo.com: Mmmm, yeah, Lee... But do you mean one at a time or all at once? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif I'll take 'em however I can get 'em!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansouth Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Originally posted by Lee Flier: I'll take 'em however I can get 'em!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif GO girl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 My goal is to maintain a family oriented forum ... Lee! Keep it clean! By the way. Are you saying that two drummers are better than one!!!!!!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted May 23, 2001 Author Share Posted May 23, 2001 Originally posted by djarrett: My goal is to maintain a family oriented forum ... Lee! Keep it clean! So... If I said something like... "It 'aint the size of the sticks... It's the speed of the licks!" That wouldn't be cool? guitplayer http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Originally posted by djarrett: My goal is to maintain a family oriented forum ... Lee! Keep it clean! Keep it CLEAN??? When I hang around with DRUMMERS???? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gifhttp://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif 'Fraid not. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif By the way. Are you saying that two drummers are better than one!!!!!!! Uhhh.... ummm.... well, a girl can dream!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif --Lee This message has been edited by Lee Flier on 05-22-2001 at 11:54 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Is this what they call cyber-drumming? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/confused.gif Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 We offer a clean and loving cyber drummer experience. No $3.99 a month charge to look at the pictures ... no taking your browser hostage ... no .... er, eh ... Did you hear about the drummer that ... LEE!!!!! Look what you did! DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regurgitator Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 My band has two drummers. They both play full kits. It is bad ass, very tribal and heavy....we are called: rouse. Keep an eye out for us. If your into Jane's,Tool,Soulfly,Incubus,Deftones type stuff you would really dig it. To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" You can say, "Sorry, got these sacks." -Jack Handy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Any of you newbies experience two drummers? DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulliver Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Chester Thompson / Phil Collins Genesis live numbers on which these two gentlemen played - really smoke, imo. I am back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Trott Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 I've never been a fan of the two drummer band but I love jamming with another drummer. That can been very cool! Cheers Brenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 Gulliver ... you are so correct. It helped that the two of them were great stand-alone players as well. Seems two drummers ... takes two drummers who understand the concept of "less can be more". DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george costanza Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 LITTLE FEAT!!!(Rich Hayward & Sam Clayton) Besides those mentioned already, I'd point out that many of John Lennon's solo recordings used 2 drummers (usually Jim Keltner & Ringo Starr) albeit in a different way---they duplicated a single part for a "heavier" sound. As Bartman mentions, in recording situations multiple drummers are sometimes used to play variant parts (& this is by no means limited to Motown's heyday---or even to humans...some records are made with a basic track augmented by others). Another approach to multiple drummers is that used by Parliament-Funkadelic in their heyday (& still, on occasion by PFunk Allstars): drummers that replace one another (overlapping slightly) to keep a non-stop groove going without stopping the music. They used the same approach to bassists, guitarists, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brakka Posted October 26, 2002 Share Posted October 26, 2002 Hey, James Brown was mentioned a lot up there, but did both drummers ever play at the same time? What are some JB tunes with 2 drummers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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