djarrett Posted November 28, 2001 Share Posted November 28, 2001 Hey, Guys: We have explored (since this is a drummers forum) the subject of who influences you most as drummers, but I want to know: Who influences you most as a musician (this does not have to be a drummer)? DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted November 28, 2001 Share Posted November 28, 2001 In all honesty I would have to say that everything influences me as a musician. I know I'm supposed to list the people that directly influence my playing, but I'm going to use a broader brush this time. I can learn something from everyone no matter what musical level they may be at. Regardless of style, medium, etc., all music and musicians influence me as an artist. Even if this means that I learn what I don't want to sound like, I am influenced. Everyone human is unique and has something to offer. No one does it just like you! Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlhubley Posted November 28, 2001 Share Posted November 28, 2001 I agree with Bart 100% on this one. I get influence from all sorts of non-musical people, things, etc. If i had to list actual people that influence me(other than teachers and drumming buddies) I would say: Miles Davis: The man never quit. He changed music like 5 times in his life. To change music once is an incredible feat, but he was able to change the direction of Jazz multiple times. Frank Zappa: Again, never quit. Worked until his death. He(like Miles) had a great knack for assembling the right people for the right situation and knew how to get the best out of each person. He(again like Miles) knew what each individual excelled at, and exploited that talent. Zappa was also able to combine incredible musicality, advanced composition, hilarious satire into VERY complex music that covered many styles which included rock, orchestral, chamber, opera, doo-wop, be-bop, reggae, and much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted November 28, 2001 Share Posted November 28, 2001 Interesting question... not sure I'm answering correctly as it was asked but I'd answer it in two ways: 1) Influence of other musicians. I'm very influenced in a musicial concept by ambient works, stuff by Brian Eno, Steve Roach, Labradford, and that sort of thing. The "formlessness" of something like Eno's "Thursday Afternoon" always gets me inspired for some reason. Maybe it's my brain wanting to fill the void, so I come up with rhythms in my head. Sometimes it's good to empty the mind of ideas in order to fill it back up again. 2) The natural world. By this I mean both being out in the woods or the beach and also just walking around the city. Things like car alarms (as annoying as they are), reverbed car door slams in parking garages, toys clacking away in a mall toy store, the sound of the surf (I walk along the beach every day), the patterns of bird sounds while hiking in the hills. All that is inspiring to me and I'm always creating beats in my mind for later use by just absorbing the sounds that happen naturally. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaddabout Posted November 28, 2001 Share Posted November 28, 2001 Originally posted by djarrett: Hey, Guys: We have explored (since this is a drummers forum) the subject of who influences you most as drummers, but I want to know: Who influences you most as a musician (this does not have to be a drummer)? DJ I find when I play with keyboardists, I tend to play things that remind me of drummers who played with my favorite keyboardists. Richard Tee, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett ... whatever. It doesn't even have to be overt. Just a subtle chord progression tends to bring out familiar colors in my playing. One time in church, our keyboardist started improvising a new syncopation (we often have stretches where the music is somewhat improvised). Before I knew it, I was playing the same ostinato Vinnie C. played on "Bajo Bajo" with John Patitucci and Chick Corea (isn't that called songo?). I'd never practiced it before, but I'd listened to that song so much, it just came out of me. It was fun. Just wish it had fit the song. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted November 29, 2001 Share Posted November 29, 2001 Just realized that in fact I did not answer the question correctly. gimee a break, I've got the flu. So then, PEOPLE who influence me beyond drumming are folks like Bill Laswell, Peter Gabriel, David Sylvian, Bjork and others who always seem to keep the rhythmic element strongly in mind with their compositions. And then singer/songwriter types who inspire me with their sense of dynamics and emotion... like Paul Simon, Tori Amos, David Grey, etc. I'm a sucker for great melody and great transitions from verses to choruses and so on. Oh and I can't forget my girlfriend who is a singer/songwriter who does all of the above and is my main inspiration... ain't that sweet? Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted November 29, 2001 Share Posted November 29, 2001 OH JEEZ, side, you mush ball...you got it bad, so bad LOL. I am influenced by so many outside stimuli and musicians. I have to agree with Bartman and Hubley on learning from other drummers, usually it's what I don't want to do especially when you are the great felix stein. My formative years were spent being influence by many of rock's greatest: Bill Ward, Neil Peart, Vinnie Appice, Jerry Shirley, Cozy Powell and the Great Tommy Aldridge hopefully I have taken their influence to different levels. I experimented early in my years with Jazz but never really understood it/liked it until recent years. Starting with Chapin's advanced techniques I took it from there. I tend to fuse rock and rudiments with my jazz style and like the works of Billie Cobham and Zappa's drummers but let's face it-I'm not as good as T.B./C.W. or V.A.-Vinnie being my fav. I have also been fusing Chaffee, Latham and other linear styles/grouping studies the past 6 or 7 years and find them lots of fun in a fusion setting. I really don't like the early fusion of works like Bitches Brew and Birds of Fire but I liked what the players were attempting. I have been hot and cold with Latin and other world drumming for a long time and never really liked the final sounds of the grooves for the work it took to get them happening. I sorta just goof around with these styles and fuse them with whatever. I'm more influenced by source material, play along CD's etc. than say Richie Garcia or some other authentic player. But I'm not latin so I don't try to be one. Even though I am the great felix stein I realized my talent limitations and uninterest in the music biz per say years ago. Believe it or not I get lots of inspiration listening to piano composers such as Ravel, Debussey, Bethoven and Satie-trying to create an atmosphere with my drums, progressions, climaxes and perhaps denoumeaus (the cigarette after the climax. I also go the art museum at least once a month and see what sort of inspiration I can glean and then cross the genre to my drumming. Try to keep that musical! It keeps me busy, drumming is a lifelong endeavor...one does not pick it...it picks YOU! felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted December 1, 2001 Author Share Posted December 1, 2001 Hey, Keep um coming! Jeez, I love you guys! The other mush-ball, DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted December 1, 2001 Share Posted December 1, 2001 I can say that in the early 70's it was Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass that actually got me interested in pursuing music. This is back before I even played an instrument; I think I was about eleven years old. I still have the albums that I used to listen to as a kid. By the time the 80's rolled around, Herb put out ... well, let's just say some not very "musical" things ... like his RISE album. I was mature enough then to know that it was pure cheese and very commercial. Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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