Is country drumming boring?

[Ryneaux]

The Bakersfield stuff in particular is super challenging for me. Growing up in Bako and spending my life here hasn’t made it any easier, either, although I guess I’ve absorbed a lot of it by 51 years of immersion. Played in a band for many years with Jerry Wiggins’ son. Whenever Jerry showed up to gigs, the ol’ sphincter puckered up a bit more than usual. LOL.

 

[wflkurt]

When I first joined my old band in 2012, I was actually pretty excited as these songs were all fresh and new to me with the exceptions that never go away like sweet Home, Summer of 69 and Hurts So Good. Most everything else was a modern country tune or an original. When I started listening to the tunes I discovered that I liked a lot of the drum grooves and the drum sounds. I decided to look and see who some of these guys were and I was pretty surprised to see a lot of it was the same guy named Greg Morrow. After looking him up, I was astounded at just many albums he has been on. I even looked him up on facebook, sent him a private message and he was super kind and responded right back. I think he's a great drummer and I love the recorded work he has done. That would be my dream job to do what he does.

Greg Morrow - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mydadisjr]

To all y'all who are listening to lotsa HENDRIX, CREAM, METALLICA, RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS and YES (not that there is anything wrong with those bands, mind you... I listened to 'em plenty in days gone by)...

try playing this one and really nailing it.

 

[Houndog]

Wow , George Strait nails that .
I grew up with my Dad playing this Jerry Lee country album all the time ….

 

[Houndog]

One of my all time fav country songs …

 

[TheBeachBoy]

He

Might as well throw Steve Earle and Marty Stuart in there too.

Absolutely. Can't believe I missed those. Then again, I'd probably hit the character limit in my post if I listed all the greats.

 

[swarfrat]

I suspect even Dream Theater is boring if you don't like the music.

 

[Houndog]

John Fogerty

 

[Tornado]

I realized the other day that I don't "like" any of the music I've ever played for an audience. Just not the stuff I'd listen to by choice. However, I've enjoyed playing it all (well, not Freebird...). Being a part of an ensemble is an experience all its own.

 

[5 Style]

You nailed it on the Buck Owens observation!!

I’m currently learning Buck Owens for a tribute band …

View attachment 596409

The guitarist hadn’t heard me play , I was hired because he knows who I play for , he was still worried if I could capture the right feel . After our 1st rehearsal he said I’ll be danged you nailed it , I’ve had a hard time finding drummers for traditional country in the past ….
I was beaming with pride ….

Nice! Probably a really fun gig. I'm the most casual country fan and then I really don't care for any of the contemporary really popular stuff. I dig some of the older, cassic stuff though and some of the stuff that might be considered "alt country" made in more recent years. I sometimes buy old LPs that look interesting, but they make take a very long time, eyars even to make my regular playlist. One record like that was this Buck Owned one, "Live in London," which when I finally put it on, surprised me at just how rock and roll that stuff seemed to me. It's kind of unique music to my ears because as rock and roll as the rhythms go, it still has a really honest rootsy kind of quality to it that the contemporary stuff which is rooted in more modern type rock lacks for me. I have an instrumental album of theirs too and that one reminds me a bit of surf guitar music

The drumming on those records is really crisp, and with some tricky sounding details so I can definitely see that it would take some skills to pull off. I hope that you're getting to mix in a few of those cool instrumentals along with the better known vocal tunes.

 

[Houndog]

Nice! Probably a really fun gig. I'm the most casual country fan and then I really don't care for any of the contemporary really popular stuff. I dig some of the older, cassic stuff though and some of the stuff that might be considered "alt country" made in more recent years. I sometimes buy old LPs that look interesting, but they make take a very long time, eyars even to make my regular playlist. One record like that was this Buck Owned one, "Live in London," which when I finally put it on, surprised me at just how rock and roll that stuff seemed to me. It's kind of unique music to my ears because as rock and roll as the rhythms go, it still has a really honest rootsy kind of quality to it that the contemporary stuff which is rooted in more modern type rock lacks for me. I have an instrumental album of theirs too and that one reminds me a bit of surf guitar music

The drumming on those records is really crisp, and with some tricky sounding details so I can definitely see that it would take some skills to pull off. I hope that you're getting to mix in a few of those cool instrumentals along with the better known vocal tunes.

I’m currently reading a book about Bakersfield and the Oklahoma connection seeing as I’m an Okie it’s interesting.
The author claims had Buck Owens started 5/6 years later he’d have been considered rock and roll ….
Not sure I agree but …..

 

[DamnSingerAlsoDrums]

I’m an Okie

Well, if you were from Muskogee you'd have all the Country credentials you need right there

 

[Old Drummer]

Country can be boring, though I think it mostly depends upon the drummer as well as whether he or she likes the music.

Some drummers, mostly it seems young ones who are starting to play well, like to show off their chops. Some forms of rock and jazz permit this, so these drummers usually gravitate to those genres. Country rarely provides these opportunities because nearly all the required drumming is fairly sparse and simple. Usually any intermediate-level drummer can get through a country gig fine, and this causes many more skilled or egotistical drummers to avoid country when they can, and complain that it's boring when they can't.

However, if you end up liking country, or maybe just the country band you're playing in, and leave your ego at home, country can be fun and even challenging. Instead of showing off your chops, you focus on contributing to the song (and your bandmates). Boom-chick doesn't have to be the same in every song that calls for it, or even in the same song. There are lots of ways to give boom-chick a different feel, and if you're focused on the song, you will find them. Same with fills and belly-rubbers. Fills won't likely be flashy, but they can be tasteful. The really slow songs often invite tasteful cymbal pings, and occasionally even a little surprise power drumming (though I suppose we're into progressive country now). I've been known to double-time the ride on portions of slow songs, for instance, to give them more energy.

I switched to country after aspiring to jazz and rock, and found that I prefer it. Honestly, I think blues is more boring to play than country, but that's my opinion.

Though yeah, country can get boring no matter what. Once, a bandmate had me listen to a tape someone had made at one of our gigs to ask me what drum sound he was hearing. I listened and laughed. Instead of 2 and 4 on the snare, I was doing one of them on a high-pitched tom. My bandmate wasn't critical but said that it was funny, and it was. He asked why I did it. I confessed. I did it because I was bored.

 

[Frank Godiva]

Ask Kenny Buttrey:

Teardrops in Nashville

 

[Robert_Drumz]

I was one of those “I like everything but country” until about a year ago. I responded to a band looking for a drummer - because I wanted a new avenue for gigs - having never played a country song before.

They gave me a list of almost 40 songs; I had heard of maybe 5 of them before. Learning all those songs was quite an education and it quickly occurred to me that I had underestimated country music.

I’ll go so far as to say that anyone who disparages drumming to country music doesn’t have the musicianship to play it well. It takes more finesse and dynamics than most popular genres and the song structures are peppered with tags and variations that keep the mind working.

Whether or not you like/love country music, you’ll be a much better musician having learned to play it, especially if you focus on replicating the nuance and feel on the records.

 

[geoff7877]

Like most people that don’t like country, we all love classic country. the old, dirty, hardship stuff. I come from a pure rock/metal/punk background and toured in punk bands for years. A great friend and former punk band mate started playing with a country band and the needed a drummer to fill in for some shows and called me. With my background and styles of music that I’ve always played, this fill in thing proved to be very challenging and extremely rewarding.

first off, these guys are STELLAR musicians. Huge changes in dynamics. Some songs required brushes where i barely made a sound, others were all out bashing. I had a GREAT time playing with these guys and every time they call, I’m in. I don’t think I’m right for them as a full time guy and not something that I would want to fully commit to, but damn we have a lot of fun together when we play.

check them out. Great band.

Come Home To Me, by The Famous

11 track album

thefamous.bandcamp.com

 

[Mitch Farmer]

I think any genre of music is an art form to play and deserves respect like any other it’s all learning

 

[Tony_H]

I was one of those “I like everything but country” until about a year ago. I responded to a band looking for a drummer - because I wanted a new avenue for gigs - having never played a country song before.

They gave me a list of almost 40 songs; I had heard of maybe 5 of them before. Learning all those songs was quite an education and it quickly occurred to me that I had underestimated country music.

I’ll go so far as to say that anyone who disparages drumming to country music doesn’t have the musicianship to play it well. It takes more finesse and dynamics than most popular genres and the song structures are peppered with tags and variations that keep the mind working.

Whether or not you like/love country music, you’ll be a much better musician having learned to play it, especially if you focus on replicating the nuance and feel on the records.

The question was... Do we find it boring?....Yes

Not.... Do we think the musicianship involved in Country drumming is substandard or inadequate?....NO


I am one of those that thinks it is boring and also played it. This is an opinion based question that can be separated from the emotional value or the skill level required to play the music. There are many things people are good at, but just don't find an intrinsic interest in.

 

[Matched Gripper]

My current main gig is a John Prine tribute. (Nice theatre/concert gigs for a change)
Lots of quirky drum/percussion parts to keep me busy.

Who else would write a song with a
4/4 verse
3/4 chorus
Both at different tempos

Mick

That was thoroughly enjoyable. Notice the drum part. Minimalistic. That’s what country drumming is/should be all about. JMO!

 

[CherryClassic]

Country can be boring, though I think it mostly depends upon the drummer as well as whether he or she likes the music.

Some drummers, mostly it seems young ones who are starting to play well, like to show off their chops. Some forms of rock and jazz permit this, so these drummers usually gravitate to those genres. Country rarely provides these opportunities because nearly all the required drumming is fairly sparse and simple. Usually any intermediate-level drummer can get through a country gig fine, and this causes many more skilled or egotistical drummers to avoid country when they can, and complain that it's boring when they can't.

However, if you end up liking country, or maybe just the country band you're playing in, and leave your ego at home, country can be fun and even challenging. Instead of showing off your chops, you focus on contributing to the song (and your bandmates). Boom-chick doesn't have to be the same in every song that calls for it, or even in the same song. There are lots of ways to give boom-chick a different feel, and if you're focused on the song, you will find them. Same with fills and belly-rubbers. Fills won't likely be flashy, but they can be tasteful. The really slow songs often invite tasteful cymbal pings, and occasionally even a little surprise power drumming (though I suppose we're into progressive country now). I've been known to double-time the ride on portions of slow songs, for instance, to give them more energy.

I switched to country after aspiring to jazz and rock, and found that I prefer it. Honestly, I think blues is more boring to play than country, but that's my opinion.

Though yeah, country can get boring no matter what. Once, a bandmate had me listen to a tape someone had made at one of our gigs to ask me what drum sound he was hearing. I listened and laughed. Instead of 2 and 4 on the snare, I was doing one of them on a high-pitched tom. My bandmate wasn't critical but said that it was funny, and it was. He asked why I did it. I confessed. I did it because I was bored.

Exactly: You put in the words I would have liked to say.

You can say that again!!

sherm