OT: Ringo's drumming

OT: Ringo's drumming

HBO has an interview with Ringo Star running this month
and is worth a peek!


One of the reason(s) he is such a clumsy (looking) player
( and even sounding ) drummer is he is left handed by birth,
raised right handed in public school, and plays a
right handed drum kit.

But since he is still left hand dominated , he plays
drums *backwards* ... It's really funny to
see him explain how he compensates by showing riding the
hi-hat .. then having to do a roll around the toms ..
backwards .. ( Hint: His wrists are crossed over at the
wrong period ).

It is this quirkiness he picked up while learning to drum
in a right/left handed period growing up
and he has never broken the bad habit(s).

It's equivalent to some degree I guess
for a leftie playing a right hand guitar strung
as a right-handed guitar!

Re: Ringo's drumming

WB <WB@here,com > wrote:
> HBO has an interview with Ringo Star running this month
> and is worth a peek!
>
>
> One of the reason(s) he is such a clumsy (looking) player
> ( and even sounding ) drummer is he is left handed by birth,
> raised right handed in public school, and plays a
> right handed drum kit.
>
> But since he is still left hand dominated , he plays
> drums *backwards* ... It's really funny to
> see him explain how he compensates by showing riding the
> hi-hat .. then having to do a roll around the toms ..
> backwards .. ( Hint: His wrists are crossed over at the
> wrong period ).
>
> It is this quirkiness he picked up while learning to drum
> in a right/left handed period growing up
> and he has never broken the bad habit(s).
>
> It's equivalent to some degree I guess
> for a leftie playing a right hand guitar strung
> as a right-handed guitar!

There are probably some similarities. But I'd dispute the
characterization that Ringo sounds clumsy. His style is vastly
different from Moon or Bonham, but he's an excellent drummer whose style
helped make the Beatles what they were.

Re: Ringo's drumming

RichL wrote:
> There are probably some similarities. But I'd dispute the
> characterization that Ringo sounds clumsy.


The sound is clumsy ... he admits he misses beats (crashes, snare/tom),
or actually is *late* on strokes because his hands/wrists are in the
wrong positions all the time ! Then there is the infamous shoulder
*shrug* where he flips the sticks to accommodates a change in drum pattern.

I never really paid attention much to drummers, or Ringo ...
you know .. they don't even have a usenet group to defend
themselves ...

A picture is worth 10000 drumming words.. to watch him
explain it is a hoot.

Re: Ringo's drumming

> There are probably some similarities.  But I'd dispute the
> characterization that Ringo sounds clumsy.  His style is vastly
> different from Moon or Bonham, but he's an excellent drummer whose style
> helped make the Beatles what they were.- Hide quoted text -
I second that!

Mr Soul

Re: OT: Ringo's drumming

WB wrote:
> HBO has an interview with Ringo Star running this month
> and is worth a peek!
>
>
> One of the reason(s) he is such a clumsy (looking) player
> ( and even sounding ) drummer is he is left handed by birth,
> raised right handed in public school, and plays a
> right handed drum kit.
>
> But since he is still left hand dominated , he plays
> drums *backwards* ... It's really funny to
> see him explain how he compensates by showing riding the
> hi-hat .. then having to do a roll around the toms ..
> backwards .. ( Hint: His wrists are crossed over at the
> wrong period ).
>
> It is this quirkiness he picked up while learning to drum
> in a right/left handed period growing up
> and he has never broken the bad habit(s).
>
> It's equivalent to some degree I guess
> for a leftie playing a right hand guitar strung
> as a right-handed guitar!
>

Ringo reinvented rock drumming. I did not know it was like
that, but ... that's cool. It's always the mutants
that change things.

Not the zombies....wait a second... I gotta reload....


--
Les Cargill

Re: Ringo's drumming

Ringo has taken flack over the years for not being a very good drummer. I
always thought that was non sense. All of the Beatles were good on their
instruments because they did their job. No more and no less. No long solos
or any other unnecessary BS. Their songs and music was great and they didnt
need to hide it or be carried by shredding.

"WB" <WB@here,com > wrote in message
news:482e627c$0$4071$bbae4d71@news.suddenlink,net ...
> HBO has an interview with Ringo Star running this month
> and is worth a peek!
>
>
> One of the reason(s) he is such a clumsy (looking) player
> ( and even sounding ) drummer is he is left handed by birth,
> raised right handed in public school, and plays a
> right handed drum kit.
>
> But since he is still left hand dominated , he plays
> drums *backwards* ... It's really funny to
> see him explain how he compensates by showing riding the
> hi-hat .. then having to do a roll around the toms ..
> backwards .. ( Hint: His wrists are crossed over at the
> wrong period ).
>
> It is this quirkiness he picked up while learning to drum
> in a right/left handed period growing up
> and he has never broken the bad habit(s).
>
> It's equivalent to some degree I guess
> for a leftie playing a right hand guitar strung
> as a right-handed guitar!
>

Re: Ringo's drumming

On Fri, 16 May 2008 22:22:37 -0700, "Keith Adams" <keithadams@socal.rr,com >
wrote:

>Ringo has taken flack over the years for not being a very good drummer. I
>always thought that was non sense. All of the Beatles were good on their
>instruments because they did their job. No more and no less. No long solos
>or any other unnecessary BS. Their songs and music was great and they didnt
>need to hide it or be carried by shredding.


Ringo: "We're not great musicians. Just adequate."

Reporter: "Then how do you explain your popularity?"

Ringo: "Maybe people like adequate music."

He was exactly the right guy for that band.


Then there was...

Reporter: "Do you think Ringo is the best drummer in the world?"

John: "He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles!"

Re: Ringo's drumming

On Sat, 17 May 2008 01:40:08 -0700, Burnham Treezdown
<bt@butterfly,net > wrote:

>Ringo: "We're not great musicians. Just adequate."
>Reporter: "Then how do you explain your popularity?"
>Ringo: "Maybe people like adequate music."

>He was exactly the right guy for that band.

He was. I think it's worth noting that while none of them were
prodigies on their instruments the songwriting more than made up for
it.

Peter

Re: Ringo's drumming

Peter Alerich wrote:
> On Sat, 17 May 2008 01:40:08 -0700, Burnham Treezdown
> <bt@butterfly,net > wrote:
>
>> Ringo: "We're not great musicians. Just adequate."
>> Reporter: "Then how do you explain your popularity?"
>> Ringo: "Maybe people like adequate music."
>
>> He was exactly the right guy for that band.
>
> He was. I think it's worth noting that while none of them were
> prodigies on their instruments the songwriting more than made up for
> it.
>
> Peter

Bingo. I always thought of them as song writers first, musicians
second. They were still good musicians, tho.

Re: Ringo's drumming

Peter Alerich wrote:
> On Sat, 17 May 2008 01:40:08 -0700, Burnham Treezdown
> <bt@butterfly,net > wrote:
>
>> Ringo: "We're not great musicians. Just adequate."
>> Reporter: "Then how do you explain your popularity?"
>> Ringo: "Maybe people like adequate music."
>
>> He was exactly the right guy for that band.
>
> He was. I think it's worth noting that while none of them were
> prodigies on their instruments the songwriting more than made up for
> it.
>
> Peter


The context made up for it. They were exactly at the right place
at the exact right time - with some really brilliant promotions
work by Brian Epstein.

--
Les Cargill

Re: Ringo's drumming



Peter Alerich wrote:
> On Sat, 17 May 2008 01:40:08 -0700, Burnham Treezdown
> <bt@butterfly,net > wrote:
>
> >Ringo: "We're not great musicians. Just adequate."
> >Reporter: "Then how do you explain your popularity?"
> >Ringo: "Maybe people like adequate music."
>
> >He was exactly the right guy for that band.
>
> He was. I think it's worth noting that while none of them were
> prodigies on their instruments the songwriting more than made up for
> it.

You're kidding, right? McCartney could have been a session player on
just about any album made in the '60s & '70's. Not only on bass, but
probably also guitar and sometimes drums.

Technically speaking, there aren't many guitarists better than
Harrison, ever. Just because he's not shredding like Satriani doesn't
mean he's not a "prodigy".

Lennon, too had an idiosyncratically superb style on both piano and
guitar. He just wasn't as skilled a player as McCartney or Harrison,
but he was every bit as good a musician.

--E

Re: Ringo's drumming

On Sat, 17 May 2008 22:53:37 -0700 (PDT), Ether <ether@x-mail,net >
wrote:

>You're kidding, right? McCartney could have been a session player on
>just about any album made in the '60s & '70's. Not only on bass, but
>probably also guitar and sometimes drums.

I think Paul's ability to play really interesting bass lines and sing
interesting and different vocal lines on top of that was very
impressive. Gene Simmons of KISS and Geddy Lee of Rush come to mind in
that same vein although you'll never hear Simmons lauded for anything.
He is terribly underrated.

Beyond that I never considered any of the Beatles to be real standouts
on their instruments. They were appropriate for the music and the
time. If you do, more power to you.

Some of those songs, however (mostly Paul's) are sheer genius.
Peter

Re: Ringo's drumming



Peter Alerich wrote:
> On Sat, 17 May 2008 22:53:37 -0700 (PDT), Ether <ether@x-mail,net >
> wrote:
> > > I think it's worth noting that while none of them were
> > > prodigies on their instruments the songwriting more than made up for
> > > it.
>
> >You're kidding, right? McCartney could have been a session player on
> >just about any album made in the '60s & '70's. Not only on bass, but
> >probably also guitar and sometimes drums.
>
> I think Paul's ability to play really interesting bass lines and sing
> interesting and different vocal lines on top of that was very
> impressive.

Yeah, that and his ability to compose those bass and vocal lines, play
the guitar with great proficiency, play better drums than Ringo Starr,
and play the piano extremely well, all at an early age...

Wait--that seems to be the definition of "prodigy", isn't it?

> Gene Simmons of KISS and Geddy Lee of Rush come to mind in
> that same vein although you'll never hear Simmons lauded for anything.

For good reason!

> He is terribly underrated.

Not as a digusting lecher. He's very highly regarded in that arena.

>
> Beyond that I never considered any of the Beatles to be real standouts
> on their instruments.

You must be joking. Every "Top 100 rock guitarists" list compiled
inthe last 35 years has George Harrison on it, usually in the top 10.
And McCartney was the best instrumentalist in the band. Are we talking
about the same Beatles?

> They were appropriate for the music and the
> time. If you do, more power to you.

I think the rest of the world would beg to differ as well.

>
> Some of those songs, however (mostly Paul's) are sheer genius.

Right. We haven't even discussed vocals. McCartney and Lennon are
widely regarded as two of the best pop music vocalists in the history
of recorded music, and Harrison is right up there as well.

But back to the instruments. The Beatles' sheer volume of excellent
songs and their inventive and soulful playing certainly qualify them
as "prodigies". Who, in your opinion, could have played these parts
better? Sure, Clapton played lead on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps,"
but that's the exception. And Harrison composed those solos anyway.


--E

Re: Ringo's drumming


"Ether" <ether@x-mail,net > wrote
> Peter Alerich wrote:
...
>> Gene Simmons of KISS and Geddy Lee of Rush come to mind in
>> that same vein although you'll never hear Simmons lauded for anything.
>
> For good reason!
>
>> He is terribly underrated.
>
> Not as a digusting lecher. He's very highly regarded in that arena.

Laugh Out Loud. Thanks for that...
__
Steve
.

Re: Ringo's drumming

Ether <ether@x-mail,net > wrote:

> ....play better drums than Ringo Starr, ....

You were doing fine until you got to that point. In my view, Paul's
drums aren't half bad on "Back in the USSR" but they're a bit stiff on
"Wild Honey Pie" and "Why Don't We Do It in the Road", which I think are
the only other recorded Beatles tracks on which he played.

Paul was a fairly competent drummer but he was no Ringo.