Monday 13 February 2012

My influences - The music styles

Well, Since I wrote a post about drummers that influenced my playing style I feel I have to list some of the music styles that have influenced me. Styles had have stronger influence on me than a single drummer, due to I am a musician, not a drummer and I listen to good music, not a single drummer. And I play to music, I play with music and I play music! So here are some of the most important


70s rock
If you read my previous post, you noticed there was some 70s rock drummers, so it will be no surprise that 70s rock is one of the music styles that have influenced me the most. When I started to play drums, bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Kiss was practically the one thing I listen to! I remember playing to Deep Purples 'Living Wreck" in my grandmothers basement (where I had my drumkit. Rest her soul, you really, really patient woman!).



Jazz
I just recently have begun to listen to jazz (perhaps the last five years or so) but this music style have influenced my greatly! How does that come? Well, first and foremost, my drum teacher was old school and jazz was the mother of all music and jazz was the music you should know how to play! If you could play jazz, you could play anything (but then again, why would you play anything else when you know how to play jazz!? :-P  ). Here is one of the greatest jazz band ever!






Grunge
As a drumming teenager in the 90s I couldn't help to be influenced by that times new music style; The Grunge! I just loved the heavy melodic rhythms of Sean Kinney (Alice in Chains) and even more lovely drumming of Matt Cameron (Soundgarden). At the time I was not able to cover Matt Cameron but I loved to play to Alice in chains. These great rhythms have influenced me greatly!






Progressive Rock
The progressive have some influences from both heavy metal (including grunge) and jazz! My main influence from this genre is of course Dream Theater but also bands like Rush! Isn't this a genre to die for, especially if you are a musician! The technics, the beauty, the melodis ... the everything! 






Funk
So where does it all end up? In Funk of course! What does this genre not have (a growler perhaps)!? It's fun to play, fun to listen to, it's technical and melodic and just about a great time! You can play as heavy as John Bonham, fast as Mike Mangini, technical as Dave Weckl or you name it! I often find drumless tracks online to drum to and record (I will post audio clips in a later post)! Here is a clip with Stanton Moore and Sprung Monkey.




See you soon!



Friday 3 February 2012

My infuences and inspiration - The drummers

John Bonham
Yes, my number one influence and drum good for many years. I love his heavy but, oh so, melodic sound. He's technics is astonish, not forget to mention the base drum technic!  Mixing all kinds of music styles and master them all, he is my true and major inspiration and influence!

Ian Paice
I not a fan of Ian Paice, sorry to say, but his drum playing have influenced me a lot. During my first years as a drummer I listen to a lot of Deep Purple and in particular In Rock! He has (often) a more fast pace and rawer sound than Bonham

Mike Portnoy
I have always been a fan of polyrhythms and always tried to incorporate them in my playing, with questionable results, but after listening to Mike Portnoy I have realized what could be done with polyrhythms. And not just polyrhythms but also back beats and other really cool stuff as well!

My Drum teacher!
As a young drummer, still struggling to even be able to hit the drums without missing them, he learn me the JAZZ! And of course as a young man still formable I incorporated the jazz into my veins!

Terry Bozzio
Perhaps he haven't influenced my style as much, but he deserves a honorable mentioning here, since he makes the above drummers look like amateurs. And, yes! That incorporates The professor as well! :-P