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Neil Ranked #3 in Modern Drummer 'Greatest Drummer' List


Jag2112
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No one ever said Neil was a 4/4 hack… he’s one of the best oddball time signature players in the world. And I really think his playing from say, T4E on, is harder to play that anything from 75 – 81.

 

Why is Neil so good? Because he’s Neil.

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I think you two are discussing (once again) technical talent vs influence. Neil Peart is one of the most influential drummers of our time and will go down as an all time great. But as Xanadood points out, there are many drummers out there who can play what Neil does. There are other drummers who confound the vast majority of drummers with their technical proficiency and brilliance. Neil is great...but there is another level in the drumming stratosphere above him.

 

I understand that his playing isn't impossible to recreate. However, the state that there exist a level of percussion that Neil Peart isn't worthy of being mentioned with just seems proposterous. The man has inspiried generations of people to play drums. He revolutionized the dynamic of rock drumming and took it to heights that never existed before. Is that the mark of someone who should be held in the "he's not as good as jazz drummers" conversation?

 

I've watched plenty of jazz drummers and a lot of them do amazing things but no of it seems to be out of his league. Do you guys reall think he would be baffled by some of that playing? I grew up around a lot of guys who played in bands and very few of them could pull off even the most rudimentary Peart songs and none of them could touch some of his more complex material.

 

I never thought I'd see the day when people actually argued over whether or not Neil Peart was just a run of the mill drummer. It's ridiculous.

 

I'm geared more towards guitar myself and I can tell you now that what you guys are arguing would be the same thing as saying Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads were average guitarist because they didn't play like Al Di Meola. How many kids do you think are in their room right now slaving over Al Di Meola and how many do you think are slaving over Crazy Train or Eruption?

 

Neil Peart is a master of his craft and worthy of consideration in even the stuffiest of jazz rooms.

 

"I've watched plenty of jazz drummers and a lot of them do amazing things but no of it seems to be out of his league. Do you guys reall think he would be baffled by some of that playing?"

 

 

Jazz guys explore techniques not typically utilized in Rock drumming..advanced techniques. A lot of rock drummers incorporate single stroke rolls and 16th note patterns in their playing..thats rookie stuff for guys like say, Steve Smith...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_T4YXhnveA

 

 

I appreciate your fanboy love of Neil, but its well documented that his playing isnt of the upper echelon of world class drummers...I will say that his playing now is overall better than it was 30 years ago, but just look what happened at the first Buddy Rich memorial concert back in , i believe, 89...he got his ass handed to him in a drum duet with Will Calhoun, a guy who is a Berkleee graduate...Neil showed he wasnt up to the task of playing with the big boys at the time..he is great at his style within the confines of Rush, but take him out of that element, and he isnt all that adaptable.

 

 

Guys like Neil Peart and Eddie Van Halen are, typically, early influences, guys who inspire young players to pick up the instrument, and they spend their youth practicing their parts...but then, as they mature, and soak up other players styles, they move on...

 

Got his ass handed to him? What is this a boxing match?

 

And the guy in that video is masterful but the stuff he's playing is unlistenable. It just sounds mechanical. There is no emotion or soul in that form of music. You can disagree all day long but that's why that guy is playing to one dude that looks like a mafia hitman instead of 15k screaming fans.

many would say the same thing about rush
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The guy from AC/DC makes his living playing a straight 4/4, with the bass drum on 1 and 3 and the snare drum on 2 and 4. Basic as it gets.

Phil Rudd actually has a lot more going on than one might expect. Subtle moments of syncopated fills woven throughout. Take For Those About to Rock as an example album.. It is basic, but pretty artfully played in terms of timing or swing.
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I think you two are discussing (once again) technical talent vs influence. Neil Peart is one of the most influential drummers of our time and will go down as an all time great. But as Xanadood points out, there are many drummers out there who can play what Neil does. There are other drummers who confound the vast majority of drummers with their technical proficiency and brilliance. Neil is great...but there is another level in the drumming stratosphere above him.

 

I understand that his playing isn't impossible to recreate. However, the state that there exist a level of percussion that Neil Peart isn't worthy of being mentioned with just seems proposterous. The man has inspiried generations of people to play drums. He revolutionized the dynamic of rock drumming and took it to heights that never existed before. Is that the mark of someone who should be held in the "he's not as good as jazz drummers" conversation?

 

I've watched plenty of jazz drummers and a lot of them do amazing things but no of it seems to be out of his league. Do you guys reall think he would be baffled by some of that playing? I grew up around a lot of guys who played in bands and very few of them could pull off even the most rudimentary Peart songs and none of them could touch some of his more complex material.

 

I never thought I'd see the day when people actually argued over whether or not Neil Peart was just a run of the mill drummer. It's ridiculous.

 

I'm geared more towards guitar myself and I can tell you now that what you guys are arguing would be the same thing as saying Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads were average guitarist because they didn't play like Al Di Meola. How many kids do you think are in their room right now slaving over Al Di Meola and how many do you think are slaving over Crazy Train or Eruption?

 

Neil Peart is a master of his craft and worthy of consideration in even the stuffiest of jazz rooms.

 

"I've watched plenty of jazz drummers and a lot of them do amazing things but no of it seems to be out of his league. Do you guys reall think he would be baffled by some of that playing?"

 

 

Jazz guys explore techniques not typically utilized in Rock drumming..advanced techniques. A lot of rock drummers incorporate single stroke rolls and 16th note patterns in their playing..thats rookie stuff for guys like say, Steve Smith...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_T4YXhnveA

 

 

I appreciate your fanboy love of Neil, but its well documented that his playing isnt of the upper echelon of world class drummers...I will say that his playing now is overall better than it was 30 years ago, but just look what happened at the first Buddy Rich memorial concert back in , i believe, 89...he got his ass handed to him in a drum duet with Will Calhoun, a guy who is a Berkleee graduate...Neil showed he wasnt up to the task of playing with the big boys at the time..he is great at his style within the confines of Rush, but take him out of that element, and he isnt all that adaptable.

 

 

Guys like Neil Peart and Eddie Van Halen are, typically, early influences, guys who inspire young players to pick up the instrument, and they spend their youth practicing their parts...but then, as they mature, and soak up other players styles, they move on...

 

Got his ass handed to him? What is this a boxing match?

 

And the guy in that video is masterful but the stuff he's playing is unlistenable. It just sounds mechanical. There is no emotion or soul in that form of music. You can disagree all day long but that's why that guy is playing to one dude that looks like a mafia hitman instead of 15k screaming fans.

many would say the same thing about rush

 

And there is a word for those people: DEAF. :finbar:

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Good point about Neil coming up with the drum parts and perspectives in the first place.

 

Neil Peart - with practice, easy to imitate. But we're all still playing fills based off of shit Neil's already composed and left behind.

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The guy from AC/DC makes his living playing a straight 4/4, with the bass drum on 1 and 3 and the snare drum on 2 and 4. Basic as it gets.

Phil Rudd actually has a lot more going on than one might expect. Subtle moments of syncopated fills woven throughout. Take For Those About to Rock as an example album.. It is basic, but pretty artfully played in terms of timing or swing.

 

Agree completely.

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I'm only commenting because I happen to be in the middle of manically commenting on everything at the moment and thought I would say:

The very idea of these rankings is absurd on its face.

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I've never understood why Jazz Drumming was held up as being the pinnacle when most people hate Jazz with a passion. Great music is often the sum of its parts, accomplished playing can be satisfying, exciting and elevating, but there is no formula that says this or that style or genre is better, just the ears of the listener. If a group of Jazz fanatics were to sit down and discuss "who is best?" they would necessarily discuss musicians from the genre they like. It's the same with rock fans and whilst it is healthy to be open to different genres and styles someone who predominately likes rock music would have to be majorly pretentious to pick several Jazz drummers in his personal Top Ten. Besides Swing is completely irrelevant in rock music.

As a rock drummer Peart is as gifted as the best rock drummers and his body of work endures that he's always going to appear in a sensible top ten of rock drummers but would he be picked by people who don't like Rush? Is he as good playing other styles, clearly not. His high standards and reputation are based on his rock performances as they should be.

Best drummer or greatest Drummer? Commonsense suggests not, he's not as proficient at Jazz as Colaiuta (for example ) is at rock, pop, metal or fusion.

Most favourite drummer of Rush fans, definitely ticks that box, ;)

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I've never understood why Jazz Drumming was held up as being the pinnacle when most people hate Jazz with a passion. Great music is often the sum of its parts, accomplished playing can be satisfying, exciting and elevating, but there is no formula that says this or that style or genre is better, just the ears of the listener. If a group of Jazz fanatics were to sit down and discuss "who is best?" they would necessarily discuss musicians from the genre they like. It's the same with rock fans and whilst it is healthy to be open to different genres and styles someone who predominately likes rock music would have to be majorly pretentious to pick several Jazz drummers in his personal Top Ten. Besides Swing is completely irrelevant in rock music.

As a rock drummer Peart is as gifted as the best rock drummers and his body of work endures that he's always going to appear in a sensible top ten of rock drummers but would he be picked by people who don't like Rush? Is he as good playing other styles, clearly not. His high standards and reputation are based on his rock performances as they should be.

Best drummer or greatest Drummer? Commonsense suggests not, he's not as proficient at Jazz as Colaiuta (for example ) is at rock, pop, metal or fusion.

Most favourite drummer of Rush fans, definitely ticks that box, ;)

 

Really, Tony? "Most" people hate jazz? Says who? I'm not talking about cheesy, smooth jazz, either. I mean, Kenny G effectively killed jazz for a whole, lost generation.

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These lists are pointless and only foster people expressing opinions based on what band(s) they like. Probably the only way to get an accurate list would be to have drummers fill out an anonymous ballot.

 

That being said, Danny Carey being that far down the list is ridiculous. :eyeroll:

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I've never understood why Jazz Drumming was held up as being the pinnacle when most people hate Jazz with a passion. Great music is often the sum of its parts, accomplished playing can be satisfying, exciting and elevating, but there is no formula that says this or that style or genre is better, just the ears of the listener. If a group of Jazz fanatics were to sit down and discuss "who is best?" they would necessarily discuss musicians from the genre they like. It's the same with rock fans and whilst it is healthy to be open to different genres and styles someone who predominately likes rock music would have to be majorly pretentious to pick several Jazz drummers in his personal Top Ten. Besides Swing is completely irrelevant in rock music.

As a rock drummer Peart is as gifted as the best rock drummers and his body of work endures that he's always going to appear in a sensible top ten of rock drummers but would he be picked by people who don't like Rush? Is he as good playing other styles, clearly not. His high standards and reputation are based on his rock performances as they should be.

Best drummer or greatest Drummer? Commonsense suggests not, he's not as proficient at Jazz as Colaiuta (for example ) is at rock, pop, metal or fusion.

Most favourite drummer of Rush fans, definitely ticks that box, ;)

 

Really, Tony? "Most" people hate jazz? Says who? I'm not talking about cheesy, smooth jazz, either. I mean, Kenny G effectively killed jazz for a whole, lost generation.

Well, I'll start with that "whole, lost generation"... ;)

 

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