The Greatest drummer of all time !
If you've ever wondered why Jeff Porcaro is considered one of the greatest studio drummers of all time, do yourself a favor and take five minutes to check out the drum track from Toto's 1982 hit "Roseanna." Here are a few of my thoughts as I listened to this master at work:
1. Jeff's technique here is stellar. If you've every tried to play this song, you've quickly realized just how HARD it is. From the basic groove (inspired by the Purdie shuffle), to the "four on the floor" pre-chorus pattern, to the melodic bass drum lines in the chorus, every section is a (lengthy) study unto itself.
Technical virtuosity at this level is commonplace today, but in 1982 - an era before click tracks and Pro Tools influenced everything we do - fitting all these ideas together so seamlessly was really HARD. Jeff makes it sound like a walk in the park.
2. This is pretty much a master class on what to do in a recording studio. One of the greatest pieces of advice I ever received from a sound engineer was "When listening to a playback, definitely trust your ears, but also WATCH the movement of the meters on the mixing board. Your goal should be to make each meter should go to exactly the same spot with every stroke."
In listening to Jeff's playing here, you understand exactly what that engineer meant. Every backbeat, every ghost note, every fill, every cymbal crash, every rhythmic idea is expressed with absolute clarity and consistency. Even though the drums may blend in with the other instruments in the context of the full mix, this kind of articulation must be present in every limb from start to finish if you aim to create a great studio track.
3. Technique aside, what has always set Jeff's playing apart (and still does 34 years later) is the energy, elegance and sheer musicality that he brought to pop and rock music.
Porcaro was able to cram all of these sophisticated ideas into a radio-friendly pop song and make it work because each idea makes perfect SENSE in the overall context of the song. Yes, there's plenty for drummers here, but the drum parts also make perfect sense for the average music listener just looking for a toe-tapping beat. And this is truly the magic that was Jeff Porcaro - like the man himself, his drums danced and sang and brought us joy and happiness. It's the reason he was so much in demand in his time, and why we can still learn so much from him today.
purdie shuffle 在 The Purdie Shuffle: An Iconic Drumbeat | The New York Times 的推薦與評價
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