Dave Tone Yeah, because any real musician is gonna acknowledge The Beatles as being ground-breaking, envelope pushing and massively influential for all who followed.
On a similar vein, there is a video here on YT by an accomplished guitarist Mike Pachelli called "The Genius of John Lennon Guitar" where he breaks down various Lennon parts and explains their genius. He also does one about George Harrison. Very worth the watch.
If someone complains about Ringo's drumming I never understand what they would expect him to do. Double pedal heavy metal shit wouldn't fit the beatles, he is a fantastic drummer.
"To find the best drummer in the world, is it someone who is technical proficient? Or is it someone that sits in the song with their own feel? Ringo was the king of feel" -Dave Grohl What a legend, both of them!
+Camino de Regreso You know, your statement is why I think Keith Moon is supremely overrated. He was too overkill for me. He played too much, as does Zak, I personally feel. Ringo had it perfect. Only play what's needed
Just as Ringo was the perfect drummer for The Beatles, Moon was the perfect drummer for The Who. It would have been overkill for any other band, but it worked perfectly for them.
Donnie Vick Peter Townshend once said something like this about the Who: I have a lead singer who can hit the high notes occasionally, and a drummer who doesn't lay down the beat, I do that.
Anyone who says Ringo Starr is a shit drummer does not know what they're talking about. Yes he's not John Bonham or Keith Moon. But he has such a distinctive and recognisable style and what they say in this video about him having a knack with coming up drumming 'hooks' is so on point. As soon as you hear the drum pattern in Ticket To Ride or Come Together you just know what the song is straight away. The Beatles would've been lost without him, his rhythm was so crucial to all the songs they did. It's not about being "flashy" and "over the top", it's about what works best in a song. Ringo wasn't a flashy drummer, but he knew what worked.
+jnb432 You forgot "Tomorrow Never Knows," for it offers a huge kick on what Ringo can accomplish. Oh, and +Orlando Pockets, go back to your little hole since you don't believe that other so-called "drummers" dissed on Ringo.
Orlando Pockets Thanks for saying that I'm just too smart to realize how knowledgeable I sound since I'm done typing to a great troll such as you. Well, time to go back to your little lonely hole.
That's not Ringo in "The End". It's Paul. If you listen closely you can actually tell. Listen for the similarities in the drumming to Dear Prudence, Back in the USSR, Ballad of John And Yoko, Birthday... These are all Paul on drums.
You should explore this little tidbit about the Beatles drums. I don't off the top of my head have something to back up what I posted, but it's widely known Ringo left the band because he felt he wasn't needed. There's a quote from him not being the greatest rock n roll drummer-"I'm not even the best drummer in the Beatles." I disagree with him, but he said that because Paul would often record the drums himself on his tracks. In fact, You'll find MOST of Paul's recordings in the later years include almost NONE of the other members at all. He plays and sings everything himself. The others didn't do this. You'll hear all of the Beatles on most all of John's and George's tracks.
Your reliable source can be your ears really. Once you're clued into who your Beatles drummer might be, you'll hear it in the sound. Particularly the High Hats. Paul hits those things completely differently than Ringo does. To me it's the first obvious audio clue. The fills Paul uses are also far more rudimentary (if that's possible) than Ringo. If you listen to Paul's first solo album you'll clearly hear the exact same drummer there as is on many of the Beatle tracks. The way the stick meets the snare head also sounds different and again, this sound can be found in those other Beatles tracks-Dear Prudence, BAck in the USSR, Why don't we do it in the road, Ballad of John and Yoko, The Abby Road Medley... The only difference between many of Paul's solo tracks and his Beatles tracks is the name of the Band attached to it. Listen to the drums on Help, A Day in the Life, All of Sgt. Pepper?, I feel fine... Any early Beatles record... This is clearly Ringo. Now go back and listen to the drums on the previously mentioned tracks above... You just might hear it. If you're a drummer you WILL hear it.
The problem is it's not an accurate description at all. Ringo could make it FEEL loose while being tight. His time-placement was impeccable. Far far beyond Laboriel's own hilariously enough.
@@production2353 That's the genius of it. Sounding like you're on the verge of losing control, when you're actually not, is something few people can do. I think Abe hit the nail on the head with his remark.
When you can just play the drum track ...and instantly recognise the song ? That is th tell tale sign of great drumming . Regardless of how simple it is.
A lot of people love to cut down Ringo, saying he was just there for the ride. As a drummer myself, I know he was very talented. You don't have to play drums a million miles an hour, to be the best.
EXACTLY!! That style of drumming has a time and place. it would never fit in a Beatles song. Besides, listen to Ringo's drumming on Tomorrow Never Knows. Pretty innovative stuff for it's time.
Kairi091 Tomorrow Never Knows, holy cow, what a great track! Pure psychedelia at its peak, well, maybe not at its peak. But they mixed Ringo right up front in that song, and it's perfect, his playing.
I love this video with Ringo getting he well deserved praise, there is no Beatles song that you ever listen to, wear you say I wish there was another drummer on this song, and the Beatles play such a variety of feels and moods, and Ringo always seemed to find the perfect drums for the perfect song, and to sum it up, the Beatles couldn't be the best band of all time, if the drummer wasn't making them the best, but I also believe that John, Paul and George's great song writing and creativity lifted Ringo to be great along with them, and I also love Ringo for his personality, he fit so well inside the band, there will never be another band like the Beatles unfortunately
I liked when Dave Grohl commented on Ringo's Ludwig kit as "the most iconic drum set in rock music." Anytime you see that drum set, with that Beatles drop T logo on the bass drum head, you know....you just know. As for Ringo's drumming, I also have read comments about that as well, and as a drummer myself, I would call Ringo's drumming "pocket drumming". Meaning that Ringo didn't do any wild drum solo's or play like Buddy Rich gone mad. Ringo played what drummers should be playing in the first place: to keep time for the band, locking in with the bass guitar as the rhythm section. You have to remember that drummers as a whole didn't have formal drum lessons, per se back in the day. If you could keep a beat, you were usually good enough to play in a band. You don't have to play fills and run round the drum set to be considered a good drummer. Ringo proved that.
Yep, but they all played it wrong. That, is funny. That fill goes from the floor tom to the rack tom because Ringo can't run a fill the other way on a right handed kit because he's a lefty. Those are his own words, not my assumption.
MAX Weinberg picked RINGO as the Number 1 Rock Drummer ever!... and after firing 3 or 4 "professional" drummers who could not play "Here Comes the Sun" as Ringo did... I totally agree with him.
You know, I've been listening to Ringo's music for close to 10 years now. I was listening to Oh My My the other day, and it made me realise something. When it comes to figuring out your favourite drummer, it's not based on how technically skilled they are, or how fast they can play around a drum kit... it's about how enjoyable their music is, and how much you like their drum playing. Who do you enjoy over all the others? Ringo kept it simple, and yet I love him over Keith Moon, John Bonham, Neil Peart, Jim Keltner, Simon Kirke, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, Abe Laboriel, Gregg Bissonette, you name a famous drummer, I will enjoy Ringo more than them. His music may have a simple drum beat, but quite often, simple is good. 90%, simple is better than too much.
This is what we call in French "bataille de quequette" which literally means "dick war". Who's got the biggest ? People want the musician they prefer to be the best. And often enough, they don't know much about it.
***** Its true unfortunately. It's quite a shame. I have little interest in playing at the speed of Keith Moon, as it'll probably not serve much of a purpose. It'll look cool, yes, but it won't be that useful for me. Drum solos are generally not what get drummers a job I can safely say that those who criticise Ringo probably do try to play as much as Ringo, or Eddie Van Halen or Slash if they're guitarists, and therefore miss the point. Often they just want something that fits, and not a 16 minute solo that covers 5 keys multiple times
GondarthReturns You are absolutely right ! For guitars especially, everything is in the soul. This is why Mark Knopfler is the best ;) When it comes to drummers, Ringo Starr isn't my favorite, but he sure brings something new to the craft, and this makes him a great drummer. Moon is quite good too, but in another register. To me, the best is Stewart Copeland: Original approach of the instrument, incredible technique and abilities, superb musicality, and the plus that he brings to Police, for example; is unmatchable by any drummer in the world.
There is something beautiful about listenin to accomplished and well-known musicians all come together to explain why exactly a certain someone was so great.
Ringo Starr & Charlie Watts. Two of the greatest early rock drummers of all time. They understood that their jobs are to keep time. Without them there'd be nothing.
They said all in the video, he was the right drummer for the music, and he came up with simple but creative innovative fills that fit the music perfectly.
Ringo was responsible for laying down the foundation for the most amazing original songs the world has ever known. No one else could be Ringo. Can you imagine sitting behind the skins for hours upon hours, supporting whatever the song needed, take after take, until the others were satisfied with what they were creating? No one else could be Ringo.
We are all musical descendants of Ringo's playing. Either directly or indirectly. He was so influential in rock drumming. Glad to see he is getting his due.
Ringo's brain repertoire is matched by no one. I wanna see ONE of the monsters today being told "Okey and now "Besame Mucho", Dude that is a god damn Danzon (circa 1800a Cuba) I am yet to meet ONE master drummer who KNOWS the grooves to ANY latin rhythm. But As I learned THOSE were the first records smuggled into Liverpool and you learn that repertoire you ARE a percussionist because you do not get 9 drums you get TWO or even a Guiro in which you get 20 rhythms. I d mnot know NAY R&R drummer today who can play a samba (Charlie Watts didn't pull it in "Sympathy" the syncopation and counter rhythms will loop you out. ALL of "Sympathy" percussion was outsourced). Ringos mastering of latin percussion gave him a plethora of combinations or write the drums to "Love me do' (which is NOT what Best was doing) . Or carry give "Get Back" that sense of anticipation or "Help" or that intro to Ticket to Ride. or "What you're doing" then turn that into "Tomorrow never knows" I KNEW Ringo was a monster on a simple scene in "A Hard days night" when he plays "And I love her" in perfect latin bongo techniche ( I am, latin). You need to pull 50 pitches out of two skins all by usinh rim, edge and center and modulating with your other hand by pressing. HH buttering ? That was genius with exceptional use of technique Hit /scratch/ Hit he's hitting and sustaining the HH with two notes I love he claims "He is NOT a percussionist " but Percussionist I know specially Latin Percussionists like Tito Puente wondered if Ringo was from the Latin school of Mambo/Samba/Bossa Nova/Calypso . And THAT is something lacking in all the super monsters of today (with the exception of Copeland) . he HAS that latin chops and those serve you VERY well.
As far as modern rock drumming goes,Ringo reinvented the wheel,discovered fire,went to the moon and turned black and white to color.He was rehearsing at a studio I worked at a while back in L.A.and he was every bit as cool,laid back,humble and funny as he is in interviews,TV,etc...Just all around great guy and I think that vibe has a lot to do with why The Beatles resonated with people like they did...Peace!
Yo soy baterista porque un día escuché a Ringo. Había escuchado a otros bateristas, pero el día que lo escuché a él me enamoré, no sé porqué, nunca lo analicé, pero la fascinación fue total. Ese día día fue el inicio de muchísimos momentos felices de mi vida tocando este hermoso instrumento, y todo comenzó con Ringo.
All those poor misinformed and misguided Ringo bashers everywhere should really watch this. Because chances are at least one of their favourite / most respected drummers is probably giving his testimonial here.
Wow, musicians are such sage, wise, loving people, wow, they never fight over anything, they never break up with anyone or any band. Nah, if they love Ringo then we must love Ringo, or their fans will come forth and wish the infidels dead on social media, thus contributing to world peace, saving the whales in the process
I remember seeing a performance of You're Gonna Lose That Girl and Ringo was playing with a cigarette in his mouth. I know cigs are bad for you but dammit, he looked really cool doing it.
John Armstrong Exactly. That "crossover" thing that he did wasn't purposefully for style,but rather out of necessity since he had to drum differently. It caused him to be slower on that particular beat,but it was his signature sound.
Ringo is an incredible drummer who was not given credit for his innovations for decades. It's wonderful to see that he's finally getting his due. I always hired drummers who played like him.
I was 14 years old when the Beatles hit the scene here in the USA so I got to witness first hand the sea-change that took place in music then. And we all knew the Beatles - every one of them - was something really special.
Probably one of the best videos ever made! People keep saying Ringo is overrated, while their only "reasoning"is based on his non-virtuous way of understanding the drums. I truly believe Ringo is not just a drummer, but a musician; he can make every drumming of his own quite recognizable and totally fit in every Beatle song perfectly without necessarily being a kind of Neil Peart or Mike Portnoy (great drummers, but quite over-loaded, imo). I also admire his abbility to compose those drum rythms with a very minimalist drum-set, whose abbility, by the way, is complemented by a milimetric accurate sense of rythm (he is, actually, a human metronome).
It's about time a video was made where people actually gave Ringo what he deserves, and from other legendary drummers no less. Too many people out there dog Ringo and that's just because 7 or 8 years later came John Bonham, but Zeppelin and The Beatles are two totally different ends of the field with 2 totally different drummer styles. Bonham was a technical powerhouse drummer, while Ringo was a cool rock solid beat keeper with some innovative grooves/fills thrown in. Ringo is one of the best hands down, and just plain cool!
Randy Woolum There are a lot of videos where fellow pros comment on Ringo. It's only the people who don't get it that come on to knock him. They are confusing technical ability with being a good musician. You can be a good musician ....a musician people remember forever...and not necessarily be a great musician TECHNICALLY. Ask Chuck Berry.
I learned how to play drums initially by listening to Ringo and The Beatles. I got hooked and played all through high school. Thanks Ringo! I drove my family crazy banging and thumping on just about everything.
One of them says Ringo was innoventive. What they forget (or don`t know= is that Ringo is a lefthanded drummer with righthanded drumset. That explains the "delay".
SUCH a wonderful tribute to Mr. Starkey and so well-deserved. Over 50 years for myself of enjoying his contribution to the Fab Four (and subsequent to that as a solo artist and "session" musician). And with all that he did, I remain forever amazed at both the mix of simplicity and complexity of his artistry. Here, there is definitely a kind of genius, as I hope all would agree.
Are you "hearing Ringo or just listening?" His tremendous swing and feel makes him, in John's own words, "the best back beat drummer in the business, ever." Go take another gander at some of those live, early-mid sixties videos and you can't believe four guys could ever conjure up that much poetry in motion, shit! They took the music world and gave it a well deserved, swift kick in the ass. We'd all be "Nowhere Man," without them. Those lads had it all and we owe them. Big time!
Yes, enjoyed that, it gives us an insight into Ringo's playing by those who followed him and attained great success. You dare not disagree with them, they know what they're talking about.
I'm no drummer either (I'm a violinist), but if you think of each "beat" to last a nominal length of time, I think Ringo hit towards the end of that (by a fraction of a second). I suppose he was a little late on the beat, and that's an imperfection, in a way. It isn't necessarily bad-just unique, just like the most iconic guitars and guitarists were no perfect design or textbook players either. It's what gave them their special sound.
+Tim Pauwels Actually, I have noticed that before - that Ringo is sometimes a tad late on the beat, but it's barely noticeable. I've never heard anyone comment about that before, and I totally agree with you. It's one of those nuances that make The Beatles exceptional, though. It might be considered a flaw, but somehow it worked for them. John and Paul did it, too, in their singing and playing at times. I've always thought that they all had perfect timing together - a very cohesive unit - and if you listen to other musicians covering their songs, you realize just how talented the Fab Four truly were. Aerosmith is a good band, but their rendition of "Come Together" is terrible! They play all the right notes, but the rhythm and timing are way off. Thanks for the reply.
+Tim Pauwels That's essentially intentional. Ironically, a drummer plays ahead or behind the beat depending on the style of music. For a given tempo, playing ahead or behind changes the "feel" of the music much like changing a major scale to a minor in otherwise identical music. Most pop music should be played with a little drag, tho rushing has it's place. Drummers who play exactly in the center of the beat are usually violinists (just kidding) or other instrumentalists who are used to hanging off someone else's timekeeping. Since I'm a much better drummer than guitar player, I don't know this to be true, but I'm told that it's actually harder for the rest of the band to play with a drummer that doesn't rush or drag at all. Also bad feel is bad feel, but I think musicians and dancers have a good memory or feel for cadence, and when it's "off" it sounds wrong. I don't remember the Aerosmith cover being so bad, but could believe it sounds that way since it's such a straight cover but the timing inevitably will be different.
It's called "feel", or soul. It' is derived from all of the great black artist recordings and musicians, Its isn't a flaw. It IS a choice of style, feel, soul. Think Al Green and most all Stax Records made in Memphis. Let's see a lot of drummers can do it but it comes most natural to many older black or r&B drummers. Willy Hall, from The Blues brothers has it. There was a younger kid from Memphis that i met whilst doing sessions there some years ago. His name was Cunningham. Blair Cunningham! He moved to England though he was originally from Memphis. He had it bad! I think he had about 5 brothers who were at one time all drummers, i was told. These fact's may not be entirely accurate. I think Blair may have even played on some of my sessions although i have had so many im not sure. Anypop, "Blair", moved to England and auditioned for Paul McCartney, and im certain that Paul LOVED IT! And, he got the gig and i saw him play with McCartney for years on tour. He often had multiple Lava lamps set all around his drum kit. Not sure of that was Blair's idea or what. Blair Cunningham was a young black drummer from Memphis who toured with Paul McCartney for years and played on many great recordings. One would have to research which ones i have lost track of those tracks. (Pun intended) White drummers can also cop it tho' it is rare to hear one do it with the natural tendency of a black player or any ethnic race. Hispanic, cuban, African, even on the Caribbean islands say like Antigua. I was there during, "Carnival", which goes on for weeks and goes all night every night! Every drummer i heard and i heard a lot they have it! And they are bloody amazing to behold! So, i believe that Ringo wanted that too. I don't think it was a delay due to being a lefty or right handed kits. Its a choice he likely made. Anyroads, a drummer, in, "popular music" will have this quality or that. In a word, one can choose to develop a style or tendency to play, "spot on, on top of the beat, visually, this would be as if you hit a note in music, a beat, in other words, "smack dab" in the middle of the downbeat or note. Other's can hit that same note or downbeat slightly ahead of that like on the front side of that note or beat. And, then with soul music or r&b, (and on many of Ringo's performances) drummers laid back and hit on the, "back end", or "back side", of that down beat of the snare drum. All are acceptable! An amazing drummer like for example, Stewart Copeland, likely hits on the middle, or closer to the front side of the downbeat. But, The Police, were an amazing band and all of them, world class musicians. They did a lot of SKA music, derived from an ancient form of island soul in the Caribbean and Stewart Copeland nailed those tracks as well so i may be, "off-beat" a wee bit on that description of him. They are all wonderful and where a drummer chooses to play with regard to that, "back beat", is best sorted out with respect to the song or track of the recording or performance. Ringo, however is and was a legendary master of what he does and did best! Drumming with The Beatles. I have been around him and only nodded as to say hello as it isn't my style to annoy people with my, "fanship" of them. I have had many great drummers on my tracks but would die a, "HoPpier" man with Ringo Starr or "Richard Starkey" on even 4 bars of any one of my songs. End of story. #:>) rOrange*
Oddly, there was only one person who touched on what made Ringo great--his feel. The Beatles records would never have gone where they did without that energy, that feel. He gave the Beatles tunes huge life. All of those guys paying tribute could likely drum rings around Ringo, but none of them could have given the unique, perfectly in time with forward energy track that Ringo did. Sub any of those drummers for Ringo and the Beatles records would not have gone nearly as far.
Chris Wood No, most concentrated on technique, etc. You listen to Ringo on those Beatles tunes, and he is as much or more in the pocket than Hal Blaine. It's Ringo that gave the Beatles records an energy no other band possessed. It was the four of them certainly, but Ringo propelled it. That's why he's different.
Santa Barbara Bushwick Book Club Plenty of others talked about feel. One of the drummers talked about how ringo was able to get a swampy feel. Another talked about how he was different in the way he swung the notes. Timing and swing is all feel. A lot of what they talked about was Ringo's lack of traditional technique, and they discussed the technical aspects of why Ringo did some of the things he did, but that isn't really technique the way a drummer would specifically talk about technique - things like hand motions, grip, rebound, coordination, speed, etc... They also talked about Ringo's unusual types of beats, his creativity. But a lot of them did directly or indirectly talk about Ringo's unusual musicality and feel. Dave Grohl just actually used the word feel.
Chris Wood The point is, they missed what actually made Ringo great. Not unusual techniques or even feel. It was that he was right on the money with huge propulsive energy. Ed Green (a very busy LA studio drummer), that the main thing that distinguished great drummers from top studio players was the energy and life. Like one of the top 5 orchestra's, Ringo's drumming tracks went beyond technique and mechanics to become a living, breathing thing. None of those guys in the video has that--but, they're great drummers.
Mike Cregan No they didn't. They talked about his creativity, one subject which that touches, as well as his feel, another subject that also touches. They talked a lot about that. A big part of "feel" which is a fairly vague term, is about bringing life and an organic element to what would otherwise be a very static and mechanical sounding instrument. Musicality. I agree, Ringo had it in spades. What he lacked in coordination and technique he made up for in musicality (which includes both creativity and feel) and the performance aspect. And I would VEHEMENTLY disagree with what you said about none of the drummers in the video has that quality of going beyond technique and mechanics to become a living breathing thing. Chad Smith and Stewart Copeland both definitely do. Copeland's drumming on something like Walking on The Moon, or Chad Smith on Breaking The Girl or I Could Have Lied are extremely "living" drum parts. I consider myself a very comprehensive musician. I play drums, all orchestral percussion include jazz vibraphone, trombone, some keyboard, and I sing and have perfect relative pitch. Ringo is great of course, for a lot of non traditional reasons, but there are a lot of other great drummers that make their respective songs come alive.
This was excellent, thanks so much for sharing it. Many of the most well-known drummers in the world today, telling us the facts about the most famous (and, probably most under-rated) drummer the world has ever known. I've never seen so many famous drummers in one video, I was ecstatic !!
Listen to "What goes on" or "Help!" and you hear how Ringo could play a wonderful fast shuffle on the Hi Hat, that's what I call the Ringo shuffle. I've hardly heard any drummer play those songs as good as him, same thing for recordings like "Get back" or "Come together" so many guys trying to play those songs but there's often something missing, Ringo rocks!
I fucking love videos like that. It's just the biggest musicians in the world appreciating other peoples stuff and freaking out like little boys about it. So genuine
Ringo's style and personality were perfect for The Beatles. Can you imagine Neil Peart in The Beatles? I can't. Peart wrote the lyrics and contributed heavily to all facets of the songs. The Beatles had enough visionaries in the band, and they did not need a fourth. Ringo was brilliant in his own right...finding the groove and no doubt keeping the peace at times while the musical geniuses battled it out for influence. Ringo was the right drummer for that band, and that's all that matters.
I started playing drums at the age of 7, listening to my parents old Beatles records, it was why I wanted to play drums, because of Ringo. I still play, and I still (& always will) love The Beatles, and Ringo. Bob. G
That drum set sounds amazing. I have an old . late 50`s Ludwig set and I can`t get it to sound that good. It`s funny, but I am an English drummer who had been playing about a year before the Beatles came on the scene. We British drummers worshiped Joe Morello at the time, it wasn`t until about 20 years later, when all the American players started to say that they`d been influenced by Ringo, that it suddenly became cool to appreciate him!!!!!!! It makes you realise that the greatest drummer in the world is the one that YOU like.
Shells are probably warped or hoops are warped. Quality control was hit and miss back in the day. You can't fix a warped ,out of round shell really but it's worth getting the bearing edges cut straight so the heads fit level. If hoops are not 100 per cent flat I would put on a new set, I wouldn't care what brand as long as they are straight. My dad is a carpenter and my grandad was a cabinet maker, so I know how it works. I recently cut my 22by18 bass drum to 22 by 14 by hand saw. It is scary to risk screwing up but it's rewarding to spend time working on your drums.
I always chuckle when I hear someone talk badly of Rigno's drumming. He was a truly great drummer, and anyone with half a musical ear can hear that. He had a great feel in a time where you actually had to play the whole song, not edit it together on a computer. If you hear someone saying he was a bad drummer, they are just showing how under developed their musical ear is. He wasn't flashy, but he played great and original parts that fit the songs.
+TheDave000 Yeah... What can we say dude? People are stupid.Now that you mention it, just the very thought of someone playing a 4/4 bar, and the sound engineer just looping that... That just screams lazy for me. As someone that's played drums and admired Ringo for a number of years, it's something I would never agree to, even if it was complicated or we're short on studio time.
"someone playing a 4/4 bar, and the sound engineer just looping that"That's ""Tomorrow Never Knows" in a nutshell. It doesn't matter how the cake is made as long as it's good.
I sometimes think that Ringo's rep suffered from his "sad sack" personality that crystallized in everyone's head after A Hard Day's Night film. He became the Beatle you pick on. Little or nothing to do with his music or even his real personality.
I've played with plenty of drummers and some of the more technically proficient ones are the worst to play with because they think they're the front man and forget that they're there to serve the song, not their ego. If you don't notice the drummer then chances are they're doing their job right.
i was privileged enough to record at the same studio Ringo and his mates, studio 2-Abbey Road Studios London, in '08 and we even used Mrs Mills on 2 of our recordings. such history thanks to Ringo and the boys. got to mention the reverb chamber! thanks.
It's very simple. Ringo has innovative musical talent. It's something you're born with, like song writing. You can't teach someone to invent and compose songs like what the other three Beatles did. People can copy but it's rare that they can invent.
it's pretty cool to watch this now and see all right handed drummers play the Come Together riff in the opposite direction Ringo plays it! Great stuff!!!
Ringo is the best drummer in the world. His best play are Rain, A day in the life, Come together ,Birthday ,Get back, Strawberry fields forever, Hey jude, Good morning good morning ,Glass onion, She said she said, and more and more,,,,
I was just thinking of saying this. Theres another video out there of him saying this because he's a lefty playing on a right handed kit, it was easier for him to go to the floor tom first.
Everyone who would claim that Ringo was shit most probably haven't even touched a drum set in their lives. Look, if those guys in the video think the world of him, they probably have a pretty solid reason.
Gondarth Yes, and they developed the use of drums.They are giants too. Founding fathers of rock'n'roll drumming. My guess is that young drummers will discover these gous long after you and I are gone. Quality never dies.
watch some of the concert footage....his drum kit is damn near coming up off the floor I mean it's just rocking ..no one mentions just how powerful his playing is
Ringo had technique out the ying-yang. Tons of it. He did lots of crazy technical things but did them in such a non-chalant, musical way, and with such ease, that people who don't know any better think it was all "simple beats".
I honestly could have easily watched an 8 hour version of this.
10* hour
me too hahahahahah
+siskokidd same omg
+siskokidd i dont wanna be a fanboy, but i could listen 8 hours each of that drummers talking about ringo hahaha
+siskokidd SAME! Ringo rocks.
for the first time in a long time, i watched a video that i legitimately didnt want to end
***** Nice.
watch this: czcams.com/video/7CB8xToC-CU/video.html
I could listen to rockstars talk about the Beatles all day long
Dave Tone Yeah, because any real musician is gonna acknowledge The Beatles as being ground-breaking, envelope pushing and massively influential for all who followed.
Dave Tone Definitely. They uncover so many things you did not realised even if you have listened to that song hundreds of times
On a similar vein, there is a video here on YT by an accomplished guitarist Mike Pachelli called "The Genius of John Lennon Guitar" where he breaks down various Lennon parts and explains their genius. He also does one about George Harrison. Very worth the watch.
If someone complains about Ringo's drumming I never understand what they would expect him to do. Double pedal heavy metal shit wouldn't fit the beatles, he is a fantastic drummer.
+GabzitoHD Anyone that complains about Ringo obviously doesn't have a clue about drumming
+Gondarth got that right!
Orlando Pockets Even though I've seen loads of people complain...
Orlando Pockets me too
Orlando Pockets ur in denial
"To find the best drummer in the world, is it someone who is technical proficient? Or is it someone that sits in the song with their own feel? Ringo was the king of feel"
-Dave Grohl
What a legend, both of them!
Great comment. I just have to type the name Hal Blaine right now.
All drummers should learn from Ringo Starr. As a drummer, or any musician, the music comes first. You serve the song. You put it over.
+Camino de Regreso You know, your statement is why I think Keith Moon is supremely overrated. He was too overkill for me. He played too much, as does Zak, I personally feel. Ringo had it perfect. Only play what's needed
You might have a case if The Who had any songwriters that good. I do think Moon is overrated.
Just as Ringo was the perfect drummer for The Beatles, Moon was the perfect drummer for The Who. It would have been overkill for any other band, but it worked perfectly for them.
Donnie Vick Peter Townshend once said something like this about the Who: I have a lead singer who can hit the high notes occasionally, and a drummer who doesn't lay down the beat, I do that.
Richie B Sounds like a typical tongue and cheek comment he would make.
this needs to be made into a movie tbh
Anyone who says Ringo Starr is a shit drummer does not know what they're talking about. Yes he's not John Bonham or Keith Moon. But he has such a distinctive and recognisable style and what they say in this video about him having a knack with coming up drumming 'hooks' is so on point. As soon as you hear the drum pattern in Ticket To Ride or Come Together you just know what the song is straight away. The Beatles would've been lost without him, his rhythm was so crucial to all the songs they did. It's not about being "flashy" and "over the top", it's about what works best in a song. Ringo wasn't a flashy drummer, but he knew what worked.
+jnb432 You forgot "Tomorrow Never Knows," for it offers a huge kick on what Ringo can accomplish. Oh, and +Orlando Pockets, go back to your little hole since you don't believe that other so-called "drummers" dissed on Ringo.
+Orlando Pockets Glad that you lose, and you realized that narrow-minded drummers do talk down about Ringo.
Orlando Pockets Thanks for saying that I'm just too smart to realize how knowledgeable I sound since I'm done typing to a great troll such as you. Well, time to go back to your little lonely hole.
Orlando Pockets You're the dumb ass typing, dumb ass.
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is a loop.
Ringo's In The End drum solo is, to me, the most memorable drum solo ever.
When you hear that solo, you don't think "oh, he's doing that with only 4 drums". Such is the gift of Ringo.
That's not Ringo in "The End". It's Paul. If you listen closely you can actually tell. Listen for the similarities in the drumming to Dear Prudence, Back in the USSR, Ballad of John And Yoko, Birthday... These are all Paul on drums.
Dufficator, please provide one reliable source that I can check to prove that. I am VERY skeptical.
You should explore this little tidbit about the Beatles drums. I don't off the top of my head have something to back up what I posted, but it's widely known Ringo left the band because he felt he wasn't needed. There's a quote from him not being the greatest rock n roll drummer-"I'm not even the best drummer in the Beatles." I disagree with him, but he said that because Paul would often record the drums himself on his tracks. In fact, You'll find MOST of Paul's recordings in the later years include almost NONE of the other members at all. He plays and sings everything himself. The others didn't do this. You'll hear all of the Beatles on most all of John's and George's tracks.
Your reliable source can be your ears really. Once you're clued into who your Beatles drummer might be, you'll hear it in the sound. Particularly the High Hats. Paul hits those things completely differently than Ringo does. To me it's the first obvious audio clue. The fills Paul uses are also far more rudimentary (if that's possible) than Ringo. If you listen to Paul's first solo album you'll clearly hear the exact same drummer there as is on many of the Beatle tracks. The way the stick meets the snare head also sounds different and again, this sound can be found in those other Beatles tracks-Dear Prudence, BAck in the USSR, Why don't we do it in the road, Ballad of John and Yoko, The Abby Road Medley... The only difference between many of Paul's solo tracks and his Beatles tracks is the name of the Band attached to it.
Listen to the drums on Help, A Day in the Life, All of Sgt. Pepper?, I feel fine... Any early Beatles record... This is clearly Ringo. Now go back and listen to the drums on the previously mentioned tracks above... You just might hear it. If you're a drummer you WILL hear it.
"Sloppy, swamy, falling down the stairs tone". I LOVE that description. Best desription EVER !!!
That bit cracked me up good! Lol
Back hand compliment.
The problem is it's not an accurate description at all. Ringo could make it FEEL loose while being tight. His time-placement was impeccable. Far far beyond Laboriel's own hilariously enough.
Pretty much exactly right too. He made falling down the stairs sound great.
@@production2353 That's the genius of it. Sounding like you're on the verge of losing control, when you're actually not, is something few people can do. I think Abe hit the nail on the head with his remark.
When you can just play the drum track ...and instantly recognise the song ? That is th tell tale sign of great drumming . Regardless of how simple it is.
Very underrated comment
👍
A lot of people love to cut down Ringo, saying he was just there for the ride. As a drummer myself, I know he was very talented. You don't have to play drums a million miles an hour, to be the best.
EXACTLY!! That style of drumming has a time and place. it would never fit in a Beatles song.
Besides, listen to Ringo's drumming on Tomorrow Never Knows. Pretty innovative stuff for it's time.
Kairi091 Tomorrow Never Knows, holy cow, what a great track! Pure psychedelia at its peak, well, maybe not at its peak. But they mixed Ringo right up front in that song, and it's perfect, his playing.
I love this video with Ringo getting he well deserved praise, there is no Beatles song that you ever listen to, wear you say I wish there was another drummer on this song, and the Beatles play such a variety of feels and moods, and Ringo always seemed to find the perfect drums for the perfect song, and to sum it up, the Beatles couldn't be the best band of all time, if the drummer wasn't making them the best, but I also believe that John, Paul and George's great song writing and creativity lifted Ringo to be great along with them, and I also love Ringo for his personality, he fit so well inside the band, there will never be another band like the Beatles unfortunately
1:56 Abe Laboriel Jr is the drummer in Paul McCartney's current band!
Maren Denison lucky him
@@itwillbefridaythe1354 actually he's been there since 2001 so even the comment is not a new thing at all
@@igdemadevishnuvisvananda5795 And being an asshole responding as such makes you feel good?
I liked when Dave Grohl commented on Ringo's Ludwig kit as "the most iconic drum set in rock music." Anytime you see that drum set, with that Beatles drop T logo on the bass drum head, you know....you just know. As for Ringo's drumming, I also have read comments about that as well, and as a drummer myself, I would call Ringo's drumming "pocket drumming". Meaning that Ringo didn't do any wild drum solo's or play like Buddy Rich gone mad. Ringo played what drummers should be playing in the first place: to keep time for the band, locking in with the bass guitar as the rhythm section. You have to remember that drummers as a whole didn't have formal drum lessons, per se back in the day. If you could keep a beat, you were usually good enough to play in a band. You don't have to play fills and run round the drum set to be considered a good drummer. Ringo proved that.
Andrew Blythe Amen to that, brother.
+Andrew Blythe *proved that AND evolved that
"You have to remember that drummers as a whole didn't have formal drum lessons"
And so did Buddy, right?
*Except that Ringo played the best fills of all time
1000000% correct !!!
"I wouldn't be a drummer without Ringo." True, ever since I was 7 I used to idolize Ringo for his unique drumming techniques.
2:18
No melodic instruments, but we all know exactly what song they're playing. That pretty much says it all.
Yep, but they all played it wrong. That, is funny. That fill goes from the floor tom to the rack tom because Ringo can't run a fill the other way on a right handed kit because he's a lefty. Those are his own words, not my assumption.
Ringo , the heartbeat of generations of people who can listen . So inventive , so much swing and feel . Always astounding . 👍🇬🇧
and in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love, you make.
MAX Weinberg picked RINGO as the Number 1 Rock Drummer ever!... and after firing 3 or 4 "professional" drummers who could not play "Here Comes the Sun" as Ringo
did... I totally agree with him.
I could watch this all day.
You know, I've been listening to Ringo's music for close to 10 years now. I was listening to Oh My My the other day, and it made me realise something. When it comes to figuring out your favourite drummer, it's not based on how technically skilled they are, or how fast they can play around a drum kit... it's about how enjoyable their music is, and how much you like their drum playing. Who do you enjoy over all the others? Ringo kept it simple, and yet I love him over Keith Moon, John Bonham, Neil Peart, Jim Keltner, Simon Kirke, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, Abe Laboriel, Gregg Bissonette, you name a famous drummer, I will enjoy Ringo more than them. His music may have a simple drum beat, but quite often, simple is good. 90%, simple is better than too much.
+GondarthReturns Stewart Copeland.
31lafouine I will probably love Ringo more than him. Ringo has that special magic with music that just hooks me
This is what we call in French "bataille de quequette" which literally means "dick war". Who's got the biggest ? People want the musician they prefer to be the best. And often enough, they don't know much about it.
***** Its true unfortunately. It's quite a shame. I have little interest in playing at the speed of Keith Moon, as it'll probably not serve much of a purpose. It'll look cool, yes, but it won't be that useful for me. Drum solos are generally not what get drummers a job
I can safely say that those who criticise Ringo probably do try to play as much as Ringo, or Eddie Van Halen or Slash if they're guitarists, and therefore miss the point. Often they just want something that fits, and not a 16 minute solo that covers 5 keys multiple times
GondarthReturns You are absolutely right ! For guitars especially, everything is in the soul. This is why Mark Knopfler is the best ;)
When it comes to drummers, Ringo Starr isn't my favorite, but he sure brings something new to the craft, and this makes him a great drummer. Moon is quite good too, but in another register.
To me, the best is Stewart Copeland: Original approach of the instrument, incredible technique and abilities, superb musicality, and the plus that he brings to Police, for example; is unmatchable by any drummer in the world.
There is something beautiful about listenin to accomplished and well-known musicians all come together to explain why exactly a certain someone was so great.
This makes me so happy because I always hear so many people underrating Ringo but he really was/is such an amazing musician
Ringo Starr & Charlie Watts. Two of the greatest early rock drummers of all time. They understood that their jobs are to keep time. Without them there'd be nothing.
Questlove is wearing a T-shirt with the Mexican version of names of The Beatles' members, if you haven't noticed
spanish.. mexican isnt a language
dosage13 oh yeah! my bad, but thanks
Lap Duy Nguyen Thien Yeah, I think that was kind of racist... I mean, no problem! We're all cool, but... that was pretty racist...
+Román Colin How is it racist? Mexicans aren't a race.
p0llenp0ny You're the dumbest fuck I've seen in a long time. Congratulations.
Cool cool cool. Loved hearing these guys talk about Ringo with such respect. Made me happy.
Of course everyone who understands music, already know all of that. :)
Yeah 😅but it's good to know other think that too
True, but it'still great listening to them.
You're right, but it's great to know that the world's best drummers agree with us! All in all, a GREAT video.
It's amazing how such a strange mic setup could recreate such an iconic drum sound.
They said all in the video, he was the right drummer for the music, and he came up with simple but creative innovative fills that fit the music perfectly.
Ringo was responsible for laying down the foundation for the most amazing original songs the world has ever known. No one else could be Ringo. Can you imagine sitting behind the skins for hours upon hours, supporting whatever the song needed, take after take, until the others were satisfied with what they were creating? No one else could be Ringo.
Max Weinberg. Mighty Max. Great to see a great great drummer talking about Ringo..
We are all musical descendants of Ringo's playing. Either directly or indirectly. He was so influential in rock drumming. Glad to see he is getting his due.
"That's cool..."
Tré Cool - 2015
it is just so cool to hear all these great drummers say such nice sharp stuff about the man. Thanks to you all for this.
“I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON ME FINGERS!!!”
True craftsmen of any sort appreciate & respect each other.
Ringo's brain repertoire is matched by no one. I wanna see ONE of the monsters today being told "Okey and now "Besame Mucho", Dude that is a god damn Danzon (circa 1800a Cuba) I am yet to meet ONE master drummer who KNOWS the grooves to ANY latin rhythm. But As I learned THOSE were the first records smuggled into Liverpool and you learn that repertoire you ARE a percussionist because you do not get 9 drums you get TWO or even a Guiro in which you get 20 rhythms. I d mnot know NAY R&R drummer today who can play a samba (Charlie Watts didn't pull it in "Sympathy" the syncopation and counter rhythms will loop you out. ALL of "Sympathy" percussion was outsourced). Ringos mastering of latin percussion gave him a plethora of combinations
or write the drums to "Love me do' (which is NOT what Best was doing) . Or carry give "Get Back" that sense of anticipation or "Help" or that intro to Ticket to Ride. or "What you're doing" then turn that into "Tomorrow never knows" I KNEW Ringo was a monster on a simple scene in "A Hard days night" when he plays "And I love her" in perfect latin bongo techniche ( I am, latin). You need to pull 50 pitches out of two skins all by usinh rim, edge and center and modulating with your other hand by pressing. HH buttering ? That was genius with exceptional use of technique Hit /scratch/ Hit he's hitting and sustaining the HH with two notes I love he claims "He is NOT a percussionist " but Percussionist I know specially Latin Percussionists like Tito Puente wondered if Ringo was from the Latin school of Mambo/Samba/Bossa Nova/Calypso . And THAT is something lacking in all the super monsters of today (with the exception of Copeland) . he HAS that latin chops and those serve you VERY well.
what? on God's green earth are you talking about.
Ringo played his drums, not to shine a light on him but to shine a light on John, Paul, and George, that's what makes Ringo, Ringo.
Jim Keltner is another UNDERRATED legend.
Deecky Rizzo Exactly. He was a great pocket drummer, and was one of Ringo's favorites. The two go hand in hand.
Keltner is the KING.
As far as modern rock drumming goes,Ringo reinvented the wheel,discovered fire,went to the moon and turned black and white to color.He was rehearsing at a studio I worked at a while back in L.A.and he was every bit as cool,laid back,humble and funny as he is in interviews,TV,etc...Just all around great guy and I think that vibe has a lot to do with why The Beatles resonated with people like they did...Peace!
+musicalchairs777 Well said!! :D
Yo soy baterista porque un día escuché a Ringo. Había escuchado a otros bateristas, pero el día que lo escuché a él me enamoré, no sé porqué, nunca lo analicé, pero la fascinación fue total. Ese día día fue el inicio de muchísimos momentos felices de mi vida tocando este hermoso instrumento, y todo comenzó con Ringo.
Ringo: The master of giving a song just the right amount of drum sounds it needs, not less, not more.
I'd say it's the most iconic drum set of all time
All those poor misinformed and misguided Ringo bashers everywhere should really watch this. Because chances are at least one of their favourite / most respected drummers is probably giving his testimonial here.
They're just cucking. It's one of those PC societal things where you have to overly praise this band ... because.
Peart and Portnoy weren't in this.
@@GaryHighFruit and yet Peart has called Ringo the king of time. How intriguingly cuckish of him.
Wow, musicians are such sage, wise, loving people, wow, they never fight over anything, they never break up with anyone or any band. Nah, if they love Ringo then we must love Ringo, or their fans will come forth and wish the infidels dead on social media, thus contributing to world peace, saving the whales in the process
@@edsnotgod not just the whales
@@GaryHighFruit jealous. ????...tell this to Ringo's face...God, you're such a Peart groupie;
I remember seeing a performance of You're Gonna Lose That Girl and Ringo was playing with a cigarette in his mouth. I know cigs are bad for you but dammit, he looked really cool doing it.
he was cool yet before the beatles, as lennon said
Ringo isn't a right handed drummer. He is a lefty, but played righty, which is why he played his fills so differently
John Armstrong Exactly. That "crossover" thing that he did wasn't purposefully for style,but rather out of necessity since he had to drum differently. It caused him to be slower on that particular beat,but it was his signature sound.
Any drummer who doesn't think Ringo is a great drummer does not have the ears of a top musician.
Good words 👍
Ringo is an incredible drummer who was not given credit for his innovations for decades. It's wonderful to see that he's finally getting his due. I always hired drummers who played like him.
I could watch stuff like this forever! So cool!
I was 14 years old when the Beatles hit the scene here in the USA so I got to witness first hand the sea-change that took place in music then. And we all knew the Beatles - every one of them - was something really special.
Probably one of the best videos ever made! People keep saying Ringo is overrated, while their only "reasoning"is based on his non-virtuous way of understanding the drums. I truly believe Ringo is not just a drummer, but a musician; he can make every drumming of his own quite recognizable and totally fit in every Beatle song perfectly without necessarily being a kind of Neil Peart or Mike Portnoy (great drummers, but quite over-loaded, imo). I also admire his abbility to compose those drum rythms with a very minimalist drum-set, whose abbility, by the way, is complemented by a milimetric accurate sense of rythm (he is, actually, a human metronome).
It's about time a video was made where people actually gave Ringo what he deserves, and from other legendary drummers no less. Too many people out there dog Ringo and that's just because 7 or 8 years later came John Bonham, but Zeppelin and The Beatles are two totally different ends of the field with 2 totally different drummer styles. Bonham was a technical powerhouse drummer, while Ringo was a cool rock solid beat keeper with some innovative grooves/fills thrown in. Ringo is one of the best hands down, and just plain cool!
Randy Woolum There are a lot of videos where fellow pros comment on Ringo. It's only the people who don't get it that come on to knock him. They are confusing technical ability with being a good musician. You can be a good musician ....a musician people remember forever...and not necessarily be a great musician TECHNICALLY.
Ask Chuck Berry.
+TheAerovons Or Noel Gallagher.
I learned how to play drums initially by listening to Ringo and The Beatles. I got hooked and played all through high school. Thanks Ringo! I drove my family crazy banging and thumping on just about everything.
Can't get over how good that kit sounds, someone tuned that up soooooo nice man!
One of them says Ringo was innoventive. What they forget (or don`t know= is that Ringo is a lefthanded drummer with righthanded drumset. That explains the "delay".
+Kai W.K INNOVATIVE not innoventive...
Doesn't explain it on the Bass drum, or why his accents are second to none. Ringo is the best instrumentalist of the band.
His drumming on "love me do" was my fave.
lol
SUCH a wonderful tribute to Mr. Starkey and so well-deserved. Over 50 years for myself of enjoying his contribution to the Fab Four (and subsequent to that as a solo artist and "session" musician). And with all that he did, I remain forever amazed at both the mix of simplicity and complexity of his artistry. Here, there is definitely a kind of genius, as I hope all would agree.
Ringo was my musical inspiration. I never would have picked up sticks or even THOUGHT about singing luv the dude.
go home will ferrell, you're drunk
That's Chad Smith. Will Ferrell only wish he was as tall as Chad Smith.
Harrison Myers I dunno, I met Will the other day and he is pretty damn huge.
+Harrison Myers They are the same height.
ITersmus Yeah..lol They are both like 6 foot 3...
Randy JP Check this sick ass, kick ass drummin out. Type into the search bar,
"Psycho Drummer 2 much", a tribute to "Earth Wind & Fire". Peace.....
Are you "hearing Ringo or just listening?" His tremendous swing and feel makes him, in John's own words, "the best back beat drummer in the business, ever." Go take another gander at some of those live, early-mid sixties videos and you can't believe four guys could ever conjure up that much poetry in motion, shit! They took the music world and gave it a well deserved, swift kick in the ass. We'd all be "Nowhere Man," without them. Those lads had it all and we owe them. Big time!
+George Candreva Great comment! Ringo was/is the best free-swinging timekeeper that ever lived!
every now and then I watch this clip and e-ve-ry time it makes me happy!
Yes, enjoyed that, it gives us an insight into Ringo's playing by those who followed him and attained great success. You dare not disagree with them, they know what they're talking about.
Ringo always hit on the end of the beat. That's one thing that made him so special.
+Tim Pauwels What exactly do you mean "hit on the end of the beat"? He was a little late on the beat? (I don't play drums.)
I'm no drummer either (I'm a violinist), but if you think of each "beat" to last a nominal length of time, I think Ringo hit towards the end of that (by a fraction of a second).
I suppose he was a little late on the beat, and that's an imperfection, in a way. It isn't necessarily bad-just unique, just like the most iconic guitars and guitarists were no perfect design or textbook players either. It's what gave them their special sound.
+Tim Pauwels Actually, I have noticed that before - that Ringo is sometimes a tad late on the beat, but it's barely noticeable. I've never heard anyone comment about that before, and I totally agree with you. It's one of those nuances that make The Beatles exceptional, though. It might be considered a flaw, but somehow it worked for them. John and Paul did it, too, in their singing and playing at times. I've always thought that they all had perfect timing together - a very cohesive unit - and if you listen to other musicians covering their songs, you realize just how talented the Fab Four truly were. Aerosmith is a good band, but their rendition of "Come Together" is terrible! They play all the right notes, but the rhythm and timing are way off. Thanks for the reply.
+Tim Pauwels That's essentially intentional. Ironically, a drummer plays ahead or behind the beat depending on the style of music. For a given tempo, playing ahead or behind changes the "feel" of the music much like changing a major scale to a minor in otherwise identical music. Most pop music should be played with a little drag, tho rushing has it's place. Drummers who play exactly in the center of the beat are usually violinists (just kidding) or other instrumentalists who are used to hanging off someone else's timekeeping. Since I'm a much better drummer than guitar player, I don't know this to be true, but I'm told that it's actually harder for the rest of the band to play with a drummer that doesn't rush or drag at all.
Also bad feel is bad feel, but I think musicians and dancers have a good memory or feel for cadence, and when it's "off" it sounds wrong. I don't remember the Aerosmith cover being so bad, but could believe it sounds that way since it's such a straight cover but the timing inevitably will be different.
It's called "feel", or soul. It' is derived from all of the great black artist recordings and musicians, Its isn't a flaw. It IS a choice of style, feel, soul. Think Al Green and most all Stax Records made in Memphis. Let's see a lot of drummers can do it but it comes most natural to many older black or r&B drummers.
Willy Hall, from The Blues brothers has it. There was a younger kid from Memphis that i met whilst doing sessions there some years ago. His name was Cunningham.
Blair Cunningham! He moved to England though he was originally from Memphis. He had it bad!
I think he had about 5 brothers who were at one time all drummers, i was told. These fact's may not be entirely accurate.
I think Blair may have even played on some of my sessions although i have had so many im not sure.
Anypop, "Blair", moved to England and auditioned for Paul McCartney, and im certain that Paul LOVED IT!
And, he got the gig and i saw him play with McCartney for years on tour.
He often had multiple Lava lamps set all around his drum kit. Not sure of that was Blair's idea or what. Blair Cunningham was a young black drummer from Memphis who toured with Paul McCartney for years and played on many great recordings. One would have to research which ones i have lost track of those tracks. (Pun intended)
White drummers can also cop it tho' it is rare to hear one do it with the natural tendency of a black player or any ethnic race. Hispanic, cuban, African, even on the Caribbean islands say like Antigua.
I was there during, "Carnival", which goes on for weeks and goes all night every night! Every drummer i heard and i heard a lot they have it! And they are bloody amazing to behold!
So, i believe that Ringo wanted that too.
I don't think it was a delay due to being a lefty or right handed kits. Its a choice he likely made.
Anyroads, a drummer, in, "popular music" will have this quality or that.
In a word, one can choose to develop a style or tendency to play, "spot on, on top of the beat, visually, this would be as if you hit a note in music, a beat, in other words, "smack dab" in the middle of the downbeat or note.
Other's can hit that same note or downbeat slightly ahead of that like on the front side of that note or beat.
And, then with soul music or r&b, (and on many of Ringo's performances) drummers laid back and hit on the, "back end", or "back side", of that down beat of the snare drum.
All are acceptable! An amazing drummer like for example, Stewart Copeland, likely hits on the middle, or closer to the front side of the downbeat.
But, The Police, were an amazing band and all of them, world class musicians.
They did a lot of SKA music, derived from an ancient form of island soul in the Caribbean and Stewart Copeland nailed those tracks as well so i may be, "off-beat" a wee bit on that description of him.
They are all wonderful and where a drummer chooses to play with regard to that, "back beat", is best sorted out with respect to the song or track of the recording or performance.
Ringo, however is and was a legendary master of what he does and did best!
Drumming with The Beatles.
I have been around him and only nodded as to say hello as it isn't my style to annoy people with my, "fanship" of them.
I have had many great drummers on my tracks but would die a, "HoPpier" man with Ringo Starr or "Richard Starkey" on even 4 bars of any one of my songs.
End of story. #:>)
rOrange*
Oddly, there was only one person who touched on what made Ringo great--his feel. The Beatles records would never have gone where they did without that energy, that feel. He gave the Beatles tunes huge life. All of those guys paying tribute could likely drum rings around Ringo, but none of them could have given the unique, perfectly in time with forward energy track that Ringo did. Sub any of those drummers for Ringo and the Beatles records would not have gone nearly as far.
Santa Barbara Bushwick Book Club Umm, all of them did. They just didn't actually use the word "feel"
Chris Wood No, most concentrated on technique, etc. You listen to Ringo on those Beatles tunes, and he is as much or more in the pocket than Hal Blaine. It's Ringo that gave the Beatles records an energy no other band possessed. It was the four of them certainly, but Ringo propelled it. That's why he's different.
Santa Barbara Bushwick Book Club Plenty of others talked about feel. One of the drummers talked about how ringo was able to get a swampy feel. Another talked about how he was different in the way he swung the notes. Timing and swing is all feel.
A lot of what they talked about was Ringo's lack of traditional technique, and they discussed the technical aspects of why Ringo did some of the things he did, but that isn't really technique the way a drummer would specifically talk about technique - things like hand motions, grip, rebound, coordination, speed, etc...
They also talked about Ringo's unusual types of beats, his creativity. But a lot of them did directly or indirectly talk about Ringo's unusual musicality and feel. Dave Grohl just actually used the word feel.
Chris Wood The point is, they missed what actually made Ringo great. Not unusual techniques or even feel. It was that he was right on the money with huge propulsive energy. Ed Green (a very busy LA studio drummer), that the main thing that distinguished great drummers from top studio players was the energy and life. Like one of the top 5 orchestra's, Ringo's drumming tracks went beyond technique and mechanics to become a living, breathing thing. None of those guys in the video has that--but, they're great drummers.
Mike Cregan No they didn't. They talked about his creativity, one subject which that touches, as well as his feel, another subject that also touches. They talked a lot about that. A big part of "feel" which is a fairly vague term, is about bringing life and an organic element to what would otherwise be a very static and mechanical sounding instrument. Musicality. I agree, Ringo had it in spades. What he lacked in coordination and technique he made up for in musicality (which includes both creativity and feel) and the performance aspect.
And I would VEHEMENTLY disagree with what you said about none of the drummers in the video has that quality of going beyond technique and mechanics to become a living breathing thing. Chad Smith and Stewart Copeland both definitely do. Copeland's drumming on something like Walking on The Moon, or Chad Smith on Breaking The Girl or I Could Have Lied are extremely "living" drum parts.
I consider myself a very comprehensive musician. I play drums, all orchestral percussion include jazz vibraphone, trombone, some keyboard, and I sing and have perfect relative pitch. Ringo is great of course, for a lot of non traditional reasons, but there are a lot of other great drummers that make their respective songs come alive.
This was excellent, thanks so much for sharing it. Many of the most well-known drummers in the world today, telling us the facts about the most famous (and, probably most under-rated) drummer the world has ever known. I've never seen so many famous drummers in one video, I was ecstatic !!
How freaking lucky are they to get a hands-on feel of possibly the most iconic drum set to ever be created! I'm jelly! 😂
Listen to "What goes on" or "Help!" and you hear how Ringo could play a wonderful fast shuffle on the Hi Hat, that's what I call the Ringo shuffle. I've hardly heard any drummer play those songs as good as him, same thing for recordings like "Get back" or "Come together" so many guys trying to play those songs but there's often something missing, Ringo rocks!
You got that right! Put "I Want To Be Your Man" in there also. Insane hi hat work!
I love how everyone talks about ringo like he’s dead
I fucking love videos like that. It's just the biggest musicians in the world appreciating other peoples stuff and freaking out like little boys about it. So genuine
So cool to see the worlds best drummers coming talking and playing on ringos drum kit😀I could watch this all year long
Ringo's style and personality were perfect for The Beatles. Can you imagine Neil Peart in The Beatles? I can't. Peart wrote the lyrics and contributed heavily to all facets of the songs. The Beatles had enough visionaries in the band, and they did not need a fourth. Ringo was brilliant in his own right...finding the groove and no doubt keeping the peace at times while the musical geniuses battled it out for influence. Ringo was the right drummer for that band, and that's all that matters.
Why has this turned into a Peart orgasm? ???
Ringo was a great drummer. Check out the Beatles first show in America in Washington D.C. All the proof you need.
+RebelThoughts82 Well said! He was truly fabulous at the D.C. show!
+RebelThoughts82 Agreed - you can see the whole band looking to him as the leader in that show. One of the best of all Beatle clips.
+RebelThoughts82 I think you mean "Is a great drummer"
He's still playing to this day.
I started playing drums at the age of 7, listening to my parents old Beatles records, it was why I wanted to play drums, because of Ringo. I still play, and I still (& always will) love The Beatles, and Ringo. Bob. G
Ringo was the starr, that shined like the sun, he was a natural
Ringo was left handed playing on a kit set up for right handed drummers.
That drum set sounds amazing. I have an old . late 50`s Ludwig set and I can`t get it to sound that good. It`s funny, but I am an English drummer who had been playing about a year before the Beatles came on the scene. We British drummers worshiped Joe Morello at the time, it wasn`t until about 20 years later, when all the American players started to say that they`d been influenced by Ringo, that it suddenly became cool to appreciate him!!!!!!! It makes you realise that the greatest drummer in the world is the one that YOU like.
Shells are probably warped or hoops are warped. Quality control was hit and miss back in the day.
You can't fix a warped ,out of round shell really but it's worth getting the bearing edges cut straight so the heads fit level. If hoops are not 100 per cent flat I would put on a new set, I wouldn't care what brand as long as they are straight.
My dad is a carpenter and my grandad was a cabinet maker, so I know how it works. I recently cut my 22by18 bass drum to 22 by 14 by hand saw. It is scary to risk screwing up but it's rewarding to spend time working on your drums.
Ringo excelled in the 'art of the drum'
Ringo is the drumming icon of modern drumming period !!
I always chuckle when I hear someone talk badly of Rigno's drumming. He was a truly great drummer, and anyone with half a musical ear can hear that. He had a great feel in a time where you actually had to play the whole song, not edit it together on a computer.
If you hear someone saying he was a bad drummer, they are just showing how under developed their musical ear is. He wasn't flashy, but he played great and original parts that fit the songs.
+TheDave000 Yeah... What can we say dude? People are stupid.Now that you mention it, just the very thought of someone playing a 4/4 bar, and the sound engineer just looping that... That just screams lazy for me. As someone that's played drums and admired Ringo for a number of years, it's something I would never agree to, even if it was complicated or we're short on studio time.
"someone playing a 4/4 bar, and the sound engineer just looping that"That's ""Tomorrow Never Knows" in a nutshell. It doesn't matter how the cake is made as long as it's good.
I sometimes think that Ringo's rep suffered from his "sad sack" personality that crystallized in everyone's head after A Hard Day's Night film. He became the Beatle you pick on. Little or nothing to do with his music or even his real personality.
I've played with plenty of drummers and some of the more technically proficient ones are the worst to play with because they think they're the front man and forget that they're there to serve the song, not their ego. If you don't notice the drummer then chances are they're doing their job right.
i was privileged enough to record at the same studio Ringo and his mates, studio 2-Abbey Road Studios London, in '08 and we even used Mrs Mills on 2 of our recordings. such history thanks to Ringo and the boys. got to mention the reverb chamber! thanks.
great to hear Ringo's peers giving him the acolades he so deserves one more piece of the Beatles genius in place
If these guys are saying, we better believe it (if you haven't yet)!
"Best back beat in the business".
It's very simple. Ringo has innovative musical talent. It's something you're born with, like song writing. You can't teach someone to invent and compose songs like what the other three Beatles did. People can copy but it's rare that they can invent.
it's pretty cool to watch this now and see all right handed drummers play the Come Together riff in the opposite direction Ringo plays it! Great stuff!!!
Ringo is the best drummer in the world. His best play are Rain, A day in the life, Come together ,Birthday ,Get back, Strawberry fields forever, Hey jude, Good morning good morning ,Glass onion, She said she said, and more and more,,,,
"Tell Me Why." "Old Brown Shoe."
You do realize it was Paul McCartney that recorded all the drum parts on those songs right?
Glass Onion was Paul's drumming. Ringo walked out on the recording of USSR and Onion
I can't believe they all played Come Together incorrectly. The floor tom comes first! I admit, I played it their way for decades.
I was just thinking of saying this. Theres another video out there of him saying this because he's a lefty playing on a right handed kit, it was easier for him to go to the floor tom first.
I totaly agree with the Ringo style being fabulous, Something in the way he moves he plays just like no other
I,ve played drums 52 yrs because of what I witness 3 Sunday nights on ED SULLIVAN.I couldnt stop watching that drumkit at 9 yrs old.
Everyone who would claim that Ringo was shit most probably haven't even touched a drum set in their lives.
Look, if those guys in the video think the world of him, they probably have a pretty solid reason.
Especially since they've got the professional credentials to back up their opinions
Gondarth Not to mention all those brilliant drummers who became drummers because of Ringo.
Realbillball John Bonham and Keith Moon for example! They admired the guy.
Gondarth Yes, and they developed the use of drums.They are giants too. Founding fathers of rock'n'roll drumming.
My guess is that young drummers will discover these gous long after you and I are gone. Quality never dies.
Realbillball Quick question. How long have you played drums?
watch some of the concert footage....his drum kit is damn near coming up off the floor I mean it's just rocking ..no one mentions just how powerful his playing is
I don't even play the drums but could watch the all day!
Wonderful! Listen to the remastered Beatles recordings. His genius has never been more clear.
No, Ringo wasn't technical. But he was musical, which means everything.
Max Weinberg, however... Man, that cat can play.
Not like Ringo. Doesn’t have half the style Or feel Ringo had. But I love Wax as well, very powerful drummer
Ringo had technique out the ying-yang. Tons of it. He did lots of crazy technical things but did them in such a non-chalant, musical way, and with such ease, that people who don't know any better think it was all "simple beats".
Metallica should get rid of Lars and put In Ringo
Ringo is wayyy too expensive
Enter Eggman
coo coo ca-choo
Wow! Tre Cool and Ring Starr are my two favorite drummers! I'm going to go ahead and call this video a real treat.
His drums in Rain and the end of Strawberry Fields are among the greatest ever
She Said She Said best for me.
If you don't think that Ringo can play...then you're not really listening...are you?