What’s It Like Drumming For Prince? | Hannah Welton
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- “Hi, thank you for coming. I’m Prince. Do you play ping pong?"
Hannah’s first meeting with The Purple One was anything but conventional.
“The guy was a genius,” she says. “I don’t know that I ever heard an off note.”
In this hour-long lesson, you’ll hear straight from Prince’s former drummer, Hannah Welton, what it was like to work with Prince, including songwriting and performance tips and rarely-told stories.
What happens if you mess up at a Prince rehearsal?
Who originally wrote the song “Plectrumelectrum”?
What was it like having a drum-off/bass-off with Prince?
Can the space between the notes be just as funky as the notes themselves?
And is Hannah now a ping pong master?
Watch the video for some important insights on drumming, life, and Prince - while enjoying some exceptionally funky performances.
Check out Hannah's new course inside Drumeo for more lessons like this. Give it a spin with our free 7-day trial!
► 7-Day FREE Trial www.drumeo.com/trial/
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Chapters:
0:00 - “Women’s Intuition” by Hannah and Joshua Welton (Performance)
03:07 - Welcome
05:12 - How She Got The Gig With Prince
08:20 - The importance of taking notes and active listening
15:17 - Writing Parts With Personality
27:26 - “Ain’t About To Stop” by Prince (Performance)
32:04 - Dueling With Prince
34:04 - Prince’s Favorite Fills
38:23 - The importance of committing
40:20 - Prepare For Shows
50:15 - Hannah’s advice for drummers
51:35 - "Funk Medley" (Performance)
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►Facebook: / brandon.toew. .
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►TikTok: / brandon.toews
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#hannahwelton #prince #drumeo
It's nice to hear a capable musician not ego-driven but enthusiastically describing the impact a valued mentor had on their career and technical skills.
Well spoken, Lauren! 👌🏽
Very well said, and so true!
@Guy Whose opinions will offend you What do you actually want from youir rock star singer, though? Part of what makes them stand out can't be quantified or explained, or made to be polite. Do you want Axl Rose to be like a kind old grandma? Or to be Axl Rose, be 1 hour late, tell you to f**k off and tear the house down? Fortunately, it's not binary...but you've got to have the wild ones in there....
I worked on part of the Diamond & Pearl tour and that's when I saw how Prince was the most incredible music artist. Prince would come in during the day when his stage was being built and sit at the piano banging out tunes. Prince was the greatest music artist I had seen, he was the real deal and 1000% dedicated to music.
Cool, thanks for sharing. Stories like this redeem CZcams.
Her energy and attitude is infectious. You can see what made Prince feel she’d be a great add to his band. I love when you don’t have to add gender to the conversation to qualify playing. Killer drummer. Anything else just adds to it. What a talent contained in such a bright and humble person.
Holy Shit. Hannah is an absolute powerhouse of a drummer, and a charming person! So so inspiring. One of the most amazing hours I have ever spent on CZcams!!!
The difference between a drummer who has to do it vs a drummer who finds so much JOY & FUN in doing it. With her, it just naturally shines thru all because of her personality.
@@keithbell9348 YES!!! Well said, Keith!
I totaly agree! Shes a powerhouse with plenty of groove
Check out the Pocket Queen. I did not know 777-9311 was a machine. The Pocket Queen got it. I watch lots of drummers and I have to follow her.
you gotta chill.
Prince was the epitome of musical genius. Miss him every day. 🤘🏻🥁❤️
Same 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑
She is so powerful!!! All her energy is portrayed in her drumming.
It shows the brilliance of Prince to find and attract great musicians that are smart enough to know there is more they can learn…
Powerful in music and powerful in real life.
Hannah is an excellent drummer and such a joy to watch. Her face radiates joy while she plays, and then she throws in the funk face...all the while slaying the groove. World class!
I have played bass for over 40 years and this is probably 1 of 10 drummers that I have ever heard how important it is to listen to music in its wholeness and allowing space--breath in a song!!!
The topic of drumming and leaving space in between notes is so critical to funk and soul music. So glad I started playing long before the click track and learned to breathe within the music listening to BookerT, Sam and Dave...early Aretha...Wilson Pickett and of course James Brown... playing that back beat just a bit behind makes all the difference. Preach it Hannah.
yep, this girl seems to have improved quite a bit after playing w prince to my ears..She was always technical, but now she has more character
When I first started drumming in the 1970's, the only metronomes were the mechanical types where the long rod goes back and forth on a pendulum, and as a drummer it really wasn't viable to use....
I played along to all my fave songs with the big over-the-ears radio shack headphones with the 1/4 plug and the volume knob, with the curly cord. You know what? 40+ years later I realize I was able to NAIL playing on-time just by the sheer repetition of playing to many styles of music over and over. I locked it in and internalized my timing. * Click track? Don't need it. * Electronic metronomes? Don't need 'em. I'm old-school, baby. There is more than one way to skin the rhythmic cat!!!
czcams.com/video/yOapYnlQMNQ/video.html
Very much agree. Once a drummer learns what it means to take care of the space between the notes, they can instantly elevate their craft. I know for me personally it was a game-changing concept that I absolutely didn't understand starting out. Really glad to see her point this out here.
Oh, boo hoo. Click track.
This life will never be the same without Prince. Great interview with Hannah! Thank you for featuring her on the Drumeo channel, guys. I can easily see why Prince wanted to seek Hannah out. She’s gifted in so many ways; and a hell of a public speaker to boot! Top notch content Drumeo. You guys nailed it.
Thanks Stephen, glad you enjoyed it!
PRINCE
Glad you dig it!🙌🏻
Agreed!
@@BrandonToews You also had great energy throughout this session, Brandon. You were smiling and quite engaged with Hannah. It’s much easier for both of you to open up your personalities on camera when you share the positive vibes. Great job! One of my personal favourites on this channel. Admittedly, Prince has been one of absolute favourite musicians of all time along with David Bowie and Adam Duritz ( Counting Crows). Though it was more than just the influence that Prince has on me that made this special. It was everything from the questions you asked, to Hannah’s singing/dance moves, excellent drumming, to her story about the look he gave her whenever she’d play those to simple breaks.
Thanks again for hitting this one out of the ball park. Take a bow. Well deserved indeed.
We took our young daughter to a clinic that Hannah put on at Sweetwater. We sat in the front row, then met her afterwords. Our daughter still has her signed photo. The whole experience was great. Hannah is not only a groove machine, but seems like a great person too!
Send her on up to Canada for more clinic dates my friend. I would love to see her live in person as well. Then I could say I saw Prince live with John Blackwell in Ottawa AND Hannah in a clinic years later!! 👍🏽👍🏽👏🏽👏🏽🔥🔥
Prince chose her to carry on his message… not just about the funk.. but love, this is an amazing interview. Thank you prince and bless you Hannah, may you continue your career and spread the love….
OMFG !!! tissue anyone ?
This was just purely amazing. I wish I had such great energy and happiness as Hannah. No wonder Prince had her join his band. She is wonderful.
Prince always surrounded himself with the best people 👑
I don't know if I should laugh or cry. With this interview she brought him to life. Then it makes me realize he really is gone.
The bonus is all of that great drumming.
Thanks Hannah!
Amen, facts
I’m a truck driver from Oklahoma and believe me I constantly have CZcams playing. This has been one of the most enjoyable listening experiences, bar none!!!
I first saw Hannah in the early 2000s at the Lake County Illinois Fair on a small stage playing with a rock power trio. They did Led Zeppelin songs and here is this teenage girl singing , playing drums and just kickn ass. She was awesome even back then. 🥁❤️
Amazing!
@@DrumeoOfficial no wonder he hired her, she is great drummer and very old style in her personality, like old soul, she connected to him well or he to her, i mean prince is literally top 10 musicians in history and arguably top 6, so it is big deal and she played with him at very young age, he knew what he was choosing, very nice girl, she understood how he did not like the beginning of the iphone and could see the future already then, he tried to keep it as real as it gets and for the most part succeeded to preserve music in his lifetime, sadly since then the situation has turned to the worse as she's aware of, but the girl is superb!
As somebody who plays an instrument there is nothing better than to see somebody enjoy playing thier instrument. This was such fun. When I saw the expression on Hannah's face it just captures all the pleasure and emotion of playing music. And she is fantastic at what she does. Really enjoyed this.
That was one of the best lessons I've seen on this channel. Amazing drumming presence, sparkling personality. If you want to become a drum proffesional, this is the lesson.
I had the honor of working a few events with Hannah. She's a very hard worker dedicated to her passion. Always in a positive mood and highly inspirational. To see her grow from a local act to recording and performing with Prince was just incredible.
Wow, what a great energy.. She is larger than life. Love the way she emmerge herself into her craft and it's history. Super inspiering.
Not only a great drummer but a great communicator of musical things, not just percussion.
Absolutely!
So true.
She reminds me so much of Sue Rogers, the famous studio engineer who worked for Prince before and after the Purple Rain era. The way they both described the intricacies and hidden nuances behind the technical aspects of Princes' music just pulls you in. I don't know anything about engineering in a recording studio or playing instruments. But I can see myself signing up for a class that they taught, just to sit there and learn.
She is INCREDIBLY talented, but I also want to say that her drums are tuned PERFECTLY! WOW. This is the drum tone I imagine when I close my eyes at night. Awesome fills and fantastic original!
I've Always loved Hannah's drumming. Always smiling and singing the song. Pure joy and flow!
She’s killer. Cool last name btw 😅
Is like a prog metal drummer who is also a cheerleader
Yeah, you can tell she enjoyed the hell out of every second. I always love that in performances; it adds so much to the whole package. Also, I had no idea about Hannah, but I'm already hooked after the intro!
She is so enjoyable to watch and listen to. Prince was a genius . Clapton said he was the best guitar player. To now see his eye for talent in finding her was equally as good. Drumeo thanks for introducing her, never knew of her before this. Her personality is infectious and she is flat out beautiful.
She just seems "legit" when she plays. Real passion and love for what she's doing in the moment. Such cool bits to hear especially about how a legend is a LEGIT musician first...love this for everyone!
This was fascinating. Hannah is obviously intelligent, articulate and super talented, but her passion for music shines through. Thank you for sharing this
Absolutely killed it. What a great drummer.
Hannah is just a ton of fun. knowledgeable and skill with a the freshest humility.
I love what was said about committing. I'm fortunate that my drum teacher had a great balance of having me stop and repeat to nail thing down, but also be complicated to play things through. Amazing !
Great work Hannah and Drumeo!
R.I.P. Prince. My Spirit Animal. Miss you!
Her lingo is so proper. You can tell she worked w/ the god himself. Prince understood the spiritual side and technical music side and knew how to make it simple enough to where everyone in the room can feel it. She Definitely understood the assignment and came through. Great Vibes. Great Stories. Several gems! - YA
The more I hear about Prince the more I like him. Thank you, Hannah and Drumeo. This was very special.
Prince was the most underrated musician. He was the goat the world was not ready for his genius.
Underrated only for narrow minded idiots who are obsessed with music ratings.
Underrated by who? He was a very musical person, very gifted and a lot of people envied his abilities.
I don’t think I ever heard say he was underrated, anyone who spoke about prince always recognized his genius!
Never underrated maybe avant garde misunderstood at times but never underrated. He didnt keep trying to make top 40 hits he liked to do what he felt.
Hannah is so awesome. Her positivity is infectious. Girl power!
Honestly, I wasn't familiar with you Hannah but this might be one of my most favorite interviews in life. You're such a vibrant young woman. Obviously talented, educated in music theory, articulately spoken and YOU SHINE. I will definitely know of you forever now. Thank you for your passion and thank you Drumeo for introducing me to her. I'm a fan. May God bless you and yours Hannah.
Life lessons here. I have never even felt a drum stick. But just listening to Hannah share the wisdom of Prince and what she learned is not only entertaining, but educational. True wisdom.
Hell yeah! She looks like she’s actually having fun too, don’t see that too often. Great energy
We had a blast!
Very talented young woman, you don’t last long with Prince if your not. She is full of life and seemed very happy to talk about her passion. Great episode! Also, LOVE the shoes!
Wow this was not only a drum master-class. It was the master-class in the most important life lessons across the board. Thank you Hannah you are inspiring.
I love that when you watch her live performances with Prince you can see her giving genuine smiles all throughout. She really loves it.
I love watching Hannah when she plays enjoying the music and singing and “dancing” while kicking ass on the kit. So cool.
To play with a legend like Prince and learn from him, is amazing in itself. We can all tell you have the Soul and Funk he was looking for as a drummer, you rock. I know Prince was proud of you...
Great musician + Prince = greater musician. Now Hannah gets to make others even better.
It’s so great watching someone enjoy their music SO much! 👍🏽
I remember seeing her billed as Hannah Ford at a drum show when I was like 10 years old, safe to say she killed it on her drum solo and stole my heart in about 10 mins
She got married Josh Welton. Her name now is Hannah Ford-Welton.
Man this was gold from start to finish. One of the best I’ve ever seen.
PREACH!
WOW!! 🤩Thank you Hannah and Drumeo, and Prince-God bless your soul.
Hannah, bless you for sharing your gift! You are an incredible drummer and wonderful person.
Drumeo, thank you for making this happen and keeping it real!
Super Cool all around! Well done by everyone involved!
Great anecdotes about Prince. Love them.
Wow, wow, Hanna, you are incredible!!!! That was such a good time, not to mention the reminiscing about Prince! Man do I miss him and his presence, his music, his mastery. You’ve got quite a mastery of your own on the drum kit girl. You are a blast to watch! I will definitely look for more from you. Thank you so much
I am flat out floored! Stumbled upon this video knowing nothing about this powerhouse young lady drummer. Unbelievable, I mean literally. I cannot even recall seeing a girl drummer with this much drumming skills AND personality to boot!
Wow...you inspired me SO MUCH, Hannah!!! Thank you for sharing your amazing experience and encouragement for whoever plays drums (I haven't even started it, but). Pray that your dedication and passions for the music (especially in the church context) will bring people closer to Him!
The best drum interview ever! She is so solid and a great human!! Prince was the most talented musician to walk this earth. Thankyou!
Been a fan of Hannah since 3rd eye girl and love everything about her! She’s absolutely awesome and I never get tired of watching her play! Her husband Joshua has crazy skills as well. 🔥💜💜💜
This was an excellent interview and gives a glimpse at such talent, genius, and genuine expression. It's very cool to hear these stories.
45 seconds in and we’ve already had advice on playing the gaps as well as the hits - so essential for making funk work - and a fast but perfectly controlled fill that I’ve now rewatched three times on x0.5.
I’m going to enjoy this one.
Finally, a new live lesson!!! I was wondering when a new live lesson was going to be posted!! I've literally watched every single live lesson because they ROCK!!!! Great to see new live lesson content being posted again!!! Greeting from Australia!
That was SUCH a treat. Just to be privy to an artist's process and joy of being so deeply engrossed in her art form. Thank you so much Drumeo and Hannah. I am not even a drummer and not even musically trained, or involved in music, but this so reinforced my visceral sense of belonging in the art world.
Thanks for making this a great afternoon with Hannah & Drumeo :)
Wow. Hannah, you're fricken awesome. I already was a fan of your playing, now I'm a fan of the well spoken, dynamic, loveable artist you are.
Thanks Drumeo, this is vital and so inspiring! I didn't realize she was on that top shelf of players as she obviously is, and that positivity she emulates, the confidence is the mark of the best of the best. Amazing!
"This is what Prince - Almighty - wanted for the song Kiss".
(And the God commanded "Let there be Groove". And the Drummer played. And He was pleased with what he heard).
So blown away by this, Hannah! This is a lesson I shared with my whole band. It's not just about drums (though you are extraordinary) - every musician should think in these terms!
I love her. Cracked me up "Can you keep a secret?"... next thing you know she's running up and down the halls of the church "IT'S PRINCE!!!!!!!" hahahaha
Wow! So much energy and poise . A joy to watch an amazing artist play with such emotion!
genuinely happy people have worked hard for it.... ain't it beautiful to see
This is a great interview with so much valuable insight! Thank you Hannah! 🙏
she has an amazing energy behind the kit! very infectious.
Wow, she's incredible! Such a great interview, her love for playing and for the music is so obvious and infectious 😍
When Prince says “I think your rehearsals are an album” there’s probably not many higher compliments
What a great and comprehensive orator on drumming, music and Prince. So talented and all knowing about her craft. No wonder Prince loved her. She was his perfect girl drummer.
She is so right about taking notes. I always took notes when I was playing as a hired gun for other bands. I recommend it :)
Hannah is lightning! Saw the tour with Prince and Sheila E at the Kingdome. Awesome show, spinning stage and got to see him afterward. Had backstage passes. Will NEVER forget it. He was an amazing mind. Thank you Drumeo 🙌
I love how when she mentions the songs from her Prince albums I can call the song up in my head and play it cos I almost lived on those albums (plectrum etc) daily and so did my neighbors 😜 (and yes it’s a real sound system )
I'm from Kentucky 30minutes from Louisville.Hannah being from Louisville gives a great sense of pride. Kentuckians are a uniquely proud people😊.100percent behind her on all that she does.Her beauty and awesome personality is an added bonus to her talent She is a master at her instrument and a joy to watch.Her rock funky soul is too cool❤!!She brought her vibe to Drumeo brightened up the room and raised the roof.My older brother and sister indeed went to the 2015 show in Louisville and it's exactly as she said.They had the times of their lives!
So cool!
hanna is one of the most powerful and confident drummers period. she hits with authority. never looks awkward or timid. there's so much in that when drummers can do it.
What a joy to watch and hear. Such an inspiring person and talented drummer. Thank you so much.
Something about that point she learned from Prince about highlighting the spaces in between the notes. It reminded me what the late David Sanborn, the famous saxophonist, once said about incorporating silence in a song. He said "many musicians are timid about using silence as a "note" within a song. As if you might lose your audience's interest during the song. But that need not be the case, it all depends how you use it. If used correctly, it actually builds anticipation for what comes next."
Prince was also a master at incorporating silence in his music. She brought up "Kiss" a few times. Go back and listen to that song. This time- listen to how he incorporates the pause, the silence.
No, you will not be lost.
Sanborn is still alive
@@daviddeitch290 you know you are correct! My bad. Either I haven't been paying attention or just haven't heard anything from him lately. Thanks for the correction
True... although John Cage took the idea a bit too far! 😂😂
She is an amazing artist and educator. Thanks for having her.
It was an honor. Cheers, Mario!
I love this channel. It opens my mind to all the talented people on drums. Hannah makes me want to be a better drummer and a better musician. Thank you for this interview!!
This video is such a gem I struggled figuring out how to even shorten my takeaways into a comment. All I can say is absolutely amazing performance and explanations from an astounding drummer, and many great stories. Some of my favorite points were active listening (and even re-listening focusing on individual parts of the kit), the lesson about committing, and also the purple reign story.
the lady is simply amazing, what energy...not even going to say anything about how good she is!
Love her energy both in playing and as person. Very inspiring!
What a thrill! Her playing is amazing but her personality takes it to another level! Wow! Whatever you’re selling, I’m buying!
somehow she’s both gentle and a monster player. such evenness with the left hand. drumeo is killing it!
She is the most enthusiastic listener I’ve ever seen amazing
Wow.One of the most enjoyable "Drumeos" I've watched in quite a while.Hannah is just gushing with passion and power.What an entertainer.
This is so wonderful. Thank you Hanna for sharing your memories and talent with us. Ain’t nobody bad (like u).
I can’t believe I’m sitting here crying… God knows I miss him so much. Thanks Hannah, ur worthy of the attention of the Purple world!
YES!! My teacher in college made us all count bars of every section with only one listen. To this day I always listen carefully to every song and not only do I listen to the whole structure and take notes and chart it, I also get into the lyrics and ask the artist why they wrote the song and what's the intention behind it. People, *this* is the difference between a good drummer and a great drummer in the vast majority of professional cases. I'm definitely not there yet but after 18 years but I started sound engineering 3 years ago with this mindset and I'm already working at the Bell center in Montreal (of course not front of house seat but still). Also it's such a Prince thing to make the Kiss's break on the SPDSX like he couldn't play it just to spice things up I'm weak lmao
Amazing interview. Ain’t About To Stop gave me goose bumps. Hannah is an amazing drummer and a beautiful person, really love her style.
Thanks for the interview! First time seeing an interview with Hannah. She is so lovely and a fantastic drummer! I'm sure that Prince was thrilled to work with her. Love this song, "Ain't About to Stop." Oh how I miss my favorite PRINCE!
I finally got a chance to sit and watch this thanks Hannah, and Drumeo, Hannah I've been watching you for years when you got the Prince gig was so happy for you so glad that Joshua was able to work with Prince also, Prince is so missed, thanks again
About the commitment thing: I think it was Miles Davis who said - (I'm paraphrasing) - if you play a bum note, repeat it, so that people think it was on purpose.
My favourite advice from Prince was a thing Wendy Melvoin likes to cite: If you're nervous, start counting the tempo in half time. It calms you down and stops you from rushing the tempo out of nervousness.
Wow, loved it!!!! Believe it or not, this is my first time ever hearing of Ms Welton and I love her!!!!! She KILLED the medley...even playing Knee Deep!!!!!!!!!!! W00t!!!!! THANK YOU for doing this!!!!!!!!!
What a wonderfully bright and humble woman. She shreds drums and give off great vibes. Beautiful video
Note the feel on the decrescendo on that opening track. That was a good freakin song.
I predict Hannah will be in line to be the next Foo Fighters drummer.
A really enjoyable session! A true talent with such a personality!
The Purple Rain closer, was the second (late) show of the first night. I was there, on the balcony, had perfect view of the stage, your kit, and Prince's piano. You are correct. it was magical. When he started bringing fans on the stage and allowing them to stay there while he sat at the piano and played some of his favorite songs to them, it was very special. Little did we know we would loose him so soon after that.
The venue (The Louisville Palace) its a very special and unique theater. When it comes to music, there is not a bad seat in the house. No matter where you sit, the sound from the stage is perfect. Prince love it, wouldn't play in any other venue in Louisville.
We are really proud of you Hannah, you make Louisville proud. So glad you are able to share your talents with all of the students of Drumeo. I actually took notes! You are an inspiration and role model for the next generation of musicians. I am showing this to my daughter and then I will tell her the stories on that Magical night in Louisville, with Prince.
Her awesome attitude and positive energy is very inspiring and relaxing.
Thoroughly enjoyed Hannah's energy - Now...Morris Day on Drumeo...Make it Happen!