Canadian Musician - January/February 2019 | Page 28

PHOTO: JAYLA BRINKWORTH
PERCUSSION
Jayson Brinkworth is a diverse musician working in both the Canadian live and studio scenes. He is also
co-owner of Music in the House and has been educating for the past 32 years.
By Jayson Brinkworth
The Musical Drummer
Part 1
T
his article is dedicated to all the
songwriters out there, whether
you are a drummer or other in-
strumentalist. My inspiration for
this article comes from one of the
great songwriters/drummers, Chad Cromwell,
and is based on a comment he made in an
interview a few years ago. He stated that he
doesn’t play drums on songs; he plays songs on
the drums. Very profound. What exactly does
this mean? What is the difference? And who is
Chad Cromwell?
First off, Chad is a great drummer and a
well-rounded studio veteran, having played
and recorded with the likes of Mark Knopfler
(Dire Straits), Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and
many others over the years. This comment
struck a chord (pun intended) with me as I have
had the opportunity to play and record some
very well written songs for plenty of artists and
writers. Chad’s statement is based on the men-
tal side of drumming (mental and drumming
– have you heard these in a sentence together
before?) and pertains to our approach to the
instrument and how it fits within the music
we are playing.
Playing for the Song
When we started playing drums, I think it’s safe
to say we all wanted to play our favorite songs.
Of course, these songs vary drastically depend-
ing on our age, our musical tastes, and our sur-
roundings. For me, it was songs by Toto, Steely
Dan, Paul Simon, and many others, and it was
the drumming at first that caught my ear. The
likes of Porcaro, Gadd, Purdie, and Keltner were
the heroes, and we all know how their grooves
shook the planet. I wasn’t even paying atten-
28 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
tion to the arrangements, chord progressions,
or lyrics; those drum parts rocked my world.
As I got a little older (and wiser), I was pay-
ing more attention to why the songs them-
selves were moving me, as well as the drum
parts. How did these players know the exact
part to play on these amazing songs? Who
taught them this skill? Is this even something
that can be taught? These questions were in
desperate need of answers, which I sought
out by listening to plenty of songs from dif-
ferent genres to get “inside” the workings of a
well-written song. I also talked to many writers,
producers, and musicians about the craft of
songwriting, and how they interpreted drums
on their material.
A well-written song almost plays itself.
What does that mean exactly? It means that
we could hear a song with only a vocal and a
guitar or piano, and our ear will be able to fill
in most of the other parts almost effortlessly.
Could you imagine being on a recording ses-
sion and the artist brings in a bare bones demo
of a song like “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor?
The drum part on that song supports the lyr-
ics, melody, and harmony throughout; this is
what a great drum part should do! Thanks to
Russ Kunkel for his brilliance on this song – the
brushes and the fills. His drumming sounds like
fire and rain – more on this in a bit.
How Do I Become a Musical Drummer?
The first step to this is using our most impor-
tant and valuable tool: our ears. We need to tap
into the mindset of these great drummers and
the parts they play. Go back and listen to James
Taylor, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Boz Scaggs,
or any record that has some truly great songs.
When you are listening, the first thing you need
to do is to listen to the lyrics, and then to all
of the other instruments besides the drums.
This is key as too many drummers just listen
to the drum parts and can’t get past them to
get inside the song. We need to pretend that
there are no drums at all and just observe the
song this way. Admittedly, it’s much easier said
than done.
As you are listening to the song, ask your-
self a few questions: What is the mood of the
song? What is the story about in the song? How
do the dynamics move throughout the song?
More importantly, does this song even need
drums? Does the key of the song change?
This list goes on and on, but we need to care
about all of these elements to make us better
musicians.
One of the best albums to exemplify all of
this is John Mayer's Continuum. Steve Jordan
is a true master of playing songs on the drums.
His total commitment to every note is very ap-
parent, and he tells a story with the drum parts
alone. The best thing about this is the story is
told without a lot of notes – much like how
the best stories are told with as few words as
possible. Every single one has to earn its place
and be vital to the narrative.
Something I have been practicing for
some time now is to get my ideas across on
the drums with the least amount of clutter and
babbling. I want to say the most by playing the
least, and maximize the clarity and definition
in the parts I play.
In the next issue, we will get inside a song and
break down one of the most musical drum
parts I’ve ever heard.