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 2 - Breaking Down a Great Song
T
he easiest way to explain the concept explored in part one is
to have a look at a great song and go through the parts. I’ve
chosen James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” for this explanation; the
reason why will be apparent after you examine the song as a
musical witness (thanks to Billy Ward for that term). Chorus Two: Fill in measure two, push the “and” of two with bass drum
and crash followed by a tom fill. Also, measure four has a fill with bass
drum and crash on the “and” of three and a tom fill. These fills are adding
the “fire and rain” with the sounds and textures used. Stop on the one in
measure eight, and a tom fill again in measure nine to bring in Verse Three.
The Basics
First of all, what is James Taylor singing about in this song? There are a few
interpretations of these lyrics. The “Suzanne” that he refers to is believed
to be a close friend that has passed away. The “flying machine” reference
is to a band that James was in that had broken up.
Here is the overall lyrical breakdown of the song:
Verse One: the death of a friend
Verse Two: the speaker’s battle with depression
Verse Three: the speaker’s stay in rehab.
I know this all seems quite dark (Taylor was only 20 when he wrote and
recorded this song in 1970), but to help tell this story, we need to know
this information. Verse Three: Drums are a little more dynamic than in Verse Two. Crash on
the one in measure five represents “the cold wind” he just sang about. Lis-
ten to the cello holding down the root note through this verse. It is so pow-
erful as it ever so slightly crescendos. A snare fill brings us into Chorus Three.
The Breakdown
Russ Kunkel’s use of brushes is brilliant; sticks wouldn’t tell this story. I have
listed the song section by section and detailed some key points that I think
make this some very musical storytelling and drumming. Follow along as
you listen to the song:
Intro: Acoustic guitar and keys.
Verse One: Acoustic guitar, keys, cello, and vocals.
Chorus One: The drums bring in the chorus with a three-note fill (brushes
on the toms – what a tone!) Pretty straight. Bass drum plays a samba pattern
and follows acoustic guitar in measures three and four. One light crash on the
one in measure seven and the stop is on one in measure eight. Busier tom fill
in measure nine to bring in Verse Two and set up the new part of the story.
Verse Two: Drum pattern stays the same as the chorus. Measure four has
an open hi-hat on the “and” of three and snare slides to the “and” of four.
(This sets up the next lines of “My body’s aching.”) The bass drum pattern
changes in measure five, giving the second half of the verse a different
motion. A snare fill brings in Chorus Two.
28 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
Chorus Three: Measure two has the push on the “and” of one
and this fill is longer than Chorus Two’s. Also, fills in measures four
and six create more “fire and rain.” Stop on measure eight. Mea-
sure nine has a tom fill with fewer notes than the previous ones, but
this is where Russ Kunkel gets out his “paint brush” and goes to work.
Outro: The outro is eight measures long until the song has completely
faded out. Listen to the aggression on the toms and crashes – especially
the crash on the one in measure three. Very cool interaction between the
tom fills and his left foot on the hi-hat. It seems like the whole story has
finally built up so much that he just has to get his emotions out.
Final Thoughts
One thing we should have learned through this process is that Russ Kunkel
is a brilliant drummer. Another is that the drums can tell a story, and sup-
port the lyrics and melody in a song. If you have never listened to a song
with this much detail, you are cheating yourself out of becoming a very
musical drummer. This is what I call “getting inside a song,” and we need
to do it to become better players.
I would love to hear drummers like Russ Kunkel and many others talk
about these drum parts and how they approached the song. There are so
many techniques in drumming, but it all comes down to communicating
our ideas with clarity, confidence, and musicality.
Do yourself a favour and sit and analyze your favourite songs section
by section. You will thank yourself for taking the time.