Drums – Inherently Different
Drums are Inherently Different
When you stop and think about it, the drums are inherently a very odd instrument. And it’s not because drums are played by striking them with sticks either. Playing the xylophone or vibraphone, (sometimes called ‘Vibes’), with mallets does not seem odd to me. And playing the different hammered out tonal areas of steel drums, (sometimes called “Pans”), seems right to me too. So what is it about a drum set that seems so unconventional to me?
In trying to understand and put into words why it is I feel so strongly about drums being odd in relation to other musical instruments, I’m thinking it must be in the fact that, even though you tune them, they have little to do with the actual melody of the music. I mean, at the end of a song, nobody turns in disgust to look at the drummer and say: “What key were you playing? Dude! You need to tune those things!” Don’t get me wrong: The drummer can get himself into trouble just as easily as any other musician, although for completely different reasons, none of which will be because his bass drum was tuned a quarter-tone flat.
Rhythmic, Not Melodic
So if the drums are not contributing to the melody, why are they there? If the drums are taken out of the equation, the melody continues, the harmonies still blend, the guitar solos still impress the listener, but there is a definite void that cannot be filled simply with more melodic instrumentation. Why not? Because drums supply drama! Drums provide dynamics!
But drums are also like an audible beacon, providing a rhythmic signal to the other musicians navigating along the song’s blueprint, providing the framework that the melody is interwoven through. This is true even in songs not known for exceptional drumming, as well as in music where the song has an extended break.
The Perfectly Placed Beat
An example that comes to mind is: “I Will Always Love You”, sung by Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard movie soundtrack. This song does not exactly ‘feature’ the drums, and yet you can imagine how hollow sounding it would be without them. If you are familiar with the song, can you imagine how it might sound at the break, the part right after she sings “But above all this I wish you love”, and before the ‘change in key’ that brings in the final chorus, the most emotional part of the song, but without drums? What a letdown! The suspense would still be there in anticipation of the crescendo, but it would never arrive!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)
For me, that one essential drum beat on the ‘toms’, marking the end of the break as she sings, “And I . . . will always love you . . .”, that is crucial to the power of the whole song, not because of melody, but because of rhythm. It reestablishes the song’s emotionally slow cadence, which serves to frame the perfect foundation for her powerful ending chorus, with its sweeping falsettos!
One simple yet essential, perfectly placed drum beat!
Am I saying that no music is dynamic without percussion? No, not at all. Nor am I saying that it is solely to the credit of the drums that music is dynamic. There are many dynamic pieces of music that have no drums. But I do believe that when the music calls for it, there is no truly satisfying substitute for properly played drums.
And although I believe that to be true, I certainly do not want to imply that I think I am that ‘proper drum player’ in all cases. Just because a doctor knows what the patient needs, does not mean he thinks he is always the best physician to provide the cure. If I were to find myself someday in the position of being a musical “Surgeon General”, I would be writing out a veritable font of Percussion Prescriptions, fillable only by the most qualified of drummers: Steve Gadd, Harvey Mason, Dave Weckl, James Bradley Jr, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Smith, Richard Bailey, etc. Of course I would be honored to occsionally ’scrub up’ so that I might make myself available to hand them their sticks, or replenish their favorite beverage. (I would be a musical Surgeon General with a realistic sense of modesty . . .)