Willie Cantu is definitely without a doubt.
We worked together for a short time in California around 73-74. He wore mocassins, and he drew a face on one and named it "Goodie." We would have some funny conversations during the course of the night. Great sense of humor to go along with his consummate professionalism. I sure miss those days.
I guess it depends on how the drummer learned to play and what he listened to as an example. Show drummers play with lots of flair. Rock drummers are often loud and use racks of drums, cymbals, etc. Drums are mixed up in rock and pop recordings. Since that is the popular music of our times, young drummers are more likely to hear that and believe that is normal.
What you see and hear affects your normative beliefs. That is true of a child that grows up in an abusive home, and that is true of a drummer who only hears or plays hard rock and pop growing up. Drums and percussion are SO much more than that. When modern rock drummers attempt to play country, swing, jazz, etc., it is often loud and raucous. Country, swing, jazz, etc. are a different animal and require different styles.
Buddy Harman is probably my all time favorite drummer. He is never off the style, never in the way, but he is so tasteful and expressive that I can't stop listening. I love the way Johnny Bush played with the Cherokee Cowboys. He always said that swing and shuffles don't work with heavy drums. He was right. Western swing and shuffles are descendants of swing and jazz. Both are dance music. On shuffles, for example, the drums should play lighter (no 4/4 kick drum, only 2/4), and the bass should walk all the way up and all the way down when possible. Longer rhythmical lines instead of thud-thud-thud-thud. If you keep it lighter, flowing, yet solid, (like swing, jazz, etc.) the lead instruments are free to float on top and go wherever they want instead of being held down by thunderously plodding noise.
Louder is not better. Heavier is not better. Ask a hard rock drummer who is a true percussionist, and he will tell you that, while hard and heavy may be appropriate in rock and pop, they will tell you that it is completely inappropriate in other styles. Ask a session player, and you'll get the same response. I don't walk 4/4 on every tune. I don't play upright bass in every band or in every style. C6 neck is awesome in many styles, but does E9 not also have a place in music? What about other tunings? What about non-pedal vs. pedal? Single neck, triple neck... see where I'm going with it. I don't necessarily care to hear a triple neck Fender on Conway Twitty or Ray Price tunes, but it might kick butt on Bob Wills or Spade Cooley. Styles are certainly different, too.
Maybe it all comes down to the drummer's lack of experience, knowledge, training, and his willful ignorance about styles and refusal to learn. Drummers don't have a monopoly on that, but a willful, unlearned drummer sticks out a lot more than most other instruments.
Those are my ramblings based on almost 30 years of playing experience. Your mileage may vary.
This is a topic that I could really use some help with. I've played with some great drummers, but they had more of a jazz background, not country. Almost without fail, the drummers I see playing with country bands here are actually rock drummers.
Doing a bit of internet research, I'm surprised at the meager results when searching for the usual suspects like "Top Country Drummer" on google, or even just country drummer on Youtube. Try the same thing with top jazz or rock drummer and see what you get.
What I like about his playing is the driving pulse and the spare use of crash cymbals and toms. I don't like rock fills in country style music. I also like drummers that use a good swung ride cymbal.
Does anybody else know of other example Youtube clips that we could share as examples of the things you like seeing country drummers doing? I think it would be a real service to help show what is wanted and it really does seem a bit neglected on the Internet.
Does anybody else know of other example Youtube clips that we could share as examples of the things you like seeing country drummers doing? I think it would be a real service to help show what is wanted and it really does seem a bit neglected on the Internet.
Study Harry Stinson on the Marty Stuart Show. All your questions will be answered!
(By the way, watch for Don and Buck smirking at 1:36. )
Listening to these clips, it seems to me the focus is on snare drum technique/sycopation, which is very different from the roll snare plays in rock. Also, the country fills emphasize the syncopation, rather than the modern rock fill which generally emphasizes descending tom tones followed by a cymbal crash.
It feels to me like this country snare drum technique may be a descendant of Bourbon Street Dixieland and/or ragtime drumming. I notice the same in Harry Stinson's playing. In the "right hands," it can be very sophisticated.
If anyone has any other suggestions, please put them out there. This really is something I have been contemplating lately and I am learning lots. I really appreciate the knowledge around here. Much better than Google.
What is interesting to me about his playing is the obvious link to the Big Band style. To me it screams of Louis Bellson. I'm not sure that's exactly what everyone would want for a Hank Williams tune, but dang I sure like it for Western Swing. I also note that he does not rely on crash/splash cymbals for unneeded "excitement," it's already there in his rhythmic ideas.
Watching other clips, again, he seems to have developed a very good snare drum technique. He uses the sticks and their striking location and angle on the head to get several different tones out of his snare, making his playing very dynamic. It is so much more sophisticated than most average rock drummers seem aware of. To me, this obviously much practiced use of craft elevates the drummer to the level of a musician and artist and I want to be around these folks.
My cousin is a Berkelee trained jazz drummer. He has a very small, beautifully built drum set that he uses in clubs and the volume levels are fantastic. Rather than being lost behind a massive gear fortress, he is clearly visible tastefully dancing with the band and the audience. He is not sonically stepping on anyone's toes.
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