The Myth of Technique For Technique's Sake

We see it everywhere today: bigger, better, faster. These are the goals so many people are striving for. This especially carries over to music. I was reading an article last week about how many speed/extreme metal bands are now recording with a drum machine, all because real drummers can't play the parts fast enough! WTF?! In Speed Metal, Fastest Drummers Take a Beating

 Even if you look back just 20 or 30 years ago, the technical capabilities of today's drummers is astounding. They are playing things thought impossible back then. Now before you think this is an anti-technique rant, I want to assure you that I believe in technique. In fact, technique is necessary in order to convey our ideas across to others through the music we make. I'm not some grumpy old drummer sitting here complaining about technique. But what I find fascinating is the pursuit of technique just for technique's sake.

 I don't really care what or how someone plays their music. What I care about is their musicality. Now I realize that is subjective: something you think is musical, I might not. But I try to be very open minded about things I'm not really into, because I realize others may really have a passion for it. I must admit that I am astounded by some of the technical displays you can find on YouTube, but much like fast food, I find little substance, and little lasting satisfaction as the day wears on. 

 On the other end of the spectrum, are people with little technique, but a huge passion and musicality. Many auto-didact musicians have developed both curious and strange techniques of their own, which often allows them to develop equally curious and strange music that I find endlessly fascinating. Sometimes formal training, for all the good it does, is a box we can become trapped in. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at someone else, with little or no training, play something fantastic, and said to myself, "I never would've thought of that!" 

 So what is the point of all this? There needs to be a meeting, somewhere in the middle, that balances technique with musicality. This goes back to my previous blog post on Make A Good Sound. It's not just enough to make a good sound, even at 220BPM. You need to make music also. Otherwise, you might as well have robots make the music, because they won't be late for the gig, won't get drunk, and can outplay you:

But is it music? And do you want to listen to it as more than just a novelty?

Now for a different perspective, check out this video on the late, great Joe Morello. Joe possessed tremendous (even legendary) technique. He was impeccable. But Joe was also extremely musical: he was never the servant to the technique, rather, the technique was his servant. Check this short documentary on Joe out:



So get your technique together, because it's important to be able to play the ideas in your head/heart/soul, but don't forget to make music!

Oh, BYW, which one would you rather listen to all night long, Compressorhead, or Joe Morello?

~ MB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tam Tam vs Gong

Image
I can't tell you how many times this argument of "A tam tam is not a Gong" comes up. It came my way no less than 3 different times this week. Actually, 'tam tam' (also tam-tam) was 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term tam tam originated - some say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) To add to the confusion, 'tam-tam' is a term often used for either an   African  djembe or talking drum. When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum' or various works of Richard Wagner), then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used. Flat Faced Chinese Chau Gong/Tam Tam When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gon...
Read more

What to Look for When Buying a Gong

Image
Today's blog is a revised & updated blog I posted 3 years ago on my old website. I'm always having people ask me about buying a Gong. Well, here's some tips: •••••••• So you’ve decided to get a Gong. The first thing to ask is, what will I use a Gong for? What type of music do you play? Do you want to use it in a rock band, a jazz band, solo? Are you looking for a meditation device? These are important questions and will help determine what type and size of Gong to get.  One important thing to look at is how big a Gong do you want? Gongs are heavy. Gongs are not easy to transport. If this Gong will stay in your house/studio, then that makes it easy to have a larger size. But if you plan to travel in a band with it,  you need to look at the impact a different size Gong will have on transporting it.  A lot of drummers want a Gong because they look cool and sound cool. They also want that type of sound in their percussive arsenal.  A good place ...
Read more

Music Notation for Gongs

Image
Recently, I was asked a question about how Gongs are notated in a musical score. Here are various examples of different ways they have been notated, from traditional classical, to modern musical forms. The first thing is to differentiate the 2 main types of Gongs: the flat faced, usually termed Tam Tam in a classical score, and the Bossed Gong, with a raised center boss (AKA cup, nipple). A good example of a traditional symphonic Tam Tam part would be from Gustav Holst’s, The Planets . This example is from Mars, the Bringer of War : We can see the Gong/Tam Tam notated traditionally on a single staff line.  The next example is from Puccini’s opera, Turandot . This is the Tam Tam part, notated on the bottom line. Example #3 is also from Turandot. The score also calls for Tuned Bossed Gongs. Unfortunately I was unable to find a score example of them. John Cage used various Gongs in his percussion music. This is an example of how he notated ...
Read more