As the old saying goes, "Play the song, not the instrument." Sage advice.

More is more. Always play double kick. Especially at a wedding gig. In my experience, the bridesmaids have always enjoyed blast beats during 'brown eyed girl'. Never forget the 22" China cymbal. Play it at the same time as the snare to ensure your backbeat is strong. You can't do enough stick tricks. It's impossible. Experiment with time signatures. Try not to tell the band. It will ruin their enjoyment of the gig if they expect a sudden change from 4/4 to 11/16, but if you pull it off, you'll be getting asked to play with everyone. Just remember, if Vinnie can get away with it - so can you.

"play to serve the song, serve the band" was my method of playing bass, it was well-received with musicians and friends. So refreshing to hear a drummer say the same thing.

Drummer since 1984. The most important thing is keeping time Not slowing down or speeding up. Once you master that then you can waste your time twirling your sticks

Based on that intro, I don’t think I’m good enough to be a bad drummer.

im a drummer for 50 yrs. it takes more "skill" to play in the pocket and make the music feel good than to play various "fills". id rather listen to a drummer in the pocket with zero fills all night long than anything else. its that sound that grabs you and your not sure why the band sounds so darn good....

This guy sounds like an Asian Arnold Schwarzenegger

Kind of sounds like transitional music from the show Pawn Stars. Or when they ask the trivia question, in between commercials.

I don't know how anyone could misunderstand what he meant in his original video. The message was clear there.

Simplicity is sometimes the best

I consider myself a bad drummer but, hey, we can improve our skills by doing what? Exactly! By training and learning new tricks every day.

This has always been a big challenge for me. I’ve always had to tendency to stuff unnecessary notes and fills, mostly for self gratification. I’ve been on a journey to serve the music, and not myself as you’ve stated in this video. Y’all do a great job! Great people, and great drummers!

Play the song, not the instrument.

John Densmore from The Doors was a swing drummer, they played rock music, you can hear his style during their songs, I'd never in a million years tell him he was a bad drummer.

I love the way this guy can switch lead hands and not miss a beat!

How can u tell a good drummer from a bad drummer? The good drummer gets asked to be in a band.

Those drums are beautiful.

Dude...you hit the nail on the head!!! I don't get it when drummers think they must do these outrageous fills and double kicking in almost every single song! Please keep delivering more videos! I love your philosophy about drumming!

Wow, you are a really solid drummer with a great feel and groove. And you are so right about "serving the song." This actually applies to all instruments - I wish more people understood this!

I love the sound of this kit. I think Drumeo has the best sounding drum recordings on KZfaq. Always quality guys. Good job

Simplicity is beautiful. Creative doesn't mean more complex. Develop your unique feel and simple things will feel good and serve the music. Think Gadd.

do not overplay.

i keep coming back to this video once in a while, i love it so much!

Totally agree! It’s harder to learn restraint than it is to learn those extraneous fills. Keep tempo, feel the groove, and let the fills be the occasional accent to the composition.

Pork chops

If you listen closely to the background. You can heard Danny Carey laughing in 3/4 against the 4/4.

I completely agree. I've played with too many drummers that are way over the top. Good job bro!!!

Love it. Couldn't agree more. Whether you are playing drums, writing a tune, singing a tune, or guitar soloing over a tune, etc. - Always "yield to the song". It's there already. It's our job to get out of the way and let it through.

I love drumeo , its just so awesome , I'm glad there is a channel for myself and my fellow drummers to enjoy

No better feeling in the world than resting on a Friday with some drumeo lessons!

And that is why Ringo was the best drummer that ever lived. Maybe he wasn't the most technically proficient drummer around, but he understood the songs and had a philosophy, which elevated songs to their full potential. Drumming is not (just) about sound but also about silence as good composers know. Just as chopping potatoes the fastest doesn't make you the best chef so will playing the fastest or like a virtuoso not make you the best musician.

The best thing is seeing a drummer smiling while groovin always livin the best life

Lol he said pop chop haha

Great video. Being in the pocket is more important than showing off. Every style has its beats and fills like you said

Best advice I have seen on KZfaq. There's a time and a place for everything.

Perfect sounding kit!

So true. Always play what the song needs. Nothing more, nothing less.

I used to overplay so much, I would turn any simple song into a mess, fills every 8 bars or so, too much double bass a not let the song breath and argue with fellow musicians about it but as time passed I was getting musically mature, I would record myself and listen then I realized I'm not at all what I was thinking I was ,not cool instead terrible. So to save time one needs to record himself playing and question what he's doing from a 3rd person perspective, does it sound right ? Would a professional drummer or my drum mentor play it that way ? If not then what I need to get rid of and what needs to be improved?

Awesome video drum lesson! Thanks for sharing! God bless you!

Great advice!! Thanks so much for posting..I already knew this, but I'm sure there are some out there that tend to "overplay" and not as you say serve the music...this of course can apply to ALL musicians and instruments too.

yeah, I know that tune, it's called "Keep it simple" x') \m/

Very good description, plain and simple when you play death metal play in 180-200 bpm and use metal chops, but when you play country music 'SERVE THE MUSIC and keep it simple', exellent man :) thumbs up

Excellent lesson! Thank you

The best drummers I’ve played with no one had to tell anyone they were good - they just did it and we all knew. Somethings were consistent between all of them e.g time, groove, sound, attitude etc

what he is saying is very correct I know it hurts but in my neck of the woods if you need to make some money as a professional drummer that is exactly the way to go

It's all about what works for the song. I leaned this the hard way at 13 when I had my first gig with my dad's band and way over played. My dad approached me after the show and said you know kind sometimes less is more... somtimes... be the thing the song needs... it's not the drum show... its the overall experience of sound. My dad is amazing!

Great video love it! Thanks for sharing!

Chops doesn't make a good drummer. First and utmost important skill is TIMING. Practice and play with a time piece until you can do it in your sleep. Make it sound natural. Second (like he says) play to the genre. You don't need Neil Peart chops in s a pop song or country song. Some of the best pop and country tunes have just a few choice fills. Just groove the crap out of it. Third know your instrument. Know how to set it up for the easiest playing, know how to care for it, tune it, clean it up and add the right accessories to enhance your sound. Lastly be yourself. We don't need clones of existing musicians. be the first person to do something or do it a unique way...

How to tell a good drummer from a bad drummer? One Word: METER.

Serving the music means to do whats right for a particular moment in a particular song, and there are a million different ways to achieve that. It doesn't mean you have to serve the genre. In fact, that can restrict creativity. I think a lot of "metal" would be a hell of a lot better without blast beats and double kick.

A Clear cut approach that's truly elaborate ! Tell us more off the world of Music .

I’ve been preaching this for years. Thank you 🙏🏻

Awesome sims 3 soundtrack drum cover!

i think that serving music by it's genre is not a good idea. it leads to that the whole genre starts sounding the same. just my humble opinion.

Awesome video man!

I have a learning drummers channel and this is the kind of title I detest, then I watched and you are so dead on! I wish all drummers knew this. You ARE good enough. And the only bad drummer is one who can't serve the song. Do right by your band and the music and you will do just fine!

Mitch Mitchell was very busy with Hendrix, played rock and blues like jazz. Only the bass was simple. There are no absolute rules, except for learners.

I played drums for about 30 plus years before it was thought I had Motor Neurone Disease back in 2003 when I had to Retire from all work and drumming. It ended up being Spinal and Nervous System issues that has taken till this year before I am improving enough to want to play again. I always had a inbuilt " sense " of how a song went and I disagree with the statement of playing music to a genre. Listen to how you feel the music. I was never a perfect technical drummer but I turned up at practice with the band, kept off the Piss/Drugs when I played a Gig and was reliable. I think these are important personal targets for any drummer to be valued. Playing with Soul/Feeling beats being tech perfect any day.

Awesome channel thanks for uploading

Outstanding advice to any drummer from beginner to professional!

Jerry Edmonton of Steppenwolf was the best. He is sorely missed. His chops and timing were impeccable.

“How am I a good drummer?” IF I WAS A BAD DRUMMER, I WOULDN’T BE SITTIN’ HERE NOW WOULD I!?

Ha ha. Love it. I saw the intro and was like, "Oh, great...what's THIS going to be all about?" So glad to hear what Brandon says about playing to the music. Dude is spot on.

I was listening to the song you were playing and it reminded me of the Missing Persons and Men Without Hats. . .Great stuff by the way.

I actually thought that the “serving the drummer” example sounded awesome 👏

(intro plays) Me: that's sick, he's such a good drummer Him: That's an example of a bad drummer Me: O_O

Great message

Great dude !

It’s interesting that his extremely simple approach did not hide his obvious skill as a drummer. You can tell the guy can really play just by how he plays that straight beat.

Agree 100%. Serve the music first.

When I watch drummer videos it’s like watching something in a foreign language. And yet, I still love it!

There’s the good drummer and then there’s me. That’s how I tell the difference.

Here is my take. If your in a R & B band and playing music to dance to, you definitely want to keep it straight on the 2 & 4. If your playing pop music you can get away with a little fill here and there but should be kept straight as well. Because it's about the pulse and the music.

Who else watched this because you are taking drum lessons?

Great 👍 Drum lesson. Awesome drumming. I subscribed.

Great drummer and great teacher.

There's a good reason The Beatles were and are the music phenomenon... they played all their instruments in a way that always best served that song!

I havent gotten to play my drums in a while since i am moving. I miss playing soo much

Absolutely! I’m totally in agreement here.

Right on Brandon!

Great video! Seriously, I cannot believe people are missing the point Brandon Khoo is making. It is NOT about playing only simple licks and ignoring the hard ones, but rather about identifying the appropriate tools and using them accordingly depending on the genre or style of music you are serving. This applies to not only drums, but all musical instruments as well. Sometimes, instrumentalists (and singers too, being a learning singer myself) forget to put the styles of the songs they are doing as a priority and instead try to cram in as many licks and notes as possible to sound impressive whether on stage or in the studio, often taking away the space and pauses in the mix (at worst, sometimes even the groove of the song) and ruining the music they are doing. Imagine inserting blast beats in a Rolling Stones tune, adding rapid fire Malmsteen sweep picking licks to the guitar solo of Something by The Beatles, or belting out Fly Me To The Moon at 10 instead of singing it in a conversational manner - unless you tailor those tunes to fit the intended style through which your licks will sound musically appropriate, those three cases will sound rather ridiculous and jarring. Hence, serve the music first, and use the chops to do so, not vice versa.

this is why don henley is one of the most underrated drummers ever

I am an almost 50 yo woman and after watching this I have this insane desire to learn to play the drums!🤷🏻‍♀️

Good vid, very informative

Silence is music too, you don't have to fill silence with unnecessary proof of being a fast "hit everything I have in tempo". Two drummers that master this (among many others): Omar Hakim and Stewart Copeland.

"Do not fix something that is not broken" Wow wise words

Excellent advice. Serve the music - make it groove - first. fills and solos are just that. your number one priority is to support the band with a steady meter.

Great advice thanks

But how will everyone know how great my band is if I don’t pull every trick out of the bag? Those pop plebs need to hear a REAL musician, like myself, play Billie Jean with double kicks.

But sometimes, you need to mix up the "genres" to create something new that has never been heard before, for example band called Tool, they have been called the prog, metal, grunge, heavy rock, rock, art rock, u name it and at the end of the day, Tool is a genre on its own... and there is plenty of this kind of examples, if you just stick to the stuff that u have learned and never push the boundaries, you will end up doing the same shit that have existed for past century. "Serve the music" i can totally agree on that, but forget about the damn genres. Dont put everything in the boxes, instead start thinking out of the box.

Pretty neat that you can switch your left hand/right hand on the snare within the song, back and forth. That certainly opens things up for possibilities. I've never seen that done before.

I’m with you dude 🤟🏻

I know one or two drummers who would benefit from following this guy's advice. Technically great players, but when I pick up the phone, they're bottom of the list.

I remember this guy? I think I saw him at facebook telling everyone how you could identify a good drummer from a "show-off" drummer / bad drummer. Is he that guy? anyone can relate to what I'm saying? :)

left and right hand for the snare.. awesome!

This is a wonderful video and you are an experienced drummer with very good chops. In my time as drummer for over 30 years I never cared for studying the instrument to be very proficient with chops; only those I was intending to play; like many years ago I used to play Tom Sawyer; I was them and still are obsessed with the concept that when we play a cover and covers is what I did mostly my whole time as drummer because I did not had the opportunity to record originals; if you shall play a cover of a famous song that was already recorded and people know it, unless it is a different arrangement of the same song, I try always to stay as close as the original as my ears allow me; means; no extra chops, no all over the place breaks, no rolls where it should be quarter notes etc. and so far I have about 40 videos of covers I used to do showing exactly this way of thinking applied to those performances; It is called CONCEPT, this is what you are explaining and it is true; a good drummer serves the music, not himself unless he is performing a solo; I was never a soloist drummer; that is not what I prepared myself to be; I wanted to play the tunes I liked, I did and I loved them and enjoyed them all as much as their original recording drummers did. Playing as a top 40 band drummer seems not that much but it makes you in time an expert in concept, especially if you play different styles and had to "copy" many different drummers to serve the job you are doing which in this case is bring to the audience a very similar copy of the song they already knew and enjoyed the way it was recorded. That is my opinion; there are people who agree and those who disagree; funny thing is the more experienced performer a drummer is the more difficult to keep it simple it is for him or her because certainly in one's head, there are all sort of combinations and ideas available to just show! In this regards, watch and learn from a master who immediately comes in mind, as an example; Vinnie Colaiuta! he can play any style and never be out of concept, ever! Thank you for this video! I subbed immediately.

Keeping time is more important than soloing.

Keep it simple, serve the music not yourself ! 👍 really informative.

I liked the simplicity of the second part of the video and I love the wild ride that was the first part of the video too 🧐

Love this, solid advice