The Noblemen
The brightness from the stage lit up the front half of the dark elementary school gymnasium as the master of ceremonies approached the microphone. Silhouettes of the heads in front of me started to rise with anticipation as the announcer introduced the last act of the school-wide talent show, a local band called The Noblemen.
It was all we could do to stay seated in the chairs that filled the basketball floor. I could see the students lean forward in the bleachers that lined the walls as the band hit the opening chords of their first song.
The band sounded good beyond their years. The bass player, Ron, was in my eighth grade class at school. The guitar players, Randy and King, went to my church. And I knew that the drummer, Jim, was an eighth grader at a neighboring school.
Not only were The Noblemen technically good on their instruments, but they played with a feel that had everyone in the gymnasium tapping their feet and swaying to the music. And that is what captivated me. How could a group of barely teenagers make a song feel so good and light up an audience?
As The Noblemen started their second song, I noticed how the guitar players were focused on the drummer. They watched him for song cues and did their best to follow him musically. I could tell that they were trying to match Jim’s timing as they strummed chords and played individual notes. Occasionally the guitar players would look at each other, smile and shake their heads in time to the music.
As I watched this interplay, I began to realize that the driving force behind the band’s “groove” was Jim and the way he played the drums. Not only did he have the technical “chops” to play cool beats and awesome fills, he played with a feel as if he’d been playing for years. Little did I know at the time that he HAD been playing for years.
Background
Before we get to the rest of the story, let me give you a little background.
I was asked this question recently: “aw hey i’d love to learn drums this might be a dumb question but can you get sheet music for it or is everything done by ear?”
It sounded to me like 3 different questions:
- Can you get sheet music for drums?
- Is sheet music used when you play drums in a band?
- Should you learn to play the drums by ear or by using sheet music?
I answered the first question here and the second question here. The post you’re reading now is the answer to the third question. Now back to our story!
Jim Learned To Play By Ear
I thought, “Who is this guy?” “Where’d he learn to play like that?”, “How can I learn to play like he does?”, and “I wonder who’s giving him drum lessons?” The next year Jim and I ended up at the same high school and we became lifelong friends.
We played together in the high school jazz band. We hung out and talked about music. I spent many Friday and Saturday nights at Jim’s house listening to music. Abraxas by Santana and Master of Reality by Black Sabbath come to mind. We both went on the road after high school and referred each other to bands looking for drummers. And we still get together and jam with friends.
As I got to know Jim, I found out that he had been playing drums since he was a young kid. His dad would take him to jam sessions where the older guys would let him “sit in”. As a result, Jim knew the beats to so many songs. And he could listen to a song and immediately be able to play the beat and imitate the fills.
And here’s the remarkable thing: He had never had a lesson in his life! That’s right! He learned to play completely by ear! He had a knack for listening to other drummers, being able to play what they played, and then giving it a twist to make it his own.
Jim went on to have a very successful music career, playing with some of the best bands in the USA Northwest. He’s currently playing around the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area. And he has an awesome voice too!
I Learned From Teachers and Books
At the time I heard The Noblemen, I was playing percussion in the school band. I had a snare drum, could read music and had just started taking drum lessons. After hearing Jim play, I started saving money for a drum set and re-dedicated myself to practicing. I eventually bought a drum set and continued taking lessons my first couple years of high school.
In search of the elusive “groove,” I continued playing in high school concert band and jazz band. I progressed technically but still could not play with the “feel” that Jim could. I got my first professional gig at the ripe old age of 16 playing country/western music with the Mel Palmer Trio at the Tippy Canoe in Troutdale, Oregon. And it was about this time that I joined my first rock band. Both of these experiences, especially playing in front of audiences, helped my “groove” but it still wasn’t to the level that I wanted.
Then it was college for one year and “on the road” for five years. I continued to practice, take lessons when I could and try to emulate my favorite drummers at the time. I could read music, play everything just like it was on the recording but the “groove” still escaped me.
Did I ever find the “groove” I was looking for? Yes, but it was not until I had been playing in rock bands 2 years 5 or 6 nights a week for 4-5 hours a night. And once I got it, I didn’t lose it. My confidence soared and I felt like I was a good enough player to fake my way through any style of music and make it feel good.
It seemed to take me a long time to play with confidence and feeling. I often wonder if I would have gotten the “groove” quicker if I had spent more time learning songs and playing in bands with friends at an earlier age instead of practicing on my own out of books.
What’s Your Approach to Learning Drums?
Can you learn to play the drum set by ear? Can you sit down behind your drums, listen to a song on your iPod and play along the best you can? Yes! My friend Jim is a great example.
Many very successful drummers have had long careers playing “by ear” without reading music. They listen to a song and play along until they can play the beat and fills “just like the record.” Or, if it’s an original song, they play along with the songwriter until the song’s arrangement is thoroughly memorized, without having anything written down.
I have a great appreciation for “play by ear” drummers because they are able to memorize complete songs and recall those songs with little effort. Over the course of their careers they’ve memorized hundreds, even thousands of songs. In fact, Buddy Rich, one the greatest drummers of all time, could not read music.
Are there any downsides? Jim and I have talked about this over the years. Jim may have felt more comfortable playing in the high school jazz band if he would have been a better reader. But it didn’t hold him back from sounding great once he knew the song!
Can you learn to play the drum set by focusing on technique and reading first? Yes! I took that approach, but it may have held me back from having a good “feel” when playing in a band. After many hours of playing with bands, though, I was able to “find the groove” and play with confidence.
So there are pros and cons to both approaches. That’s why I advocate a compromise between the two:
- Learn enough technique to start playing songs so you can play in a band.
- Learn to read music good enough so you can read and write your own song sketches.
- Then work on all three skills (technique, reading and playing) in parallel. Work on learning songs while you continue to build your technique and music reading skills.
If you’re playing in a rock band, you can get away with playing by ear. But if you’re playing at school, in a jazz band or at church, you’ll need to know how to read music. And even if you only play in a rock band, reading and writing music will help you remember your drum parts and song arrangements.
Want to get started or get a refresher course on reading drum music? Here are some posts that I’ve written to help:
Should You Learn How to Read Drum Music?
5 Key Parts of Drum Music Notation – Boring!
How to Read Musical Notes and Rests
The Key to Reading Drum Music
Reading Feelings from Paper – How to Read Drum Fills