Drumming Till It Hurts

I used to have a drummer friend who could play without a bass drum but make his set-up sound like a complete drum kit. All he used was a snare drum, a cymbal, and a floor tom. If you listened to him play with your eyes closed you'd swear he had a bass drum.

Sadly, this friend of mind passed away a few years ago. His death was quite poetic in the sense that he died just as he had always wanted, which is right after performing a mean drum solo. My friend was doing a soundcheck with the rest of his band mates for a concert. On the last tune he played on he performed a drum solo. After the song he collapsed. He suffered a heart attack.I kid you not, even his wife knew about his morbid yet dramatic idea for a final performance.

As a drummer, my friend was exceptional. He did everything from straight-on-take-no-prisoners rock drumming to sophisticated jazz improvisations. He was also a joy to watch because of his energetic yet effortless technique. He also had a rather funny facial expression whenever he was in the zone. I do miss my drummer friend.

He and I shared the belief that, when it comes to playing music, one should be open to all kinds of styles. We were of the same opinion that being able to jam along all sorts of music is the best way to expand your musical knowledge and skills.

So jam to pop songs, funk, RnB, disco and even the occasional novelty song we did. But, of course, there were days when the mood was perfect for nothing else but rock. The Canadian rock trio Rush was a particular favorite. My friend really enjoyed rocking out to "Limelight" and "Tom Sawyer." I did too although I found playing Geddy Lee's rubbery basslines quite a challenge.

Here's a video of Rush's "Limelight." The guitarist is Alex Lifeson and the drummer is Neil Peart. Hope you like the song.