On the steel-drum kit he changed the awesome 15 inch tom back to a 14 inch for the last 1980 tour. The reason for this is that the popularity of the hat was due to the fact that it was comfortable and looked good on the wearer. The result was a stick that was designed to generate a loud and powerful sound, just like the sound that Bonham had become famous for. Powered by Invision Community, The next set of fills are the most insane out of the lot. Bonham also played a number of different types of percussion instruments, including a bass drum, a tambourine, an accordion, and a flute. At the 4:36 mark we get a glimpse of Johns concentration, he is definitely in the zone, and as you can see, sweating and working very hard. However I have been playing the drums for roughly 38 years, and I started out wanting to be like him at the age of 5. 6a). In fact, they werent very popular at all until the 1950s. A lot of players play the kick drum with a heel up technique, with your toes firmly planted onto the kick drum pedal. The sound projected farther. Its quite common to hear a line of sixteenth-notes and notice the bass drum playing in unison with the right hand on the downbeats (think Keith Moon). Awesome picture! "I never had Bonzo turn round to me and say, 'oh that's a great drum sound, Andy.' I love the sound of those old-timey sounds. Im not the biggest expert. Here is another example of the blistering speed at which he could play. Of course the most noticeable God like quality of his drumming was his speed. He also used a variety of other drum heads. They're hard to explain though, ha, but a short version of the two fills comes in at the 2:30 mark, and at that tempo is quite hard to pull off without having fast arms and leg, I'm telling you. Huzzar! (And Ringo). This indicates that while Bonham was known for using felt strips to dampen his kick, he only used one on the batter side while in the studio. While some of the early footage of Moby Dick does not exactly reflect this technique, he refined it over the course of his career and was in absolute top shape by the end of his life, as evidenced by the footage of the Knebworth performance from the final 79 tour. There is some debate about the exact type of drumsticks that Bonham used during his time with Led Zeppelin, but most sources agree that he was using sticks that were significantly larger than the standard 7A drumsticks that were commonly used by drummers at the time. Bonzo was known for his heavy drumming style, often breaking multiple pairs of sticks throughout a single performance. "It's all BOOM-BASH-BOOM-BASH", I recall him saying as he waved his arms about stiffly. It wasn't until I noticed this that then began trying to learn by playing heal down, and it sounded a lot closer to the sound Bonham would get from his bass drum, but I realised that I was struggling to play with as much speed and attack this way. Unless, of course, that is your explicit goal, in which case, you should have a field day with these. As a member of Led Zeppelin, Bonham helped shape the sound of the band and established himself as one of the greatest drummers of all time. July 14, 2014 in Musician's Corner. Forget Ginger Baker..a great drummer, but if Bonzo wanted to go that route, eventually, he could do it. Here is another interesting tidbit. ", By mid 1968, Bonham was touring with American folk singer Tim Rose and playing the same green-glitter Super Classic. This feel, often referred to as behind the beat, can be thought of as existing halfway between the modes of straight and fully swung. One outside the kick drum. What makes John Bonham such a good drummer? This technique allows for greater speed, and power, but also efficient use of the beater on the skin, and actually allows forthe use of bass drum ghost notes! Heres Everything You Should Know, How To Play Staccato Piano? If you dont have a lot of toms in your setup, youll want to have at least two. What Makes John Bonham Such a Good Drummer? A New Video Bang It Like Bonzo: How to Get John Bonhams Sound Some of my favourite songs of his to play (and I love playing them all) are: For years I struggled to play this number, and simply would not practice it as much as some of the others, mainly because my bass drum foot speed and power was not quite up to it yet, and it was a total drain on my stamina to try and play a song that lasts for roughly 10 minutes straight without a stop, and I had decent stamina too! Heel up usually forces the beater into the skin of the drum, or as it's usually called: burying the beater. He attributes this to the fact that, due to the drums behemoth 26 diameter, the large amount of air that needed to move through the shell had to travel very quickly to properly excite the resonant head. However the main reason, in my humble opinion is to "complete the circle" as I like to call it. Helena Bonham Carter, 56, shows off her quirky sense of style as she steps out with husband Rye Dag Holmboe, 35, for a sunny stroll in London. This is an example of the colouring in John Paul Jones mentioned - the dynamic control. Some sources suggest that he may have used the standard wooden drumsticks that were commonly used by drummers in the 1960s, but others argue that he may have experimented with different sticks, including sticks made from metal or plastic. To hear Bonham at his most behind the beat, listen to Black Dog, When The Levee Breaks, and the impossibly groove-laden Whole Lotta Love (Ex. He'd just say, 'There's not enough 'frudge' on the bass drum.' Bonham used a rented Slingerland kit on the band's first European tour in the late 60's. Who has the best drum solo in the world? I dont think anyone can fully explain him. Though us lesser mortal men are able to learn and de-construct his tracks so thatwe may play them accurately, and with his spirit, we still can not even hope to come close to what that demi-god of a man achieved in his short time here on Earth. On 12/16/2015 at 11:45 AM, Ethan Christensen said: http://www.ledzeppelin.com/image/brussels-1980-4. Pic was taken from my "thunder of drums" book. This means having the keenest sense of awareness for things such as the slight difference of inflection between any two strokes, the timeliness of a note in the context of the phrase it belongs to, and the natural ebb and flow of tempo throughout the course of a song (this is before the days of the almighty click). The subdued sophistication of the groove at 1:02 could not be more understated, with its ghosted singles and doubles complements of the left hand. JOHN BONHAM DRUMS I'd find Primus' Tim Alexander to be a good example of someone who uses the drier kick drum sound with imagination and variation. And with as much skill and technique, he provided the same on his bass drum too. . Same problem with, putting Hendrix or Page in a convenient sized box, a describable shape can't contain all the influences. On Kashmir, the group is in truly top form, working as one to create a work so singular and impressionable that many consider it their greatest achievement. In terms of playing it almost exactly to the track, then yes I would say I eclipsed Chad Smith haha, but he was improvising the whole thing! John Bonhams drumming style was characterized by his powerful beats and dynamic rhythms. Seriously, listen to footage of Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Max Roach, and the likes of those types. Dave only used the zildjian as for his cymbals, which included a 22-inch, 18-inch, 20-inch, and 15-inch cymbals.