Although drums are a part of nearly every popular song, we don’t usually appreciate just how interesting or complex they are in themselves.
In a lot of rock bands, the drummer is responsible for keeping time and establishing a groove—but they’re also typically relegated to the background.
Still, there’s a ton of fun and enjoyment to be had out of understanding the complexity behind drumming, and plenty of creators on YouTube are filling that niche.
The person we’re talking about today just happens to have one of the most impressive videos we’ve seen on it.
The video we’re talking about was posted in June 2013.
It features drummer Tony Royster, Jr. For those who don’t know, Royster Jr. is a professional drummer who was born in Georgia and who has been playing drums since he was three years old.
Since then, he has gone on tour with Joe Jonas and Jay-Z, along with playing all kinds of other shows. The video we’re talking about today was filmed and released by Roland Canada, at a drum clinic where Royster Jr. was hailed as the future of percussion and drums.
As it turns out, the video backs up that claim perfectly!
At the beginning, Royster Jr. explains a little about drum theory and about rhythm.
As he explains, when you’re playing perfectly “on time” as a drummer against a metronome, you know you’re on time when you can’t hear the “click” at all.
Still, this kind of perfectly rhythmic playing can become a handicap in different genres like jazz and funk when you need to play a little more loosely. Fortunately, Royster Jr. explains, you can still practice how to play funky, soulful and loose drumming by practicing with a metronome.
And with that, he sets off to show the crowd how to do it!
At around two minutes in, he explains that it’s a good way for drummers to teach themselves how to get better.
With that, the metronome starts counting “one, two, three, four” in a basic 4:4 time signature. At first, Royster Jr. shows how to be slow and on-beat. A moment later, he speeds things up a bit and adds in some complexity but still stays on beat.
But after that, things get interesting. Next up, he shows them how to drag behind the beat a little bit while still feeling “on beat” with some really complex patterns.
After that, he resets the pattern and goes back to the simple 4:4 without even trying.
Next, he shows the crowd the opposite—how to play ahead of the beat.
In the same fashion, he does it effortlessly and allows the metronome to drag slightly behind his playing, layering all kinds of complex fills and flourishes over it!
A moment later, he’s going completely off the map by playing in a different time signature on top of the 4:4 time… and still, he does it all effortlessly. A moment later, he resets the pattern again and is back on 4:4.
Towards the end, the complexity and changes get too varied and insane to even talk about!
Since the clip was posted, it’s been viewed nearly five million times!
Though it goes without saying, drumming can be just as complicated and nuanced as any other instrument.
Similarly, anybody can take the art form as far as they want to take it with practice—and Royster Jr. shows the world just how far things can go.
Thanks to Tony Royster Jr. for this very instructive drumming tutorial! Be sure to check out the whole thing in the link below:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
