Dave Grohl is a drummer who achieved remarkable success, and his stature in the music world is hard to match. Whenever he steps in front of a microphone, he exudes the charisma of one of the most captivating musicians of all time. However, what sets Grohl apart is his impressive background as a drummer. He not only led Nirvana but also made significant contributions to a wide range of artists, from Tenacious D to Nine Inch Nails. Despite his role as Foo Fighters’ frontman, Grohl maintains that his musical roots are in drumming.
However, Grohl never used the traditional way of instructions when he was first developing as a musician. Growing up in Virginia, Grohl claimed that listening to Rush and playing on his pillows gave him the most dexterity and massive thunderous strength. Later used it to write songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Looking back on his influences, Grohl credited Neil Peart of Rush and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin for shaping his career. They taught him the value of beating the drum with all the force he could generate. However, playing the drums involves more than just hitting out notes.
As he grasped the inner workings of a song, Grohl tailored his drumming to suit its needs. For instance, Grohl knew to keep the drums extremely low in the mix when working on a track like “Something in the Way”. He believed that adding more would ruin Kurt Cobain’s delicate composition.
Grohl recognized Ringo Starr as the inspiration for his focus on serving the song, despite Bonham and Peart’s brilliance. Though not everyone’s favourite Beatle, Starr emerged as one of the greatest at fitting the song. He delivered fluid drumming that complemented the other instruments on songs like “Come Together” and “Ticket to Ride.”
Dave Grohl said Starr is in a league of his own when it comes to drumming skill. He told the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “Define the greatest drummer in the world”. The performer possess technical skill or does they bring their own unique vibe to the song? “The king of feel was Ringo.”
When comparing Starr’s songs to those of the rest of the band, most of them tend to be fairly straightforward. Even in his best performances. The simple act of keeping time on songs like “All You Need is Love” helped make them palatable for audiences worldwide. Even though most technicians would baulk at playing something so basic. Starr provided the ideal pulse for each song.
Even Grohl acknowledged that a great percussionist must be able to play simple and slow pieces. Even though he performed more complex drum parts than most throughout his career. Grohl clarified, “If you can just play this (plays basic drumbeat) and have people dancing, you’re a fu*king badass”. He said it while talking about the basic tom-tom groove of ‘Come Together’. Even though it’s easy to paint Starr as one of the least imaginative members of The Beatles, his drums have become the heartbeat of rock and roll.
