I was at McDs casually listening to the background music over the PA. It was some upbeat, modern song. The drummer in the song had no real style, probably another sefl-taught “Johnny” who thinks he can play. I noticed he’d throw in a few stand-alone “gallop” beats. (It sounds like the beat of one gallop, as opposed to a series of galloping steps - like a racing horse.) I recall my drum teacher trying to teach us a drum roll, and many of us would find ourselves slipping into a galloping pattern instead of a drum roll. Fellow drummers, were you discouraged from falling into or relying on a “galloping” rhythm, too?
In this modern upbeat song, the drummer only did an occasional solo gallop and mixed it in with other simple beats. so, maybe his sin is forgiveable. Or, maybe it was an undeveloped paradiddle? I leave it to you to ponder.
It’s fine to do if it sounds good and gets across what you’re trying to accomplish. Who cares about some stuffy high school band teacher’s “rules”? This isn’t 1918 anymore.
I’ve been playing drums for over 40 years and studied with some of the best teachers in the world. I’ve never heard the term “gallop” before referring to drums. Are you talking about a flam, or an eight note followed by two sixteenths perhaps? Regardless, those are both perfectly valid techniques and serve their purpose. I’m confused.
Yeah, there’s no limit to the number of musical prohibitions you should ignore depending on what you like. Classical counterpoint generally thought you should avoid parallel fifths, Heavy Metal went and made a genre founded on using them pretty much everywhere.
Worst thing that will happen is you’ll write a song that someone, somewhere doesn’t like. Which is almost unavoidable in the first place. So have at it.
Sure I know a gallop as that, too. But it doesn’t make sense in the context of the OP—like why would you do a roll like that? I’m guessing being sloppy with your 16ths.
I can see how a drummer not having good time, or perhaps playing a roll in a way that the second of four notes isn’t at the same dynamic level as the other notes would be frowned upon. But that certainly doesn’t happen in Mustang Sally or I Dig a Pony or Horse With No Name. And if we are talking about an eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, that is a perfectly respectable rhythmic phrase used a million times in drumming. It is one of the most common fills there is in pop music. That’s why the OP is still confusing to me. A sin that someone would be discouraged from using? Unless you are supposed to be playing four even strokes and only three are heard, I just don’t get it.
Oh Lord. I spent way too much time thinking about the drum parts in those songs. I didn’t even figure it out while re-typing it. I’ll turn in my SDMB member card and ride off into the sunset now.
