# Post Videos of Non-Drummers Playing Drums
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** music
**Created:** [December 31, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364 "2020-12-31T16:52:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/1 "2020-12-31T16:52:13Z")
A member of a band who is not the drummer, but is playing drums… I know some are thinking of Paul McCartney, and I could see both sides. He does play drums on some songs, so you can decide for yourself. I would rather see a video of a guy live, even if they aren’t great, it’s nice to see what they can do outside of their regular instrument.
Preferably live video, because one can do many takes, splicing, etc., in a studio with the finished (and corrected) audio with video not in sync.
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) - 1970
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frxdlzPyXus)
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/2 "2020-12-31T17:02:38Z")
I’m assuming the duck is not a professional drummer.
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdnlptVP2B8)
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/3 "2020-12-31T17:16:14Z")
Wow! This could be a thread all about me if I had any video! 😁
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/4 "2020-12-31T17:20:12Z")
I wish I had video of this one epic dog-wrestle. The pack was running around in the shop and chasing each other and play fighting. They ended up on the drum riser, and two of them were faced off. One of them was laying down a killer beat with their tail on the bass drum, and another was doing cymbal fills. They kept better time than I could!
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### Author:  [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/5 "2020-12-31T20:05:38Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbXOmyqJHAU)
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### Author:  [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/6 "2020-12-31T20:24:17Z")
[Meg White playing drums](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY)
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/7 "2020-12-31T21:20:36Z")
Hahaha I came into the thread expecting this reply.
Edit: just played the duck video— probably better than Meg!
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### Author:  [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/8 "2020-12-31T22:35:47Z")
Sammy Davis Jr was so talented it is scary. Was there nothing this man could do?
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baHH2Kqz1SQ)
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### Author:  [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/9 "2020-12-31T22:52:49Z")
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTkAroa8ViI)
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### Author:  [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/10 "2021-01-01T01:18:49Z")
No video but I had a friend who was a music major who told me of a jazz improv class he once took with about 15 musicians but no drummer. To make do, everyone had to take a turn as the percussionist _du jour_ by working a snare drum / ride cymbal set up. It wasn’t a problem and it reinforced the necessity to keep time. He said most of the students kept things straightforward and simple but others couldn’t resist trying to add some flash and occasional fills. He said whenever that happened, without fail, every student in the class would all lay eyes on that person and glare with the message, “OK, fancy pants but you better not throw the time off.”
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### Author:  [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/11 "2021-01-01T01:36:13Z")
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odxIZpFn-Pg)
Not sure if this counts - but he’s not famous for drumming and plays the drums in this one.
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### Author:  [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/12 "2021-01-01T07:07:25Z")
Feist and “1234”:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVRhEXAcS4Y)
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### Author:  [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/13 "2021-01-01T08:01:38Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> Meg White playing drums
I clicked on this thinking Meg Ryan.
Can a not-quite meta attempt be ok? Ringo Starr, portraying a non-drummer, being [forcibly pressured by Mike Douglas to sit down behind the kit?](https://youtu.be/raHA3pzB2Kk?t=1590)
Couple good youtube videos with multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder layin down some stone grooves. Figured I’d go with this [old gem.](https://youtu.be/iBA4vWQRBA0?t=21)
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### Author:  [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/14 "2021-01-01T12:45:19Z")
> [@minlokwat](#):
>
> He said whenever that happened, without fail, every student in the class would all lay eyes on that person and glare with the message, “OK, fancy pants but you better not throw the time off.”
Hah, I was saying that in my head before you even got to the punchline. It’s fun to mock lame drummers, but it’s a really important job and not an easy one either.
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/15 "2021-01-01T14:16:43Z")
I can’t find any video at the moment but many years ago I saw Todd Rundgren’s Utopia in concert and they did the instrument switch several times during the show.
(Is @gaffa still around? I believe he used to videotape bands for a living, and was also a Todd Rundgren fan. Maybe he’s got something…)
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### Author:  [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/17 "2021-01-01T17:55:44Z")
Interesting story… Whiplash in their eyes.
If the drummer screws up, EVERYONE screws up.
Here it is:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1j7aqmBqEs)
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### Author:  [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/18 "2021-01-01T18:03:27Z")
I just posted the video of Utopia…
(Replying, Quoting, especially to multiple people is very confusing on this new format - the automated responses wouldn’t let me do it all in one after I posted a previous video —)
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/19 "2021-01-01T18:14:21Z")
No video seems to exist unfortunately, but [here is audio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd7aGhDmNOM) of the Grateful Dead all playing the wrong instruments on Promised Land on April Fools Day, 1980. Guitarist Jerry Garcia and keyboard player Brett Mydland were “playing” the drums. (Drummer Mickey Hart was on rhythm guitar and vocals, drummer Bill Kreutzmann was on bass, bassist Phil Lesh was on lead guitar, and guitarist Bob Weir was on keyboards.)
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### Author:  [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2021, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-videos-of-non-drummers-playing-drums/929364/20 "2021-01-01T20:33:14Z")
> [@markn\_1](#):
>
> keyboard player Brett Mydland
Brent Mydland