what drum heads did john bonham use

Just need a few more tweaks here and there. We had actually gone in to try on a fresh occasion and he just picked up the four sticks and that was it. Finally, as mentioned above, Bonzo didn't just hit the snare on the 3rd beat (in 4/4 time). Bonhams massive performance on When The Levee Breaks hits a pinnacle when he unleashes this fill at 5:25 in all its majestic glory (Ex. -Thermo Gloss Maple (used from 1969-1970). Some sources suggest that he may have used sticks that were closer to 2B in size, while others argue that he was using sticks that were even larger, possibly up to 5B in size. The strength for those comes from the wrists. "It wasn't a hugekit, but it was phenomenally loud. John Bonham I'm building a reproduction of Bonham's stainless steel drum set. Bonham used felt strips to round out the sound of his bass drum and used a Speed King pedal. Bonham used Rogers hardware for his cymbal stands, and even custom mounted his rack tom with a Rogers mount and snare stand on his maple kit. Bonham was a diffirent bag altogether though, and I had actually discovered him through Grohl when he cited Bonham as an influence. So I thought some of you might want some insight from a drummer who has studied a master. Throughout his career, he used a variety of drumsticks to create his signature sound, starting with standard wooden sticks in his early years, and eventually settling on larger sticks that were closer to 2B in size. Ive always been a big fan of the 60s and 70s, Dave . As a result, he was able to conserve a lot of energy that other players waste flailing their arms about. I dont remember when possibly also for the 1980 tour. For my DW Brass snare, I've wrestled with various batter heads. Or did he just let it all ring out? How did he tune his drums? The first thing that Page did was to stop playing the drums altogether. It was also used with Zildjian Cymbals, when he got the ThermoGlossdrums in1969 is when he fully switched to Ludwig and Paiste. Here's an excerpt from an article I recently read that examines Bonham's sound and style: To start with, Bonham was known to use very little arm when he played, keeping them at a rather low position. (Fully Explained Inside!). and he added the 42 snare wire thing towards the end of zeppelins career. -- John Bonham A Thunder of Drums by Chris Welsh and Geoff Nicholls, Given Bonzo's affinity towards Ludwig kits, odds are Bonzo was using a Ludwig kit to record Led Zeppelin 1. All rights reserved. I think you've Dropboxd Chad Smith's version which he performed at Bonzo Bash a while back and was the standout cover for me. JOHN BONHAM'S BASS DRUM SOUND ** THE RITCHIE RING Bonzo would habitually hit the rim of the snare drum when he hit the snare skin. No ported reso, no strips/dampening of any sort, tight reso head, tune the batter head to the low note you want, and don't be afraid to use some power. (Read This First!) Tuning: Bonham tuned the batter head medium-tight while the resonant was cranked much higher, although this will require some experimentation. John Bonham and his Timpani's The best example of Johns speed is the end of Dazed and Confused (from The Song Remains The Same). Bonham mostly used remo drumheads. Grohl plays with as much power as Bonham did, but he lacks the finesse element, in my opinion. The Big R stand didn't come out until the early 70s, and maybe he switched to the newer model. 93ZoSo93 John Bonhams Drumming Explained I even did a drum cover of this recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0jru1P9BW8, I will post some other songs shortly, but I'm high right now and don't have the mental capacity tothink too critically. You can often hear and feel hisuse of ghost notes between the back beat, which was proof that he was not just a BOOM BASH drummer. Ive always liked drums to be bright and powerful, Bonham said in a 1973 interview. Ive never used cymbals much. I use them to crash into a solo and out of it, but basically I prefer the actual drum sound. Although well known for his unmatched power, Bonham also took pride in his ability to lay down a solid groove. Nearly of all the close-ups of Bonzo on Disc Two of DVD are taken from his drum solo, and edited into the footage to give the impression that it's from the track you're hearing. Kick - John tuned like a lot (not all) of the jazz players. Ex. I'd find Primus' Tim Alexander to be a good example of someone who uses the drier kick drum sound with imagination and variation. I particularly can concur on your observation of theway he played the snare drum as I do exactly the same thing. A few other things to note about this song are: The drum fills. Heel up usually forces the beater into the skin of the drum, or as it's usually called: burying the beater. What makes Bonzo even more amazeballs is how his fills, no matter where he started or finished them, never (or very rarely) went out of time, and rarely were repeated in the same sequence (the end of studio version of In My Time Of Dying also has a great run of different fills - from "And I see them in the streets" to "I just wanted to have some fun"). An often overlooked aspect of Bonhams considerable talents was his frequent use of ghost notes to accentuate his feel and add subtle texture to a groove. 2. What drum set did Nirvana use? The other band members repeatedly comment on how loud Bonzo was. 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. Bonham though, tricky as he was, often enjoyed playing his kick on the upbeats of a phrase while his left foot held the downbeat. In closing I want to say happy birthday to the most intelligent, powerful, soulful, nimble, quickest, passionate and and talented rock drummer of all time. An autopsy found no other recreational drugs in Bonhams body. Fit all three with single-ply heads and tune them to medium-high. Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. Heres Everything You Should Know, How To Play Staccato Piano? I get what you're saying. Powered by Invision Community. I'll post pix when it's done. 38 years is a lot of playing. The sound projected farther. WebBonham sets out the scaffolding for Pages complex phrasing, sometimes creating a push-pull effect that heightens a songs tension at its core. Bonham used 42 strand snares on his snare drums. Generally, this was Bonham's complete set up (even though it can be found on the internet widely): 6.5"x14" Ludwig LM402 Supraphonic Snare Drum, 10x14" (or 12"x14" [on his Maple drums] or 12"x15" [on his Stainless Steel drums] Rack Tom, 14"x26" Bass Drum (he used two of these for a few shows), Paiste Giant Beat Multipurpose 18" Cymbal, Paiste Giant Beat Multipurpose 20" Cymbal, Paiste Giant Beat Multipurpose 24" Cymbal, [He used another 18" {I think} for when he occasionally used 2 bass drums], Paiste 2002 18" Medium Crash (He used a second one from 1979-1980), Cowbell (made by Paiste according to Bonham's drum tech). All eight of Led Zeppelins studio albums featured Bonzo on a maple kit, usually one of the three or so green sparkle kits that he owned, or the thermo-gloss natural-finish kit he favored early on. Never lifting the stick very high off the head, and keeping his hand level with the rims, he would snap his wrist, quickly whacking the drum with incredible force. John Bonham He only used them for the rest of his career after that. Awesome picture! if you like our Facebook fanpage, you'll receive more articles like the one you just read! He was also known to use Remos on his guitar solos. Bonham used a rented Slingerland kit on the band's first European tour in the late 60's. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. Today, the John Bonham Signature Drumstick is one of the most popular drumsticks in the world, and is widely used by drummers of all skill levels who want to replicate the sound of one of the greatest drummers of all time. Ah, that about clinches it -- thanks again, everyone. Its important to find easy songs to play on drums for beginners who are just starting out. Unsubscribe at any time. For example, he was a big fan of jazz, blues, rock and roll, country, pop and R&B. in Music | August 1st, 2017 2 Comments, A tongue-in-cheek essay in McSweeneys, Michael Fowlers How to Play a John Bonham Drum Solo, contains some of the finest descriptions Ive read of Bonhams thunderous playing. For the skins, put on a I'm building a reproduction of Bonham's stainless steel drum set. What Batter and Reso heads will you use? ), but I have essentially picked upthe banner he oncecarried, and seek to carry tountil my death. He employed this setup live as well, until 1973 when he introduced the world to what remains the most iconic kit of the Bonham legacy, the amber-colored acrylic drums from Ludwigs burgeoning Vistalite series. 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. In the context of anyone elses music these phrases might even be thought of almost along the lines of a literal quote. Being a musician myself, If I remember, correctly my drummer said tuning the drums higher is sort of like tuning a guitar higher or using heavier, strings. Would have been awesome to see what JB would have played then and through the 80's, 90's, and today as drum equipment has changed. The next one is in my opinion, one of the hardest John Bonham fills to execute of, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6TQsU8d6k, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEKkJHSO8A0. Wed recommend a Ludwig LM402 Supraphonic 6.5-inch x 14-inch aluminum snare or an equivalent drum of the same size. But then the article itself started and I got a little bit disapointed. Of course this is also one of the best known songs for capturing his drum sound. For the skins, put on a double-ply coated batter head and a standard snare-side head. I think you've eclipsed Chad Smith's version which he performed at Bonzo Bash a while back and was the standout cover for me. Most of us can recite it in our sleep by now: Ludwig drums 14 x 10 rack tom, 16 x 16 and 18 x 16 floor toms, 26 x 14 kick, and the legendary LM402 14 x 6.5 Supraphonic snare drum; Paiste cymbals, Giant Beat and 2002 combined 15 Sound Edge hi-hats, 16, 18, 20 crashes and crash/rides, 24 ride, and a 38 symphonic gong; all topped off with a squeaky Speed King pedal and a ching-ring tambourine mounted on his hi-hat stand. Clear editor. As John Bonhams reputation as a drummer grew, he eventually joined the up-and-coming band Led Zeppelin in 1968. A lot of players play the kick drum with a heel up technique, with your toes firmly planted onto the kick drum pedal. Lack of Bonzo was a tremendous problem for Jimmy when Zep ended. Here you can see him playing that kit. Im not the biggest expert. Buddy Rich took other drummers to school with his showmanship in his Concert for the Americas solo and won the top spot. I love the sound of those old-timey sounds. Bottom of the stick (above the hand) hits the rim while the tip hits the skin. Rogers offered both types of stands in the catalog when the Memriloc hardware came out in 75-6. This technique is popular in rock music mostly, as it provides the power and sometimes the speed necessary in rock music. I expected something more like the talking about When The Levee Breaks, where you explained the thing with his bass drum. but i know for sure a few things i could add. The happiest and most swinging Zeppelin song, in my opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6TQsU8d6k. If youre trying to take after the fast and furious style of rock drumming, you Bonhams drum kit It was also the first store to be opened in a new building, which was built on the site of an old music hall. 1a (taken from the live performance of Kashmir, featured on the eponymous Led Zeppelin DVD). Were hoping to rely on our loyal readers rather than erratic ads. 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. All in the Wrists, Bonham Fans I appreciate your compliment though. While there seems to be no general consensus on exactly how much tighter, the fact that the batter heads were tensioned rather tight themselves indicates that the resonant heads probably werent much higher than the batters. Like I said, the higher the bottom skin is tuned, you get less resistance and more sensitivity, or bounce for your stick which means you play much faster and with more ease. Bonham bulldozes through the first five minutes of this swampy blues workout with nary a drum fill, delivering a powerfully hypnotic groove with such a deep pocket that it has become one of the all-time staples of the hip-hop sampling repertoire. In a sense, this idea further manifests itself in another of Bonhams signature moves from Moby Dick.. Drum Me too. Once mastered, it has the potential to add considerable texture to a phrase, not to mention the unusual effect of making it sound like there are more drums playing than there really are. From the very beginning, Bonhams powerful and explosive drumming style was a defining characteristic of the bands sound. There is a misconception that Bonham played with a double pedal. As a result, Bonhams blending of triplet rhythms with straight eighths and sixteenths allowed his groove to occupy a special place that exists in another dimension of rhythm. John Bonham consumed 40 shots of vodka Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images The rock 'n' roll life started to get to Bonham and he turned to alcohol to cope (via Louder Sound ). Page knew that he had a lot of work ahead of him before he could be considered a top drummer in the world. July 14, 2014 in Musician's Corner. However the main reason, in my humble opinion is to "complete the circle" as I like to call it. Bonhams setup is one of the most widely documented (and employed) configurations in the history of rock. Your link has been automatically embedded. I read a story somewhere recently that allegedly, after recording the drums for this song, Jimmy Page increased the tempo of the track. In his early bands, A Way of Life and Band of Joy, he played a four piece Ludwig kit in Sparkle Green (Ludwig finish number 2004). (Check This First), How To Play A China Cymbal? The solo from TSRTS is essentially much like the studio version, albeit much faster. Somewhere in Florida, behind a Rogers kit. I'm 27 now, a British drummer, andhave been listening to and learning from Bonham since I was 15. I dont think anyone can fully explain him. But even they would agree, I'm sure that John Bonham was the greatest rock drummer (certainly Roger Taylor, though perhaps not Charlie Watts, who was more jazz-influenced). His foot I imagine sat the same as mine on the pedal; neither heel up, nor heel down, rather resting at the centre of the pedal board sort of floating. Same song now, different example: Note at the 11:59 mark how Jimmy Page lets Jonesy and Bonzo take over in this rhythmic interlude. I've seen pictures of two mounted drums near Bonham in 1970. To try and calculate the impact of John Henry Bonham on rock drumming is to attempt the impossible. Simple yet genius. Other 60s/70s rock drummers have their influence too, such as the Stones' Charlie Watts, The Doors' John Densmore and Queen's Roger Taylor. 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. There are a couple of moves that Bonham never quite seemed to tire of. 3. Hell, I'm 38 years oldyou've been playing my whole life. Boy, rather excellent descriptions, without losing the laypeople(I am a musician). 1c, taken fromHow The West Was Won), only reversing the sticking to accommodate the slow 6/8 groove. Bonham used 42 strand snares on his snare drums. Tuning: Bonham tuned the batter head medium-tight while the resonant was cranked much higher, although this will require some experimentation. Since his drums were large in size, the sound is bigger than one would anticipate. Let me know if I got anything wrong here. More sharing options What a great post, feller. 2a). These asynchronous passages can prove daunting for accomplished drummers. You've highlighted some of the simple aspects that truly were the secrets to his sound. This is a great example of how fast and tight the rhythm section was, and how important it was to the success of the band. A most excellent thread, thanks to OP for starting and Mr Hudson for his ALS cover, which is mightily fab. The finale of In The Light is another example of inventive fills and flourishes. This chokes the sound of bass drum, providing a more deadened tone, and less resonance, whilst heel down provides the opposite, but lacks in speed and power. What about Kashmir. This feel, often referred to as behind the beat, can be thought of as existing halfway between the modes of straight and fully swung. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hard hitting, hard living and hard to imitate, John Bonhams mark on modern drumming cannot be overstated. I have a 1965 20" BD Ludwig that can make the Bonham sound. We also see it serve a similar purpose on Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks (Exs. For that solo at the end of Rock and Roll try practicing your one handed buzz rolls. And please dont take my "criticism" hard, I liked what you gave us after all and I am glad you stoped by to share your thoughts about Bonzo, the greatest rock and roll drummer of all time!!! The 20 ping ride model is made of bronze. When first published in 1985, Margaret AtwoodsThe Handmaids Tale drew acclaim for ho, The B-52s debut single Rock Lobster brought the party and a playful sense of the absurd, We have covered it before: school districts across the United States are increasingly censoring book, ChatGPT, the system that understands natural language and responds in kind, has caused a sensation s, Image by Eric Nagle, via Wikimedia Commons On the island of Crete, in the village ofVouves, stands, By any measure, David Bowie was a superstar. 6a). It's not as though he rimshot his entire way through a song, rather, he would only do it to serve as a powerful accent to the back beat. Drum Here is another interesting tidbit. Heads: Remo Coated Emperor on the batter head; Coated Ambassador on the resonant (he may have also used a Diplomat on the snare at some point) On his vistalites, he used a clear CS dot head on the batter and clear Ambassador on the resonant on the toms and bass drum (Bonham used the stock resonant head on all of his bass drums). 5d). As you study these very specific elements of style, it is of supreme importance that you remain fully aware that these technicalities are capable of taking you only half way.

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