Steve Gadd - Bye Bye Blackbird with Brushes

[str329]

2:05 very cool

[1967botz]

If drumming was a martial art, Chuck Norris would run from Steve Gadd. 

[BmGdrums]

Anyone catch that triplet thing at 1:15?

[xHUTSEx]

If he could sing as good as he can drum he would be godlike

[ironman77725]

steve gadd could play better than me with two glasses full of water, and still not spill any!!

[gh2master101]

@ironman77725 That is officially the most retarded comment I have ever read on Youtube, it did not make ANY sense at all.

[ironman77725]

@gh2master101 ha ha maybe you're just a retard,, good luck with that. peace out..

[Roger17drummer]

@ironman77725 Huh?! Steve Gadd is also in the Circus?

[MAGPULD]

i love gadd's signature virth sticks in black

[xMHM2010]

There was a support act on this tour... not sure who it was, but these guys had amazing chops and fast playing skills etc. It made you think... "wow, how's gadd gonna follow that?" and he comes out with a pair of brushes and sings bye bye blackbird. Now, what the other guys did was great and very impressive, but what steve gadd did was music! Amazing stuff.

[illestdrummer]

one day ill have a tour bus with my name and pictures on it =)

[oliverioraga]

i got a question drummer of around the world...

if i wanted to play brushes...

do i need a specific kind if drumhead??

im begginer

[vtmike13]

@oliverioraga coated drumheads are best.

[xMHM2010]

@oliverioraga with brushes i'd reccomend Fyberskin 3's. Diplomats on the toms and ambassador on ur snare. My opinion entirely but they're excellent heads, it'll bring out the natural tone of the wood on ur kit, give those a try :)

[porimiti]

use jazz heads (normally all white and texture not smooth like rock heads.

[chrisyounce]

Steve Gadd is one of the best drummers of all time. He can say more with less than any drummer ever. Do you need fireworks out of a rainbow to make it better?

[Luddepaul]

wow that was boring.. and he's professionall?

[tweek23el]

@Luddepaul Steve Gadd is boring?????

OMG!! Are you a Justin Bierer's fan or what??

[animedrummerboy]

@tweek23el IMPOSSIBLE HE'S OBVIOUSLY A FAN OF REBECCA BLACK

[Sublemon7]

i think the most impressive thing is the singing.. not cause hes gotta nice voice but if u can drum and sing at the same time without losing the feel of ur rhythm uv got some crazy ass skills

[wegaengine1]

he's high as hell

[samm1809]

why does steve have a double kick? i've never seen him use it.

[joejnyc]

mmm. good soup.

[Justino08]

I totally prefer the SOUND of heals up hi-hat. It's a lot crispier. Like KFC extra crispy... sept on cymbals.

[supertwichy7]

here are the lyrics for anyone who wanted to sing along:

Chorus: ta ta ta ta ta da, ta ta ta do da, ta ta ta ta ta ta ta, ta do do ta (repeat)

[timpani25]

somewhere, there is a video of him doing this song on anold ampex tabe box!!!!!! no drum, just the interviewer holding up a box for recording tape. stunning!!!

a42

[ZackPomerleau]

His voice isn't that bad, come on! Plus, a good drummer plays to compliment the melody!

[granvillemullingsjr]

I really hope that everyone has been joking about the singing. If you know the tune, this is not a bad vocal accompaniment at all. It was quite good actually. He could have sang it without the brushes and Miles would have been proud. Musician first!

[br5060]

It is how he plays... How the groove sounds and moves. Not what he's playing!!!

[gwb911]

give this guy some T-Pain autotune!

[randomstuff3201]

Here's the deal Steve, you leave the vocals to a singer, and we'll leave the drums to you...

[Maddin667]

its just amazing! how he pets the snair letting it sound so beautiful!

[TwitchyAllan]

Oh god hes not going to.....noo hes not going to.....he looks like hes going to.....oh please no, dont let hm........hes doing it. hes singing. Chriiiist.... -_-

P.s, I love Steve Gadd (Steve Godd to me.)

[gretschjazzer]

Most commenters are not getting this clip. Jazz drummers always play the tune. To do so, you must be as intimate with the melody, harmony and structure as any of the other players. Gadd is demonstrating how he might play brushes to this tune, by singing the melody out loud. If he were playing with an ensemble he would continually sing the melody silently to himself. This has nothing to do with Gadd's singing abilities. It's about musicianship, something 98% of drummers need a good lesson in.

[ianhaan]

@gretschjazzer

I COULD NOT SAY THAT BETTER

THANK YOU

finally someone understands

[JoeJacari]

I fell asleep to this lullaby and woke up five days later on the other side of planet under a banana tree. WTF happened?

[andu1337]

@JoeJacari Steve Gadd happened

[dangerics]

Few things better than the sound of brushes!

[drnubian]

elvin jones, tony williams, jack de johnette, steve gadd, buddy rich, gene krupa in that order

[TheThepillows]

@drnubian So true, BUT, you forgot Max Roach first ;D.

[flammaster]

Of course he is great! He played in a drum corps!!!

[persopower]

He is one and only! 50 ways to leave your lovers's intro always blows me away! no one has his touch!

[Govindaservant]

There are very few vocations in this world where you can identify the upper most talent in the field. Steve Gadd is the undisputed champ and I have a strong feeling he always will be. I play bass and when i am at home I love to jam with Steve's (youtube vdeos) drumming.

I wish more drummer would post videos of just drums so that bass players, like me, can jam with real musicians(not loops) in a very creative and constructive way outside of a group environment.

[jsgervais1991]

i finally found something that i do better than Steve Gadd.

[hiphopsucks96]

@jsgervais1991 Really? And what would that be? LOL JK

[WGIfan]

TravisBsaves48594 is straight (t)rollin' this forum lol

[Sopphopper]

Is the intro sound to this video taken from the beginning of the Dream Theater song "As I Am"?

[DrumCoalitionWithWar]

@Sopphopper

yep

[jodgey4]

i wish gadd gave lessons....

anybody know what snare head that is (pinstripe or PS3/4)?

[Tecallion]

@PoeticJustice05-

hahahahahahaha! Dude, we would be friends. Portnoy's got some groovin parts, you gotta admit (eventhough I'm not really a fan), and I don't neccessarily think Travis is bad, just nothing special really. I will agree with you that Gadd's groove blows any technique that either drummer regurgitates time and time again, completely away.

[McJohnGr]

@Tecallion Three names.Vinnie Colaiuta Jojo Mayer Dave weckl.

[Tecallion]

@McJohnGr We would also be great friends.

[McJohnGr]

@Tecallion :P

[UKromany]

@McJohnGr What about them? Fabulously technical drummers,none of whom has ever played anything you could hum or whistle to.All the technique and no idea what to do with it.Gadd is the only one of that ilk with REAL feel and he's been a great accompanist,(the drummer's true job).He's also played on lots of memorable music of the GOOD variety.

[McJohnGr]

@UKromany First of all you dont know who I am.for the rest nothing else to mention.you are up there with the biggest ignorants.If you dont know the subject dont comment.

[Tecallion]

I feel sorry for people who think Mike Portnoy created everything. It's no better than thinking Travis Barker invented anything. Steve Gadd epitomized groove in my opinion. I'm sure both Travis and Mike take a lot from him though.

[PoeticJustice05]

Unfortunately, I don't think either has taken anything from Gadd, because neither has groove.

[kennykensworth]

Gadds the real deal mother fucker

[yaksuit]

pmsl @ the notion this is the beginning of a dream theater song.... he is not covering dream theater.

[Chyle69]

It took me about 20 years of playing music as a bass player to realize that it's all about the song (mostly). I think that Steve Gadd is showing us that his playing is alwasy referring to the song, even if his singing isn't perfect.

Best

M

[zipfezoaga]

was zur Hölle...

[pizdolizac123]

the beggining is from dream theater's song as i am

[thickpooxbox360]

@pizdolizac123

how what parts?

[HamerD]

oh...my...god...

Unless this is a troll.  In which case, good troll sir

[BassDrumsGuitarMasta]

@rrdrums110 GO DIE!!!

[tonyskiens]

when an artist uses sticks on drumds it looks and sounds like this.

[secorta]

i need to know what cymbal is on the right of his ride!

[pgv2007]

its a zildjian k custom session crash .. but i dont know exactly the size .. its a 16 or 17" . Hope it help you

[bdrums777]

it would have to be a 16" because a 17" session crash isnt made my zildjian as far as i know. hope this helps...

[Travisdrums91]

He's Steve Gadd, he can get any size he wants from Zildjian

[samm1809]

lol isn't all the session stuff made to compliment the custom session hihats they made trying to mimic the sound of steve gadd's hihats? lol im pretty sure he had an imput on what the sizes were. nonetheless, u r right there is no custom session 17", but one of the crashes is a k custom hybrid anyway. i think they're both 18".

[marco198383]

e veramente impressionante la classe di steve gadd!!!! grande grande.....

[JoeyStewart1990]

Steve gass us amazing

[lee2by4]

Had to check out his vids after buying his Sig drum sticks. Highly suggest them, VERY nice sticks! And Awesome Sticks to go with an Awesome drummer :)

[Coin3103]

very beautiful and also technical !

[giosmrbig]

not very good as a singer !! :)) but one of the greatest drummer ever !! :)) i love the way he plays brushes !!

[sk8erboy182]

@giosmrbig lol

[RisckyyyofUMW]

the singing is awkward not gonna lie... lol.

but Gadd is definitely amazing, inspirational to say the LEAST ;)

[duendetake]

This is a true master and those who think that this is an easy thing to do... lets see you up there with a pair of brushes and shorts. My suggestion, try to hear what he is NOT playing

not what he is. Remember, 70% of the iceberg is under the water!!!

[dickie5678]

Like a Duck swimming through water.... cool, calm , collected and oh so natural on the surface, but underneath, feet rapidly making it all come together. The timings and the way he makes it so effortless is really impressive.

[mattdrumscrazy]

touchez.

[x0scimy0x]

lol wow. this definately wasnt the bye bye blackbird i was expecting

[rrdrums110]

peter erskine. Ralph Humphrey

[heinzie5]

when he is playing with brushes you could hear a pin drop in that place xD

[TomValedro]

He's blushing. I think he realized that thats really boring.

[maartenmoesen]

He's realized that he's wearing shorts on stage...

[TomValedro]

lol

[jollyranchero]

This is great. Everyone can groove loud and proud with sticks...it takes a real master to play drums at this level and still keep the energy up.

[colourfulwithaU]

@jollyranchero

Actually, not everyone can groove loud and proud with sticks. I know lots of drummers who still sound sterile and tame when they're playing with sticks, no matter what the context. :P

[markbloemer]

ab 2:10 :D

[PapaKenny777]

Wow not many drummers can make something like this sound so bloody good! This is true drum artistry!

[A1989hyh]

perfect groove ~~steve gadd is the god

[dustball321]

booooooringgggg

[10oooo01]

Yep! He's a fantastic drummer but this is booooooooooooooooooooooooring

[jimhalen]

brilliant, captivating.

[goldy123123]

don´t pray to the ashes, pass on the fire!

[Lacadiere1]

es un muy buen musico pero sinceramente si aburre jaja

[10oooo01]

Mr Sensitivity, yeah OK zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It was all very da da da doo da but....boring.

He's a master but it was boring.

[pummelchen21]

dude, gosh, you have absolutely NO fkn clue.

[10oooo01]

I happen to find it boring!! I did say "Hes' a master.." but strange as it may sound I found it boring. Get it!

[jaschaheifetz]

He's a master of Time, Color, Texture, Dynamics and Space. His playing is tasteful and not ego-driven. He embodies what it means to BE the music he's playing. Gotta love him. Truly a Great Musician.

[Bendoengbanaang]

Coming soon to your town:

'Steve sings the Standards'

Hah, no kiddin'. But what Gadd's doin' here is a good exercise! You can only play a song properly if you can sing it.

[Drumzzz22]

JOHN DILLINGER

[Nile505]

gadd is a beast

[jamomo1371]

I swear, the most arguing, bashing, and unnecessary "i'm better/he's better" discussion happens between drummers. BTW, Gadd rules.

[Manic205]

Travis is pretty overrated imo, I don't like him personally. Go watch the video with Steve Gadd + Dave Weckl + some other guy, and I can guarantee you that your nuts will explode.

[Timmyinc44]

Vinnie. Yeah that video is probably one of the greatest drumming videos on Youtube.

[qwertyadf3434]

I agree completely. It's with Vinnie Colaiuta, by the way.

[deimos2k]

Genious!

[joebloomguitar]

What an incredible performance. Gadd's groove is unreal.

[TravisBsaves48594]

well travis's solos are at least fucking audible. this guy is a joke. he acts like w/e he plays is important when really there is no centralized theme or reason for any of his rhythms.

[shortandspiky]

look man, travis barker is probably my biggest influence but you're embarrassing yourself and anyone else who likes him

and i seriously doubt that he would agree with any of that shit you said and would hopefully take a swing at you for the "not real sticks" thing

[TravisBsaves48594]

look boy, Travis Barker would probably be appalled that somebody of your level of ignorance was listening to his music.

A swing at me? now your just wishful thinking. Bring it bitch it's youtube lol. Why don't you get your mouth off my cock it's not welcome. This guy sounds like a retard trying to sing haha lol

[shortandspiky]

that was a good argument, well done have a shiny star

(although you're right about the singing)

[TravisBsaves48594]

I'm right about all of it your fucking retard. And keep the shiny star your going to need it to show your daddy when he asks you what you've with your life. You have a lot to learn dumbass

[shortandspiky]

maybe i should keep it, i'm sure you're right

although it's kind of hard to trust a "drummer" who has never heard of brushes, and can honestly believe that travis barker is better than steve gadd

travis is amazing at what he does and is brilliant at adapting to different styles but he's just not better thats just a fact

[TravisBsaves48594]

Wow can you really not tell that was a joke? lol and I don't give a fuck if you trust me or not bitch.. No that's an opinion, the fact is your a waste of life.

[j987j]

HAHAHA, "can you really not tell that was a joke?"

Not only does sophisticated drumming escape you, but so does sophisticated wit. Poor guy.

[TravisBsaves48594]

your a dumbass. Can you really not tell I was joking? read it again dipshit lol

[alandynamite]

You are clearly one of the biggest tools in the world. You have no knowledge about music, especially drums. How can you comment on a drum video and talk shit when you don't even know what brushes are? Travis Barker is a good drummer, but he is not the best and nowhere near as talented as Steve Gadd. Travis Barker would slap you in the face for being so stupid. You are a disgrace. Do not reply to this, you will just make yourself look stupid.

[BEHHHguesswho]

they are both better at different styles of music, travis barker can play hard loud and fast. steve gadd can play just about anything your ask him to and will probably make it sound a whole lot better in the process.

[shortandspiky]

very true

[TravisBsaves48594]

almost as good as travis barker, he isnt even using real sticks tho. FUcking noob!!!!!!!!!!!

[conkareno]

fuk travis barker beein good hes only fast no skill or tecknique

[TravisBsaves48594]

"fuk" "tecknique" "beein" "hes" Seriously, how am I suppose to talk to you. Go back to school or have your faggot dad type.

[conkareno]

yes onley because i don't have the time to deal with pricks like you so why dont you fuck off and leave the people that know what there on about and find a good drummer

[TravisBsaves48594]

"onley" "dont" "know what there on about" hahahahahaha wow you seem creditable. Is this how all Gadd fans are? Your a fucking joke hahahahahaha. How's middle school?

[withoutajem]

lol

[TravisBsaves48594]

How am I suppose to take you seriously?

[OsirisGOLAD]

Isn't, though, supposed*

But yes, Steven Gadd is a good drummer and Travis Barker doesn't even come near.

[yhtomitalmighty]

hey shit for brains

[j987j]

Noob? Not using real sticks? Steve Gadd s a drumming legend, and those are called brushes. Take your abrasive ignorance elsewhere.

[facualaniz]

uhh se fumó gadd! igual es un master, lo banco..

[taddyoates]

The very very beginning sounded exactly like the very beginning of As I Am by Dream Theater from Drums of Thought

[caniusethis4]

their all really important drummers who have a place in todays diverse music, arguing about gadd and portnoy is just ridiculous their just playing music the way they like it. portnoy is a prog guy who has taken the music forward and has made prog history and gadd is a jazz/rock/everything session great who is the most recorded drummer ever. their both drumming legends.

[PiratesofHelmond]

What the funny thing is,.... is when you ask drummers like Portnoy, Weckl, Colaiuta and al the other (also great) drummers that people throw at you, who they think is the best drummer, they'll most likely mention Steve Gadd.

[youkids123]

Whoa! Gadd sings!

[TROLLDRUMMAREN]

which I don't like :p

[JackassKing95]

i kno people always say that oh this guy is the best drummer ever but some people have arguements against that but theres three guys you just cant argue against BUDDY RICH STEVE GADD TONY WILLIAMS

[thehomefront]

fucking idiot old cunt

[sjerads]

yup

[zildjian5o5]

gotta love Steve Gadd!!!!!

[fess04]

ok...as musicians....Gadd shows us here how we can state and play the melody....first play and analyse the brush parts then arrange the ideas as choruses , then play those phrases yourself inside the melody singing....these ideas should make sense.....if they dont then guys the drummer jokes are right .... we arent taking advantage of the musical ideas and options. Why is it so unusual when a drummer is playing musically? Steve has made a life doing this while others tried to get FASTER!

[Richardh33]

waste of my time watching this, it was rubbish. sorry like..

[Joshplaysinstruments]

Obvious troll.

[xavcassard16]

tell me what is your problem ?

[xavcassard16]

the best drummer is not necessary the faster

[skinlessdwarf]

they have completely different styles. joey is one of the most overrated drummers on the face of the planet. and guys like Steve are underrated outside of the actual drumming community

[samm1809]

joeys second most overrated after travis fuckin barker.

[Jakes242]

hail Mary - he speakas the truth - and most people that overrate them are not drummers. How can you judge what you do not know

[EGomezPatrol]

But, you still have drummers like Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy who are completely overrated, but are actually amazing drummers. They're overlooked in the sense of mainstream music, but who cares about that? Mainstream music is for people who don't appreciate music as art but as a form of entertainment.

[simasp93]

N.P And M.P Aren't overrated, talk for yourself you shouldn't say anything when you can't do the shit they do..

[EGomezPatrol]

Is that all you read in my whole paragraph? I said they are overrated but they are amazing drummers. They are actually influences of mine. But, they are still overrated in that they are seen as some sort of gods. Not to mention they both tend to over-drum sometimes (especially Portnoy).

[swedishstream]

Mate, compare portnoy and peart, who both have HUGE kits, to for example Peter Erskine, Vinnie Colaiuta or Dave Weckl. If u cant see that they are better then poor Mike or Neil, u dont know what u are talking about. U might think they are better, but in reality outside your opinion the are not better.

[simasp93]

They actually use the whole kit, so go fuck anything..

[swedishstream]

That doesnt make them better dude. Its not about the size of the kit. What more then Dream Theater stuff can Mike play? Have we ever heard or seen him play anything else then odd timesignatures and doublebase drum fills? No we havnt. I will be impressed when ive seen him play a proper beat and not just metal crap!

[simasp93]

Hahaha du är ju fan dum i huvet... Riktigt dum, du kommer och tror att du har nånting att säga men du vet fan ingenting. Vet du hur jävla många tribute band Portnoy har spelat i ? Jag har över 12 TIMMAR videos på Portnoy så jag vet ALLT som man kan veta om honom om man inte känner honom. Han har spelat i över 6 st tribute band. Och du är säkert så omusikalisk så du vet inte ens vad ett tribute band är.

[swedishstream]

Det jag vet om honom är det jag hört och sett. Live, på tuben och några skivor med DT. Jag var på en trumclinic han hade i Borlänge 2001 där han bl.a gick igenon sitt spelande, musiken och visade massa saker. (på hans massiva kit ;P)

SÅ!... Du har mer koll, men jag anser fortfarande att han är mindre kreativ och omusikalisk än de tre jag räknade upp. Kan du dina trummor så vet du det. Du kanske som så många andra tycker att han och Joey är gudar men tyvärr, Det stämmer inte.

[simasp93]

Du vet, för det första Joey kan slänga sig i väggen han har ingenting, men Portnoy däremot kan lira trummor på många olika sätt, säg en trummis som kan lira som Portnoy ? Säg en trummis som lirar som Scott Travis ? Man kan inte säga att någon är bättre men det förstår visst inte du, för det andra, jag vet vad jag snackar om så tjaffsa inte emot :)

[swedishstream]

Äh sluta favorisera. Scott Travis liksom.. Du hör ju själv. Han spelar i ett band som har mer gemensamt med en gorilla än sina fans. Ge mig en trummis du tycker är "bäst" som har mindre än 2 baskaggar då. (Ingen dubbeltramp heller) Morgan Ågren? Oh yes!

[simasp93]

Så du gillar inte Judas Priest.. Jag snackar inte med folk som inte kan musik så bye =P

[simasp93]

Förresten om du var seriös med Ågren så måste du vara konstig han använder 3 kaggar när han lirar ibland.

[roloulabulle]

Sounds like an animal's march :P

[zimowna]

what a technique, love this guy !!

[MichaelG1V]

wrong