3 Drummers Who Influenced My Early Playing.

My favourite band, All Time Low, have started releasing re-records of some of their greatest hits and it’s got me thinking about the the early days of my drumming journey. I used to come home from school and play through as many ATL songs as I could, learning albums note for note. But it didn’t stop at ATL. There were hours spent learning my favourite bands music from Foo Fighters, to Paramore, and all the pop music I wrote incredibly inappropriate parts for!

All of this to say, there are a few drummers that had a massive impact on my early days of drumming that still show up in my playing today. Here are the main 3:

Taylor Hawkins:

Like many, Hawkins had a huge influence on me. One of the reasons I started playing was because I looked up to my “cool” cousin Rob, who played drums and his favourite band was the Foo Fighters. Taylor had this energy and power to his playing which was matched by his accuracy and creativity to create original drum parts full of interesting ideas and creativity. He also loved to play long for patterns which plays a big part in my sound today. Songs like “Best Of You” and “All My Life” have consistent patterns and themes which create excitement but also familiarity.

Zac Farro:

Being the original drummer for Paramore is enough to put you on this list. Farro is another player who uses patterns and themes to shape his part writing within a song. Farro is arguably one the most creative drummers within that era of rock music, and with his combined power and accuracy, he made so many 4/4 rock songs stand out as their own piece of art. He has a deep understanding of rhythm shown in “That’s What You Get” with the 3/4 polyrhythms, but also shows his brute force in my personal favourite “Careful”. His playing will never not show up in my own.

Rian Dawson:

Who? You might ask? Rian Dawson is the drummer for the band All Time Low (my favourite band of all time). There is a lot of nostalgia surrounding this band for me, and while I have somewhat grown out of this style of music, I will never forget how to play any of their songs.

Dawson isn’t the most technical player, he would probably admit that himself, but he comes from a marching background so his ability to play intricate parts shows up in a lot of ATL’s music. Rian Dawson has written some absolutely iconic drum parts, all with speed, accuracy and discipline to serve the song.

I still use fills he wrote 10+ years ago in my playing because they are simply timeless. He is another player who uses similar groove patterns and themes throughout a song, throwing in variations to complement the music when necessary. Dawson provides power, energy and creativity whilst writing some of the most enjoyable drum parts I’ve ever played.

While these drummers still show up in my playing today, over the years I have accumulated many influences across many genres and eras. All of these influences come together to create what I now consider as my sound. Technical Efficiency paired with Power, Energy and Creativity. If I do say so myself.

Take some time to think about your own influences and how they show up in your playing. It can help you to understand why you play the way you do and inform your journey forward.

Until tomorrow