No Drums - No Dice
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Polls
Forum Description: Create polls on topics related to progressive music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=45223
Printed Date: April 25 2024 at 00:06
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Topic: No Drums - No Dice
Posted By: johnobvious
Subject: No Drums - No Dice
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 14:38
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I came to the conclusion long ago that if a song has no drums, it is not for me. A lot of prog has no drums and be it space, psychedelic, ambient, electronic, just soft music or whatever, if there are no drums, 99% of the time, I'll pass. I'm not talking of shorter pieces that may help fill out a concept album, but albums where the bulk of the material is sans drums. And it's not like my favorite instrument is drums. It is just a litmus test on how I feel about the music. Any thought?
------------- Biggles was in rehab last Saturday |
Replies:
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 14:43
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Although I am a drummer myself I have no problems with albums that don't feature them. Not all music is suited for drum accompaniment. There are a few live albums of Peter Hammill that are without drums ("Typical", "Room Temperature"). Perhaps you should try them; he does not need drums to really rock. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: cynthiasmallet
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 15:10
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As with every type of music so rudimentary, it's impossible to generalise. ------------- Would you like to watch TV, or get between the sheets, or contemplate the silent freeway, would you like something to eat? |
Posted By: Sckxyss
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 15:30
| I can't think of any albums that I've heard that have no drums, besides that popular Harmonium one, and that's pretty good. |
Posted By: johnobvious
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 15:43
With the size of the sample that I have heard and my almost total disdain for it all, I think it is easy to generalize. ------------- Biggles was in rehab last Saturday |
cynthiasmallet wrote:Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 17:08
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To be honest, I dont know, I havnt heard much music that didnt have drums.
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005  |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 17:18
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I guess, obviously, we're limiting this to Prog since I listen toa great deal of music without drums. There is no instrument that is necessary for me in Prog and there are a great many "prog" songs that I like that don't have drums, and a number of albums that I like very much that don't have them. Commonly, if the drums aren't being played or integrated in an interesting way, then I'd rather they not be there at all. Generally, I do prefer for there to be "percussion," but so many instruments can be used for that.
------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Yorkie X
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 17:33
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Ten years ago I would have said no drums no dice but since then I started to find beats in the rhythmic approach to other instruments as well I love the drums as an instrument but I also love it when a bass player, vocals , piano or acoustic guitar can improvise rhythmic structures. Gets down to the song if its meant to rise up to the aggression drums are probably a handy thing to have but the drummer needs to to be very accomplished to impress me. |
Posted By: Dim
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 17:59
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I like prog regardless of lack of whatever instrument.
Except the Mellotron! ------------- 
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Posted By: rileydog22
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 18:56
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Some of my favorite drumless albums: Arthur Brown--Journey Art Zoyd--Any of their first three albums Aksak Maboul--Onze Danses Pour Combatre une Migrane (probably butchered the spelling there) Peter Hammill--Veracious Fred Frith--Guitar Solos I think it's absolutely childish and silly to disqualify music you haven't heard just because of the presence or lack of a specific instrument. -------------   |
Posted By: bizarro laplace
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:06
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I really dislike standard rock drumming and often I'd prefer them to be omitted entirely. blah blah yeah I know lappy hates rock mnmnmnmn ------------- http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=iamnhnia">  # for band in doom: # if indiekids(band): addband(band, "Post Metal") |
Posted By: rileydog22
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:17
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Yeah but you're bizarro lappy so you should like rock if lappy hates rock.
------------- |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:37
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I do enjoy there being drums, but I don't find its needed for me to enjoy the album/song. I guess I might be more inclinded to like music with drums, but there is of course music with drums I don't like.
So last choice for me. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:55
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On some songs the drumming should definitely have been omitted. I only say "Sommerabend" by Novalis. Totally uninspired drumming.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 20:18
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Art Zoyd is one of my favorite bands, and they dont usually have drums!
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Posted By: ES335
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 20:27
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While not an aficianado, I really enjoy ambient music. And a lot of the non-prog I listen to has no drums (old time country, Delta and Piedmont blues, etc) |
Posted By: Soul Dreamer
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 21:01
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When I read the title of this thread, and saw the voting, I was reminded of a thread which ran not so long ago: "How much Rock in your Prog" (http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44144&KW=Rock+in+prog&PN=1) Then I was already surprised that many pple here don't value much the "Rock" part of prog ROCK. Here it shows again I think... For me, concerning prog ROCK music, the drums (or any other form of percussion that accents the music and makes the typical "rock" feel), is an essential part of prog ROCK and therefore I agree with the opening post. ------------- To be the one who seeks so I may find .. (Metallica) |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 21:06
I certainly do value the "Rock" part of Prog Rock; I am a drummer myself. You can really rock without drums though; anyone who has ever been to a solo concert of Peter Hammill will agree with me. And he is just one example. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Soul Dreamer
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 21:55
I agree that it DOESN'T have to be drums, but it surely makes it more likely to rock...eg. Harmonium's "Si on avait...." doesn't have drums, and although it's beautiful music, it really doesn't rock. Peter Hammill I don't know well enough to discuss here... IMO other instruments can also deliver a "Rock" feel to music (piano or other instruments which can carry the "beat") but generally the drums is the best instrument for that...(IMO). ------------- To be the one who seeks so I may find .. (Metallica) |
Posted By: johnobvious
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 09:34
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When I first found prog on internet radio, I listened to Progressive Soundscapes. They were playing DT and some other bands that I was just getting into at the time and I thought, hey this is great. But then they would put on a 20 minute ambient-electronic thing. No singing, no drums and I would finally go numb from boredom. The Tangerine Dreams and Klaus Shulz's of the world are not for me and I am curious why people like that type of thing.
------------- Biggles was in rehab last Saturday |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 11:45
Oh, but there are Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze albums with drums. And you don't have to sound like them to play music without drums. It seems you are not so much concerned about music without drums but about music without rhythm. As to why people like them: Their music lets you imagine strange worlds. For Tangerine Dream this is true only up to a certain point though; there is a turning point in their career after which they became completely unlistenable for me; the quality of their albums slowly deteriorated over the time. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 12:35
| I'm a Drummer myself so have a natural byass towards them but there's still lots of great music I can appreciate that doesn't have any. What I do have a problem with though is Programmed Drums/ Drum machines etc, to the point that if I'm considering buying an album and I notice it's not a real Drummer I'll usually pass. |
Posted By: Dim
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 18:00
Agreed
I think it's actually pretty arrogant. -------------
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Posted By: rileydog22
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 18:06
I agree with that. Oh, and you get three bonus points for correct spelling. ------------- |
Posted By: johnobvious
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 19:04
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ABSOLUTELY Childish and silly? I guess I better listen to the latest 50 cent. Since I haven't heard it, I might like it even though that isn't my type of music. I'm pretty sure he doesn't use mellotron so I disqualified it. Back to Romper Room for me.
------------- Biggles was in rehab last Saturday |
Posted By: Nigel66
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 08:33
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I voted "Some is good - some is bad". In general, I like my music with vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards and drums. There are examples that I like with one or several of these elements missing. As regards no drums, I give you: *** Genesis - Entangled *** In my opinion this drumless track is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.  |
Posted By: A B Negative
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 08:47
BF is right. Tangerine Dream and Schulze make (for want of a better word) meditative music. Some people like it, some prefer Dream Theater. ------------- "The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time." |
Posted By: Norbert
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 08:49
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Music can be great regardless which instruments are used. So some drumless pieces are definitevely good.
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Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 17:04
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The middle section in Free Hand - Gentle Giant is probably one of my favourite instrumentals, and it is drumless. I also listen to classical and acoustic music, so it'll have to be option 3 for me.
------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: March 18 2008 at 18:13
Bang on the money as always, Friede! It's also worth pointing out that Klaus Schulze started out as a drummer (with Ash Ra Tempel), as did Chris Franke of Tangerine Dream (check out side 1 of Green Desert). ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |