9/9: The Floating Snare (Neil Peart)
In his drum solo breakdown, Neil shares words of inspiration, creativity, and craft.
From there, I go into a place that I call “Beyond Time,” because there’s no tempo at all.
Today I have something a little different for you: A clip from Anatomy of a Drum Solo, an educational video Neil put together to help educate drummers on creativity and craft.
In this video, Neil breaks down the "Floating Snare" portion of his drum solo, a refrain commonly used in his late ‘80’s stage sets.
Neil is talking drummer to drummer, and it’s fun to see him nerd out on the technical aspects of his craft with such poetry. He describes drum hits as “angular” and “jerky,” explains how the cowbell can give a whimsical “texture change”, and explains how triplets “gather the propulsion.” I don’t know shit about drumming, but Neil makes me feel like I could.
He also talks a little about where he gets his ideas: Specifically, he mentions finding inspiration in the way Led Zep’s John Bonham used the double bass drum, as well as a Groucho Marx where he played the piano.
But for me, the coolest part is hearing him encourage these students and peers. He assures them that a drum solo is a “risk-free environment,” a place to experiment in real time without impacting the other musicians or the music. “There are no mistakes,” he says, “just new parts.” Isn’t that a lovely mindset?
I haven't watched it yet, but I do love me a technical drum video more than most drum solos, so I'm definitely gonna check it out. I'm sure I'll have a lump in the throat the whole time, as I'm not done grieving his not being here in physical body anymore. Probably never will be.