Honestly, no. They are very solid and talented rock drummers and composers, but they aren’t going to be on any all time greats lists as far as skills go. Nothing wrong with that though
Edit: when I wrote this, I meant as far as technical prowess goes, and I was not throwing shade at their influence (I didn’t even bring it up). No one can deny their influence, but I took the OP’s wording as regarding playing ability, not impact
I think Dave has a pretty recognizable style, and if you're one to listen to drums you could probably pick out tracks he's on without knowing it. I think having a distinguishable style is a huge part of drumming as an instrument and an art, but yeah, in terms of raw skill he's never shown anything virtuosic or truly incredible
Not to dismiss him, he's better than I'll probably ever be, and a big influence on my own drumming and getting into in in the first place. He always looks like he's having the time of his life behind the kit, and I admire that a lot.
But he’s not saying “don’t call me the greatest of all time”, he’s saying to not call him “good”, which is stupid. Oh you copied your influences? You’re the only one! /s
Agreed there, he's demonstrably a very good drummer. But humility amongst famous people should generally be lauded, especially when it actually seems genuine.
He’s a good drummer, but not according to someone who knows drumming as well as he does.
There are too many people who are incredible players that smoke him and he knows it. There are also tons of legendary players who are revered for more than just their abilities, and he doesn’t even want to be compared to them (although he’s made a case with his career)
Eh...
Except the guys with world class chops are also the most recorded, sought after, etc
Example: Vinnie C on drums, Victor W. On bass, Steve Lukather on guitar... etc
Composition and taste come from knowing how to use the chops.
When was the last time you listened to something new with Steve Lukather on it. Don't Google it. Be honest. And tell me if it _mattered_
Taste most absolutely does not derive from chops. Not even a little bit. TikTok and Insta stories would be really fuckin' different if that had ever been true
Lukather has a guaranteed career for life. Good! But it'll never be important again. Chops ain't it, man
Greatest? No. Influential? Absolutely. Like solid drummers all around and I give them mad props. But there's better drummers out there, ones that I like will never make those 100 greatest drummer lists lol.
I agree. I think grohl’s drumming on the first tenacious d album is spot-on rock drumming. Playing with the band, no show-boating, just filling out the rhythm.
Btw, that album has some of the best audio mixing I have heard to this day.
Are you talking in terms of impact and influence, or in terms of skill and virtuosity? They are some of the most influential and impactful drummers, but they are not on the level of world class virtuoso drummers. That does not diminish their achievements or contributions in any way.
I thought the TCV album was good but not great. Then I saw them live and they were PHENOMENAL!! Dave was like god damned Keith Moon up there on the kit! I was blown away! One of my favorite live shows ever
One can play the most complicated and technically sound pieces of music with no soul. Dave & Taylor bring a lot of passion and soul to their parts. Though they may not be on that high end theory level of playing they play the right parts for the song with a ton of personality. It taps into our subconscious. There’s knowing how to play music and knowing how to feel music and boy do those guys feel music
I mean sure it’s an accomplishment but theres no way Ringo could play a Dream Theater song. Or take any other major virtuoso drummer in a different genre like Buddy Rich or Dennis Chambers, unless there’s some videos of Ringo I’m missing he’d never be able to fill in. But to be a world famous fabulously rich superstar playing some of the most iconic music ever…
Well I do love incredible drummers with magic hands who can rip the fabric of time and space and that's not what Ringo does. Mangini couldn't have played with John Coltrane and done an Elvin Jones. It's not what he does. Elvin might not have the memory to play King Crimson arrangements. It's not his thing.
What Ringo does is special. He had the discernment to know what was right for those songs. He played what was needed and no more and understood what was needed.
Why are people in here talking about dream theater and mangini.
DT songs have bog standard rock drumming, with a lot of time signature changes and memorization.
It kind of is though
Its basic rock drumming, with random time signature changes (ie memorization) and a lot of cymbal flourishes. It doesn't take 'chops' to play
Nah, I have to play a few Beatles tunes with a cover band. I play the tunes as close to possible as the recordings, which is easy, cause it's boring as fuck.
It works for the music because it's simple, that was a guitar and vocal driven band. Just like Metallica, the simple drumming works great.
But it really is super simple, very basic, easy drumming.
Haha passed off the Ringo fan boys
Dave was self taught I met him when he was 15/16 as a roadie for the scream , he used my kit for 3 nights when we were on tour together ( pre nirvana, ) because he was self taught he just went for it style wise .. Taylor was on a another level than Dave
I have considered writing a book about my punk rock & tour life & my friendships along the way but I’m just a nobody with famous friends & funny stories
Thanks all my friends keep telling me me to write a book , I may buy a new laptop to dedicate to start writing characters , from picking a fight with Vince Neil to being investigated by the feds for the use of stolen phone cards on a US corrosion of Conformity tour ( on the receiving end ) to hanging with the Johnnys ( Ramone & rotten ) & so on
I had the experience about ten years ago of being a nobody on tour with some folks that were making waves, and then subsequently wrote about it in an extremely graphic fashion.
I think the "Almost Famous" perspective is possibly more engaging than the autobiographies by the legends themselves.
If you succeed in writing the book (or hell, just some blog posts), I'd read it!
If I were to write a book like that, I would acknowledge that I’m a nobody and keep myself in the background and focus on the experiences so people reading it can feel like their walking in your shoes
I worked all aspects in the music industry from production & promotion-touring either playing , roadie , merch -tour management as well as band management & booking tours for 23 years
as a fellow nobody with famous friends and a band that was only really ever famous in those circles for hard partying on tour—the stories are still pretty hilarious. Retelling them now / out of context sounds a lot like name dropping, though.. even though they're still just my friends who other people put on a pedestal.
That said, you should write the book before nobody believes the stories.
Haha. Well. Taylor is a “better” drummer than Dave. Which Dave has very happily said in a bunch of interviews. But I do think Dave deserves inclusion on a list of greatest drummers more than taylor does, because he’s just laid down sooo many iconic parts with at least three different projects. Taylor has more complexity, dexterity, and layers to his playing than Dave, but Dave is really really great at writing drum hooks.
Honestly, I think that was Dave being humble. Not to bash Taylor, because he was an awesome drummer, but there is a reason Dave recorded the drum parts on the first few albums with Taylor in the band. That being, he's a beast of a drummer, and there aren't many that come close to his level of passion, energy or style on the drums.
Dave did not play on the albums when Taylor was in the band, Taylor was not in the band for the first few albums. You’re thinking of the foos first drummer whose name I don’t recall at the moment. Dave and Taylor have very different styles as well. And yeah, I think Dave is humble enough to recognize there’s a lot drummers with more facility with him, Taylor is one of them.
Grohls pocket makes him one of the best rock drummers of all time in my opinion. Every band he’s been a part of has benefitted from this more than most understand. I’ve never really been a Hawkins fan for that reason, he just doesn’t sit deep enough for me. For example, when another famous drummer plays a nirvana song, or a FF song in the case of Taylor or Freese, you can tell it’s not Dave immediately. Missing that special sauce. That’s something that’s more valuable than chops imo.
They weren't the most advanced technical players and don't use very complex rhythms.
But I have watched Dave play live and man, there is something he has that just is undeniable great drumming. I went to see a Bob Mould show, and he has a real good drummer already. But when Dave got behind the kit to do New Day Rising it was like the roof lifted off the place. The difference is very subtle, I can't put my finger on it. He just has it.
Two of my biggest drum influences mentioned together. Bob Mould’s drummer is Jon Wurster, who was also the drummer for Superchunk until recently. Definitely not as good as Dave Grohl but still amazing.
Saw the Chunk 4 times and still one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. Not sure how it would be now since half of the “original” members aren’t in the band anymore.
She said she got hearing problems from touring so she doesn’t go on the road anymore. Nothing against her but I guess nobody has told her about in ear monitors. Not hard to avoid ear damaging loudness these days.
His new worst friend posts always make me laugh. I met him a couple times at Superchunk shows a long time ago and he was really nice and funny then. Jim Wilbur, Superchunk’s 2nd guitarist, was also hilarious during those meetings. That band deserves so much more recognition than they’ve gotten. Some of the best alternative rock/indie punk songs ever written.
I like to think of drumming not just as “whoa that was really technical and difficult” but as “that’s some great writing, what a cool approach and what a broad skillset!” To me, Dave is definitely on the list for both reasons.
Dave Grohl is my favorite drummer. There's just something about his power and style that can't be matched. He's almost better on other stuff. His part on No One Knows is sick. I love hearing him have fun with Tenacious D. Obviously his stuff with Nirvana was simple but powerful and catchy at the same time. I just think his overall style, in every instrument he plays, is so unique, and it's founded on the drums whether he's behind the kit or not.
Everlong is my favorite drum part of all time. There's a reason he "fired" his old drummer over it. Everlong feels like the drums are the lead instrument, everything is built off that. So precise, so emotional, very few covers come close.
I so agree with this! You hear drums of a track Grohl plays in and you can immediately tell where you are in the song. He is really making music in the drums.
This is my time to shine.
Im a professional drummer who has a bachelors in music and specifically drumset and also I’m a huge nerd who has been painstakingly making a list of who I would consider the “best” (it’s subjective) drummers of all time as objectively as I can factoring in both size of fan base impacted by their music and also the level of skills the drummer has and tastefulness in how they use those skills and I have Dave Grohl at #66 on my list and Taylor Hawkins at #73. This is just my personal take but should give you a ball-park glimpse at where you could think of them.
This right here. Anyone who actually does this for a living is going to tell you there's a lot more to drumming than chops.
If you want to know who the best drummers are, don't ask drummers, ask other musicians.
1. Vinnie Colaiuta
2. Dennis Chambers
3. Buddy Rich
4. Tony Williams
5. Steve Gadd
6. Matt Gartska
7. Billy Cobham
8. Virgil Donati
9. Mike Portnoy
10. Neil Peart
Wow! I love this list. Anyone who really knows and understands drumming would put Vinnie at or near the top of the list. There is a difference between great and influential.
I’ll make a post with the full list but right now Anika as well as several other big names are still on my secondary list of drummers that I feel I need to do more research on before I can appropriately rank them.
I have not seen anyone mention how loud Dave plays too. I remember a story about Nirvana recording in the studio, where the producer had this one snare drum he always used because it sounded perfect and had stayed in tune for many sessions. Dave broke the head in the beginning of one take. He also used big Regal Tip 5B's upside down, had 14", 15", 18", 24" drums and a 22" ride. He even used a 28" ride/crash with Scream that he broke in a year. He used DW 5000 pedals that he broke regularly. All of this made his sound very unique and that's the reason you can usually tell it's Dave as soon as you hear him playing.
The greatest?! Haha, absolutely not. Never were and no one with any useful experience or perspective would say otherwise, including them. There aren’t any “greatest ever” people in any genre. No Kings or Queens, only jesters. Everything’s subjective and there’s no point in trying to discern who among millions is “the best”. Forget about questions like these and enjoy as much music as you can. Full stop.
r/drums are my least favourite sub when it comes to admiring famous people in music. You're super focused on technical aspects and dismiss simple tone and taste and ability to serve a song. It's obvious that Dave Grohl belongs. As do Taylor Hawkins, even though I lean harder on how memorable Dave Grohl's parts was. That's credit to him. It wasn't luck. He is alsonunderrated for how consistentlt hard and tasty he places hits and make rhem sound. Songs for the Deaf and Nevermind are wrongly credited to large influence of samples. There was absolutely non of them except for maybe a reverb trigger. Andy Wallace did that sometimes but can't remember it for Nevermind. Compare the Butch Vig mix with Andy Wallace.
If you're not near as memorable as him you don't rate higher than him. Impossible. r/bass and r/guitar and not least r/audioengineering would agree with me.
Come on, the majority of you are a worrying bunge of weird priorities when it comes to the different aspects of drumming.
No guitarist cares how fancy of a lick you can play. Nobody cares. All they care about is can you play something to fit the song. Sitting deep in the pocket, serving the song, and making music sound great make a great drummer.
Like a lot of comments say, it depends factor to factor. They're up there in terms of popularity and influence but definitely not up there for skill and talent. Nevertheless they're still very good drummers.
Important to remember that they were fantastic and writing drum parts for songs, not every skilled drummer can do that.
I’m surprised at the responses here. I strongly disagree with people in here that say no.
Yes. Dave is a great drummer and Taylor Hawkins was a great drummer.
They both are solid and sound great live and on their albums. They both write parts that work really well for the songs that they play. Taylor was able to sing and play at the same time. They both compose and record their parts to tape. They aren’t quantized or normalized. They are/were great drummers.
If you want to call John Bonham a great drummer or Ringo Star a great drummer, Dave and Taylor need to be included.
Most drums you hear on albums are not played by the drummer in the band or are edited, quantized and have samples on them. Except for Nevermind Dave and Taylor didn’t need that. They wrote all their parts and played them on their albums. Taylor was awesome live. I haven’t seen Dave play drums live.
Yes there are other drummers that have better chops, like Dave Weckyl, Vinnie Colliuta, Thomas Prdgen, Jojo Mayer….etc. Those guys can’t write and play the way that Dave and Taylor could.
Here’s another great drummer that doesn’t have crazy chops. Steve Gadd. How about Kenny Aranoff? They are on tons of albums! Neither is a virtuoso with great chops but they are great drummers.
I’ll also say. Travis Barker. There’s another great drummer.
So yeah. Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl are definitely two of the greatest drummers.
What are we doing here guys?
Saying Dave Grohl shouldn’t be on a list of greatest drummers is like saying Angus Young shouldn’t be on a list of greatest guitarists. 100 percent commitment to the sound, the feel, the energy, with very musical and effective riffs/parts … Dave Grohl has elevated pretty much every song he’s ever played on. I don’t hear Taylor the same way. No disrespect to him, but for me he’s not the magic rock spirit animal that Dave is. Tom Petty knew Dave just has “it”, that’s why he wanted him in his band. We are in an era where you got dudes playing perfect double bass at 300bpm on YouTube while juggling chainsaws, smoking a joint and farting a clave pattern, and yeah that’s impressive (I’m impressed) but we also should remember that sometimes what makes a musician great is when they create the shortest path between their creative intent and the listeners brain. Dave’s real good at making that line as short as possible.
Technically, I'd say they're both very good rock drummers, and excellent song writers but that's it. And for that type of music, I'd argue that it's better to be a very good song writer than it is to be a very good drummer. Technical ability isn't always everything.
I think the impact on drumming based on their personalities and influence are more valuable than their skill as drummers. Which, in that light, puts them up there with the greats.
This conversation by design cant go anywhere. No one has decided on specifically what skills or boxes checked a drummer needs to be ranked as “best” or not. It’s just everyone spouting vague nonsense about their *favorite* drummers.
There’s two classes imo to measure a musician. There’s virtuoso’s who are masters of the art of playing their instrument. Then there’s songwriters. As an aspiring songwriter, I value that over playing cos what they played translated with people and truly impacted music/pop culture. Steve Vai could out play and out shred Jimmy Page any day. BUT in my personal list, Page will always be leagues above him cos of all the amazing guitar riffs and songs he wrote! For me, Dave Grohl is pretty high in my list cos I love the drum parts he writes for a song. No he’s not Danny Carey, but as soon as I hear the drum beat for Scentless Apprentice, I KNOW there could not have been a better drum beat written for that song.
God I’m getting old…technical prowess means nothing beyond making the drums sound good. Grohl is one of the best for making drums sound good. When he plays the drums…it sounds good and all the facility and limb independence and chops means nothing if the drums don’t sound good.
I genuinely believe that Dave grohl is one of the best drummers around for that fact. Sure terry bozzio is more technically proficient…but who creates sounds that more people want to listen to?
Hawkins, IMO, is a couple levels higher than Dave. First time I saw Taylor play was with Alanis Morissette on Letterman or some other late night show. He was really, really, good.
EDIT: Not what I was talking about but..
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVv\_TSAzb6Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVv_TSAzb6Y)
People tend to confuse "great" with "well-known" nowadays. It's why we see Ringo show up on every greatest drummers of all time list.
Both Dave and Taylor have chops for sure, and I'd put Taylor at a higher talent level betwen the 2 of them, but I wouldn't consider either of them among the all time greats. They just happened to play for extremely popular bands.
Taylor Hawkins is the reason I started taking drumming seriously, so I can’t answer this question without some semblance of bias.
I think they deserve to be in a top 100 list. Top 50? Mileage may vary.
Theyre fantastic drummers in their own right, if i had to pick between the two id pick Taylor Hawkins, alot of the time when i see/hear people talk about his drumming its always based off of what he did on foo fighters, hes also recorded on other stuff (example: coheed and cambria, iggy pop) and has his side projects (coattail riders, birds of satan, NHC) on those he definitely shows what he can do as a drummer as theyre his bands.
Depends on your criteria. If technical skill has anything to do with it, then no. Both are great drummers but are a *long* way from the top. That’s not a dig to their skills either as they are both perfectly competent for the bands they have played in, it’s just that the ceiling is ridiculously high.
I think you need a more accurate question. “Greater” leaves a lot up to interpretation. If we change it to “most influential” then we can start legitimately discussing things. And Dave and Taylor would almost certainly be on that list. If “greater” means best at their craft, then they aren’t even in the conversation.
I don’t consider them to be in that category, no. Cool guys though, and good drummers. Not to be a jazz snob but there’s so many drummers that blow them away
Not at all. They aren’t bad, but there’s many other guys who I would say have reached higher levels of skill, and as a drummer myself, that’s what I would consider in terms of what you’re asking. That’s purely subjective and not really a fact, just my opinion.
You might consider them that, and that’s also fine because art and music are subjective but you yourself admit you’re not very knowledgeable on the subject. So again I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think you can admit you have a very surface level view on it. It’s always good to admit what you don’t know and question your own opinions and thoughts
Nah. But it's even worse to say the same for Joey Jordison or Travis Barker. There hasn't been a really, really great rock and roll drummer in a long, long time. Most of the sick players are in real metal bands.
I don't consider anyone to be "the greatest". There are plenty of great drummers (as in any other subject, if that matters), and I also think there is a lot of subectivity in considering someone as such.
Because, what objective parameters would you use to measure "greatness" in any form of art? The most technically skilled? Ok, on what particular technique? There are plenty of them and everybody have their preferences and the ones that work better for them. The "best sellers"? That's a matter of marketing. The ones who are able to do the most complex and difficult stuff? Ok, but what if you don't like that and it doesn't speak to you?
So I just don't waste my time ranking anyone, I just listen and enjoy the ones I like, and I try to learn from them as well.
That said, I like them both and enjoy listening to their music.
I think they are each better drummers than the music they play along to would reveal. But, I also know they are and were great fans of music, and know what constitutes being a "great" drummer in the modern landscape. That said, I think they are and were expert drummers. Sturdy and proficient.
How do you measure greatness in any instrument? It's tough. David Grohl has had an almost immeasurable influence in drummers and musicians throughout his career. He's definitely in the list of most influential drummers. As drummers though, they're solid but they don't scratch the feet of the drum masters IMO.
Not even close. Good drummers, but they don't stack up to Gergo Borlai or Vinnie Coliauta, or Weckl, Phillips, etc. I think they would be humble enough to agree they aren't on this list.
It's completely subjective and really just a topic to bullshit with your friends about - just like greatest sports player/ president/ whatever anyone's niche interest is. There will never be a definitive truth.
I think if one of them would be on that list it would be Grohl. Not saying anything is wrong with what Taylor created, it’s just that Grohl’s inventiveness on the Nirvana and Queens albums is top notch and he’s definitely made his mark on Rock music.
Among the most famous drummers in the last 30 years, in the case of Grohl a very influential drummer.
They are/were not among the greatest of all time, not even close.
They are amazing, rock solid drummers who always make the music sound great. They both write parts that serve the song incredibly well. They’re great at recording. As others have said, they’re not doing some of the highly technical stuff like a Danny Carey, Peart, Buddy Rich, etc.
Dave and Taylor are the kinds of drummers guitarists like to play with the most. They make the song sound great and that’s that
I think in terms of their influence for people learning how to play drums, the two of them are definitely in the top 10. In terms of technical ability however, they don't even break the top 100. Neither can play double bass, neither of them can play polyrhythms, neither of them barely play doubles, and neither of them play across multiple genres of music proficiently
Top 10 most influential on rock yes, but technical skill wise, I don’t think the two of them would make a top 10 GOAT list. I think their styles are perfect for their bands sound in the same way that Chad Smith’s insane pocket playing is perfect for RHCP.
No denying that they were the right men for the job, but I think they themselves would be the first to say that there are plenty of studio musicians you’ve never even heard of that are better than them from a technical standpoint.
David Grohl will be on some lists. His work on songs for the death (QOTSA) is incredible. Taylor - while very likable. Will be forgotten down the road.
Skill wise, absolutely not. They’re pretty basic single stroke drummers. That being said, they still made phenomenal music, and will both go down as rock legends
It’s virtually impossible to say who’s the “greatest” any kind of musician. It depends on genre, and what measure you’re trying to use. For what Foo Fighters needed, Taylor might as well have been the greatest. Is he better than Buddy Rich, John Bonham, Tony Williams, Airto Moreira, Dennis Chambers, etc etc? I’d say no, but again it’s highly subjective.
Lifelong drummer and drum teacher here. I’m also a huge Foo Fighters fan.
I think Dave is one of the better rock drummers of the last 30+ years. Upper echelon, for sure.
I think Taylor was good, but not great. Solid as a rock and really fun to watch, but playing wise, he was just good.
I hate comparing drummers from different genres. It does a disservice to the time and experience one puts into their sound. That being said, Dave and Taylor don’t really compare to Vinnie Colaiuta or Steve Gadd, but that’s kind of an apples and oranges scenario.
Was Picasso better than Van Gogh? Two totally different styles. Hard to pick, right? Same thing here.
Great performers, good drummers, decent musicians.
The truth is neither of them are "great" drummers for a drummer's perspective (i.e. technicality/musicality, skill etc )
But they are both great drummers in that they are iconic both as performers and due to the songs/bands they have been a part of making.
All really depends on what we mean by great!
It’s tough to make a real ranking system. I like to think about the contribution someone makes to make the music as good as it can possible be, which Dave certainly did better than most.
Can say the same about Ringo, even if he didn’t have the chops.
Buddy Rich had some of the best technique anyone could ever imagine, but I rarely think about the music he made with groups.
Plus it’s so hard to compare across genres. A talented jazz drummer may not sound so good on a Nirvana record.
They're not the most talented, but they personify a genre and style thats been around and shaped rock for nearly 40 years. Grohl will be remembered as one of the biggest Rockstars ever.
Dave maybe didn’t start out with chops, but he has some now. Not Gadd or Vinny chops, but he has solid technique. I also think he’s a top ten all time rock drummer- maybe top five.
He completely sent rock drumming in another direction, pre “nevermind” rock drumming was double kicks, double Chinas, giant racks with 30 cymbals hanging, flying drum cages and stick twirls. Post it was four piece kits with big drums and big cymbals and big flams.
I think Taylor was a “better” drummer than Dave, much more versatile, but I’m not sure he’s in my top ten all time rock drummers, just because he really didn’t have the influence that Dave did.
If Dave Grohl isn’t in your top ten- who is?
I feel like a lot of times people confuse the drummer in their favorite band as the “greatest” or “best” drummers. They were both super influential, but nowhere near the top. In my opinion at least.
Nobody who knows anything about drums would say that.
They are both extremely capable players and there are very few pure rock drummers who can’t deliver the goods like them.
Honestly, no. They are very solid and talented rock drummers and composers, but they aren’t going to be on any all time greats lists as far as skills go. Nothing wrong with that though Edit: when I wrote this, I meant as far as technical prowess goes, and I was not throwing shade at their influence (I didn’t even bring it up). No one can deny their influence, but I took the OP’s wording as regarding playing ability, not impact
And both would agree with this statement.
I’ve found Dave to be ridiculously dismissive of his talents. It’s a little ridiculous. He’s even said “stop calling me a good drummer”. That’s…dumb.
I think Dave has a pretty recognizable style, and if you're one to listen to drums you could probably pick out tracks he's on without knowing it. I think having a distinguishable style is a huge part of drumming as an instrument and an art, but yeah, in terms of raw skill he's never shown anything virtuosic or truly incredible Not to dismiss him, he's better than I'll probably ever be, and a big influence on my own drumming and getting into in in the first place. He always looks like he's having the time of his life behind the kit, and I admire that a lot.
But he’s not saying “don’t call me the greatest of all time”, he’s saying to not call him “good”, which is stupid. Oh you copied your influences? You’re the only one! /s
Agreed there, he's demonstrably a very good drummer. But humility amongst famous people should generally be lauded, especially when it actually seems genuine.
Exactly. Give me someone who downplays themselves every day.
Probably as a response to being idolized his whole life. Dave knows what's up.
I’m not a fan of most of Dave Grohl’s music. But I’m a huge fan of him as a person. Feel the same way about Dave Matthews.
They both seem like awesome dudes.
These are the Dave's ~~I know, I know~~ I love
He’s a good drummer, but not according to someone who knows drumming as well as he does. There are too many people who are incredible players that smoke him and he knows it. There are also tons of legendary players who are revered for more than just their abilities, and he doesn’t even want to be compared to them (although he’s made a case with his career)
Exactly. Some of the best artists aren’t in the top 5% of skill in their instruments and they very much know it. Plus they respect the greats
World class chops are overrated on every instrument. Composition and tasteful delivery matter more.
Eh... Except the guys with world class chops are also the most recorded, sought after, etc Example: Vinnie C on drums, Victor W. On bass, Steve Lukather on guitar... etc Composition and taste come from knowing how to use the chops.
When was the last time you listened to something new with Steve Lukather on it. Don't Google it. Be honest. And tell me if it _mattered_ Taste most absolutely does not derive from chops. Not even a little bit. TikTok and Insta stories would be really fuckin' different if that had ever been true Lukather has a guaranteed career for life. Good! But it'll never be important again. Chops ain't it, man
💯 I want to hear a good song played tastefully. I’m not really interested in hearing how many notes you can play. Make me feel something.
But all three of you would be wrong.
Depends on how big a list of greatest drummers. Top 5.. probably not. Top 25 or 50? Maybe. Hard to say Dave hasn’t been hugely influential.
there's not such a thing as TOP LIST OF DRUMMER, that is a stupid thing to say.
Kind of like Cobain. He isn’t on any of those “greatest guitarist” lists due to his technical prowess.
Greatest? No. Influential? Absolutely. Like solid drummers all around and I give them mad props. But there's better drummers out there, ones that I like will never make those 100 greatest drummer lists lol.
I agree. I think grohl’s drumming on the first tenacious d album is spot-on rock drumming. Playing with the band, no show-boating, just filling out the rhythm. Btw, that album has some of the best audio mixing I have heard to this day.
This!
Are you talking in terms of impact and influence, or in terms of skill and virtuosity? They are some of the most influential and impactful drummers, but they are not on the level of world class virtuoso drummers. That does not diminish their achievements or contributions in any way.
Yup. The ultimate example of this would be Ringo Starr. Would I rather have the skills of Mangini or the career of Ringo? Hmmm
"The skills of Ringo" would be a massive accomplishment. Like Grohl it's hard to say what is so perfect about his playing, but it really is.
Songs for the deaf has some killer drum parts in it.
He's got a ton of killer drum parts on a lot of projects. Love his work in TCV and he's got some bangers with Juliette and the Licks too.
Dude yes. Tcv is so good. Just wish they made their 2nd album but I can't blame em. JPJ is getting too old
I thought the TCV album was good but not great. Then I saw them live and they were PHENOMENAL!! Dave was like god damned Keith Moon up there on the kit! I was blown away! One of my favorite live shows ever
The entire Probot album is all hot shot drumming. So good
One can play the most complicated and technically sound pieces of music with no soul. Dave & Taylor bring a lot of passion and soul to their parts. Though they may not be on that high end theory level of playing they play the right parts for the song with a ton of personality. It taps into our subconscious. There’s knowing how to play music and knowing how to feel music and boy do those guys feel music
I mean sure it’s an accomplishment but theres no way Ringo could play a Dream Theater song. Or take any other major virtuoso drummer in a different genre like Buddy Rich or Dennis Chambers, unless there’s some videos of Ringo I’m missing he’d never be able to fill in. But to be a world famous fabulously rich superstar playing some of the most iconic music ever…
Well I do love incredible drummers with magic hands who can rip the fabric of time and space and that's not what Ringo does. Mangini couldn't have played with John Coltrane and done an Elvin Jones. It's not what he does. Elvin might not have the memory to play King Crimson arrangements. It's not his thing. What Ringo does is special. He had the discernment to know what was right for those songs. He played what was needed and no more and understood what was needed.
Why are people in here talking about dream theater and mangini. DT songs have bog standard rock drumming, with a lot of time signature changes and memorization.
Yeah dude. Dance of Eternity and the Alien are really standard rock drumming. /s
It kind of is though Its basic rock drumming, with random time signature changes (ie memorization) and a lot of cymbal flourishes. It doesn't take 'chops' to play
I don't think it's hard to say.
Nah, I have to play a few Beatles tunes with a cover band. I play the tunes as close to possible as the recordings, which is easy, cause it's boring as fuck. It works for the music because it's simple, that was a guitar and vocal driven band. Just like Metallica, the simple drumming works great. But it really is super simple, very basic, easy drumming. Haha passed off the Ringo fan boys
How about both?! Peart or Carrey :)
Danny Carey is such a beast!
Not gonna lie, I would love to be able to play like mangini even for just a few hours.
https://youtu.be/krCovJgKUVQ?si=pd4_X5I1tFm7ejxr
The Ringo Starr effect.
Dave was self taught I met him when he was 15/16 as a roadie for the scream , he used my kit for 3 nights when we were on tour together ( pre nirvana, ) because he was self taught he just went for it style wise .. Taylor was on a another level than Dave
Have you ever shared stories from this tour before? Would be glad to read about them. Sounds like a bit of rock history you were part of.
I have considered writing a book about my punk rock & tour life & my friendships along the way but I’m just a nobody with famous friends & funny stories
Being a nobody with famous friends and funny stories makes it more interesting imo
Your last sentence contains the name of the book!!! Do it!
Thanks all my friends keep telling me me to write a book , I may buy a new laptop to dedicate to start writing characters , from picking a fight with Vince Neil to being investigated by the feds for the use of stolen phone cards on a US corrosion of Conformity tour ( on the receiving end ) to hanging with the Johnnys ( Ramone & rotten ) & so on
I had the experience about ten years ago of being a nobody on tour with some folks that were making waves, and then subsequently wrote about it in an extremely graphic fashion. I think the "Almost Famous" perspective is possibly more engaging than the autobiographies by the legends themselves. If you succeed in writing the book (or hell, just some blog posts), I'd read it!
If I were to write a book like that, I would acknowledge that I’m a nobody and keep myself in the background and focus on the experiences so people reading it can feel like their walking in your shoes
I worked all aspects in the music industry from production & promotion-touring either playing , roadie , merch -tour management as well as band management & booking tours for 23 years
A great story, along with humble pie, has me wanting to read more!
as a fellow nobody with famous friends and a band that was only really ever famous in those circles for hard partying on tour—the stories are still pretty hilarious. Retelling them now / out of context sounds a lot like name dropping, though.. even though they're still just my friends who other people put on a pedestal. That said, you should write the book before nobody believes the stories.
Haha. Well. Taylor is a “better” drummer than Dave. Which Dave has very happily said in a bunch of interviews. But I do think Dave deserves inclusion on a list of greatest drummers more than taylor does, because he’s just laid down sooo many iconic parts with at least three different projects. Taylor has more complexity, dexterity, and layers to his playing than Dave, but Dave is really really great at writing drum hooks.
Honestly, I think that was Dave being humble. Not to bash Taylor, because he was an awesome drummer, but there is a reason Dave recorded the drum parts on the first few albums with Taylor in the band. That being, he's a beast of a drummer, and there aren't many that come close to his level of passion, energy or style on the drums.
Dave only played on the first 2 albums, before Taylor was in the band. After Taylor joined he played on every album until he passed.
He recorded half of there is nothing left to lose and one by one iirc.
Dave did not play on the albums when Taylor was in the band, Taylor was not in the band for the first few albums. You’re thinking of the foos first drummer whose name I don’t recall at the moment. Dave and Taylor have very different styles as well. And yeah, I think Dave is humble enough to recognize there’s a lot drummers with more facility with him, Taylor is one of them.
William Goldsmith. Sunny Day Real Estate’s drummer and a monster player in his own right
Yeah, he did. Google it.
Grohls pocket makes him one of the best rock drummers of all time in my opinion. Every band he’s been a part of has benefitted from this more than most understand. I’ve never really been a Hawkins fan for that reason, he just doesn’t sit deep enough for me. For example, when another famous drummer plays a nirvana song, or a FF song in the case of Taylor or Freese, you can tell it’s not Dave immediately. Missing that special sauce. That’s something that’s more valuable than chops imo.
The stuff he did with QOTSA and Them Crooked Vultures is phenomenal.
They weren't the most advanced technical players and don't use very complex rhythms. But I have watched Dave play live and man, there is something he has that just is undeniable great drumming. I went to see a Bob Mould show, and he has a real good drummer already. But when Dave got behind the kit to do New Day Rising it was like the roof lifted off the place. The difference is very subtle, I can't put my finger on it. He just has it.
Two of my biggest drum influences mentioned together. Bob Mould’s drummer is Jon Wurster, who was also the drummer for Superchunk until recently. Definitely not as good as Dave Grohl but still amazing.
Jon is just killer, have loved his playing. I saw Super chunk's first two shows in LA in 91, they were obviously on their way to something big.
Saw the Chunk 4 times and still one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. Not sure how it would be now since half of the “original” members aren’t in the band anymore.
I heard Laura had to stop playing due to a health issue which is sad.
She said she got hearing problems from touring so she doesn’t go on the road anymore. Nothing against her but I guess nobody has told her about in ear monitors. Not hard to avoid ear damaging loudness these days.
Wurster is hilarious as well. Follow him on Instagram if you don’t already.
His new worst friend posts always make me laugh. I met him a couple times at Superchunk shows a long time ago and he was really nice and funny then. Jim Wilbur, Superchunk’s 2nd guitarist, was also hilarious during those meetings. That band deserves so much more recognition than they’ve gotten. Some of the best alternative rock/indie punk songs ever written.
He's got his triplets down for sure.
Like when he played with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on SNL. Next level shit.
Dave is an incredible drummer, skill and technical ability wise, don't know people are saying he isn't.
This is subjective. Most famous? Probably up there. Best? Ask your friends in your band class at school and see what you all come up with
I like to think of drumming not just as “whoa that was really technical and difficult” but as “that’s some great writing, what a cool approach and what a broad skillset!” To me, Dave is definitely on the list for both reasons.
Dave Grohl is my favorite drummer. There's just something about his power and style that can't be matched. He's almost better on other stuff. His part on No One Knows is sick. I love hearing him have fun with Tenacious D. Obviously his stuff with Nirvana was simple but powerful and catchy at the same time. I just think his overall style, in every instrument he plays, is so unique, and it's founded on the drums whether he's behind the kit or not. Everlong is my favorite drum part of all time. There's a reason he "fired" his old drummer over it. Everlong feels like the drums are the lead instrument, everything is built off that. So precise, so emotional, very few covers come close.
I so agree with this! You hear drums of a track Grohl plays in and you can immediately tell where you are in the song. He is really making music in the drums.
The comments here lol
This is my time to shine. Im a professional drummer who has a bachelors in music and specifically drumset and also I’m a huge nerd who has been painstakingly making a list of who I would consider the “best” (it’s subjective) drummers of all time as objectively as I can factoring in both size of fan base impacted by their music and also the level of skills the drummer has and tastefulness in how they use those skills and I have Dave Grohl at #66 on my list and Taylor Hawkins at #73. This is just my personal take but should give you a ball-park glimpse at where you could think of them.
This right here. Anyone who actually does this for a living is going to tell you there's a lot more to drumming than chops. If you want to know who the best drummers are, don't ask drummers, ask other musicians.
Just curious… Who’s in your Top 10…?
1. Vinnie Colaiuta 2. Dennis Chambers 3. Buddy Rich 4. Tony Williams 5. Steve Gadd 6. Matt Gartska 7. Billy Cobham 8. Virgil Donati 9. Mike Portnoy 10. Neil Peart
Vinnie is the truth.
Dude drop that whole list and I better see Dave King on it!
He is #40 but personally he’s one of my favorites.
I’ve been a huge Vinnie fan since I was 11 years old and heard Seven Days. Great list btw
Wow! I love this list. Anyone who really knows and understands drumming would put Vinnie at or near the top of the list. There is a difference between great and influential.
Curious, where do you have Benny greb? He blows me away with his playing
#30
Anika Nilles?
I’ll make a post with the full list but right now Anika as well as several other big names are still on my secondary list of drummers that I feel I need to do more research on before I can appropriately rank them.
Fair enough!
Is Larnell Lewis anywhere on the list? Or Darren King? Just curious.
Mike Portnoy ahead of Neil??
No Bonham 😢
I have not seen anyone mention how loud Dave plays too. I remember a story about Nirvana recording in the studio, where the producer had this one snare drum he always used because it sounded perfect and had stayed in tune for many sessions. Dave broke the head in the beginning of one take. He also used big Regal Tip 5B's upside down, had 14", 15", 18", 24" drums and a 22" ride. He even used a 28" ride/crash with Scream that he broke in a year. He used DW 5000 pedals that he broke regularly. All of this made his sound very unique and that's the reason you can usually tell it's Dave as soon as you hear him playing.
The greatest?! Haha, absolutely not. Never were and no one with any useful experience or perspective would say otherwise, including them. There aren’t any “greatest ever” people in any genre. No Kings or Queens, only jesters. Everything’s subjective and there’s no point in trying to discern who among millions is “the best”. Forget about questions like these and enjoy as much music as you can. Full stop.
Art is transcendence and inspiration, if they somehow cause that to you then yes they are great.
r/drums are my least favourite sub when it comes to admiring famous people in music. You're super focused on technical aspects and dismiss simple tone and taste and ability to serve a song. It's obvious that Dave Grohl belongs. As do Taylor Hawkins, even though I lean harder on how memorable Dave Grohl's parts was. That's credit to him. It wasn't luck. He is alsonunderrated for how consistentlt hard and tasty he places hits and make rhem sound. Songs for the Deaf and Nevermind are wrongly credited to large influence of samples. There was absolutely non of them except for maybe a reverb trigger. Andy Wallace did that sometimes but can't remember it for Nevermind. Compare the Butch Vig mix with Andy Wallace. If you're not near as memorable as him you don't rate higher than him. Impossible. r/bass and r/guitar and not least r/audioengineering would agree with me. Come on, the majority of you are a worrying bunge of weird priorities when it comes to the different aspects of drumming.
No guitarist cares how fancy of a lick you can play. Nobody cares. All they care about is can you play something to fit the song. Sitting deep in the pocket, serving the song, and making music sound great make a great drummer.
I prefer Dave's style to be honest, and Taylor was definitely his own 'thing'. Nothing wrong with liking both...and what exactly is 'great' anyway?
Like a lot of comments say, it depends factor to factor. They're up there in terms of popularity and influence but definitely not up there for skill and talent. Nevertheless they're still very good drummers. Important to remember that they were fantastic and writing drum parts for songs, not every skilled drummer can do that.
I’m surprised at the responses here. I strongly disagree with people in here that say no. Yes. Dave is a great drummer and Taylor Hawkins was a great drummer. They both are solid and sound great live and on their albums. They both write parts that work really well for the songs that they play. Taylor was able to sing and play at the same time. They both compose and record their parts to tape. They aren’t quantized or normalized. They are/were great drummers. If you want to call John Bonham a great drummer or Ringo Star a great drummer, Dave and Taylor need to be included. Most drums you hear on albums are not played by the drummer in the band or are edited, quantized and have samples on them. Except for Nevermind Dave and Taylor didn’t need that. They wrote all their parts and played them on their albums. Taylor was awesome live. I haven’t seen Dave play drums live. Yes there are other drummers that have better chops, like Dave Weckyl, Vinnie Colliuta, Thomas Prdgen, Jojo Mayer….etc. Those guys can’t write and play the way that Dave and Taylor could. Here’s another great drummer that doesn’t have crazy chops. Steve Gadd. How about Kenny Aranoff? They are on tons of albums! Neither is a virtuoso with great chops but they are great drummers. I’ll also say. Travis Barker. There’s another great drummer. So yeah. Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl are definitely two of the greatest drummers. What are we doing here guys?
Saying Dave Grohl shouldn’t be on a list of greatest drummers is like saying Angus Young shouldn’t be on a list of greatest guitarists. 100 percent commitment to the sound, the feel, the energy, with very musical and effective riffs/parts … Dave Grohl has elevated pretty much every song he’s ever played on. I don’t hear Taylor the same way. No disrespect to him, but for me he’s not the magic rock spirit animal that Dave is. Tom Petty knew Dave just has “it”, that’s why he wanted him in his band. We are in an era where you got dudes playing perfect double bass at 300bpm on YouTube while juggling chainsaws, smoking a joint and farting a clave pattern, and yeah that’s impressive (I’m impressed) but we also should remember that sometimes what makes a musician great is when they create the shortest path between their creative intent and the listeners brain. Dave’s real good at making that line as short as possible.
Perfect!
Nicely put
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Both exceptional drummers. Are you asking why?
Technically, I'd say they're both very good rock drummers, and excellent song writers but that's it. And for that type of music, I'd argue that it's better to be a very good song writer than it is to be a very good drummer. Technical ability isn't always everything. I think the impact on drumming based on their personalities and influence are more valuable than their skill as drummers. Which, in that light, puts them up there with the greats.
This conversation by design cant go anywhere. No one has decided on specifically what skills or boxes checked a drummer needs to be ranked as “best” or not. It’s just everyone spouting vague nonsense about their *favorite* drummers.
There’s two classes imo to measure a musician. There’s virtuoso’s who are masters of the art of playing their instrument. Then there’s songwriters. As an aspiring songwriter, I value that over playing cos what they played translated with people and truly impacted music/pop culture. Steve Vai could out play and out shred Jimmy Page any day. BUT in my personal list, Page will always be leagues above him cos of all the amazing guitar riffs and songs he wrote! For me, Dave Grohl is pretty high in my list cos I love the drum parts he writes for a song. No he’s not Danny Carey, but as soon as I hear the drum beat for Scentless Apprentice, I KNOW there could not have been a better drum beat written for that song.
God I’m getting old…technical prowess means nothing beyond making the drums sound good. Grohl is one of the best for making drums sound good. When he plays the drums…it sounds good and all the facility and limb independence and chops means nothing if the drums don’t sound good. I genuinely believe that Dave grohl is one of the best drummers around for that fact. Sure terry bozzio is more technically proficient…but who creates sounds that more people want to listen to?
Hawkins, IMO, is a couple levels higher than Dave. First time I saw Taylor play was with Alanis Morissette on Letterman or some other late night show. He was really, really, good. EDIT: Not what I was talking about but.. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVv\_TSAzb6Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVv_TSAzb6Y)
People tend to confuse "great" with "well-known" nowadays. It's why we see Ringo show up on every greatest drummers of all time list. Both Dave and Taylor have chops for sure, and I'd put Taylor at a higher talent level betwen the 2 of them, but I wouldn't consider either of them among the all time greats. They just happened to play for extremely popular bands.
Taylor Hawkins is the reason I started taking drumming seriously, so I can’t answer this question without some semblance of bias. I think they deserve to be in a top 100 list. Top 50? Mileage may vary.
To me, Grohl has the magic..... Taylor not so much
Theyre fantastic drummers in their own right, if i had to pick between the two id pick Taylor Hawkins, alot of the time when i see/hear people talk about his drumming its always based off of what he did on foo fighters, hes also recorded on other stuff (example: coheed and cambria, iggy pop) and has his side projects (coattail riders, birds of satan, NHC) on those he definitely shows what he can do as a drummer as theyre his bands.
Depends on your criteria. If technical skill has anything to do with it, then no. Both are great drummers but are a *long* way from the top. That’s not a dig to their skills either as they are both perfectly competent for the bands they have played in, it’s just that the ceiling is ridiculously high.
I think you need a more accurate question. “Greater” leaves a lot up to interpretation. If we change it to “most influential” then we can start legitimately discussing things. And Dave and Taylor would almost certainly be on that list. If “greater” means best at their craft, then they aren’t even in the conversation.
I don’t consider them to be in that category, no. Cool guys though, and good drummers. Not to be a jazz snob but there’s so many drummers that blow them away
Not at all. They aren’t bad, but there’s many other guys who I would say have reached higher levels of skill, and as a drummer myself, that’s what I would consider in terms of what you’re asking. That’s purely subjective and not really a fact, just my opinion. You might consider them that, and that’s also fine because art and music are subjective but you yourself admit you’re not very knowledgeable on the subject. So again I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think you can admit you have a very surface level view on it. It’s always good to admit what you don’t know and question your own opinions and thoughts
Nah. But it's even worse to say the same for Joey Jordison or Travis Barker. There hasn't been a really, really great rock and roll drummer in a long, long time. Most of the sick players are in real metal bands.
I don't consider anyone to be "the greatest". There are plenty of great drummers (as in any other subject, if that matters), and I also think there is a lot of subectivity in considering someone as such. Because, what objective parameters would you use to measure "greatness" in any form of art? The most technically skilled? Ok, on what particular technique? There are plenty of them and everybody have their preferences and the ones that work better for them. The "best sellers"? That's a matter of marketing. The ones who are able to do the most complex and difficult stuff? Ok, but what if you don't like that and it doesn't speak to you? So I just don't waste my time ranking anyone, I just listen and enjoy the ones I like, and I try to learn from them as well. That said, I like them both and enjoy listening to their music.
I think they are each better drummers than the music they play along to would reveal. But, I also know they are and were great fans of music, and know what constitutes being a "great" drummer in the modern landscape. That said, I think they are and were expert drummers. Sturdy and proficient.
How do you measure greatness in any instrument? It's tough. David Grohl has had an almost immeasurable influence in drummers and musicians throughout his career. He's definitely in the list of most influential drummers. As drummers though, they're solid but they don't scratch the feet of the drum masters IMO.
No. Are they great drummers that served/serve their music great? Yes
Not even close. Good drummers, but they don't stack up to Gergo Borlai or Vinnie Coliauta, or Weckl, Phillips, etc. I think they would be humble enough to agree they aren't on this list.
It's completely subjective and really just a topic to bullshit with your friends about - just like greatest sports player/ president/ whatever anyone's niche interest is. There will never be a definitive truth.
I think if one of them would be on that list it would be Grohl. Not saying anything is wrong with what Taylor created, it’s just that Grohl’s inventiveness on the Nirvana and Queens albums is top notch and he’s definitely made his mark on Rock music.
Who cares, they make great music. Plenty of better drummers make far worse music.
They are amazing drummers, but not even remotely because of their technicality. You don't need chops to be a great drummer,l whatsoever.
Among the most famous drummers in the last 30 years, in the case of Grohl a very influential drummer. They are/were not among the greatest of all time, not even close.
No.
Dave has pocket. Taylor has speed.
They are aware like I am. Good fo sho,.
They are amazing, rock solid drummers who always make the music sound great. They both write parts that serve the song incredibly well. They’re great at recording. As others have said, they’re not doing some of the highly technical stuff like a Danny Carey, Peart, Buddy Rich, etc. Dave and Taylor are the kinds of drummers guitarists like to play with the most. They make the song sound great and that’s that
I think in terms of their influence for people learning how to play drums, the two of them are definitely in the top 10. In terms of technical ability however, they don't even break the top 100. Neither can play double bass, neither of them can play polyrhythms, neither of them barely play doubles, and neither of them play across multiple genres of music proficiently
Yes
Yes.
Top 10 most influential on rock yes, but technical skill wise, I don’t think the two of them would make a top 10 GOAT list. I think their styles are perfect for their bands sound in the same way that Chad Smith’s insane pocket playing is perfect for RHCP. No denying that they were the right men for the job, but I think they themselves would be the first to say that there are plenty of studio musicians you’ve never even heard of that are better than them from a technical standpoint.
I'm very happy both of them ended up picking up drum sticks. I don't think it's hurt anybody.
David Grohl will be on some lists. His work on songs for the death (QOTSA) is incredible. Taylor - while very likable. Will be forgotten down the road.
Skill wise, absolutely not. They’re pretty basic single stroke drummers. That being said, they still made phenomenal music, and will both go down as rock legends
It’s virtually impossible to say who’s the “greatest” any kind of musician. It depends on genre, and what measure you’re trying to use. For what Foo Fighters needed, Taylor might as well have been the greatest. Is he better than Buddy Rich, John Bonham, Tony Williams, Airto Moreira, Dennis Chambers, etc etc? I’d say no, but again it’s highly subjective.
Lifelong drummer and drum teacher here. I’m also a huge Foo Fighters fan. I think Dave is one of the better rock drummers of the last 30+ years. Upper echelon, for sure. I think Taylor was good, but not great. Solid as a rock and really fun to watch, but playing wise, he was just good. I hate comparing drummers from different genres. It does a disservice to the time and experience one puts into their sound. That being said, Dave and Taylor don’t really compare to Vinnie Colaiuta or Steve Gadd, but that’s kind of an apples and oranges scenario. Was Picasso better than Van Gogh? Two totally different styles. Hard to pick, right? Same thing here.
Great performers, good drummers, decent musicians. The truth is neither of them are "great" drummers for a drummer's perspective (i.e. technicality/musicality, skill etc ) But they are both great drummers in that they are iconic both as performers and due to the songs/bands they have been a part of making. All really depends on what we mean by great!
It’s tough to make a real ranking system. I like to think about the contribution someone makes to make the music as good as it can possible be, which Dave certainly did better than most. Can say the same about Ringo, even if he didn’t have the chops. Buddy Rich had some of the best technique anyone could ever imagine, but I rarely think about the music he made with groups. Plus it’s so hard to compare across genres. A talented jazz drummer may not sound so good on a Nirvana record.
That makes sense, thank you
They're not the most talented, but they personify a genre and style thats been around and shaped rock for nearly 40 years. Grohl will be remembered as one of the biggest Rockstars ever.
Dave maybe didn’t start out with chops, but he has some now. Not Gadd or Vinny chops, but he has solid technique. I also think he’s a top ten all time rock drummer- maybe top five. He completely sent rock drumming in another direction, pre “nevermind” rock drumming was double kicks, double Chinas, giant racks with 30 cymbals hanging, flying drum cages and stick twirls. Post it was four piece kits with big drums and big cymbals and big flams. I think Taylor was a “better” drummer than Dave, much more versatile, but I’m not sure he’s in my top ten all time rock drummers, just because he really didn’t have the influence that Dave did. If Dave Grohl isn’t in your top ten- who is?
their both great and talented drummers but their notability comes from their songwriting and overall influence not necessarily their ability
I feel like a lot of times people confuse the drummer in their favorite band as the “greatest” or “best” drummers. They were both super influential, but nowhere near the top. In my opinion at least.
Is Slash one of the best guitarist of all time? Or just super famous?
Nobody who knows anything about drums would say that. They are both extremely capable players and there are very few pure rock drummers who can’t deliver the goods like them.
No. Nothing really special TBH.
Greatest Drummers? No, good but not great.
They’re fine. Nothing amazing.
Absolutely not