I’ve always been obsessed with the rhythm section, and although I’m a bass guitar player myself, my fascination with drums and drummers continues to this day!
As you can see, today’s article is dedicated to these brilliant musicians, so here we are – I’ve collected the most inspirational drummer quotes from different online sources!
My unique list includes 310 quotes from various legendary drummers and drum lovers, covering their unique perspectives, ideas and experiences.
You’ll find quotes specifically related to different issues related to drumming – for example, inspiration, technique, creativity and similar.
What is more, I also did my best to include artists that belong to different genres, so you can dive into plenty of amazing perspectives.
Just keep scrolling to find brilliant quotes!
10 Best Drummer Quotes
So many fantastic drummers, so little time to listen to them all! So, I’ll kick things off with my 10 best drummer quotes. Let’s have a look!
1. “Playing drums is how I communicate. It’s how I speak to people. That’s my God-given gift.” – Joey Jordison
2. “My drum parts are a song within the song; that’s the way I look at writing my drum parts. They follow patterns, and they’re written to interact with the rest of the band. There’s quite a bit of thought that goes into it.” – Vinnie Paul
3. “My soul is that of a drummer… I didn’t do it to become rich and famous. I did it because it was the love of my life.” – Ringo Starr
4. “To be a drummer you also have to be a musician.” – Ian Paice
5. “A good groove releases adrenaline in your body. You feel uplifted, you feel centered, you feel calm, you feel powerful. You feel that energy. That’s what good drumming is all about.” – Mickey Hart
6. “Drumming’s pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.” – Tommy Lee
7. “Every drummer that had a name, had a name because of his individual playing. He didn’t sound like anybody else, So everybody that I ever listened to, in some form, influenced my taste.” – Buddy Rich
8. “I have no interest in playing ‘perfect.’ To me, it’s more about being an entertainer. Having a connection with the audience.” – Mike Portnoy
9. “Bass players and drummers are brothers in the basement cooking up the groove that makes people move.” – John Densmore
10. “I think that the rhythm sections, drummers in particular, are the unsung heroes of the music. It’s the rhythm section that has changed the styles from one period to the other.” – Max Roach
Inspirational Drummer Quotes
Now let’s check out the following selection of inspirational drummer quotes as well:
1. “Do you know why they call a drummer’s seat a throne? Because drummers are kings and queens.” – Ed Thigpen
2. “The Creator wants us to drum. He wants us to corrupt the world with drum, dance and chants. After all, we have already corrupted the world with power and greed… which hasn’t gotten us anywhere – now’s the time to corrupt the world with drum, dance and chants.” – Babatunde Olatunji
3. “No acting, no production, could take the place of that moment when you come out in the dark onto the stage and the drummer plays four beats on the hi-hat and then lights and music. It just takes your breath away. No words can do what music can.” – Ken Stott
4. “I’m a rock-and-roll drummer, so my job is to create chaos.” – Greg Saunier
5. “First and foremost I am a drummer. After that, I’m other things… But I didn’t play drums to make money.” – Ringo Starr
6. “But, I don’t think any arranger should ever write a drum part for a drummer because if a drummer can’t create his own interpretation of the chart and he plays everything that’s written, he becomes mechanical; he has no freedom.” – Buddy Rich
7. “That’s what the drummer is supposed to do. Keep the time. If you can do something else besides that, fine. But the time is essential and non-negotiable.” – Elvin Jones
8. “In hindsight, if I could go back in time and relay a message to my younger self, I would tell him to work on his time keeping, and that the job of a drummer is not to be the one that gets noticed the most on stage, or to be the fastest, or the loudest. Above all, it is to be the timekeeper.” – Taylor Hawkins
9. “It’s the honesty you apply to your playing that makes music enjoyable. The style of the music has little to do with it. It’s only honesty that makes it beautiful.” – Elvin Jones
10. “When I speak of natural drummers, I’m talking about guys that are playing with the talent God gave ’em.” – Gene Krupa
11. “I don’t have perfect pitch. My drums sound like a drummer, not a drum machine.” – Taylor Hawkins
12. “Some people say that practice makes perfect, but I just feel that the repetition works against me, and I start thinking too far ahead during a show.” – Rick Allen
13. “Just the same way I’d say a prayer before going onstage, taking that even further and using the drum to inspire people. And using that as a vehicle for the intention.” – Rick Allen
14. “When I was thirteen I only wanted to be a drummer.” – Ringo Starr
15. “Playing drums, for me, is like breathing. It’s like thinking. It’s like eating. It’s like walking.” – Joey Jordison
16. “The polarity of Mitch Mitchell and Moe Tucker offers a pretty good understanding of what a drummer’s role is.” – Fab Moretti
17. “No matter what comes your way, being a musician, you will never, ever learn to play it all.” – Joey Jordison
18. “Without Metallica, I wouldn’t play the way that I do.” – Joey Jordison
19. “To me, a great drummer isn’t always about somebody with chops who can shred. A great drummer is someone who is part of a great band.” – Mike Portnoy
20. “I consider every drummer that ever played before me an influence, in every way.” – Buddy Rich
21. “I play weird. I’m always just behind. We [drummers] only have so much room. We’re not guitarists.” – Ringo Starr
22. “I am not a technical drummer at all. I’m more from the Keith Moon/Lars Ulrich school of, ‘Hey, look at me!’ I just get up there and bash.” – Mike Portnoy
23. “The one thing I do know is that I’m the best Taylor Hawkins drummer there is, and that is all I can hope to be. And when it comes to music, musicianship and skill, there is no such thing as better or worse because so much is personal opinion, and I can see that now.” – Taylor Hawkins
24. “When everyone tells you, ‘No, no, no,’ your creative forces get a little twisted and turn into something more apocalyptic than ever.” – Joey Jordison
25. “I’ve been using Pearl for so long, ever since I was a kid. Same thing with Paiste. They have both taken such great care of me, and I can’t thank them enough.” – Joey Jordison
26. “I remember in the early days when we played six nights a week for a month and I was doing my long drum solo every night. My hands were covered in blisters.” – John Bonham
27. “My advice always is to start very simple and master your timing and master the most simple beats that you can, and you just keep elevating from that. Trying to go right into playing fast is not necessarily the best way to go about it, because if you don’t have your foundation locked in, it’s hard to progress.” – Joey Jordison
28. “All I really had was a suitcase and my drums. So I took them up to Seattle and hoped it would work.” – Dave Grohl
29. “People are so into digital recording now they forgot how easy analog recording can be.” – Dave Grohl
30. “Not everybody likes or understands a drum solo, so I like to bring in effects and sounds to keep their interest.” – John Bonham
31. “If you only play metal, it’s going to be very apparent that you’re a one-dimensional drummer.” – Joey Jordison
32. “For me, music is all about emotion and attitude.” – Peter Criss
33. “Musicians play music because you love… I loved to play drums since I was five. It’s all I ever wanted to do. Rock stars, or as we call them, posers, guys who want to just look great, dress great. They’re not musicians; they’re looking for the fame.” – Peter Criss
34. “When you write something it has to hit the level that you accept as being good.” – Will Champion
35. “The simplest beats, on what rock music or any music has been formed on, can be the toughest beats to execute and perform, because it’s really easy to not respect a simple 4/4 beat, because people always want to play fast.” – Joey Jordison
36. “If I couldn’t play drums it would have destroyed me. If you’re thrown in the deep end you swim, and that’s basically what I did. I had to do it and with the rest of the band behind me and the encouragement I got from people from all over the world, I knew that I was going to play.” – Rick Allen
37. “I pretty much use the same stuff live that I use in the studio. I don’t like the feel to change too much.” – Joey Jordison
38. “I can understand how some people might resent me for having the audacity to continue playing music, but it’d take a lot more than that to stop me from doing it. I started Foo Fighters because I didn’t want to retreat.” – Dave Grohl
39. “Before my accident I was a little too… selfish and self-absorbed and for me, to now be at the place where I can kinda give back and inspire people. I’m blessed. I’m really blessed.” – Rick Allen
40. “I’m very influenced by jazz drummers. I always liked drummers like Roger Taylor, Keith Moon, Ian Paice, John Densmore. I just learned from playing to those drummers.” – Steven Adler
Brilliant Drummer Quotes
To be honest, I’m a little bit jealous when I see a beast behind the drums – I wish to have those skills too, at least for a day!
This section brings you loads of brilliant quotes you can’t miss! Let’s take a look:
1. “I want to keep pushing the limits for drummers and expressing myself.” – Travis Barker
2. “I don’t have perfect pitch. My drums sound like a drummer, not a drum machine.” – Taylor Hawkins
3. “A bass player has to think and play like a bass player. A drummer has to play and think like a drummer, and stay out of the way of the vocalist. The guitar player has to respect everybody else.” – Hunter Hayes
4. “The drum is the heart of music. The saxophone can play and then rest, as can all of them except the drums; the drummer keeps going – he can’t afford to stop.” – Jo Jones
5. “In rock & roll heaven, there ARE drum solos, but only the drummers can hear them.” – Lin Brehmer
6. “I like to be one of those drummers who actually add to the music, not one of those guys who sit in a room 24/7 trying to outwit or outplay another drummer.” – Dave Lombardo
7. “I think the drummer should sit back there and play some drums, and never mind about the tunes. Just get up there and wail behind whoever is sitting up there playing the solo. And this is what is lacking, definitely lacking in music today.” – Buddy Rich
8. “There is no music unless the drum and the drummer are one.” – E. E. Cummings
9. “I’m not a singer who plays a bit of drums. I’m a drummer that sings a bit.” – Phil Collins
See also: 210 Best Singing Quotes To Make You Sing Your Heart Out
10. “Drummers are conductors – we set the pace for the music – so if you’re not relaxed and feeling right, the whole thing goes out the window.” – Steven Adler
11. “But I think that any young drummer starting out today should get himself a great teacher and learn all there is to know about the instrument that he wants to play.” – Buddy Rich
12. “My drummer is my favorite drummer in the world, and he also happens to be the funniest person you’ll meet.” – Aaron Bruno
13. “I remember John walking on and starting to play, and my mouth sort of dropped open in disbelief at the power of the playing coming across the stage – and the technique! I’ve never, ever seen another drummer play quite the way he did.” – Cozy Powell
14. “I was in orchestra in high school, but I really started when a friend of mine who’s a drummer showed me some things. I was always just really fascinated with drums, it was the instrument I was always drawn towards. My ear sort of went to rhythmic aspects of music and songs. But he really was the beginning point of starting me on drum sets; like I said, I was in the orchestra first and I was playing orchestral snare and mallet instruments first.” – Carla Azar
15. “When I was a kid, of course I wanted to be the fastest, the loudest and the one with the biggest drum set, but obviously my aspirations have changed a bit since then.” – Taylor Hawkins
16. “I think it’s very cool for the drummer to be set free from having to worry about holding down the beat every once in a while, though it’s a little constricting.” – James Hetfield
17. “I had trouble fitting in, in a musical sense. A lot of drummers get sidetracked by the instrument. It can engulf you.” – Tre Cool
18. “I saw a drummer play once when I was a kid and I thought, that’s really cool. You know, you’re moving. You’re using your arms and fingers. So I tried it and I loved it.” – Bill Kreutzmann
19. “I would be happy if I could meet some musicians interested in different acoustics and traditional music. Maybe I will find some Native American or Latin tunes. Anything. Even maybe a great heavy metal guitar player or drummer, and we can do something wild together. My next step is making more music without formats or borders. Not just simple songs or doing covers, but music with more ideas. I think it will again be a synthesis with something else.” – Albert Kuvezin
20. “I taught myself how to play the guitar, I taught myself how to play the drums, and I kind of fake doing both of them. But drumming comes more natural to me, and it just feels better.” – Dave Grohl
21. “I don’t like driving through the rain. Your tour is only going to go as good as your bus driver, kinda like your band is only going to be as good as your drummer.” – Piggy D.
22. “To have everything written for you – it’s not really creating. That’s why I think symphony drummers are so limited. They ‘re limited to exactly what was played a hundred years before them by a thousand other drummers.” – Buddy Rich
23. “It’s not often that an English drummer gets an Oscar. So I’m very, very proud of that.” – Phil Collins
24. “I’m the Best Keith Moon-type drummer in the world.” – John Bonham
25. “I get to play what I’m feeling on my solo records, and I get to bang the hell out of a drum kit in Black Sabbath.” – Bill Ward
26. “When I was a kid, I felt like I could do anything and play anything. I just felt super-confident. And then, once I started to play music professionally, maybe it’s from being from a small town, but you grow up and then you’re suddenly a big fish in a small pond, and I realized that there were a billion other drummers out there that could play as good as you or better, and everybody wants that job.” – Patty Schemel
27. “Marvin Gaye was a killer drummer. I think he just played during the soundchecks and he’d have another guy sing his parts while he played the drums. He just wanted to play the drums and have some fun.” – Dr. John
28. “Drummers haven’t managed to develop their individuality quite as well as guitarists have. We can be so focused on the nuts and bolts that we overlook the importance of individuality – the broader picture, if you will.” – Bill Bruford
29. “I warm naturally to the drummer whose ideas and approach are strong, even if he doesn’t quite have the ability to carry them out.” – Bill Bruford
30. “I read somewhere that drummers are practically Olympic athletes. I feel pretty good, most of the time. After 38 years, I can’t expect much better than that!” – Michael Bland
31. “What made me want to play drums in the first place was Led Zeppelin and The Who. My parents had their records, and I grew up listening to them with the stereo cranked.” – Joey Jordison
32. “Almost everything I’ve done, I’ve done through my own creativity. I don’t think I ever had to listen to anyone else to learn how to play drums. I wish I could say that for about ten thousand other drummers.” – Buddy Rich
33. “I do like to look at female drummers, because I am one.” – Caroline Corr
34. “I used to be a drummer in a band, and I really loved playing the drums, so I look forward to the right opportunity to do that at some point. Maybe even on TV. Every single live performance I’m doing on TV, I want it to be different and unique.” – Zedd
35. “Drums all have their own particulars – each drum has a place where they sound the best – where they ring out and resonate the best, and the head surface isn’t too loose or too tight, mainly so you get a good rebound off of the head.” – Chad Smith
36. “I can understand why some of these drummers and bass players become cult figures with all of their equipment and the incredible amount of technique they have. But there’s very little that I think satisfies you intellectually or emotionally.” – Ken Burns
37. “I’ve wanted to be a drummer since I was about five years old. I used to play on a bath salt container with wires on the bottom, and on a round coffee tin with a loose wire fixed to it to give a snare drum effect. Plus there were always my Mum’s pots and pans. When I was ten, my Mum bought me a snare drum. My Dad bought me my first full drum kit when I was 15. It was almost prehistoric. Most of it was rust.” – John Bonham
38. “I think it’s important for a young musician to stick with a band for a while and really work with a band and stay focused.” – Mike Portnoy
39. “To me, there was no better drummer than Jeff Porcaro. His musicianship and kindness to me will never be forgotten. Our loss is heaven’s gain.” – Richard Marx
40. “I found very early on that I lacked the ability to be able to play as a timekeeper. I have a really tough time even thinking in those terms.” – Bill Ward
Amazing Drummer Quotes
Do you want to read some amazing drummer quotes as well? Be sure to check these out:
1. “I guess I did make my name out of my drumming, and I have the big drum sets, and I’m doing all these crazy, odd-time signatures, so, yeah, I guess drumming was very important to what made me popular.” – Mike Portnoy
2. “A musician should only sound like what they do, and no two musicians sound the same. It’s an individual-feel thing, you know?” – Dave Grohl
3. “I’m really not into the educational aspect of performing. It’s not in me.” – Dave Lombardo
4. “When I listen to music these days, and I hear Pro Tools and drums that sound like a machine – it kinda sucks the life out of music.” – Dave Grohl
5. “My playing is all about feel. I’m completely self taught: I never took any lessons or anything.” – Joey Kramer
6. “The most important thing is that you honor that musical integrity, whether you make music that sounds like ABBA or you make music that sounds like Void.” – Dave Grohl
7. “I’m a street player, and all of my influences come from bands that I was listening to at the time when I was growing up. I was very impressed with guys like Mitch Mitchell. I liked rock and roll drummers, and I loved rhythm and blues guys like Clyde Stubblefield with James Brown. Man, that band blew me away all of the time.” – Joey Kramer
8. “Dude, I love playing drums, and I love being on stage, and I love recording. It’s my life… it’s been my life, all my life, and I don’t think it could ever become boring for me.” – Dave Lombardo
9. “When Mr. Ludwig invented the bass-drum pedal, that’s what made the drum set possible.” – Neil Peart
10. “It’s good to wander into the studio and walk out with something that’s better than you’d imagined it to be. If everything was as you imagined it to be, it just wouldn’t be as much fun.” – Dave Grohl
11. “A lot of the records you buy, there’s nothing you can hold in your hand, it’s all 1’s and 0’s, this digital cloud floating in the ether. But with analog albums, you can hold it in your hand.” – Dave Grohl
12. “It’s all about the music. For me, that’s truly what I live for. Just music constantly. Always listening to, writing, or playing music. That’s definitely me.” – Tommy Lee
13. “When I was a little kid, I took tap and ballet. I’ve always loved to dance. I’m a rhythm machine.” – Tommy Lee
See also: The 280 Best Dance Captions To Awaken The Dancer In You
14. “It’s so refreshing to just play straight-ahead music with lots of twists.” – Mike Portnoy
15. “I don’t want people to think that I think I’m this great drummer because, to me, I’m just a kid playing drums, and I love music.” – Mike Portnoy
16. “Having that music around us all the time, it was so inspiring. But at the same time, I was a kid. I didn’t pay attention to any of it. I’d get on the drums and hit them a few times, and then go outside and play.” – Sheila E.
17. “That’s how we grew up – kinda like Pops would put his drums, his percussion and instruments into the car and we would just go to a facility in the Bay Area and he would say to us, ‘You think we have it bad? There are people worse off than we are. Let’s go give back to the kids.’ And that’s how we grew up.” – Sheila E.
18. “Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument – learning to do your craft – that’s the most important thing! It’s not about what goes on in a computer!” – Dave Grohl
19. “If you were to ask me, ‘What the hell does a musician have in common with a restaurant?’ I would say a huge amount. It’s show time every day, it’s a team of people, like, running a circus, which is running a rock-and-roll band.” – Mick Fleetwood
20. “I’m not into albums that are meant to sound perfect.” – Dave Grohl
21. “The point in me playing with Prince was to let a lot of people know that I can play trap. I don’t think people know that.” – Sheila E.
22. “Engaging with the audience lets them know I’m approachable. I don’t like that whole, ‘You can’t talk to Sheila E thing’ – I don’t like that.” – Sheila E.
23. “I want to be entertained, so if I want to be entertained, I know if I’m going to play, I want to make sure that you’re entertained and that I’m having a great time. I really do love what I do.” – Sheila E.
24. “Cool things happen. Ace’s guitar flies through space, goes through a hole, and blows up. I throw drumsticks and they come flying at you.” – Peter Criss
25. “I like being in the back. I’ve done that for so many years, I’m really comfortable doing it. I don’t like the solo thing as much as I like playing drums behind someone.” – Sheila E.
26. “There’s poetry in being the band that can sell out Wembley but also makes a record in a garage. I don’t like doing what people expect me to do.” – Dave Grohl
27. “I’m in the gym every day, Monday through Friday. And I train really hard to go out and do a tour. So that, basically, what I’m doing with my trainer is that I train harder in the gym than the amount of energy that I expend on the stage. So by the time I’m ready to go out on the road, doing a show is a whole lot easier.” – Joey Kramer
28. “When you’re recording to analog tape, it captures performance and you can’t necessarily manipulate that in different ways. It is what it is.” – Dave Grohl
29. “Through Kurt I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of music that’s stripped down.” – Dave Grohl
30. “When I listen to the radio, I just hear so much music that doesn’t even sound like people. The vocals are all tuned, and the drums are all fake.” – Dave Grohl
31. “I have been through a lot of ups and downs in life, both personally and professionally, and I discovered over the years that I have a lot of fortitude, and I got that from my dad.” – Joey Kramer
32. “I don’t think there’s such a thing as a ‘best’ drummer.” – Mike Portnoy
33. “The only thing that’s changed for me is that I’ve figured out a new way to do this; when I go to record, I like to do the drums last, if that makes any sense to you.” – Tommy Lee
34. “I surround myself with incredible musicians who inspire me to always do my best.” – Mike Portnoy
35. “If it’s successful and it sounds awesome, and looks killer live, then I guess I can pat myself on the back and take all the credit too.” – Tommy Lee
36. “I taught myself how to play the guitar, I taught myself how to play the drums, and I kind of fake doing both of them. But drumming comes more natural to me, and it just feels better.” – Dave Grohl
37. “When I joined Nirvana, I was the fifth or sixth drummer – I don’t know if they’d ever had a drummer they were totally happy with. And they were strangers. There was never much of a deeper connection outside of the music.” – Dave Grohl
38. “Once the song is done and recorded, I like to go back and then cut the drums, because then I know exactly what the song needs, and what it doesn’t need.” – Tommy Lee
39. “I love playing drums and helping out.” – Mike Portnoy
40. “A lot of people from my generation of music are so focused on playing things correctly or to perfection that they’re stuck in that safe place.” – Dave Grohl
Marvelous Drummer Quotes
Not many people recognize the importance of a drummer in a band. Obviously, we’re not that people! Just keep scrolling to discover a few marvelous quotes on drumming:
1. “I wanted to play drums because I fell in love with the glitter and the lights, but it wasn’t about adulation. It was being up there playing.” – Charlie Watts
2. “Your personal history is a part of what happens with your hands and your head as you play music.” – Dave Grohl
3. “Without the jazz influence, the Black Sabbath drumming would be very different.” – Bill Ward
4. “I don’t use a Beatmap; I don’t use any click track. Any time I count off, it’s just in my heart. Sometimes I’ll go off the feel of a crowd, like if the way they’re bouncing is a little quicker than the song, I might kick up the tempo a little bit. I see where the crowd is at. It’s nothing drastic, but all the tempos are from my internal clock.” – Joey Jordison
5. “I’ve always liked a very dry snare and, like everyone else, a very dry bass drum.” – Nick Mason
6. “First and foremost, play what you love to play. Don’t try to jump on a bandwagon or a trend or a popular musical craze.” – Mike Portnoy
7. “The last thing we would want is for our fans to feel that we’re trying to find the 17th opportunity to sell them the same song.” – Nick Mason
8. “Since my early childhood, I’ve played drums in visuals as well as sound.” – Bill Ward
9. “I’d just like to be remembered as a huge music lover.” – Mike Portnoy
10. “There were a lot of gifted amateurs in my day. Most of the kids now play fantastically well. I think there are so many bands around now who might get there, but it’s a tougher journey.” – Nick Mason
11. “I think you get to a point where you watch something just to enjoy it. I don’t think it’s really done so that you’re supposed to feel, Oh, he’s the most wonderful drummer. I think the whole lot is what’s more enjoyable.” – Charlie Watts
12. “When I was a kid I never learned to play. I actually got in bands through watching people play and copying them.” – Charlie Watts
13. “I’m a visionary drummer and I have been for a long, long, long time.” – Bill Ward
14. “I told people I was a drummer before I even had a set, I was a mental drummer.” – Keith Moon
15. “When you get in a band, you never consider the day it’ll all just stop.” – Stephen Morris
16. “I have been blessed with musical visions and the ability to harness them.” – Bill Ward
17. “Music used to be a more personal thing, and it defined who you were. Now it’s like wallpaper.” – Stephen Morris
18. “If you looked at the sound pattern of an old-fashioned record, it would be very spiky. But nowadays, there’s no spikes – everything looks like a brick, so the quiet bits become louder. It’s actually damaging because it’s like listening to a drill.” – Stephen Morris
19. “I have had an amazing career for a man who hits things for a living.” – Larry Mullen, Jr.
20. “Gene Hoglan is one of my friends, and when I watch him play, I’m blown away; I can’t believe what his body can do.” – Bill Ward
21. “I never had lessons. Used to try to play to records, which I hated doing. Still can’t play to them.” – Charlie Watts
22. “I could be just as happy playing a Beatles song as I am when I’m thrashing out the double bass stuff with Adrenaline Mob.” – Mike Portnoy
23. “People say I play real loud. I don’t, actually. I’m recorded loud and a lot of that is because we have good engineers. Mick knows what a good drum sound is as well, so that’s part of the illusion really. I can’t play loud.” – Charlie Watts
24. “It’s nice when somebody says that you’re their ‘favorite’ drummer.” – Mike Portnoy
25. “It’s been years and years and years I’ve been playing the drums, and they’re still a challenge. I still enjoy using drumsticks and a snare drum.” – Charlie Watts
26. “When you’re in the music business, everything is very personal, because you are invested in everything; there’s a very deep, personal attachment to your music.” – Larry Mullen, Jr.
27. “I made a dollar a day sweeping a laundry out. Then we made a record that was number two in Los Angeles. We got so excited hearing it on the radio that Carl threw up.” – Dennis Wilson
28. “I think that drummers have come a long way, but they haven’t forgotten players like Gene Krupa, or the other jazz players.” – Bill Ward
29. “I love listening to old records. Stuff from the ’70s, even disco and funk records and a lot of early rock albums – what’s great about those recordings is that you can actually hear the true tones of the drums themselves.” – Joey Jordison
30. “The way I play the drums, it’s becoming tougher as I get older.” – Bill Ward
31. “I wanna play hard rock. I wanna play loud drums.” – Bill Ward
32. “I’m blessed with a pretty good voice. So just sitting back there banging on the tubs wasn’t enough.” – Don Henley
33. “We need to be creative, on the cutting edge, challenged, and it’s really hard going. It’s relentless, and we’re relentless, and we have a history of breaking engineers, producers. I mean, people come out of working with U2 and just go, ‘I just don’t know what’s happened; it feels like a lifetime has passed by.’ And that’s just the way we work.” – Larry Mullen, Jr.
34. “On the records that I grew up with and loved, every song was unique – it’s almost as if you had a different journey every time – and the drums were big part of that story.” – Joey Jordison
35. “A great drum record has to sound good; in fact, it should sound special. It should capture the richness and the actual tones of the drums themselves, regardless of who is playing.” – Joey Jordison
36. “I have an open mind, and I try to be critical of none of the bands, even if something’s not to my personal taste. After all, somebody worked really hard on that music.” – Bill Ward
37. “I don’t care what anybody says about Ringo. I cut my rock-n-roll teeth listening to him.” – Don Henley
38. “I have a bad back partially from playing the drums and singing. I used to have to hold my body in such a position that my spine got out of alignment.” – Don Henley
39. “I make a living playing rock n’ roll. I’m not going to complain about anything.” – Taylor Hawkins
40. “That’s where I learned, basically, all my skills from the drumming that I do – most of my style comes straight from death metal.” – Joey Jordison
Fascinating Drumming Quotes
Now let’s have a look at these fascinating drumming quotes and drummer quotes:
1. “The drum records that I like are ones on which the drumming didn’t repeat itself. The players didn’t stick to a format or formula.” – Joey Jordison
2. “In the studio you can auto tune vocals, and with drums, you can put them on a grid and make them perfect. I hate that sound. When someone hands me a record and the drums are perfectly gridded and the vocals are perfectly auto tuned, I throw it out the window. I have no interest in rock music being like that.” – Taylor Hawkins
3. “The quad toms are a completely different animal than the standard drum set/trap kit. Playing wise and stylistically, they are two different beasts.” – Tommy Lee
4. “I don’t care about technique. I have kind of been pigeonholed as a technical drummer since I was in Dream Theater for all those years, but it’s actually very far from the truth.” – Mike Portnoy
5. “Obviously, I like the drums to be heard. I think they’re important.” – Roger Taylor
6. “A lot of young drummers have a tendency to really overplay. Sometimes simple is better, and the notes that aren’t played between the spaces are bigger than the notes that are.” – Vinnie Paul
7. “I wanted to completely honor The REV and pay tribute to him and carry on the legacy that he intended with this record.” – Mike Portnoy
8. “I don’t ever have any bass in my monitors at all; I instead like to lock in with the guitar. I know the bass player has got to be locked in with the drummer, but to me, metal music is about the guitar and drums locking in and operating like a machine together. I played with my brother forever, and we were magically locked in together.” – Vinnie Paul
9. “A lot of times, when a band finds success with a certain style or sound, they have a really hard time breaking away from that to grow as artists.” – Matt Cameron
10. “When you leave the planet, you leave music behind.” – Alex Van Halen
11. “Nobody sets out to make a bad record.” – Alex Van Halen
12. “In my last band, Soundgarden, I had a couple of different drummers sit in on some stuff and it was fun for me to kind of take a break and watch the band.” – Matt Cameron
13. “I guess by taking lessons early on, and really trying to play all the rudimentary stuff, and try to have it sound as good as my teacher. It took a lot of practice, which I enjoyed, and still do.” – Matt Cameron
14. “The drummer is stereotypically the dumb guy. Maybe that’s why I always respect drummers who do more than drum.” – Taylor Hawkins
15. “I’m a rock drummer. I couldn’t sit down and pretend to be a jazz drummer.” – Vinnie Paul
16. “The thing I try to do the most is to play in terms of the song and play in terms of what I’m hearing.” – Jimmy Chamberlin
17. “Legacy above finances; artistry above fame.” – Jimmy Chamberlin
18. “I find that doing the drums last, coming from a drum history, really works well for me.” – Tommy Lee
19. “When I was a kid, I went through a lot of musical phases, and one was when I’d learn everything that The Beatles ever recorded. After I started drums, I fell in love with their music so much that I just wanted to learn everything.” – Eric Carr
20. “But I’ve always liked to be the kind of drummer and musician who likes to go outside of what’s expected of me, and I’ve always been able to do more than you necessarily hear with every band I’ve ever played in.” – Matt Cameron
21. “I just write… if it’s really good, it’s going on the record. If it’s average, it’s going in the trash.” – Tommy Lee
22. “There are numerous different kinds of drum sounds – some are more ambient and roomy and this, that, and the other, the John Bonham kind of thing. Then there’s kinda what I did with Pantera, which was much more attacky, and then with what I did for ‘Blood For Blood’ on the Hellyeah record is kind of a combination of all of that.” – Vinnie Paul
23. “Probably some of the most impressive drumming I’ve done is on the ‘Far Beyond Driven’ record.” – Vinnie Paul
24. “I don’t take breaks, man. In the past, I used to spend my free time getting in trouble, and now I spend it working on my music. If I’m not playing drums with my cover band, Chevy Metal, I’m working on songs for myself.” – Taylor Hawkins
25. “The records that I grew up listening to had feel, and the drummers that inspired me – like Stewart Copeland, Neil Peart, Phil Collins and Roger Taylor – all had their own voice and individual style.” – Taylor Hawkins
26. “The sound levels on stage were so loud with all that constant banging and smash, smash, smash; it did untold damage to the fine nerve endings in the inner ear, though it is worse in the left, which is the side of my snare drum and the monitor.” – Roger Taylor
27. “I always thought if I had a band it would have the energy and feel of early Police, since that’s where my roots are, and then the harmonies of the Eagles, and the technique of King Crimson or something like that. Fast, up-tempo, beat-the-hell-out-of-the-drums, because that’s my style. Energy, but sophistication, rhythmically and melodically.” – Taylor Hawkins
28. “I only started playing piano because I had chickenpox when I was about 14 and wasn’t allowed to play my drums for a whole week… We had a piano in the house, so I just sat down and played that instead.” – Taylor Hawkins
29. “I could have played more complex stuff. I could have been a busier player. But that’s not what I wanted to do. I played what I wanted to play.” – Don Henley
30. “I’ve worked hard, but this business can be tough, and I just consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the career that I have, and to still be having so much fun playing drums and making music.” – Taylor Hawkins
31. “I think the sound that I have had on all the records that I’ve been a part of have been important and special.” – Vinnie Paul
32. “In the Foo Fighters, my main job is to be the drummer, and that’s enough.” – Taylor Hawkins
33. “I know that drummers tend to be the butt of a thousand jokes, usually from the uninformed and untalented, but I always felt I had an important role.” – Roger Taylor
34. “But back then the thing that saved me was the music, and it’s certainly the music that saves me now. The music, my family and my friends and everybody around me.” – Jimmy Chamberlin
35. “I could stand out front and sing Eagles songs that I sing in my set, but I think people enjoy watching me sing and play the drums. It seems to fascinate people. I don’t know why.” – Don Henley
36. “Music is made to be heard, whether you hear it in concert, you hear it on the radio, or you hear it in your car. It’s not for two people to sit in a closet and go, ‘That’s my band, the only band I’ve ever heard, and I’m the only person that’s going to hear it.'” – Vinnie Paul
37. “I’ve been married to music my entire life. I’ve been dedicated to it. I know what it takes to do it. And ever since my brother has been taken from me, I feel like I have to live for both of us.” – Vinnie Paul
38. “It’s always interesting to me that we all hear music differently. It’s an awesome experience to hear what other people hear.” – Tommy Lee
39. “You don’t have to be a great drummer to be the most important guy in the band.” – Mike Portnoy
40. “I am a little deaf now. Without my hearing aids in, I miss a lot of peripheral sounds. I had tinnitus, too, for a while.” – Roger Taylor
Incredible Drummer Quotes
So far we’ve read plenty of quotes that bring unique perspectives on drumming. Let’s continue with this incredible selection:
1. “Drummers shouldn’t just think of themselves as drummers. If you’re going to be a musician, you should expand your horizons, compose things, and work with other instruments.” – Stewart Copeland
2. “There’s the drums, the music, the melodies, the lyrics, the production, the artwork: there are so many elements to making an album, and the drumming is just a very small fraction of what I focus on.” – Mike Portnoy
3. “People ask me all the time, ‘Why don’t don’t you ever do drum clinics?’ And my reply is always that I like playing music; I want to play with a band.” – Vinnie Paul
4. “That’s where I think a lot of these guys today are just, ‘I’m the drummer, man. Check it out. Here’s my lick. I just learned this new drum lick. I’m just gonna blast all over the place.’ It’s like, ‘Man, you’ve got to let the song breathe.'” – Vinnie Paul
5. “You can put me in front of any kit, and it is a fun thing to have to adapt. It inspires me to try different things. I like that.” – Mike Portnoy
6. “I’ve always loved the mixture of crushing live drums with a programmed groove, that really cool blend, like in the verse there’s a really funky drum beat that is programmed then it comes in to the chorus; you’ve got that enormous human feel where the band kicks in.” – Tommy Lee
7. “Some records with drum machines on them sound phony and plastic. It all depends on how you use the tools.” – Don Henley
8. “To me, I always felt like drums have to be the support and the driving factor in a song, and there’s places where the drummer has to show off and do things and get the spotlight, but not all the time. You’ve gotta pick and choose. And it’s always gotta be about the song. That’s really the bottom line.” – Vinnie Paul
9. “The reality is that my style of drumming is largely an athletic undertaking, and it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to… take yourself out of the game.” – Neil Peart
10. “I don’t play beats. I hate playing beats. I’m an orchestration drummer. I’m a musical drummer.” – Bill Ward
11. “I was always quite shy so I became a drummer.” – David Essex
12. “I listened to Buddy Rich a lot, and also to guys like Clive Bunker, the original drummer from Jethro Tull. All these guys had a jazz influence, and they didn’t want to be called rock drummers. They’d get offended. It’s funny.” – Marky Ramone
13. “In my case, it’s hard to be like a simple drummer who doesn’t play all over the place.” – Fab Moretti
14. “I think my playing has been orchestral throughout the years, and this is another way of expressing that. But I primarily see it as the ultimate accomplishment of a musician. Composing makes me feel like I’ve finally gotten all the way up the ladder as a musician.” – Tony Williams
15. “My dad was a drummer and would always have music on around the house.” – Bree Runway
16. “You know, another jazz drummer, Ed Thigpen, who played with Oscar Peterson way back – it was the first time I ever heard rivets in a cymbal. And then I heard that Chico Hamilton had them too, and I went, ‘Oh, that’s it. I’m taking that for my sound.’ And it worked well on ‘Riders On The Storm,’ so that’s one thing.” – John Densmore
17. “It’s the honesty you apply to your playing that makes music enjoyable. The style of the music has little to do with it. It’s only honesty that makes it beautiful.” – Elvin Jones
18. “The golden rule of drums is hands clapping and feet tapping, and when you are in and out of consciousness, you can’t do that to best of your ability.” – Steven Adler
19. “Don’t try to follow any trends, just concentrate on writing great songs and knowing your instrument. All the other stuff will fall into place.” – Steven Adler
20. “Alex Van Halen… I loved his playing because he had so much energy; he made those songs exciting, along with everything else that went with him.” – Vinnie Paul
21. “I’d rather be entertained and go to a show and watch a drummer and have somebody that makes me actually smile. So I don’t judge drummers based on their technical ability; I judge them based on the overall package and what they bring to the music they’re part of.” – Mike Portnoy
22. “Some of [drummers] drop time because they want to hear what you’re doin’.” – Miles Davis
23. “The drummer’s always going to be there. They’re the floor of the whole deal and everyone can stand up on you.” – Ringo Starr
24. “We played nightclubs for seven years solid before we got a record deal, and then ‘Cowboys From Hell’ and ‘Vulgar Display Of Power,’ we toured non-stop four years for those records, and we developed the most brutal, loyal fan base on the face of the earth.” – Vinnie Paul
25. “There’s so much to be said for making your guitar sound like a synthesizer and trying to make your drummer sound like a drum machine.” – Matt Tong
26. “At heart I cannot accept that I am a well-known rock ‘n’ roll star and one of the greatest drummers in the world.” – Keith Moon
27. “Well, everybody’s a drummer, I’ll tell you that right now. Everybody knows what’s right rhythmically for a song, so there were always suggestions flying my way.” – Sam Fogarino
28. “If you mess around with jazz, you better have a good drummer and a good bass player.” – Gunther Schuller
29. “I’m very influenced by jazz drummers. I always liked drummers like Roger Taylor, Keith Moon, Ian Paice, John Densmore. I just learned from playing to those drummers.” – Steven Adler
30. “Tommy Aldridge is the guy that made me wanna play double kick, man.” – Vinnie Paul
31. “I can’t play anywhere near like I used to, and I was a hot drummer. It doesn’t bother me, because frankly, if you get to that point where you can’t hold a drumstick properly, there are many other things in life which are far more important, like cutting a loaf of bread or a piece of cheese.” – Phil Collins
32. “I actually wanted to be a drummer, but I didn’t have any drums.” – Stevie Ray Vaughan
33. “In The Go-Go’s, my philosophy is that I contribute whatever the song requires. I never think, ‘What can I put in here to show off the latest trick that I just picked up?’ What I think is, ‘What’s required from me as a drummer to make this a better song?'” – Gina Schock
34. “When I lost the use of my hi-hat and bass drum legs, I became basically a singer. I was a drummer who did a bit of singing, and then I became a singer who did a bit of percussion.” – Robert Wyatt
35. “Drumming was the only thing I was ever good at.” – John Bonham
36. “That’s the thing that we said about the horn before: it’s a focus issue. It’s like a singer versus a drummer. If a drummer’s playing a drum beat, and a singer starts singing, what do you think the audience is going to do?” – Charlie Hunter
37. “Mainly I was able to perform with music – I played the French horn, I would sing, and I was a drummer in the pipe band. So I think it was a way to show off.” – Ewan McGregor
38. “There’s only one drummer. We all travel to his beat. Well, I couldn’t sing his song. Because for me, it wasn’t a truthful statement. Well, Linda sang it, and it was a monster for her.” – Barry McGuire
39. “I am also a drummer of sorts. I’ve got an electronic set sitting in my bedroom.” – Gary Cole
40. “I had some proper training, but that was only on snare drum. Learning all the techniques in marching bands and realizing how important it is to play tight set a standard for me for when I did get into a band.” – Vinnie Paul
Good Drummer Quotes
Looking for some good drummer quotes? Check these out:
1. “Drummers are conductors – we set the pace for the music – so if you’re not relaxed and feeling right, the whole thing goes out the window.” – Steven Adler
2. “‘Cause I felt I didn’t have anything else to prove as a musician… and boy was I wrong about that one.” – Rick Allen
3. “As a drummer, I always approach things as, ‘I want to play just enough to keep other drummers interested, but not enough to go over the average listener’s head.'” – Vinnie Paul
4. “I’ve always seen my drumming as lyrical anyway.” – Jimmy Chamberlin
5. “You have a natural groove inside of you, but the more you practise, the more comfortable you will be with your instrument.” – Vinnie Paul
6. “Every musician, their goal in life is to play music that people love, and I’ve accomplished my goal. I was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and left that chapter of my life and those people in the past. Good and bad, I’ve loved and am thankful for that chapter.” – Steven Adler
7. “Drumming is like film directing. You build a framework for everyone to create something together.” – James Genn
8. “Seemed to me that drumming was the best way to get close to God.” – Lionel Hampton
9. “Stamina is the force that drives the drumming; it’s not really a sprint.” – Neil Peart
10. “Playing fast around the drums is one thing. But to play music, to play with people for others to listen to, that’s something else. That’s a whole other world.” – Tony Williams
11. “I love being a drummer. Everyone thinks you’re dumb. What they don’t realise is that if it weren’t for you, their band would suck.” – Dave Grohl
12. “For real, some of my favorite music is Mexican. It’s something about the bassline and the drumming. I can’t even speak Spanish, but that’s probably why I like it so much.” – Yelawolf
13. “It’s hard to find five musicians who know what the other is going to do before they do it. And that’s what we had in G’N’R.” – Steven Adler
14. “But unfortunately, in my unrelenting drive to get back on that drum stool, the major casualty in all of it was that I really forgot about me.” – Rick Allen
15. “Loud is a way of life.” – Steven Adler
16. “They’re always saying I’m a capitalistic pig. I suppose I am. But… it’s good for my drumming.” – Keith Moon
17. “We just were a band one day. We woke up and in the morning we were a band.” – The Rev
18. “Going from playing a backroom of a bar to a show for 80,000 people… that’s pretty wild.” – The Rev
19. “I don’t enjoy ‘Dust in the Wind’ as much. But I do enjoy ‘Song for America’, ‘Carry on, Wayward Son’, and many songs – Kansas is really a drummer’s dream to play in. And I like ’em all.” – Phil Ehart
20. “You can make yourself the greatest singer in the world or the best drummer in the world with the aid of technology.” – Dave Grohl
21. “I love being a drummer but I love being a musician in general and I love the Foo fighters.” – Dave Grohl
22. “You know, the irony of all that is that before the accident, I’d pretty much lost interest in playing drums.” – Rick Allen
23. “More than any other drummer, Ringo Starr changed my life. The impact and memory of that band on Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 will never leave me. I can still see Ringo in the back moving that beat with his whole body, his right hand swinging off his sock cymbal while his left hand pounds the snare. He was fantastic, but I think what got to me the most was his smile. I knew he was having the time of his life.” – Max Weinberg
24. “I grabbed my drummer’s cymbal in my teeth just as he crashed down on it with his sticks – I blacked out. I was a punk in those days. It was in Seattle. I still have all my teeth too, it’s amazing.” – Meredith Brooks
25. “We hear so many records these days that are done with click tracks, as opposed to a drummer.” – Wayne Coyne
26. “I can’t think of a more natural experience in my entire life than playing with Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman again. I really learned how to play with them in terms of drumming.” – Reed Mullin
27. “The greatest contribution jazz has made in music has been to replace the role of the conductor with a member of the ensemble who, instead of waving his arms to keep time and convey mood, is an active member of the musical statement. That person is the drummer.” – Elvin Jones
28. “I’ve always liked to be the kind of drummer and musician who likes to go outside of what’s expected of me.” – Matt Cameron
29. “I’ve talked to some drummers who seem to have a very hard time staying in shape on the road, including some drummers touring with high-profile acts that don’t have to live on fast food every night.” – Matt Cameron
30. “March to the beat of your own drummer.” – Henry David Thoreau
31. “Most studios in Memphis had a house set of drums; the drummers just brought their own sticks.” – Steve Cropper
32. “I was a drummer, and I did a little singing too.” – Lou Gramm
33. “Just because you’re not a drummer doesn’t mean you don’t have to keep time.” – Thelonious Monk
34. “But primarily, the drummer’s supposed to sit back there and swing the band.” – Buddy Rich
35. “I think female drummers are great. I think there should be more of them.” – Sean Kinney
36. “Age 10. I joined the school marching band as a drummer.” – Adrian Belew
37. “Buddy Rich was one of the most incredible technicians in the world, on this planet, but the only people he could really impress, who knew what he was doing was another musician or another drummer.” – Dick Dale
38. “I’d just play ’til my hands fell off. My parents would yell at me to stop because they couldn’t stand the noise any more! I was terrible! It must have been hard for them to listen to me as a beginning drummer.” – Randy Castillo
39. “In respect for drummers, see, I love drummers.” – Miles Davis
40. “How do you keep ninety people together with one stick? I’ve got two sticks and I can’t keep five people together.” – Ian Paice
More Fantastic Drummer Quotes
My collection ends with more fantastic drummer quotes. Enjoy!
1. “The drums are demanding and yet he never misses a beat.” ― Jacqueline E. Smith
2. “When I was young, I wanted to do something more low-key, like become a drummer in a rock band.” – Brooke Burke
3. “Once I had defined myself as a compositional drummer, I thought, “Well, I want to be an improvisational drummer.” – Neil Peart
4. “I would like to think that the singer is the butterfly, and the drummer was just the little grub in the ground, working to become a caterpillar.” – Robert Wyatt
5. “Before you can follow your own drummer, you have to hear the drummer.” – Srikumar Rao
6. “The drummer; he inspired me to play like no one else I have ever met.” – Chet Baker
7. “In jazz, you listen to what the bass player is doing and what the drummer is doing, what the pianist and the guitarist is doing, and then you play something that compliments that, so you are thinking simultaneously and thinking ahead.” – David Amram
8. “I try to keep my ear to the streets without sacrificing who I am as an artist. If a song needs a drum machine I’ll use a drum machine. If it needs a drummer, I’ll use a real drummer.” – Teena Marie
9. “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau
10. “If you have a great band with a mediocre drummer, you have a mediocre band. If you have a mediocre band with a great drummer, you have a great band!” – Duke Ellington
11. “Thank God that I had the ability to understand that I had a different beat and that I was a drummer.” – James Brown
12. “It takes a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all.” – Chet Baker
13. “Historically, musicians know what it is like to be outside the norm – walking the high wire without a safety net. Our experience is not so different from those who march to the beat of different drummers.” – Billy Joel
14. “Where I come from we say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get out of rhythm, that’s when we get into trouble.” – Babatunde Olatunji
15. “A drummer is usually like the backbone.” – Brody Dalle
16. “It doesn’t matter what songs we sing. I’m a drummer. Chicks dig me.” – Larry Mullen, Jr.
17. “I think every band is a little cautious when the drummer starts to write tunes.” – Matt Cameron
18. “What’s the last thing a drummer says in a band? ‘Hey guys, why don’t we try one of my songs?'” – Dave Grohl
19. “Certain drummers drop time, and I like to play on top of the beat.” – Miles Davis
20. “I told people I was a drummer before I even had a set, I was a mental drummer.” – Keith Moon
To Wrap It Up
Little by little, you’ve reached the end of the article!
I hope you enjoyed reading my list of 310 drummer quotes and drumming quotes!
Stay tuned for more amazing content.
Until next time!
P.S. Who are your all-time favorite drummers? I know it’s hard to decide, but here are my top 3 drummers: The Rev (James Sullivan), Linda McDonald and Ian Haugland. 🙂 I’m excited to hear from you, so let me know in the comments section below!
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