To take a break from the heavy-duty stuff about quantum mechanics, here is a clip of The Ventures playing the theme from the TV program Hawaii Five-O.
I never get tired of this clip. Apart from the fact that The Ventures are one of the great guitar instrumental groups, this one features not one but two drummers driving the beat. One is their regular drummer but here he is joined by the legendary Max Weinberg.
It is astonishing how the two drummers stay synchronized throughout the complex song, even the drum solo.
Not really astonishing. It is the job of the drummer(s) to keep the rhythm and timing. That is their specialty. I have seen other rock bands with two drummers. Why would you think it would be harder for two drummers to be in sync than say two guitarists, or for that matter, the whole band? Professional musicians are very talented or they wouldn’t be professionals.
Very nice — thanks Mano! I never liked the Ventures’ original studio version of this song. To me it always seemed dull and mechanical compared with the actual theme from the TV show. But this rendition is cool, especially with the video.
Thanks for the clip.
😉
While I enjoy The Venture’s cover, I always liked the CBS Orchestra’s percussion on the original 1968 season opener just a tad more. Now, you’ve got me searching YouTube to download the best audio quality of that version.
I’ve been playing drums for over 50 years. That’s called a drum part. You learn it and can repeat it over and over if need be. It’s no different than learning a piano part or a guitar part. I don’t think people would be surprised if two guitarists could play a part in perfect unison. Why would drums be any different? For that matter, entire orchestras play parts that fit together with precision, and how is that less difficult than two players in unison? I guess if you assume that drummers just play whatever they want, then playing in unison might seem astonishing. Sure, if you had two drummers who were part of a free jazz group, unison playing would be odd, but that’s not what this is. And for the record, what they are playing is not technically difficult. I hear a pretty basic beat with a bunch of single stroke rolls for fills along with a bunch of crashing accents, but that’s about it. In my experience, most listeners don’t really understand what drummers do, so there is a lot of confusion about the instrument and the players. Is it because it is an indefinitely pitched instrument? I don’t know.
re jimf @4: Pretty much what I said at #1. I had another thought: marching bands. Those drummers may number 20-30, and they play in perfect unison as well.
Max Weinberg has been around!
Didn’t he play for the Easy Street Band?
and on Conan?
@5 Johnson catman
Yep. I didn’t think of marching bands, that’s an even better example.
@6 Robbo,
Yes, E Street and Conan. I remember when Dweezil Zappa was a guest on the show and Weinberg’s band played him on with one of Frank’s compositions. I forget which, maybe Peaches En Regalia. Dweezil thanked him and said it was one of his favorite tunes.
Yabbut how many marching-band drummers have -- and use -- a kit of 6 drums and approximately that many cymbals?
re Pierce R. Butler @8:
Amateurs! Check out Neil Peart (RIP).
My siblings played their Ventures record during the 1970s, I have internalised their music as “the good stuff”.
One of my closest friends walked down the aisle to the theme from Hawaii Five-0, so this brought back a very happy occasion, thank you Mano!
Wait… why is Charles Brosnan on lead guitar?