Less Isn’t Always More – An Argument for Overplaying

A very popular piece of musical advice often given to drummers is LESS IS MORE.  After all my years of playing I still contemplate how to apply this advice. Many criticize Joey Jordison’s over-the-top style with the nu metal band Slipknot. Others criticize Charlie Watts for his simple backbeats with the classic rockers The Rolling Stones. Does playing many notes make you self-indulgent and playing fewer notes indicate a lack of talent? How does a drummer draw the line between overplaying and underplaying?

By definition, overplaying is drumming that distracts the listener from the song’s main focus. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve complex playing. It usually happens when a drummer is only playing to entertain him or herself without making a connection with the music. Underplaying is drumming so simply with so few risks that there is too little excitement created for the listener. 

Many drummers practically worship Steve Gadd’s complicated march-like groove in the verse of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover“.  Few sing the praises of his very minimalistic approach to the chorus of the song.  Here’s a YouTube link if you’re unfamiliar with 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Is the verse self-indulgent and does the chorus suck? Silly questions I know, but as drummers we’re constantly faced with choosing the right number of notes. Obviously, and as usual, Steve got it right. This is why Steve Gadd is one of my favorite players because he beautifully balances song support with drumming excitement.

This is going to sound like a strange source for musical advice, but recently I stumbled across a quote by Alex Weldon, a player of the ancient Chinese boardgame Go. His advice relates to taking risks in that game, but it’s applicable to approaching a drum part too. It really solved the puzzle of underplaying versus overplaying the drums for me. I have slightly paraphrased his words:

You don’t learn much by underplaying; you just lose the game and you’re not sure why. Overplaying is instructive. When you get punished you learn something. You’ll never find the line between the two if you’re always playing under it. If you overplay constantly, your overplaying will get smaller and smaller as you learn until you find yourself playing right on the fine line of “good playing”, or at least close to it.

So now the question is “what is good playing?” I believe that good playing is anything that makes the song more exciting and inviting to the listener. Charlie Watts creates excitement with his down-home grooves and respect for the lineage of blues/rock/R&B styles. His authenticity and regard for space makes The Rolling Stones exciting to listen to. Joey Jordison creates excitement by cleverly weaving many notes with the dense nu metal guitar style of his band; sometimes following, sometimes leading the guitar riffs. His energetic and theatrical approach makes Slipknot an exciting band too, but in a much different way. Is one approach better than the other? No. You may like these two bands or not, but they both are similar in the fact that they are exciting and draw in their listeners.

I chose these two diametrically opposed players because many have accused these guys of either being drum gods or totally sucking. Often it’s because of their respective “more” or “less” style of drumming. Regardless of your taste in music, the question to ask is how did the drummer make the music exciting? If you approach a song with the less is more attitude you risk being boring and/or cliche. By taking musical risks with a “more” attitude (the Stones were considered a risky band in their heyday) you are much more likely to find a unique connection with the listener rather than playing “less” because it’s safe.

The famous architect Ludwig van der Rohe is credited with “less is more” saying. In essence it means that a bold artistic statement can be made with simplicity. I think a little revision to that statement could help many young drummers; “less can be more”. Simplicity is just one of many tools in the musical toolbox, but simplicity is not the answer to every musical question. It’s OK to go for it when the music calls for complexity or more notes, but understand that choosing to play fewer notes just in the right place can be just as difficult as playing blazing fast notes around the kit.

Greatness is creating a deep emotional response in the listener through music. There is no right or wrong way of doing this, but it usually involves taking risks and creating unique musical statements. Often, being unique garners the most negative attention at first. Ever notice that each generation’s new style of music is despised by the previous generation? “That’s not REAL music” has been said by classical fans about  jazz. Jazzers said it about rock and rollers. Rockers said it about rap. On and on it will go!

Ludwig van der Rohe has another quote which I believe is more applicable to making music: God is in the details. He was actually known for making complicated, intricate architecture. Hardly a “less is more” approach! I don’t necessarily take God is in the details as a religous statement, but instead that creating a “divine” experience through great art involves a great amount of attention to detail. Drummers need to always contemplete whether each note played will draw the listener into the music. The definition of a “more” attitude is not the number of notes played, but rather, the intensity with which the listener is invited into an enjoyable musical experience.