Pneuma — in classical antiquity the Greek word for “breath.” It is the spirit of vitality, your soul, your rhythm of life on this magnificent planet and your part of creative force on it and in it.
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Some of you may or may not know that I was a very serious percussionist/drummer growing up. During high school marching band and concert band I had one particular drummer that was my all-time idol: Neil Peart of Rush. In the late 1970’s and into the 1990’s he was considered by many “The Lord of the Skins.” Being a slight band-nerd I was always obsessed by his phenomenal syncopation, time signatures, and super clean precision. Neil never failed to astonish me.
When the American HS football season was over our band director let me take home all the percussion instruments that I wanted. Naturally, I tried to setup my drum kit just like Neil Peart’s setup—some 15 different pieces, four-six cymbals, double-bass drums, high-hat, and I mean the entire setup! Down stairs in my house’s playroom, my band members would leave their 5-ft Peavey amps and I’d take my Pioneer stereo turntable, cassette-player, and amp-mixer, and plug my stereo into their big-ass speakers. Let me tell you, the entire neighborhood some 2-3 blocks in radius KNEW I was cranking it up and jamming HARD for a few hours! I’d perspire so much trying to mimic Neil Peart’s drumming that I’d eventually lose my drumsticks; they’d go flying across the room because of my sweaty hands. I had to setup a little electrical fan on top of my bass drum blowing on me JUST to decrease all my perspiration with towels nearby! I freakin’ LOVED IT!!! I’d reach such natural highs of drumming euphoria that it became a drug for me for two years until I graduated my senior year.
A bit later another unbelievable drummer came along named Danny Carey, of the band Tool. I’d always known about Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, another fantastically talented drummer, but for me Neil Peart and Danny Carey were the ultimate two drummers with many more after them. With these two genius percussionists, I always had a serious, utterly exhausting drum workout of 2-4 hours, non-stop. I couldn’t get enough. Why? My brain, my DNA of circadian rhythms, syncopation, sophisticated time-signatures just craved and fed my nervous system, my beating soul, and my insatiable desire to reach the realm of the Drumming Gods!
Here’s what I mean. I can so relate to Mike Portnoy’s grief and fear that he could not nail precisely Danny Carey’s extraordinary drumming set to Tool’s song, Pneuma. It is an incredibly sophisticated, mathematical equation that requires unprecedented hand-feet coordination to all the changing time-signatures! Watch as one of rock music’s Hall of Fame drummers (Portnoy) TRIES to figure out Danny Carey’s genius on the skins.
I’ve really missed these sort of workouts on my big drum kit. It meant a ton to me and reenergized, reinvigorated me every single time I do a Neil Peart or Danny Carey drum-jam. GOD what a rush, what a high!
I wonder if I will ever get a chance to do it again? I really hope so. Geezz, this bangs hard and sweet I can’t even talk coherently right now! I am such a drumming nerd. 🤦♂️
Now, here’s Danny Carey playing the same set to Tool’s “Pneuma.” Enjoy it to the drummer’s max! 😁
Live Well – Love Much – Laugh Often – Learn Always – Jam!
The Professor’s Convatorium © 2023 by Professor Taboo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
The Professor's Convatorium 
Danny Carey I see is a great drummer, I cannot get over how many drums and symbols he has. Reminds me of a mate of mine who was like yourself a drummer who set up his basic drum set in his tiny bedroom and used to hammer out his idolic Ginger Baker routines much to the neighborhoods protests.
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Carey is a mass of talent, a genius on the kit! Take it from me Sklyjd, the amount of brain-power, physical memory and syncopation of those “polyrhythms” he does with basically four SEPARATE limbs connected to his complex circadian brain… OMFG!!! 😳 He blows me, my brain, and my drumsticks into oblivion! 😄
Fortunately, growing up then we had a split-level house and our playroom was downstairs next to the 2-car garage. About 30 yards separated us from our next door neighbors. That was absolutely the ONLY reason the Dallas Police weren’t called out when I had everything cranked up and beating the crap outta whatever I could hit! 🤭😉
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Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, featuring Animal on drums, is one of my alltime favourite bands. Their version ofJungle Boogie is cool, and Bohemian Rhapdody is priceless!
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I couldn’t make a drumbeat if I tried. And I tried!
But answer me one thing, please, PT. Have drumsticks gotten longer since the 60s? I watched Danny Carey do his thing, and those drumsticks look at least 6″ longer than anything I ever held.
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Yes rawgod, drumsticks are—at least in this genre of music—a bit longer and thicker. Danny Carey has his own signature sticks: Length = 16.5 inches, Diameter = .695 inches (.630 at the shaft). The reason Carey has them this way is twofold:
It definitely works for Danny, doesn’t it? 😁
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Certainly does.
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Before your time, I had favorite drummers, not pertinent here, but rock drummers were often referred to as “heartbeat drummers” as beats obviously affect us physiologically and beats at heart rates and multiples of heartrates were especially effective, or so I was told.
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Oh Steve, Steve, Steve! YES! The drummer’s heartbeat is a huge part of it for the sake of creativity. However, the “multiple heartrates” you speak of is almost on the sweet spot, as drummers call it. But here’s the intricate cadences…
The primary time-signatures of Pneuma are 12/8, 11/8, 10/8 and you can set your metronome to the 16’s. 😁
GOD I so get off on this rhythm sh*t! 😵💫😍
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All the band members of Tool are incredibly talented, but Danny Carey especially. They don’t release new music too often unfortunately.
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Have you seen those street drummers on YouTube, from a few pots and tins they are clever with crude equipment to make music, maybe the next Danny Carey is there?
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Ooooo! Yes, so true! Have you ever seen the touring live percussionist called STOMP? That is incredible and precisely what you speak about!
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I remember trying to learn this type of misdirected signature and it is as mind fucking as I’ve ever experienced.
He pulled it off though—I don’t think my brain could do it.
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It is indeed a mind-fuck Jim. I guess that’s why I am so fascinated by its rhythms & mathematical signatures. I am SO a drumming nerd and DIG this sh*t! 🤭😵
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I did have an 11 pc Ludwig (blonde maple) and played gigs into my 20’s. Haven’t played a kit in years but it’s always still in my head.
This is the type of rhythm that makes the most advanced fill seem like rookie stuff.
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