And you know what? He DOESN'T make it look easy. He DOESN'T make it look effortless. Look at his face. You can see how fast the wheels in his head are turning. There's another level of immersion and concentration here. This is truly amazing. Even when in front of a crowd, he pushes himself to his absolute limit, constantly on the brink of making a mistake. However, his inhuman mental control prevents him from actually making them. As far as I'm aware, Matt Garstka is at the current peak of human drumming skill, and he's constantly pushing it up further. He doesn't play blazingly fast, even though he is perfectly capable. He doesn't play flashy, or with obnoxious stick tricks and whatnot. Even though, he is *probably* capable to do so, as I feel is safe to assume. He is well aware that other drummers attract audiences of much wider demographics by playing pseudo-skill styles such as fast, flashy, etc. but he doesn't. He takes the time to actually advance modern drumming in a way that no other living human being is doing right now, and that is simply enchanting. Matt Garstka is the best drummer alive today. No questions asked. EDIT: This video is solid proof that metronomes play to Matt Garstka.
Just to play devil’s advocate, garstka makes those drumming struggling doodoo faces no matter what he plays. I’ve seen him play the most basic 4/4 basic beginner beat and make those faces. Those faces are him just into the music. And it’s not like garstka doesn’t make mistakes I’ve seen and heard him make mistakes with animals and at drum festivals and clinics but he does push the boundary and pushes himself on stage which is what I respect. He freestyles everything and never plans much. He might work on concepts and ideas but solo sections in animals and drum solos at clinics he totally goes off the top of the dome and that is SOOOO HARD to do for as long as he does and make it sound smooth and have good transitions that all fit the puzzle. He plays the same songs with animals every night with the same solo sections and I’ve never seen him play the same solo twice. His ideas are endless.
Lol, I thought the same thing the first time he played a steady beat on the hi-hats for a few seconds. I've always liked how creative a drummer can get with the hats but never enjoyed the way they sounded. So the sound of these hats jumped out immediately & surprised me. But then again, I've always really liked the sound of a lot of Matt's cymbals, particularly the dryness of some of them along with how amazingly crisp they are.
One of the things I look for in a drummer is the ability to create new things live. Many drummers outside of jazz have a good library of tricks they piece together when they solo in front of people, but when they screw up, they try to jump back where they left off. For example, Tony Royster Jr WHEN HE WAS 12 played at the MD festival. As bad-ass as he was, he was just stringing together grooves & shticks. Granted, he did it much better than I ever have :) The great drummers take their screw ups, and use em to build something new in front of the audience. Chambers, Weckl, Colaiuta, Coleman, Smith (and way too many to list) do this, which means every performance ends up being different. Most of Matt's clinic videos show him doing this, and even if he didn't blaze, I'd respect the hell out of him for it. You get the sense he's making most of it up as he goes along. Dude's got a long career in front of him...
Mac Ton I agree, and I tried to say that when I typed "WHEN HE WAS 12" in caps. It's true: TRJr invents things live. I confess I still like Coleman/Weckl (etc) better, but that's just my opinion, and I wouldn't try to convince anyone my favs are better than theirs in this respect
10:25 - 10:33 took over 2 hrs just to figure out and write down the whole thing. He's playing the hihat on the second 8th-note triplet of every quarter note (at tempo 1/4 notes 100bpm) at the end, also the bell of the cymbal is on the second triplet at the first beat of 10:28 and later on, which is almost on the beat, which makes it really distracting.
Great quality recording. Also Garstka is an absolute monster. Them meinls along with that tama starclassic BB hyperdrive kit and tama bell brass snare sounds like heaven to my ears. I have this exact same kit same sizes different finish and it’s the best kit everrrrr.
How is it even possible to be so incredibly click tight, especially when playing all those super fast rudiments and solo stuff, I'm completely baffled by Matts talent. It has always been very hard for me to play click tight and it's one of those things I've been practicing the most over the last few years, but this is just mind blowing.
+Minasyan Grant Hi there. Mark's full session video from PASIC is live right now at PAS.org! If you log in to your account and go to the video library, you'll be able to view the full video.
At like 9:45 with that opening a closing of the hats it's actually is like he's playing with the click as you would play to a song! It's fucking awesome
this dude puts colaiuta to shame. to disrespect to vinnie but these new cats (myself included) are taking all the oldschool guys stuff and taking it to a whole different dimension.
Nice to hear that you are taking Vinnie to school. You must be one the A-list top live and studio performers today. What's your name again? Ah. Yeah. Rex Ross. Never heard of you, and probably never will. I met so many guys like you in LA. Very awesome and highly technical...mouths.
theone1 that snare is a tama bell brass so it’s def gonna have some ring but to my ears it sounds perfect, I don’t like super dried up snares. I think this snare sound is the perfect balance.
+Nicholas Stanfield I think my issue is maybe that his solos often sound like practise exercises as opposed to pieces of music. Maybe I'm just not a good enough drummer....
+Nicholas Stanfield you'll probably find yourself in the minority, and it's a valid place to be - different strokes for different folks! I find Garstka a lot like Colaiuta, *especially* in the solo department, and it's because of this that I love his solo stuff. Garstka is pushing boundaries much like Colaiuta did, and he's really raising the bar in terms of tuplets and metric modulation, even though Colaiuta was doing a similar thing 30+ years ago. These guys are exactly as you describe - not necessarily "musical" and quite inacessible, but incredible nevertheless.
There are many drummers that blow my mind with their skill, but do little for me musically. I still enjoy watching them though. Hoping if I watch enough I might learn something!
Yah, but I don't think these solos are meant for musicality sake. If you just take one of the thousands of ideas presented in these solos, then you have your musicality. :)
Nicholas Stanfield it's more of a demonstration than a solo. this is mostly subdivisions which isn't very musical. I like hearing the tonality of the drums and cymbals personally.
And you know what? He DOESN'T make it look easy. He DOESN'T make it look effortless.
Look at his face. You can see how fast the wheels in his head are turning. There's another level of immersion and concentration here.
This is truly amazing. Even when in front of a crowd, he pushes himself to his absolute limit, constantly on the brink of making a mistake. However, his inhuman mental control prevents him from actually making them. As far as I'm aware, Matt Garstka is at the current peak of human drumming skill, and he's constantly pushing it up further. He doesn't play blazingly fast, even though he is perfectly capable. He doesn't play flashy, or with obnoxious stick tricks and whatnot. Even though, he is *probably* capable to do so, as I feel is safe to assume. He is well aware that other drummers attract audiences of much wider demographics by playing pseudo-skill styles such as fast, flashy, etc. but he doesn't. He takes the time to actually advance modern drumming in a way that no other living human being is doing right now, and that is simply enchanting.
Matt Garstka is the best drummer alive today. No questions asked.
EDIT: This video is solid proof that metronomes play to Matt Garstka.
Just to play devil’s advocate, garstka makes those drumming struggling doodoo faces no matter what he plays. I’ve seen him play the most basic 4/4 basic beginner beat and make those faces. Those faces are him just into the music. And it’s not like garstka doesn’t make mistakes I’ve seen and heard him make mistakes with animals and at drum festivals and clinics but he does push the boundary and pushes himself on stage which is what I respect. He freestyles everything and never plans much. He might work on concepts and ideas but solo sections in animals and drum solos at clinics he totally goes off the top of the dome and that is SOOOO HARD to do for as long as he does and make it sound smooth and have good transitions that all fit the puzzle. He plays the same songs with animals every night with the same solo sections and I’ve never seen him play the same solo twice. His ideas are endless.
100%
I would say he plays blazing fast tho 😎
That's the first time i've ever teared up from how good a pair of hi-hats sound.
Keegan Paluso , I would have to agree on how good these hats sound.
Lol, I thought the same thing the first time he played a steady beat on the hi-hats for a few seconds. I've always liked how creative a drummer can get with the hats but never enjoyed the way they sounded. So the sound of these hats jumped out immediately & surprised me. But then again, I've always really liked the sound of a lot of Matt's cymbals, particularly the dryness of some of them along with how amazingly crisp they are.
NO OTHER drummer can blow my mind like this guy these days, he just got it all, total perfection right there
danny carey and matt are my favorite drummers ever
Not perfection, rather taste ! :D
Unreal player man. He never disappoints
There are a lot of good things happening here. Those toms sound like the toms in my dreams.
Guys, remember that he is playing this solo to a 50 bpm click-track
I'm amazed at how much creativity he can pump out in one sitting. Phenomenal. This is probably the best 16 minutes on RUclips.
Where's the "Woo!" man in this one?
lol
+Ryan Aloof 8:42
I gotchu
+Ryan Aloof Matt's the "Woo-Man" at 7:32.
+Ryan R
10:10
12:23 where's the "Woo!" man when you need him the most??
One of the things I look for in a drummer is the ability to create new things live. Many drummers outside of jazz have a good library of tricks they piece together when they solo in front of people, but when they screw up, they try to jump back where they left off. For example, Tony Royster Jr WHEN HE WAS 12 played at the MD festival. As bad-ass as he was, he was just stringing together grooves & shticks. Granted, he did it much better than I ever have :)
The great drummers take their screw ups, and use em to build something new in front of the audience. Chambers, Weckl, Colaiuta, Coleman, Smith (and way too many to list) do this, which means every performance ends up being different.
Most of Matt's clinic videos show him doing this, and even if he didn't blaze, I'd respect the hell out of him for it. You get the sense he's making most of it up as he goes along. Dude's got a long career in front of him...
Mac Ton I agree, and I tried to say that when I typed "WHEN HE WAS 12" in caps. It's true: TRJr invents things live.
I confess I still like Coleman/Weckl (etc) better, but that's just my opinion, and I wouldn't try to convince anyone my favs are better than theirs in this respect
I really want matt to read comments like this one
the first few bars of that shuffle!?!?! oh my god!!! Matt is definitely 1 of Theeeee best in the business, absolutely fantastic drummer.
10:25 - 10:33 took over 2 hrs just to figure out and write down the whole thing. He's playing the hihat on the second 8th-note triplet of every quarter note (at tempo 1/4 notes 100bpm) at the end, also the bell of the cymbal is on the second triplet at the first beat of 10:28 and later on, which is almost on the beat, which makes it really distracting.
They got those drums tuned perfectly...I mean damn!
Keith Moore except the bass drum has an annoying boing to it.
Great quality recording. Also Garstka is an absolute monster. Them meinls along with that tama starclassic BB hyperdrive kit and tama bell brass snare sounds like heaven to my ears. I have this exact same kit same sizes different finish and it’s the best kit everrrrr.
feels like im attending berklee just by studying matt :)
How is it even possible to be so incredibly click tight, especially when playing all those super fast rudiments and solo stuff, I'm completely baffled by Matts talent. It has always been very hard for me to play click tight and it's one of those things I've been practicing the most over the last few years, but this is just mind blowing.
Tama bell brass
amazing snare
and amazing DRUMMER. MATT GARSTKA IS MONSTER.
That snare is like being struck by lightning and liking it
Well its bronze though. The SLP line, so actually a quite inexpensive model! Sadly discontinued
That deserved a standing ovation - astonishing superhuman drumming!
Who the fuck would dislike this?
A deaf guy!
nenissaK A PASIC pitch 😂👌
My word! Like the guys is insane
I loooove this guy! What an inspiration.....
These drums sound amazing
he is rapidly changing subdivisions and using metric modulation along with a bunch of other sick stuffs
What about Anika Nilles video? Share it on youtube please..
The more I watch this guy the more I like him, how long has he been around? and who does he play for?
Animals as Leaders
Hello guys. Can anyone tell me what model of snare and hit hat matt is playing?
amazing foot work
what about Mark Colenburg video?
+Minasyan Grant Hi there. Mark's full session video from PASIC is live right now at PAS.org! If you log in to your account and go to the video library, you'll be able to view the full video.
That cymbal choke @ 11:45 is beyond.
ALIEN Garstka!
Master
And that´s how it does a drum solo !
At like 9:45 with that opening a closing of the hats it's actually is like he's playing with the click as you would play to a song! It's fucking awesome
Idolooo
Superb
Un capo.!!
that bass drum sounds like a bass guitar fucking sick
1:07 playing incredible good the drums and checking email on the phone
TAMA BELL BRASS SNARE?
Every time he looks to his left it looks like he checking his text messages.
rob mulryan Ha, kinda! I think he's checking his notebook though
Sounds like Colaiuta early days
this dude puts colaiuta to shame. to disrespect to vinnie but these new cats (myself included) are taking all the oldschool guys stuff and taking it to a whole different dimension.
EXACTLY!
Nice to hear that you are taking Vinnie to school. You must be one the A-list top live and studio performers today. What's your name again? Ah. Yeah. Rex Ross. Never heard of you, and probably never will. I met so many guys like you in LA. Very awesome and highly technical...mouths.
Praise the lord for the 0.50-button. This might take a while.
Yo puedo llegar a este nivel.
reminds me of a video titled ghajana patri satish kumar
I would like this in a backing track to slappa ledorian spankies oo
Amazing video but...cAn someone dry that snare up please
theone1 that snare is a tama bell brass so it’s def gonna have some ring but to my ears it sounds perfect, I don’t like super dried up snares. I think this snare sound is the perfect balance.
8:47 took me about an hour to figure out what happened there :D had to write it down
8:43 I bet he starts to smile there either because of the "woo"-man or because of that 8:47 part, he's like "oh maan I'm crazy"
OMG, seeing PASIC15 scared the hell outta me.
Thought it was an update for a new strain of COVID19.
whis is so many woo man?
That snare is tuned to perfection. I'm not a girl and the cymbals and hihat sound made me wet.
Forearms for days
ohhh listen at 9:11
not quite my tempo
I'm seeing a lot of AAL Matt Garstka influences here
I love Matt, but I hope to god that Tama stops being the trendy thing to do soon. I can't stand watching the wobbly hardware.
Sounds like this guy copies from animals as leaders band. Cery similar stuff... hmmm
Guyin Apocket he is the drummer of aal
I love you matt but that kit looks like someone ate a bunch glitter washed it down with beer and then puked all over the shells.
It's the reflection of the lighting on the kit that gives it that glittery illusion
+NewYorkRush Yeah I know that, I'm just not a fan of the color.
That's funny u mentioned alcohol cause the actua finish is called champagne sparkle. Haha.
thats actually funny as fuck
Those cymbals sound like so much garbage. That they were struck with ridiculous skill was their only redeeming quality.
The drums sound superb, however. I can only wish for my toms to sound so pure.
Johnbobon hey man everyone's got preference. i for one love the way meinl cymbals sound
Johnbobon the hi hat is the only cymbal that sounds good
I'm sad to say I just don't "get" this. Amazing player, but I find his solo stuff very un-musical and difficult to listen to.
+Nicholas Stanfield I think my issue is maybe that his solos often sound like practise exercises as opposed to pieces of music. Maybe I'm just not a good enough drummer....
+Nicholas Stanfield you'll probably find yourself in the minority, and it's a valid place to be - different strokes for different folks! I find Garstka a lot like Colaiuta, *especially* in the solo department, and it's because of this that I love his solo stuff. Garstka is pushing boundaries much like Colaiuta did, and he's really raising the bar in terms of tuplets and metric modulation, even though Colaiuta was doing a similar thing 30+ years ago. These guys are exactly as you describe - not necessarily "musical" and quite inacessible, but incredible nevertheless.
There are many drummers that blow my mind with their skill, but do little for me musically. I still enjoy watching them though. Hoping if I watch enough I might learn something!
Yah, but I don't think these solos are meant for musicality sake. If you just take one of the thousands of ideas presented in these solos, then you have your musicality. :)
Nicholas Stanfield it's more of a demonstration than a solo. this is mostly subdivisions which isn't very musical. I like hearing the tonality of the drums and cymbals personally.