For anyone wondering, the "quote" he's referring to at @4:04; it's part of the main phrase of Chick Corea's song "Spain" (Thus the title, "Chick's Pain") If you hear that song, around the 2 min mark you'll get that phrase being played on the keys and some vocals layered after.
I don't like people passing this off as having a gift or being a genius alone, this is years of practice, muscle memory, and a SHIT TON of creativity. That does not come naturally. Larnell worked his ass off to get this far and it shows.
If you compare a talented person who worked hard for 2 years with a not so much talented one who worked the same amount of time and with the same intensity as the talented one, it is most likely the talented one will be more successful and will have more impressive results. This guy probably practiced and studied a lot, but he might be very talented, too.
as a music teacher, some people have it and some dont... unfortunate truth... but yeah certain people do have it easier cause of alot of other factors besides hard work... but yes hard work is the main factor
@@sholynphotoworks Surely willingness to learn is the "have it" - I don't believe in natural talent, just pure love of the craft and learning and practise.
@@reallyjoereally4781 I have learned literally "thousands" of songs on guitar, many by just watching other players and copying them, but the songs that stick in my memory and stay over the coarse of years are the ones I've taken the time to learn by reading and transcribing them. Suffice it to say, I've forgotten more then I've written, LoL
Yep especially when he knows he absolutely nailed it at the end. And hey, he's put in a ton of work to be a master. So he is probably happy enough with the way everyone in the studio reacted to that take. He deserves all the recognition.
Drumeo should be contacting me soon for my instalment in this series. Its called ... "James listens to a song 1,000 times and gets it kind of close but not really"
Wait...this is your song?! Dude thank you for your amazing creativity and talents. This song has gotten me through some tough moments in life. Easily in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. It's just so expressive and freeing. Thank you a million times over!
The first time I listened to Snarky's "we like it here" recording, I thought it must have taken Larnell weeks to learn the songs. When I found out he learned them on the way to the session it just blew me away..what a drummer!
Yeah, me too. I thought they were rehearsing the material for months, and when I watched the dvd and they said they had 4 days to rehearse my mind was blown away.
This is the video that, like, REALLY got me into music. I got a drum set because of this video, and since then i haven't looked back. it's been so much fun, even if i'm never going to be as talented as this man
This title is misleading lol. He heard a song twice, composed a drum part on the fly, and recorded it in one take. What he did is even more impressive than the title implies
This is true. However, what’s the best RUclips title that will gain traction that he can use to encompass some of his brilliance? The title he chose haha 😊😂 But you are very correct that is does not begin to describe the depth of his brilliance.
I keep coming back to this video over and over again. And every single time I'm utterly astounded by what I'm watching. It's impossible to overstate just how fucking impressive this is. I'm not sure how this level of talent exists.
When you hear someone complaining about people charging a lot of money to do a job that takes them little time. This is the perfect video to show them.
They still won't be able to get it. They'll just assume it's a normal thing how the guy learns it so quickly and will still complain about the same thing.
This is insane. I've been a musician for almost 30 years of my life, and I've never seen anything like this. Man, I'd pay a lot to be able to just sit down with this man for 3 hours in a studio and chat, play some stuff, and learn.
i mean there's a fair chance it was a session drummer who played over this track and had to do exactly the same thing. you gotta be a tight player to make an income as a session player
It's been three years and I still think about this video all of the time. His musicianship is insane, just so high above anything even most pros could do.
Yeah? Just like he fixed his headphone @ 7:32 and can do some next level shit like that while keeping that groove and intentionally make it seem like that 1 second pause belonged there and get back in the rhythm and beat? Larnell's a beast! FENOMENAL! Next level CLUTCH FINESSE; take it from a drummer like myself, been playing almost 20 years I've heard of him for years but recently just started following...wowww, his ability to adapt so quickly to the songs he just hears first time is mindblowing, he's done these types of videos plenty of times for a long time 👏🙇♂️🪄
When he said he was going to learn the song by ear, I wasn't expecting this. Now I realize that I've never met a true professional musician in my life after seeing this guy.
@@off2tims962 occams razor, he would be attaching his name to an ability he doesn't actually have so when he shows up to sessions and he cant play songs by ear nobody would call him back for gigs. He's a professional musician that wants to make his living off it so nobody's gonna jeopardize their reputation like that, the more likely case is he's just a pro
This, in my opinion, is the mark of a mature, skilled and experienced musician. He doesn't try to "overplay" the music but rather slides right in and compliments all of the instruments. When it's the right time, you hear the drums "speak up". Mr. Lewis is such a versatile musician and a humble guy. Love his style.
Exactly this is what really good drumming is about. So many drummers try to compliment their skills by overplaying which can lead to impressive drum performance but actually really poor music performances.
There's a lot of things to appreciate about Larnell's playing, but I think his understanding of when a song wants to open up and when it wants to stay tight is truly admirable. When he's in that groove, he *IN THERE*
Agreed. Man it's so good..I have watched this video 5-6 times now and still can't get over it. This isnt really the style of music I go for but it's just too good.
lol your comment made me realize something. I also thought "Hey, that's a really cool quote! I'mma memorize that one". The irony in that :D I should also write it down or else I'm not really taking it to heart.
I had to stop watching enter sandman vid because i knew as a drummer he wanted more, i had to come to this video. RUclips suggested the enter sandman vid first
Even after seeing the more recent ones with other (very good) drummers, it's always impressive how easy Larnell makes it look. Everyone else looks like they're concentrating and trying hard to hit all the right notes, but even in the most complex parts, he's calm and collected and barely seems to notice that his hands are just over there doing their thing. Sometimes it even looks like he's surprised when he looks over at a hit and his hands are already doing it I also really enjoy his rare ability to actually play quietly when needed
@@IncognitoSprax I just don't get why everyone includes the "r/" Just saying "woosh" on its own communicates its meaning just as well, and doesn't come across as so pretentious
All musicians know this is a classic cop out for when you were too stupid to understand how to read music. Yes we can learn by ear, but when it comes to piano at least, it's much easier to learn from the score. Drums is the opposite, easier to learn by ear.
He BREATHES along with the music while listening. Amazing to watch his process. And then the way he accentuates the soloists without getting in the way. Genius is too light
When I read the video title and saw that he was going to learn the song just by listening to it, I assumed that meant he was going to listen to the drums in the song and memorize the beat... This dude just made up an entire drum part without ever having heard any drums, that's next level!
It's not THAT next level, he basically wrote down a sparknotes of the song and improv'd to it. The title says he HEARD the song once, but he actually listened twice and wrote down notes. There are people who listen to a song for the first time while improv-ing drums to it and nail it. To me, that's more impressive.
Just amazing to hear what he chooses NOT to play. He obviously is capable of doing so much more... but the first thing he realizes, is where the other bandmembers have a "time to shine" and he then lets hell break loose at 9:30... His time to shine. Such an incredible thing to watch.
Until you run into a person that has that thing called a photographic memory. I've known two people that have that, and it's impressive. Valentina Lisitsa (concert pianist) has a photographic memory. and I don't know her Larnell is amazing to say the least. I
@@rajbow1 I can't stop watching her, spellbinding. Also, so happy to have found Larnell Lewis, he is extraordinary. The way he dissects a song to learn it so quickly and so well, a very organized thinker.
I don't play drums... There's no reason I'm here... I'm fuckin blown away. Watched the whole thing, for no reason, I'm I'm so glad. This guy is so cool!
There is a reason why other drummers even real big name guys love him so much. His combination of technique and skill is incredible. He never seems to be showing off, he serves the music as needed. One of my too 3 favorite drummers and an incredibly nice person as well.
check out mario duplantier hes a metal drummer but his first genra of music he learned was jazz wich really influenced is metal drumming and hes a machine one of my favorite drummer
What's incredible to me is, not just that he was able to play along, but he had the right style of drums to accentuate what the other instruments were doing for their solos and each part. He knows when to fade to the back, and when to take over. And he's super likeable too.
"The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory". Not only can he play the tastiest licks but spit bars as well? What can't this man do. Absolute legend and inspiration.
Yep. All newbies should start with Neil Peart's Humungus revolving stage set up....a must have starter kit for every beginner's living room. The neighbours will THANK you too, when you bash the giant gongs hard at 2am ! Hey, your comment was truly witty ;-)
Starting at 9:39 I have no idea how he catches the snare so often and In rhythm along with all those ghost notes. Larnell never ceases to amaze my mere mortal mind.
Organiser: Hey Larnell, we need a drummer to substitute in one band Larnell: Sure, when is the show? Organiser: It's next Friday at 6PM Larnell: Ok. I'll be there at 5:55PM Organiser: Wait, what about the rehearsal? Larnell: About what?
8:35-836 is just insane, out of this world. All notes sounded the same way doing a perfect and smooth ghost snare roll. Holy shit, that's some serious stuff. I love him.
Obviously, one of the reasons why he learns music so fast as a drummer is that he understands music theory and structure so well. This is really important for a drummer. As a guitarist I have played with quite some drummers and a few did not really understand melody. That makes it much more difficult to communicate about how you want to play a song together.
I'm a guitarist. I was once trying out for a band and the drummer was telling me I should be able to guess which chord came next in a song I had never heard, based on the previous chords.
RRIGHT!!! He thinks in playing for the Music.. Understanding the theory of what makes good music,and working within the structure of a group .. Will take you farther than practicing rudiments until you die...
Impressive! I love his admission of being just a bit nervous- he is comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's an important part of learning anything, no matter how accomplished one might be. I just wish we could hear this live and Larnell-propelled.
Larnell: [hits final note] “So, that was my first and only take .....”. Everyone: WTF???? You had me blown away at SugarFoot Moffett doing “Smooth Criminal,” but this right here???? This right here is stunning.
I say no to comparisons honestly. Larnell Lewis is more developed as a modern musician who has lived through the life of a nomadic jazz drummer, constantly touring with snarky and doing solo work, gigs and all that. Sugah has insane essentials and is very good in keeping time, being a good entertainer on stage with his back crashes which is kind of a novelty about him. He's the definition of a very firm, "solid" player. Everything about him gives a solid presence, a strong aura, like a fighter whose feet are planted on the ground, an immovable mountain. Very little extra in his playing, so that when there is detail, or little extra it stands out and sounds meaningful. But jazz tends to be very extravagant and always about sophisticating things without missing the point of it all which is to express oneself and set a tone. Their playings are two of many different styles of drumming showcased with expertise.
Wait a minute, he learned the drums WITHOUT hearing the drums??? I was waiting for it to start but after a while i realized there wouldn’t be any, wtf that was really impressive.
Reproducing the drum part without hearing it would be impossible. He was improvising, which is only somewhat impressive to me since all he was remembering were the beats.
@@david203 I'm sorry but he complemented that masterfully. Only at the very end there was a little part where he overtook the music playing, but damn, the way he manages to keep up with what's being played and to complement it in such a way on his first take. Amazing.
@@LaZieGoblin I recall seeing a young boy in a TV documentary who could hear complex music, then immediately play a fairly rich version of it on the piano. That is far more impressive then the analysis that Larnell goes through. Of course, such comparisons are relative, and I don't mean to say that Larnell is not to be admired for his fast recognition and memory of music tempos.
Nicholas Stanfield - YES! His playing is amazing, but his commentary is amazinger 😉. This gentleman is a born teacher. I became an instant fan a minute after he started talking, then the playing...fantastic
It’s not just that Larnell composed a drum part in 2 listens. It’s that every single hit he played accentuated the voice of the instrument he was playing for. It’s like he was there in the live session playing off the rest of the band. Unreal.
man, this is one of the most mindblowing things I've seen a drummer do. Totally killed that track, sounded like he played the track for the 100th time.
Totally agree!! Check out this exercise Larnell Lewis taught me about making singles, doubles and paradiddles all sound the same ruclips.net/video/AfhmbZC771Y/видео.html
Maybe for me it's like this. How to do this like Larnell Lewis: Step 1, you can't. hahahaha man I was expecting him to listen a song with a lot of drum patterns.
This may seem like a one in a million-genius-thing, and he IS fantastic, but this is what pro's do; it's a training thing. There are stories of composers finding one wrong note in a full orchestra-section where every instrument plays individual lines; it's training. I know singers who can pretty much do this with complicated music (sometimes atonal) and orchestras often have no problem sight-reading difficult music in a first read-through. It's all about training, practice and diligence. Listening for patterns, harmonies, counting bars or beats.. it's what trained musicians do! Well done, Mr Lewis!!
Seeing the amount of time these types of players put into honing their craft doesn't mean that anyone can put in that kind of time and get the same result. There's a correlation but it's not the cause. I think it's easy to misunderstand this because we so often see that people who are gifted with something also tend to spend most of their time focusing on that gift (why wouldn't they?) but the mistake is thinking that the gift came from the time they put into it.
@Dylan I'Anson-Yount With all due respect, that's delusional. Work as hard as you want, you will never be as great a composer as BACH or as virtuosic a pianist as LISZT. I get that this is the message we've been hearing our whole lives but it's simply not true, hard work won't get you to these kinds of levels, there's also talent and that's not taught or earnt.
@@lerigoureux6474 So your contention here is that every individual who achieved something extraordinary was "born with it?" How do you know how hard Bach worked or what he started off with? You seem to be working backwards from the conclusion that he was a genius, rather than offering any proof. And how could you possibly DISPROVE that he was NOT a genius?
I think the message here is that anyone can become GREAT at something through hard work, however to be the BEST of the best, not only do you need hard work, you also need to have some kind of natural cognitive and physical skill over your craft.
@@artistryartistry7239 You can't prove the opposite either so that specific point that you're making has got no bottom line, why bother ? I won't convince you and you won't convince me either. I feel like you're trying to comfort yourself but, believe it or not, you will never be as great a composer as BACH because you don't have his natural talent nor have you worked as hard as him, it may not be something one could prove but *we all know that it's a fact* , all of us but your ego.
Even if you can never be 'as good as Larnell', I'm sure you could learn to play his lines with enough practice. Years ago it would take me months to learn a new song, but now I can pick it up a lot faster and usually sound better after one night than I ever did before.
Azihayya FR‼️if you put yourself in the position to WANT IT more than Larnell, it can absolutely be done in a faster timeframe, but if you don’t want to work as hard n put in the time for the results then 9 times out of 10 you will NOT be the musician you aspire to be, you choose💯.
I have no trouble believing he never heard it before because the guy who composed it is like a pretty underground keyboard player from Quebec (Mathieu Fiset). Really talented guy.
wait so he didn't memorize a drum set. he heard a tune without a drum set, then created his own, on the first try. thats better than the actual title. WTF DUDE IS DRUM GOD
Actually, memorising a pre-existing beat would be harder for a jazz musician than making one up. When you make one up, all you need to memorise is the form, vibe, and hits (if there are any). When you memorise pre-existing parts, you have to memorise every little detail in the score and recreate it.
Oh, so that’s what a professional musician looks like.
Dunkaroos no, that’s what a GODLIKE musician looks like
Other professionals want to be like him. A musicians musician if you will.
@@BeardMan01 he's a little beyond professional haha
Yes yes and more yes.
Luckily you don't have to be this good to be a professional musician.
I was expecting him to hear a song WITH drums, this dude doesn't joke around
Lmao, same lol
Lol that’s funny I was thinking the same thing
Same, and again, i know nothing about drums but they fascinate me. Dude is badass.
Same here dude hahahaha
Fábio Silva he has the drum part we just didn’t hear it
“The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory” that’s sick haha
Awesome, when did he say that?
ryyanedit after the first complete listen through, when he said that he thought he should listen again and take some notes.
augsdoggs 5:45
The original saying is “The faintest ink is better than the strongest memory”.
...my favorite quote so far in 2020 :)
For anyone wondering, the "quote" he's referring to at @4:04; it's part of the main phrase of Chick Corea's song "Spain" (Thus the title, "Chick's Pain")
If you hear that song, around the 2 min mark you'll get that phrase being played on the keys and some vocals layered after.
thank you
This whole song is a quote
Thanks mate, now i have to go check out "Spain"...
@alipourkhesalian6259 I wish I could hear spain for the first time again you lucky man
the tune is also called "Chicks Pain" But is referring to the words "Chick Spain" lol
I don't like people passing this off as having a gift or being a genius alone, this is years of practice, muscle memory, and a SHIT TON of creativity. That does not come naturally. Larnell worked his ass off to get this far and it shows.
Mostly right, he obviously also has a SHIT TON of natural talent. Not saying you are wrong.
If you compare a talented person who worked hard for 2 years with a not so much talented one who worked the same amount of time and with the same intensity as the talented one, it is most likely the talented one will be more successful and will have more impressive results. This guy probably practiced and studied a lot, but he might be very talented, too.
as a music teacher, some people have it and some dont... unfortunate truth... but yeah certain people do have it easier cause of alot of other factors besides hard work... but yes hard work is the main factor
@@sholynphotoworks Surely willingness to learn is the "have it" - I don't believe in natural talent, just pure love of the craft and learning and practise.
creativity kinda does tho
Sessions are time and time is money. You pay this guy his price and he shows up and delivers. No waste, no fuss; a true professional.
Amen to that.
Exactly
better get a drum machine instead
@@Lucait thats killing opportunity for drummers
James dunn i was provocative
My expectations were absurdly high yet he still managed to exceed them.
The saying is actually "A blunt pencil is better than a sharp memory" - in our profession as journalists, this is a golden rule. :-)
@@reallyjoereally4781 I have learned literally "thousands" of songs on guitar, many by just watching other players and copying them, but the songs that stick in my memory and stay over the coarse of years are the ones I've taken the time to learn by reading and transcribing them. Suffice it to say, I've forgotten more then I've written, LoL
he's such a humble and likable guy. no ego, no bravado, just true musicianship.
There was a little bravado but when you play like that it's more than warranted
Yep especially when he knows he absolutely nailed it at the end. And hey, he's put in a ton of work to be a master. So he is probably happy enough with the way everyone in the studio reacted to that take. He deserves all the recognition.
@@davidmanchester8978 hell yea he’s bin playing since he was 2 😂
oh he's got an ego lol, not unwarranted though
There’s just so much musicianship that it doesn’t leave any space for the rest.
Drumeo should be contacting me soon for my instalment in this series. Its called ... "James listens to a song 1,000 times and gets it kind of close but not really"
Hahaha. :)
😂
Can I come? I might need an extra 1k if that’s cool., see you in 5 years brother! 😂
Hahaha ahah
Story of my life.. Nearly there but not fully.
I can imagine Larnell just sitting in a quiet plane and you hear: "uh.. yeah... uh uh.... oh alright"
Lmao 😂 😂
😂😂
😂😂
he literaly did that for the recording of "we like it here"
And when it lands he builds the engine out of memory..
"I hope you learnt a lot from it"
I learnt that I absolutely suck, thanks
Lol🤣🤣🤣
hahahaha
I learned that I can cry myself to sleep. LOL.
XD
🤣🤣🤣🤣
4 YEARS AGO ?!? Damn...this video changed my life ! Thank you Drumeo and Larnell !! :D
Dang. That was a great track, congrats
@@hundredfireify thank you !
Wait...this is your song?! Dude thank you for your amazing creativity and talents. This song has gotten me through some tough moments in life. Easily in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. It's just so expressive and freeing. Thank you a million times over!
Just added this track on spotify love this type of fusion
@@DoobieFergusonoh waw this is really making me feel better now thank you :)
I came here a drummer and left here someone who wants to learn how to be a drummer
🤣
ROFLMFAO!!
Most under-rated comment here!
Same😂
Hope you gotta an empty room!
“I THINK I’m ready to GIVE IT A TRY”
Proceeds to make a masterpiece
i know right!
do masters produce anything short of a master's piece?
😂😂😂 right!!!
Exactamente viejo 😂😂😂😮
Amazing drumming, I would of liked a litte more a Latin flare to it.
The first time I listened to Snarky's "we like it here" recording, I thought it must have taken Larnell weeks to learn the songs. When I found out he learned them on the way to the session it just blew me away..what a drummer!
Learning them on the plane is such a legendary story!
Yeah, me too. I thought they were rehearsing the material for months, and when I watched the dvd and they said they had 4 days to rehearse my mind was blown away.
SmartyThePants I’ve never seen a comment reflect someone’s user name more perfectly.
I didnt know that! Good gawd
Where did you hear that?. I'd be curious to listen to the interview
My god. Not only was this the best one take this show has ever done, but the part could have easily passed as the final recorded version of the song.
Next Up: Larnell Lewis Plays a song perfectly before hearing it
Caleb Winegardner sounds like a fun challenge!
Lmao
That would be witchcraft
After that: Larnell Lewis plays a song perfectly before it is composed.
Final video: Larnell Lewis Plays a song without playing!!
Even the shoe laces were like “I can’t handle this anymore”.
Think my jaw looked about the same .
ha! nice catch
Lol
Loooool
I would’ve inevitably saw them and stopped the recording because that would’ve driven me to madness
Remember that he is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. He understands the whole thing, not just the drums. That helps a lot.
Hes just good thats what helps
The best drummers know everything about a song
Just like Lars for Enter Sandman
This doesn’t help my instant depression and low self worth after watching this 😏
Yeah Thanks a lot for your lovely and support❤️❤️.if you feel like Chat me up private drop your email or cell number
This is the video that, like, REALLY got me into music. I got a drum set because of this video, and since then i haven't looked back. it's been so much fun, even if i'm never going to be as talented as this man
Wow!!! Thank you for sharing that! I'm glad that I was able to inspire you to join the Drum fam!!!!! 🙏🏿🙏🏿
Learn your fundamentals. It's so hard to undo bad habits later on.
@@screwju-ice100% agree
@@LarnellLewisMusicyou're a legend
That was crazy!!!!@
My drummer watched this. Now he’s a cameraman
Lol
Better for him
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Aha Ahahaha lol
This title is misleading lol. He heard a song twice, composed a drum part on the fly, and recorded it in one take. What he did is even more impressive than the title implies
No word of a lie, it's "holy crap" level good
I just listened to the original w/drum part and Lewis did miles better!!!
This is true. However, what’s the best RUclips title that will gain traction that he can use to encompass some of his brilliance? The title he chose haha 😊😂 But you are very correct that is does not begin to describe the depth of his brilliance.
I keep coming back to this video over and over again. And every single time I'm utterly astounded by what I'm watching. It's impossible to overstate just how fucking impressive this is. I'm not sure how this level of talent exists.
I thought he was just gonna hear it and then play it. What he did was something much more impressive however.
When you hear someone complaining about people charging a lot of money to do a job that takes them little time. This is the perfect video to show them.
Soooo tru
They still won't be able to get it. They'll just assume it's a normal thing how the guy learns it so quickly and will still complain about the same thing.
Exactly, it’s how long it took him to get to the point in which he make this, this quickly
quality over quantity!
FACT!!!
This is insane. I've been a musician for almost 30 years of my life, and I've never seen anything like this. Man, I'd pay a lot to be able to just sit down with this man for 3 hours in a studio and chat, play some stuff, and learn.
as a bassist, this is the kinda drummer we all wanna hold a groove with
yessir
yes please
You can't carry a groove if you don't have a pocket!
Yeah. The bassist was killing it.
Yea
Imagine being the drummer who actually played on this recording and hearing this.
James Bayford can we make that happen?!?! @drumeo
i mean there's a fair chance it was a session drummer who played over this track and had to do exactly the same thing. you gotta be a tight player to make an income as a session player
Ahahahha good though
"we decided, we're not going with your take, no hard feelings"
"I spent half a year just trying to figure out what the keyboardist is doing, this guy undid all this work in one listen, one take."
I cant even remember what my mom told me to buy at the supermarket
🤣😂🤣👍✌
That's why he wrote it down lol. Shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory
@@drftr6073 nearly forgot he did that eh
A loaf of bread. A container of milk. A stick of butter.
I can't remember what I had for breakfast and it's 10:00am.
It's been three years and I still think about this video all of the time. His musicianship is insane, just so high above anything even most pros could do.
Same thing. And I've never played any kind of music at all.
The only flaw in this was that his shoe was untied. I'm surprised he didn't tie it while playing. I'm sure he could have.
He did that on purpose to make sure you were truly paying attention to how to learn songs quicker
Reminds me of that one time BB King breaks a string and keeps playing.
He sure could tie his shoe and miss no beats. He fixes his earbuds a couple times and it somehow makes a ghost note when he does it 😂
Yeah? Just like he fixed his headphone @ 7:32 and can do some next level shit like that while keeping that groove and intentionally make it seem like that 1 second pause belonged there and get back in the rhythm and beat? Larnell's a beast! FENOMENAL! Next level CLUTCH FINESSE; take it from a drummer like myself, been playing almost 20 years
I've heard of him for years but recently just started following...wowww, his ability to adapt so quickly to the songs he just hears first time is mindblowing, he's done these types of videos plenty of times for a long time 👏🙇♂️🪄
@@scottythebody that's what I said! Yes!
When he said he was going to learn the song by ear, I wasn't expecting this. Now I realize that I've never met a true professional musician in my life after seeing this guy.
Behdad47 how do you know if he hasn’t practiced this off camera? He could of played this for months and we won’t know
Off2Tims nahh
@@off2tims962 imma take his word for it
@@off2tims962 occams razor, he would be attaching his name to an ability he doesn't actually have so when he shows up to sessions and he cant play songs by ear nobody would call him back for gigs. He's a professional musician that wants to make his living off it so nobody's gonna jeopardize their reputation like that, the more likely case is he's just a pro
Check out Lingus by Snarky Puppy, simply astounding musicianship going down there.
This, in my opinion, is the mark of a mature, skilled and experienced musician. He doesn't try to "overplay" the music but rather slides right in and compliments all of the instruments. When it's the right time, you hear the drums "speak up". Mr. Lewis is such a versatile musician and a humble guy. Love his style.
I agree
Yeah when he said "We went right into a solo, so I have to watch my activity" I nearly creamed.
Exactly this is what really good drumming is about. So many drummers try to compliment their skills by overplaying which can lead to impressive drum performance but actually really poor music performances.
Great comment 🎯💯
There's a lot of things to appreciate about Larnell's playing, but I think his understanding of when a song wants to open up and when it wants to stay tight is truly admirable. When he's in that groove, he *IN THERE*
The pocket
Agreed. Man it's so good..I have watched this video 5-6 times now and still can't get over it. This isnt really the style of music I go for but it's just too good.
"the shortest pencil, is longer than the longest memory"
I'm actually writing this right now so I never forget. Thank you, mate.
Try just remembering it.
What is a memory?
lol your comment made me realize something. I also thought "Hey, that's a really cool quote! I'mma memorize that one". The irony in that :D I should also write it down or else I'm not really taking it to heart.
Tell that to all the oral traditions where the written word has been destroyed thousands of years ago
@@MT-qt3mk I don't remember.
He made some quote about memory and pencils being shorter. I dunno what exactly, I didn't write it down.
pencil memory is shorter than longest shortest, i guess
*rimshot*
@@EnDeRBeaT “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory”
all these people completely missing the joke
EnDeRBeaT not really sure as well but i think it’s “longest pencil memory is the shortest” or something like that.. maybe
That was incredible.
After watching this, you realize how elementary Enter Sandman must have seemed.
I had to stop watching enter sandman vid because i knew as a drummer he wanted more, i had to come to this video. RUclips suggested the enter sandman vid first
@Darth Citharae Popular does not always = best.
I really wish he didn't hear the drum track in that video and made one up like this one
@Darth Citharae ...after hearing it for the first time and then playing it. And it was hardly a mess up - overall, he played the song better.
@@RobertoPavan loooooove Metallica, but yes, there are parts he played better than Larse.
Even after seeing the more recent ones with other (very good) drummers, it's always impressive how easy Larnell makes it look. Everyone else looks like they're concentrating and trying hard to hit all the right notes, but even in the most complex parts, he's calm and collected and barely seems to notice that his hands are just over there doing their thing. Sometimes it even looks like he's surprised when he looks over at a hit and his hands are already doing it
I also really enjoy his rare ability to actually play quietly when needed
Your last paragraph nails it! That bass solo section is itself a master class on dynamic control and complimenting the sololist.
This was just a clever way to get him to lay the drums down for your track, no charge...
"no charge" do you have a reason to think he wasn't paid for being there?
@@Zach-h2l r/woooooooooosh
It was just a joke man...lighten up...
@@TheAcenightcreeper Yikes this whoosh meme has long overstayed its welcome
@@mrbouncelol Wrong. Woosh was a thing before reddit existed and it'll be a thing after reddit is gone
@@IncognitoSprax I just don't get why everyone includes the "r/"
Just saying "woosh" on its own communicates its meaning just as well, and doesn't come across as so pretentious
As someone who learns everything by ear, this is insanely impressive and inspirational!
🤘
Yeah i do this. As i never learned reading music, my way is to learn music by ear. I also write any kind of music also orchestral music that way..
@ not funny
All musicians know this is a classic cop out for when you were too stupid to understand how to read music. Yes we can learn by ear, but when it comes to piano at least, it's much easier to learn from the score. Drums is the opposite, easier to learn by ear.
@@LilHaseProductions how can you make spaghetti if you cant read the recipe in Italian?
I still can't believe I shouted "great job" at him at a show once and he said "thanks" to me.
Props to him for not just saying "I know"
and you got it right. Its his job. Being a professional musician is very different from aspiring amateur. For pros it really is just a job.
Hes Canadian, we say thanks a lot lol.
Lol that was nice of him.
What a well mannered young man.
Legendary
"So, it was my first and only take, I hope you enjoyed" - OH YES I DID! That was outstanding performance, Larnell definitely has the chops!
His ability to master any song so quickly is just astounding to me. What a drummer!
Agreed, and so humble and down to earth. His entire approach is calming and soothing, even when he is frenetically nailing a passage. Butter smooth.
He is a next-level musician!
Totally agree. What a dream player.......
He doesn't master a song, he mastered drumming.
Definitely can tell he's not just a player, he's a musician.
Real musicians always sing !
David Espinosa real singers always sing 🙅🏽♂️
Larnell: "Oh, the time signature is π/13? Yeah I can do that."
Larnell: *listens to Enter Sandman* "oh so it's 1,2,3,4? Yeah.......... I can do that."
Comment of the year 😂
@@GlennDavey The only thing that Lars and Larnell share in common is Lar......nothing more.
@@MrWilander88 lmao dude
Exactly 🤣🤣🤣
He BREATHES along with the music while listening. Amazing to watch his process. And then the way he accentuates the soloists without getting in the way. Genius is too light
When I read the video title and saw that he was going to learn the song just by listening to it, I assumed that meant he was going to listen to the drums in the song and memorize the beat...
This dude just made up an entire drum part without ever having heard any drums, that's next level!
Hahahaha same here...when he was listening to it without drums I was like....”what am I missing here?” 🧐
Carlos Salazar i honestly thought the same thing and i thought would be better to be honest..
It's not THAT next level, he basically wrote down a sparknotes of the song and improv'd to it. The title says he HEARD the song once, but he actually listened twice and wrote down notes. There are people who listen to a song for the first time while improv-ing drums to it and nail it. To me, that's more impressive.
lmao “I mean, I could memorize and play all the drums in that song too....”
@@mrastleysghost Can you do it????
This man inspired me to stop playing the drums.
Yo🤣🤣🤣
Lmaooo
😂😂😭
Me too.
Lmfaooo
The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.
That’s deep
Wrote that one down. Excellent idea.
Did you come up with that? It's great. Oh OK I just heard him say it!! I should watch the video before reading the comments!
Love that
I don’t get it?
Just amazing to hear what he chooses NOT to play. He obviously is capable of doing so much more... but the first thing he realizes, is where the other bandmembers have a "time to shine" and he then lets hell break loose at 9:30... His time to shine. Such an incredible thing to watch.
"the shortest pencil, is longer than the longest memory"
Holy shit well said
Just dropping nuggets of wisdom as offhand comments
I'm using that at work tomorrow.
Until you run into a person that has that thing called a photographic memory. I've known two people that have that, and it's impressive.
Valentina Lisitsa (concert pianist) has a photographic memory. and I don't know her
Larnell is amazing to say the least.
I
@@50gary thank you for introducing valentina lisitsa 👍
@@rajbow1 I can't stop watching her, spellbinding. Also, so happy to have found Larnell Lewis, he is extraordinary. The way he dissects a song to learn it so quickly and so well, a very organized thinker.
I don't play drums... There's no reason I'm here... I'm fuckin blown away. Watched the whole thing, for no reason, I'm I'm so glad. This guy is so cool!
Listen snarky puppy's we like it here
Start playing :)
He's a one-in-a-million drummer.
One in a billion*
One in a billion*
So there are 1500 other drummers like him? I fucking doubt that very much
Maveric Joe you’re right, there’s more like 5 others like him
He's one of a kind buddy
This dude... so humble, then proceeds to DESTROY ANY DOUBTS he is a BEAST!!!!
There is a reason why other drummers even real big name guys love him so much. His combination of technique and skill is incredible. He never seems to be showing off, he serves the music as needed. One of my too 3 favorite drummers and an incredibly nice person as well.
max donches 🙏🏿🙏🏿 Thank you for your kind words.
check out mario duplantier hes a metal drummer but his first genra of music he learned was jazz wich really influenced is metal drumming and hes a machine one of my favorite drummer
@@LarnellLewisMusic You are awesome man! Thanks for spreading your creativity and passion! Much love
@@LarnellLewisMusic That was fantastic! Thank you for sharing your process.
So who are the other 2!
"Exactly my tempo"
-J.K. Simmons
Terrence Fletcher*
Quite not my t... my bad, forget it !
Were you rushing or were you dragging? Neither, you were f*cking nailing it!
finally
@@ivurivurivur Damien Chazelle
What's incredible to me is, not just that he was able to play along, but he had the right style of drums to accentuate what the other instruments were doing for their solos and each part. He knows when to fade to the back, and when to take over. And he's super likeable too.
And cute
The way he quieted down on the bass solo then went louder on the outro
@@vXn-vXn Yes! And how he played more toms to fill the lower end because bass was playing in a higher register
@@vXn-vXnLike, Dude!
Exactly! It's the nuance after the first time that's extremely impressive.
“I’m a little nervous but that’s alright, that means I’m going to be more focused.” Great attitude to have, I’m going to try to remember that.
"The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory". Not only can he play the tastiest licks but spit bars as well? What can't this man do. Absolute legend and inspiration.
You forgot air piano skills as well 😂 though likely he could play it too
I know this is an old post but I believe the phrase is "the faintest pencil is greater than the strongest memory."
@@simongail8428 I googled the above and found it also, maybe there are multiple ways of phrasing it
@@simongail8428cheers that makes a bit more sense
I’ve never played drums, but after watching this I realized how easy it is. So I’m ordering the best drum kit there is!
well good luck there bro lol
Who's gonna tell him? 😅
Absolutely, this is a future investment. It'll make it a worthwhile for your future grandkids.
Yep. All newbies should start with Neil Peart's Humungus revolving stage set up....a must have starter kit for every beginner's living room. The neighbours will THANK you too, when you bash the giant gongs hard at 2am !
Hey, your comment was truly witty ;-)
That's exactly how I started and now I'm the studio drummer for over 20 internationally successful bands including Clark Kent and Mike Tyson.
He did all that with a shoelace untied. Like what planet is this guy from.
I dont know what to say anymore
My OCD would've caused me to spontaneously combust
lol!!
now imagine if he had tied his shoelace tho
🤣
Starting at 9:39 I have no idea how he catches the snare so often and In rhythm along with all those ghost notes. Larnell never ceases to amaze my mere mortal mind.
Unbelievable. I'm glad he chose our planet to perform music. He's definitely out of this world.
4:37 This man even clears his throat on time.
HAHAHAHAHA
I came looking for this comment, was not disappointed
La cagó jajajajaja
🤣🤣🤣
*wheezing*
Organiser: Hey Larnell, we need a drummer to substitute in one band
Larnell: Sure, when is the show?
Organiser: It's next Friday at 6PM
Larnell: Ok. I'll be there at 5:55PM
Organiser: Wait, what about the rehearsal?
Larnell: About what?
We're talking bout practice.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@cconnors he's like Allen Iverson, he dont do practices
@@cconnors We’re not talking about 7hr plane rides to learn the album. We’re talking about practice.
@@cleech74 Not the gig! Not the gig I go out and die for, but practice. Like how silly is that?
8:35-836 is just insane, out of this world. All notes sounded the same way doing a perfect and smooth ghost snare roll. Holy shit, that's some serious stuff. I love him.
I bought a drumkit for my grandson because of this video. I'm 19
Underrated comment
Noiice
You're 19 and you have a grandson?!
@@markdecker6190 It's for future purposes. His family makes it their heirloom.
Let the more modern guys handle this one.
and he better start exercising tomorrow !
This man is a legend.
No amount of chops is more important than ear training!
🤘
Holy shit this is incredible. The man was clearly born to play drums, what an ear for music, unbelievable talent and a pleasure to listen to.
These guy needs a regular series with him learning songs he never heard and off the cuff drum composition
First song: Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater. See how many time signature changes he can catch on the first listen.
@@joelcastro-reyes1667 Great song though!
Obviously, one of the reasons why he learns music so fast as a drummer is that he understands music theory and structure so well. This is really important for a drummer. As a guitarist I have played with quite some drummers and a few did not really understand melody. That makes it much more difficult to communicate about how you want to play a song together.
I'm a guitarist. I was once trying out for a band and the drummer was telling me I should be able to guess which chord came next in a song I had never heard, based on the previous chords.
RRIGHT!!! He thinks in playing for the Music.. Understanding the theory of what makes good music,and working within the structure of a group .. Will take you farther than practicing rudiments until you die...
I was like “why can’t I hear the drums on track” and then I realized he was composing the drum parts lmao
It took me the 2nd time watching the video to even realize that, I thought the drum would start at some point 🤣
Yeah I just ran back to the Snarky Puppy record like "oh he MADE UP the drums, holy crap"
Thought I was going deaf.
Lmao I was thinking this dude has super hearing to go along with the talent
Impressive! I love his admission of being just a bit nervous- he is comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's an important part of learning anything, no matter how accomplished one might be. I just wish we could hear this live and Larnell-propelled.
This man is really playing the best drumming I've ever heard and his shoelaces aren't even tied
Shoelaces were tied when he started drumming. They came undone while he was playing 😂
There are people who claim they can’t play the drums with loose shoe laces.
Larnell; hold my beer.
Went back and skimmed thru just to watch the trials and tribulations of that shoelace... 😂
6:31
You think that's edited? It's actually him distorting the very fabric of reality
underrated comment
lmfao
LMAO 😂😂😂😂
🤣
LMAAAO
I always have to pick my jaw up off the floor after watching a Larnell Lewis video.
You could imagine us in the studio after he learned this song so fast right in front of us. He's a master!
Can we just all appreciate how lucky we are to be able to witness something like this, without technology we wouldn’t be able to see such wonders. Man
I was high af when I wrote that
Larnell: [hits final note] “So, that was my first and only take .....”.
Everyone: WTF????
You had me blown away at SugarFoot Moffett doing “Smooth Criminal,” but this right here???? This right here is stunning.
SugarFoot is beast
I say no to comparisons honestly. Larnell Lewis is more developed as a modern musician who has lived through the life of a nomadic jazz drummer, constantly touring with snarky and doing solo work, gigs and all that. Sugah has insane essentials and is very good in keeping time, being a good entertainer on stage with his back crashes which is kind of a novelty about him. He's the definition of a very firm, "solid" player. Everything about him gives a solid presence, a strong aura, like a fighter whose feet are planted on the ground, an immovable mountain. Very little extra in his playing, so that when there is detail, or little extra it stands out and sounds meaningful. But jazz tends to be very extravagant and always about sophisticating things without missing the point of it all which is to express oneself and set a tone. Their playings are two of many different styles of drumming showcased with expertise.
sugarfoot's timing is amazing tho
Katt Williams lol
Anyone: "Hi, we're looking for a-"
Larnell: "Yeah, I can play that."
"Yeah I can play that while also cooking a dinner for four"
Funny
Really Thanks a lot for your lovely and support❤️❤️.if you feel like Chat me up private drop your email or cell number
He doesn’t audition for bands, the bands audition for him
@@larnelllewis2866 bruv come on, you ain’t foolin shit
Wait a minute, he learned the drums WITHOUT hearing the drums??? I was waiting for it to start but after a while i realized there wouldn’t be any, wtf that was really impressive.
He didn't learn the drum part he wrote it.
Reproducing the drum part without hearing it would be impossible. He was improvising, which is only somewhat impressive to me since all he was remembering were the beats.
@@david203 I'm sorry but he complemented that masterfully. Only at the very end there was a little part where he overtook the music playing, but damn, the way he manages to keep up with what's being played and to complement it in such a way on his first take. Amazing.
@@LaZieGoblin I recall seeing a young boy in a TV documentary who could hear complex music, then immediately play a fairly rich version of it on the piano. That is far more impressive then the analysis that Larnell goes through. Of course, such comparisons are relative, and I don't mean to say that Larnell is not to be admired for his fast recognition and memory of music tempos.
@@david203 '' only somewhat impressive'' bruh have you heard this guy play anything??
this has to be added to the 'hearing songs for the first time' playlist so that more people get to hear this absolute masterpiece, wow!
What a likeable guy. I'll definitely be checking out more of his stuff.
Check out his Zildjian live performance on RUclips here. Absolutely jaw dropping.
@@mcgarnacle21 The way he mutes hi-hats with his thumb is sick dude!
Check out Lingus
Get ready to get your mind blown by an extraordinary good drummer
Nicholas Stanfield - YES! His playing is amazing, but his commentary is amazinger 😉. This gentleman is a born teacher. I became an instant fan a minute after he started talking, then the playing...fantastic
We really need a behind the scenes react video showing how Drumeo's team got jaw-dropped during this take
yesssssssssssss
It’s not just that Larnell composed a drum part in 2 listens. It’s that every single hit he played accentuated the voice of the instrument he was playing for. It’s like he was there in the live session playing off the rest of the band. Unreal.
I just love knowing that there are people out there capable of this sort of thing. Humans can be pretty damn cool
man, this is one of the most mindblowing things I've seen a drummer do. Totally killed that track, sounded like he played the track for the 100th time.
JC Eruiz There are songs I’ve been playing 20 years that don’t sound as good as his one take there.
How to do this like Larnell Lewis:
Step 1, be Larnell Lewis.
Totally agree!! Check out this exercise Larnell Lewis taught me about making singles, doubles and paradiddles all sound the same ruclips.net/video/AfhmbZC771Y/видео.html
Instructions unclear, currently reggie watts
Yes he has a very unique playing style
Maybe for me it's like this.
How to do this like Larnell Lewis:
Step 1, you can't.
hahahaha man I was expecting him to listen a song with a lot of drum patterns.
Or Step 2, be God disguised as Larnell Lewis.
Up Next: Larnell Lewis Gives Relationship advice. Listening is key.
Underrated
Way underrated. Way.
It would have been great to see the production team reactions during this . No doubt they were amazed by how good it was .
Hearing little Easter eggs in songs is the greatest feeling, when he said “I hear that quote” that was very cool
Where?
@@theflatjourneyshow4885 3:58
Did anybody know the source of the quote
@@adgp8945 i think that was Chick Corea's Spain
AdGP Chick Corea’s Spain
"The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory." That is an awesome saying that I have never heard before.
You might have just forgot
@@BulletFever1 i agree, he should've wrote it down
@@michealpants agreed. Reminds me of an old saying "The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory".
@@plonzz oh wow that’s beautiful, where did you hear that?
@@michealpants I actually made it up myself.
I know, I'm a genius
This may seem like a one in a million-genius-thing, and he IS fantastic, but this is what pro's do; it's a training thing. There are stories of composers finding one wrong note in a full orchestra-section where every instrument plays individual lines; it's training. I know singers who can pretty much do this with complicated music (sometimes atonal) and orchestras often have no problem sight-reading difficult music in a first read-through. It's all about training, practice and diligence. Listening for patterns, harmonies, counting bars or beats.. it's what trained musicians do! Well done, Mr Lewis!!
Seeing the amount of time these types of players put into honing their craft doesn't mean that anyone can put in that kind of time and get the same result. There's a correlation but it's not the cause.
I think it's easy to misunderstand this because we so often see that people who are gifted with something also tend to spend most of their time focusing on that gift (why wouldn't they?) but the mistake is thinking that the gift came from the time they put into it.
@Dylan I'Anson-Yount
With all due respect, that's delusional. Work as hard as you want, you will never be as great a composer as BACH or as virtuosic a pianist as LISZT.
I get that this is the message we've been hearing our whole lives but it's simply not true, hard work won't get you to these kinds of levels, there's also talent and that's not taught or earnt.
@@lerigoureux6474 So your contention here is that every individual who achieved something extraordinary was "born with it?" How do you know how hard Bach worked or what he started off with? You seem to be working backwards from the conclusion that he was a genius, rather than offering any proof. And how could you possibly DISPROVE that he was NOT a genius?
I think the message here is that anyone can become GREAT at something through hard work, however to be the BEST of the best, not only do you need hard work, you also need to have some kind of natural cognitive and physical skill over your craft.
@@artistryartistry7239
You can't prove the opposite either so that specific point that you're making has got no bottom line, why bother ? I won't convince you and you won't convince me either. I feel like you're trying to comfort yourself but, believe it or not, you will never be as great a composer as BACH because you don't have his natural talent nor have you worked as hard as him, it may not be something one could prove but *we all know that it's a fact* , all of us but your ego.
That was the most casual execution of INCREDIBLE I have ever witnessed.
"How could I become as good as Larnell?"
"Larnell started playing drums at age 2"
"Ah."
Apply yourself, use your brain, put in the practice, learn the theory, and play with your heart. That's how he got to where he is.
Even if you can never be 'as good as Larnell', I'm sure you could learn to play his lines with enough practice. Years ago it would take me months to learn a new song, but now I can pick it up a lot faster and usually sound better after one night than I ever did before.
🤣
I mean. You can always be a better version of you. Practice!
Azihayya FR‼️if you put yourself in the position to WANT IT more than Larnell, it can absolutely be done in a faster timeframe, but if you don’t want to work as hard n put in the time for the results then 9 times out of 10 you will NOT be the musician you aspire to be, you choose💯.
To rephrase a comment here.
"I was a musician before I watched this, now I want to be a musician."
Was*
Same here
He's a former drum set reincarnated as a human.
hahahahaha
🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sounds like an anime
he actually used to belong to John Bonham
Lollll
I have no trouble believing he never heard it before because the guy who composed it is like a pretty underground keyboard player from Quebec (Mathieu Fiset). Really talented guy.
wait so he didn't memorize a drum set. he heard a tune without a drum set, then created his own, on the first try. thats better than the actual title. WTF DUDE IS DRUM GOD
@@andrew66862 lmao exactly my thoughts when the song went on with absolutely no percussion
Actually, memorising a pre-existing beat would be harder for a jazz musician than making one up. When you make one up, all you need to memorise is the form, vibe, and hits (if there are any). When you memorise pre-existing parts, you have to memorise every little detail in the score and recreate it.
Imagine Mozart those genius are beyond real.
Crazy how playing jazz drums can make so much better at everything else
Chace Schnaath yep, Jazz, fusion, and funk can be soooo versatile and help you master the concept of how to play with good feel
Chace Schnaath it’s cause it’s hard
Yes, when I learned to play jazz suddenly I could navigate nuclear submarines. 😜
SmartyThePants that’s the power of jazz man
Chace Schnaath yeah i thinking bout to start learn play jazz too,i think its gonna help me to improve my drumming
When you accidentally bump into a legend on youtube. Damn.
Literally my thoughts.
I’ve rewatched this so many times and am still blown away every time
Same 😂 he is on a different planet