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I've seen metallica live multiple times, even lars plays it different live compared to studio recording. Larnell getting it 90% and adding 10% of his own twist in one go just shows his genius.
he slams it though to. it isn't "the same" but you wouldn't think so. it actually fits. the only think would be it not as hard. (lars punches it a bit more) but saying that it still fits in and sounds like it is the drummer
@@Quasar126 Many drummers miss parts playing their songs live because they don't memorize the way they played it in the studio. Or, they just play it differently over time as they play it over and over again and they decide certain things sound better than what they did in the studio. And then some drummers play true to the studio version.
@@johndoh5182 yeah, I think people like neil peart change their grooves sometimes while people like ringo starr or dan presland stay as true to the track as possible. its still a stylistic choice
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Definitely. I assume I'd feel bad for Lars' failure but damn wouldn't it be amazing if he totally killed it and finally revealed amazing jazz drumming chops?
Larnell made it his own, and that is why his video is entertaining. As you already know, there are teens on RUclips that could cover this song beat for beat, and that's great too but not really very interesting.
I agree. It's really hard to memorize every single nuance / start / stop / hit off of one cold listen. He basically did what most drummers do in this situation. Try to remember as much as he can and then just play it the way the way that's most comfortable to him instead of attempting to emulate the same exact feel and parts of another drummer. Again, based off of one cold listen. That sort of individual comfort level type playing is what will ultimate (and safely) get you through the song. Which means one might miss a couple of things here and there, but more importantly, the point is getting across. The only difference is Larnell is exponentially a better drummer than most drummers out there, so it's going to feel and sound that much better.
I've been thinking about this all day TBH. Few more thoughts/observations (as if I didn't already talk your ears off)... * How good was Larnell's talk at the end!? WOW. Amazing. Larnell for President. * That was his second take according to him. * I've amazed Larnell would allow himself to be recorded with so little prep. Makes me think of pressure situations where you HAVE to deliver. * I would love to see/was expecting Larnell to recreate the parts. That would absolutely require a chart at least. I was expecting one listen through and then hit record and read your own chart to nail the OG part. * Enter Sandman was a painstakingly crafted song with world class engineers/producers and multi millions of units sold. Don't underestimate it and it's place in music. * Would love to see more of this from Drumeo. Fascinating. * Larnell for President.
Bob Rock...from that era, The Cult - Sonic Temple, Motley Crue - Dr Feelgood (Metallica tuned down because of of this album), Blue Murder - Blue Murder
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Far more, but he had such a big impact on Metallica's sound, unfortunately including St Anger which he played bass on lol. Nice to see a kiwi on here getting some decent views, hi from Hawkes Bay btw, love the channel.
Wrote this as a main comment also but would love to see a simultaneous audio comparison of Larnell Lewis listening to the original (left channel) and his playing it (right channel) to see where he was off. (IMO he made the song better than the original)
Thank you! I was just about to say that. This is not imitating a certain drummer, but playing a song never heard just by observing. And man does he play.
Oh, I'm sorry you didn't show him listening to it--watching how he hears/takes in the song was my favorite part of the original video--such insight into how he thinks.
When I first saw this video, I passed it around to a couple drummer friends as an example of critical listening and for the simple enjoyment of hearing Larnell play Metallica. After giving it another listen today via your video, it really made me (re)realize that as much as we make fun of Lars now, he really did become one of the few drummers with a totally unique, signature style. His playing these days suggests he ever had much passion for drumming as much as just being a rock star, which he clearly enjoys and like Andrew said, he's been a wealthy celebrity for so long that it must be tough to get motivated to practice or maintain your skills, especially if you don't love it.
Fully agreed about good old Lars. His ideas are core to the development of Metallica's unique sound and feel (especially in the classic albums) and his playing was always very organic, often changing from show to show - and nothing rocks like a drummer and frontman "reading" the audience on a given day. Larnell is amazing, and this channel once again made my day!
Excellent video. I think the takeaway is that Larnell Lewis could probably learn an entire Metallica set list in about a week and sound exactly like Lars. Also, Lars could probably not learn one Snarky Puppy song in a week (maybe a month, maybe not ever).
larnell is such a treasure... the knowledge drops are always on point, not just for drummers. Im always in awe of the total understanding he has of music and composition
Larnell's snare is different right off the top. The drums were mixed hotter than the album drums. That's two factors that will make a big difference. He missed some cues ("boom!") and some of the accents were off. So Larnell is actually human...but he doesn't need a double-kick bass pedal!
This was the first Larnell Lewis video I watched on my own a few weeks ago!!!! This was when I first realized he isn't just a drummer but a straight musician!!
It's totally beliavable the fact he has never heard metallica, I mean, he comes from a very specific genre, he probably has a very specific taste and metal is not usually appealing for jazz drummers.
Also, I think there’s a difference between hearing a song and actively knowing a song you’ve heard. Is it possible in his 37 years that Larnell has heard this? Sure. Is it likely he was introduced to it as, “hear, check this out. It’s Enter Sandman by Metallica.” Probably not. As fun and as classic as the song is, I wouldn’t say the drum or song itself is a musical cliff to climb. In other words, maybe not one his contemporaries would say, “you’ve got to check this track out!” It’s also not likely to come on in the supermarket or anything, so even casually hearing it would likely be at a minimum. Also, there are plenty of folks-mostly teens-now wearing Sublime shirts that have never even heard the band, and don’t even know it when they do. I’ve encountered this several times with my niece and her friends, and it blows my mind every time. My point here being just because somebody might have heard of a band, it doesn’t mean they’ve actively or knowingly listened to their music.
Me personally as a drummer,Larnell did great. I love that he put his flavor on it and didn't play it note for note as it was recorded originally. Even Lars plays a little different live.
Def Leppards Drummer is One of the most talented drummers in the world. Having only one arm and is in one of the best bands ever. You have to watch him Live!!
I realize this video is 6 months old but I'm just coming across it. I legit laughed out loud at your classic dad joke about the Nether Netherlands. Very nice! ☺️ Thanks for the laugh on this Monday morning!
Music TRULY brings people together. It opens soooo many emotions. I LOVE that I am a drummer. 49 years and counting!!!! And yes, I play EVERY genre and can't get enough!!!! Thank you for this vid... Greg
Like you said, with the kit tuned differently, and probably a smaller kit than what Lars used, he still did a great job. Yeah, he missed that up crash when James hits "Oooohhhhh", but overall he did great. I also liked his little flare of moving back to the snare at the end, instead of going back to the toms like is in the original. Part of what makes someone an artist is putting their own flare into something, versus doing a carbon copy of the original. There's a video here on RUclips of a 6 year old playing Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher", live at a concert. I'd love to see your reaction to that.
I think one of the main differences in feel was his kicks being more on beat than Lars. From memory lars' kicks (and overall playing) were a touch behind the beat. Well done Larnell, there is something about simpler songs that leaves you even less space to hide
From the perspective of a cover drummer, this was far from perfect, so I get what you're saying about it not sounding like Metallica. On the other hand, from the perspective of a _session_ drummer, on a single listen-through and then record, this was _damn_ close. Close enough to be recognizably the correct song. Of course there were a couple of hits he missed, that he'd surely pick up in another couple of listens/playthroughs, but other than those really famous ones, I didn't hear much more variation in this than a typical difference from an album recording (very early in the development/maturation cycle of a song) vs. a performance near the end of the tour. He came "close enough" for me that if Lars was sick or something, and they called him in for an emergency fill-in, that wouldn't have sounded out of place. So let me ask you this... If he fixed those few spots where he missed big obvious famous hits, but otherwise kept the style basically how it is, and you were just in your car cruising, and that came on the radio at random... would you notice? Would it pull your focus and feel wrong?
I would be very happy to play that after 1 listen . I know the song pretty well.and It took me about 4 rehearsals to do my take on the song ..my version.. I'm not into doing perfect copies ..ok I'm not capable !! Any way what a great musician he is .. Peace and love brother 👍🏻☮❤
Andrew, no need for apologetics. We're here to listen to your reactions and takes, and you're bound to say things that some viewers will disagree with from time to time. Comes with the territory. Larnell and Lars might as well be from different planets in terms of skill level. It was fun to see him add some flare to this, though.
In my humble opinion, those added syncopic notes are adding an extra layer. Definitely not what I would expect in a metal song, but definitely interesting and rather nice.
That was nice. I like the moments when he was not sure he improvised as nothing happened instead of bogging. From now on we will see ppl playing his version hahahah
I liked your comments...not a huge metallica fan so wasn't sure how it compared beat to beat...but I thought you gave a great review and showed due respect to both Lars and Larnell. Incredible to see that guy play a genre that he is not used to with only one listen!!
#LarnellForPresident indeed! What a top-notch human being. :) And as far what he did with this after *one listen* o_O I tell you this: how many drummers would do so well with one listen to something way outside their usual experience? Some folk need to understand just how admirable attempting something like this on a million-plus channel really is. Amazing stuff imho.
I found especially instructive the specific *kinds* of "mistakes" Larnell Lewis makes when playing this song. It reminds me of an experiment with chess players I once read about. The experiment tested memory and recall of both lower level, amateur chess players, and higher level, professional chess masters. They were given a certain amount of time to study a chess position, then had to recreate it from memory. As expected, the masters fared much better than the amateurs, but there was something surprising: *when* the masters made a mistake, it was a *much bigger* mistake than the amateurs typically made. By that I mean, when the amateurs made a mistake, they would misplace one or two pieces by a small amount, whereas when the masters made mistakes, they misplaced a *lot* of pieces at the same time. Or, at least that's what it *looked like* initially. However, after analyzing the data more closely, the researchers found that the "mistakes" the masters made were actually not that big as they first looked like, when you analyzed the board in terms of *patterns* and *groupings* instead of just as a collection of individual pieces. It turned out that when the masters made a mistake, they would misplace an entire "strategic" grouping of pieces. There was also another difference between the groups, in that the masters would *never* place a piece into a position that would be impossible to reach according to the rules of the game, whereas this *did* happen with the amateurs. This highly suggests that the two groups of players were approaching the problem completely differently. The amateurs were memorizing each piece *individually*. The masters were memorizing *patterns* of pieces, including their "history" (i.e. "How did this piece get here?") and their strategic value ("Why did this piece get here?") There was another experiment where they repeated the same basic setup but with the pieces distributed randomly on the board, instead of following the rules of the game. It turned out that the masters had a lot more problems remembering those positions, made a lot more mistakes, and were much closer to the amateurs. The reason being that they weren't able to find any patterns or strategies in this random permutation of pieces. In the other video, where Larnell Lewis learns a fusion song after only one run-through of active listening, one run-through of taking notes, and a third go of checking out particular sections, he mentioned that you have to listen to lots of different genres, lots of different styles, lots of different musicians, and also lots of different instruments, and learn all of their idioms. Then you can easily pick up even a complex fusion song, because you will be able to pick up on those various idioms. In particular, that fusion song he is playing in that other video, sounds like it is one of those royalty-free drum playalongs that is specifically written to sound like a certain song or style or artist, as close to the original as possible without violating copyright. So, he is *immediately* picking up on the various idioms in the song "Chick's Pain" which are obviously taken from Chick Corea's "Spain" (just say "Chick's Spain" three times very quickly …) which is a song he would have not only heard but played hundreds, if not thousands of times himself. On the other hand, even if he did not say it at the beginning, it is pretty clear from how he is approaching the song, that he has indeed not only never heard Enter Sandman or Metallica, but pretty much no metal at all. So, he has no reference point, no idioms, no patterns, no strategies he can recognize, except the universal musical ones like song structure, harmony, melody, and rhythm. He doesn't know that Lars Ulrich likes to end fills on 2. He doesn't know that Lars Ulrich is what my drum teacher sarcastically calls a "top drummer", meaning a drummer who doesn't involve their feet in their fills. And it shows in the kinds of "mistakes" (and I am using that word *very loosely* here) Larnell Lewis is making that a) he is not seeing individual hits or kicks or notes, but larger patterns and idioms, and b) he is lacking reference points from metal drumming and substituting how own gospel, jazz, and fusion idioms. It reminds me also of a friend of mine who was touring with a production of a Blues Brothers musical, which consisted of a small touring ensemble, which was completed with locally hired talent. One of the roles that was filled with local talent, because it's really only two songs in the show and would be too expensive to bring a singer along only for those two songs, was the role of Aretha Franklin. In one city, the woman the local promoter had recommended turned out to be an absolutely amazing singer. Wait, let me rephrase that: the woman turned out to be an absolutely amazing *opera* singer. She was probably a ten times better singer than the one they had rehearsed and played with during their residency, and she was also a much better stage actress, but she did not understand soul and R&B. Like, not at all. Not the tiniest bit. She was approaching "Respect" as if it was the "Queen of the Night" aria from Mozart's Magic Flute. Apparently, it was terrible :-D
Fantastic take! This was super interesting to read, thanks for taking the time to type it out. I think that this is also a great reminder that no matter how talented or practiced you are, you can always find something new to learn from others who don’t share the same skill set; Maybe even those who might not be as experienced as you.
He must have kinda like a photographic memory and it's almost impossible to get this close after hearing it once and for the first time, even if he missed a few ghost notes. But I think it was exactly as we saw it. He hears it twice and plays 98%, I have no doubt! That's very impressive, such an auditory memory is very rare.
So, I remember seeing Larnell and his brother when they were kids. They used to come into a music store I was working at and dazzle anyone who was there with their musicality at 8 and 11 (I think-may be off there)! Think is with Larnell that doesn’t line up with Metallica on this component is…..he has more groove in one backbeat then most musicians combined. I’ve always felt Lars plays more on top of the beat comparatively, so ya-I can see why you would say this doesn’t sound like Metallica anymore. Just different feels.
Enjoyed your reaction; I agree that it lacks the “thunder” of Metallica, which as you suggest is likely a combination of the tuning and not pounding the skins in epic rock fashion. Still pretty impressive display of memory and improvisation though.
At the end he was showing off a bit, but if Lars ever had the flu or corona or sth, they should probably call him. Different style, sure., but so good. You have to appreciate skills when you see or hear them. And he is a nice guy too.
It *is* different, but it's like when a chef works with someone else's recipe, every artist of any real skill is going to add their own little flourishes and flares that will differentiate it from the original. He added in little off-beats and flourishes that his instinct /style tells him should be there, and that's fine! There's nothing wrong with bringing your own taste to a dish or your own style to a song, as long as you're not actively butchering the song, and he didn't.
Everyone’s forgetting he’s literally heard the song ONE TIME. He couldn’t play it perfectly if he wanted to. He’s not trying to do a perfect cover. He’s trying to play true enough to the original and then building on it with his own style. He got the build ups and the crash’s, the fills, the timing, the overall vibe
I already watched this video but I came in here to leave a like just for the LARS NELL Hahahahhaa Still stayed for the whole video cuz you're awesome XD
Great reaction video - appreciate the honest take. IMO, Lars is not a Bonham and Larnell made the song better - there was these little things he threw in. Wonder how he’d play it after listening to the song a few times... It would be great BTW to have a side by side synchronized take of Larnell on one channel and Lars original drum on the other. I did it clumsily with two different devices playing one version each at the same time but having a professionally edited video would be much better and more instructive.
My guess is that Lionel wasn’t trying to nail Lars’ style, so much as get through the song by memory on a single pass, if he was also focusing on shifting his style, he might have been afraid to layer too many factors
Yes, Lars plays to the song ... which is what makes Metallica so awesome ... he plays what works and feels good and supports the song structure. Perfect. Music. There is drumming that is too ornamented or thought out that deviates or takes away from the power of a lot of heavy music. But Lars always pilots THE SONG. Love him.
There is something interesting about how the difference in personalities can show more clearly in a simpler song. Larnell is so precise but when he plays the main beat, he is so stiff. Lars sounds looser and at ease, like he loves the song.
Unreal for his second attempt. Love some of the stuff he does with it to. It's very much his own take on the track. You're getting a like for that joke alone btw. I'm sure Luke Holland would agree with me. Bah dum rush.
Totally with you on Lars. I say he's the Ringo Starr of metal - technical facility wise, he's not the best in his field (hell, like the old joke about Ringo, Lars isn't even the 'best' drummer in Metallica - James Hetfield frequently smoked him in on-stage drum battles back in the day), but he has a totally distinctive, swampy vibe to his playing with idiosyncracies that make his playing instantly recognisable (no ride cymbal, china spamming, wierd crash accents on the 2 etc), inspired *legions* of drummers to play, and Metallica just wouldn't sound like Metallica without him doing his thing - case in point being the festival show a number of years ago where a number of guest drummers sat in for Lars when he was unwell - was really cool to see Dave Lombardo, Joey Jordison etc playing with Metallica, but it definitely sounded different.
Oh yeah, and you should totally check out some of Josh Steffen's videos where he plays other artists' songs in a Lars style - he absolutely nails Lars' playing, it's uncanny.
I had that exact thought about Ringo. It's not about being the best its about being the best man for the gig. Lars is the best man for the Metallica gig.
Something most (if not all) reactions have missed, is that the actual playthrough of the song is "take 2" as mentiond by Larnell himself. So that sheet seen the stand maybe his notes or whatever (maybe it is nothing and I am overseing/overthinking things). Either way, it was an interesting watch (both the actual video and the reaction videos like this one). Great stuff.
I think it was take two cause he listened to the song once already to learn the song, that being take 1. Take 2 being when he played along with the track.
Your commentary and analysis during his drumming was awesome, really enjoyed it. I've read somewhere in these comments that the drums in "Enter Sandman" are relatively simple. Can you recommend a song with a more "complex" drumming pattern so I can contrast? Thanks.
if a top-notch band covers another band's song, I would expect them TO NOT copy the original exactly. where's the fun in that? in these kinds of videos, I'm interested in how the person incorporates their style in the cover.... Larnell hit it out of the park.
Thank you for this expert to expert deal. “It doesn’t sound like.. Lars/Metallica”. But he’s not far off first time through, whereas Lars might have been. Lol In any case, if I spent $100 a ticket, I’d have felt ok w that version. #amiwrong ?
Mr Rooney, If you have the strength, check out Larnell's performance of One Note Samba (arr by Laila Biali) at the Cotton Club from 8/9 years ago. Sincerely, A bewildered onlooker.
I think the difference is that Larnell is playing it "corrrectly". I mean that he is playing with the music. Lars tends to be sort of ahead of the music a bit, so Larnell's playback sounds a little bit stilted because he is actually playing in the musically correct place, but not exactly the same pocket Lars plays in.
he does great, but keep in mind the song has nothing really happening repeating a few things ( which does nothing to hurt how good it is) 25 secs of a jazz solo has more going on than a whole Metallica song. lets not forget enter sandman is literally a pop song.
I agree with you at the end. The difference in feel is because of the kit set up. Lars hi hat is insane in its size and power. I believe without that anyone would have a hard time making a Metallica sound. But it was close enough to still feel metal even if not Metallica.
Lars plays drums like he's in a tennis rally, he's an old tennis player and you really can feel him pushing and pulling the time. James Hetfield's playing is like the tennis ball, obeying the laws of physics with metronomic precision.
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Don’t worry Larnell ...... Lars also play it different every time
😂😂😂😂exactly
That's hilarious as F..... I've seen them perform 8-9 times and for some reason James is the only one that plays more studio style during a show
So do I 😂
Haha!!!
This is an amazing drummer xD
I've seen metallica live multiple times, even lars plays it different live compared to studio recording. Larnell getting it 90% and adding 10% of his own twist in one go just shows his genius.
Most artists do that, Eric burdon sang different every time.
he slams it though to. it isn't "the same" but you wouldn't think so. it actually fits. the only think would be it not as hard. (lars punches it a bit more) but saying that it still fits in and sounds like it is the drummer
he missed the one part and managed to make the song sound better with the cool out-of-ass thing that he did at 14:25 . absolutely bonkers
@@Quasar126 Many drummers miss parts playing their songs live because they don't memorize the way they played it in the studio. Or, they just play it differently over time as they play it over and over again and they decide certain things sound better than what they did in the studio.
And then some drummers play true to the studio version.
@@johndoh5182 yeah, I think people like neil peart change their grooves sometimes while people like ringo starr or dan presland stay as true to the track as possible. its still a stylistic choice
Larnell is a fantastic drummer. Lars' style is perfect for Metallica imo. Let's see Lars do some snarky puppy after 1 listen.
That would be amazing.
That'd certainly go viral!
Lars isn’t on the same planet as Larnell 😂
@@cheneyrobert True. But Lars could probably afford a space ship.
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Definitely. I assume I'd feel bad for Lars' failure but damn wouldn't it be amazing if he totally killed it and finally revealed amazing jazz drumming chops?
Larnell made it his own, and that is why his video is entertaining. As you already know, there are teens on RUclips that could cover this song beat for beat, and that's great too but not really very interesting.
I agree. It's really hard to memorize every single nuance / start / stop / hit off of one cold listen. He basically did what most drummers do in this situation. Try to remember as much as he can and then just play it the way the way that's most comfortable to him instead of attempting to emulate the same exact feel and parts of another drummer. Again, based off of one cold listen. That sort of individual comfort level type playing is what will ultimate (and safely) get you through the song. Which means one might miss a couple of things here and there, but more importantly, the point is getting across. The only difference is Larnell is exponentially a better drummer than most drummers out there, so it's going to feel and sound that much better.
There are 5 year olds who can play this song 😅
What a wholesome guy Larnell is, i totally appreciate him as a musician. Fantastic video!
Yup wonderful person and drummer
Basically, when he simplifies his arrangements he sounds a lot more like Lars, haha.
Would have been interesting if they played him the track but left out the drums and just see what he creates
That would be really cool. I'd love to see that.
I feel like you can hear his jazz influence during this run. Sounds different for sure, but I like it.
Sunday morning service trust me
I've been thinking about this all day TBH. Few more thoughts/observations (as if I didn't already talk your ears off)...
* How good was Larnell's talk at the end!? WOW. Amazing. Larnell for President.
* That was his second take according to him.
* I've amazed Larnell would allow himself to be recorded with so little prep. Makes me think of pressure situations where you HAVE to deliver.
* I would love to see/was expecting Larnell to recreate the parts. That would absolutely require a chart at least. I was expecting one listen through and then hit record and read your own chart to nail the OG part.
* Enter Sandman was a painstakingly crafted song with world class engineers/producers and multi millions of units sold. Don't underestimate it and it's place in music.
* Would love to see more of this from Drumeo. Fascinating.
* Larnell for President.
Bob Rock...from that era, The Cult - Sonic Temple, Motley Crue - Dr Feelgood (Metallica tuned down because of of this album), Blue Murder - Blue Murder
@@alistairclifton1286 Legend!
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Far more, but he had such a big impact on Metallica's sound, unfortunately including St Anger which he played bass on lol. Nice to see a kiwi on here getting some decent views, hi from Hawkes Bay btw, love the channel.
Wrote this as a main comment also but would love to see a simultaneous audio comparison of Larnell Lewis listening to the original (left channel) and his playing it (right channel) to see where he was off. (IMO he made the song better than the original)
No apology needed. I love how you geek out
"I'mma miss that one" Misses it.
Self talk!
Hella lot to try and remember!
That he this good having never heard this song before is phenomenal. He gets REALLY close and puts his own spin on it as well.
Larnell is the man!
Remember that the challenge is not to sound like Lars but to be able to play the song on just the first time to listen it.
Thank you! I was just about to say that. This is not imitating a certain drummer, but playing a song never heard just by observing. And man does he play.
Bingo!!
Literally Larnell is a legend
Different flavour. Definitely. But I quite like Larnell's version. He is not just amazing, he's legendary in his own right.
Oh, I'm sorry you didn't show him listening to it--watching how he hears/takes in the song was my favorite part of the original video--such insight into how he thinks.
When I first saw this video, I passed it around to a couple drummer friends as an example of critical listening and for the simple enjoyment of hearing Larnell play Metallica. After giving it another listen today via your video, it really made me (re)realize that as much as we make fun of Lars now, he really did become one of the few drummers with a totally unique, signature style. His playing these days suggests he ever had much passion for drumming as much as just being a rock star, which he clearly enjoys and like Andrew said, he's been a wealthy celebrity for so long that it must be tough to get motivated to practice or maintain your skills, especially if you don't love it.
There are good, great and fantastic drummers in this world, then there is Larnell Lewis... This guy is seriously a drum virtuoso...
Fully agreed about good old Lars. His ideas are core to the development of Metallica's unique sound and feel (especially in the classic albums) and his playing was always very organic, often changing from show to show - and nothing rocks like a drummer and frontman "reading" the audience on a given day. Larnell is amazing, and this channel once again made my day!
Excellent video. I think the takeaway is that Larnell Lewis could probably learn an entire Metallica set list in about a week and sound exactly like Lars. Also, Lars could probably not learn one Snarky Puppy song in a week (maybe a month, maybe not ever).
...and?
Hahaha good one!! Lars is a terrible drummer. I'm so original and unique, where's the sausage on pig. Let me guess Nickelback sucks too?
larnell is such a treasure... the knowledge drops are always on point, not just for drummers. Im always in awe of the total understanding he has of music and composition
Larnell's snare is different right off the top. The drums were mixed hotter than the album drums. That's two factors that will make a big difference. He missed some cues ("boom!") and some of the accents were off. So Larnell is actually human...but he doesn't need a double-kick bass pedal!
This was the first Larnell Lewis video I watched on my own a few weeks ago!!!! This was when I first realized he isn't just a drummer but a straight musician!!
Loved it. Saw his full video yesterday. Even a 2nd take are you kidding me? I loved his part at the end.
It's totally beliavable the fact he has never heard metallica, I mean, he comes from a very specific genre, he probably has a very specific taste and metal is not usually appealing for jazz drummers.
Totally!
Also, I think there’s a difference between hearing a song and actively knowing a song you’ve heard. Is it possible in his 37 years that Larnell has heard this? Sure. Is it likely he was introduced to it as, “hear, check this out. It’s Enter Sandman by Metallica.” Probably not. As fun and as classic as the song is, I wouldn’t say the drum or song itself is a musical cliff to climb. In other words, maybe not one his contemporaries would say, “you’ve got to check this track out!” It’s also not likely to come on in the supermarket or anything, so even casually hearing it would likely be at a minimum.
Also, there are plenty of folks-mostly teens-now wearing Sublime shirts that have never even heard the band, and don’t even know it when they do. I’ve encountered this several times with my niece and her friends, and it blows my mind every time. My point here being just because somebody might have heard of a band, it doesn’t mean they’ve actively or knowingly listened to their music.
Me personally as a drummer,Larnell did great. I love that he put his flavor on it and didn't play it note for note as it was recorded originally. Even Lars plays a little different live.
Def Leppards Drummer is One of the most talented drummers in the world. Having only one arm and is in one of the best bands ever. You have to watch him Live!!
I realize this video is 6 months old but I'm just coming across it. I legit laughed out loud at your classic dad joke about the Nether Netherlands. Very nice! ☺️ Thanks for the laugh on this Monday morning!
HAHA Glad you enjoyed it Stacy!
I love Larnell. The man is an absolute gem of a human.
Music TRULY brings people together. It opens soooo many emotions. I LOVE that I am a drummer. 49 years and counting!!!! And yes, I play EVERY genre and can't get enough!!!! Thank you for this vid...
Greg
Like you said, with the kit tuned differently, and probably a smaller kit than what Lars used, he still did a great job. Yeah, he missed that up crash when James hits "Oooohhhhh", but overall he did great. I also liked his little flare of moving back to the snare at the end, instead of going back to the toms like is in the original. Part of what makes someone an artist is putting their own flare into something, versus doing a carbon copy of the original.
There's a video here on RUclips of a 6 year old playing Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher", live at a concert. I'd love to see your reaction to that.
I think one of the main differences in feel was his kicks being more on beat than Lars. From memory lars' kicks (and overall playing) were a touch behind the beat. Well done Larnell, there is something about simpler songs that leaves you even less space to hide
From the perspective of a cover drummer, this was far from perfect, so I get what you're saying about it not sounding like Metallica.
On the other hand, from the perspective of a _session_ drummer, on a single listen-through and then record, this was _damn_ close. Close enough to be recognizably the correct song. Of course there were a couple of hits he missed, that he'd surely pick up in another couple of listens/playthroughs, but other than those really famous ones, I didn't hear much more variation in this than a typical difference from an album recording (very early in the development/maturation cycle of a song) vs. a performance near the end of the tour.
He came "close enough" for me that if Lars was sick or something, and they called him in for an emergency fill-in, that wouldn't have sounded out of place.
So let me ask you this...
If he fixed those few spots where he missed big obvious famous hits, but otherwise kept the style basically how it is, and you were just in your car cruising, and that came on the radio at random... would you notice? Would it pull your focus and feel wrong?
I would be very happy to play that after 1 listen .
I know the song pretty well.and It took me about 4 rehearsals to do my take on the song ..my version.. I'm not into doing perfect copies ..ok I'm not capable !!
Any way what a great musician he is ..
Peace and love brother 👍🏻☮❤
Andrew, no need for apologetics. We're here to listen to your reactions and takes, and you're bound to say things that some viewers will disagree with from time to time. Comes with the territory. Larnell and Lars might as well be from different planets in terms of skill level. It was fun to see him add some flare to this, though.
Totally Nicholas!
so hard to fault an absolute legend for not knowing every single note after one listen 😂
In my humble opinion, those added syncopic notes are adding an extra layer. Definitely not what I would expect in a metal song, but definitely interesting and rather nice.
That was nice. I like the moments when he was not sure he improvised as nothing happened instead of bogging. From now on we will see ppl playing his version hahahah
Best version of that song I've ever heard
I liked your comments...not a huge metallica fan so wasn't sure how it compared beat to beat...but I thought you gave a great review and showed due respect to both Lars and Larnell. Incredible to see that guy play a genre that he is not used to with only one listen!!
#LarnellForPresident indeed! What a top-notch human being. :)
And as far what he did with this after *one listen* o_O I tell you this: how many drummers would do so well with one listen to something way outside their usual experience? Some folk need to understand just how admirable attempting something like this on a million-plus channel really is. Amazing stuff imho.
Mr. Lewis is an absolute machine...his interpretation is stellar!
Bro you definitely from NZ it’s good to hear a reaction from a fellow New Zealander big upppps! Got a subscribe from me Chur 🤙
Thanks for the sub Edward!
Ha yup Kiwi as cuz
I found especially instructive the specific *kinds* of "mistakes" Larnell Lewis makes when playing this song. It reminds me of an experiment with chess players I once read about.
The experiment tested memory and recall of both lower level, amateur chess players, and higher level, professional chess masters. They were given a certain amount of time to study a chess position, then had to recreate it from memory. As expected, the masters fared much better than the amateurs, but there was something surprising: *when* the masters made a mistake, it was a *much bigger* mistake than the amateurs typically made. By that I mean, when the amateurs made a mistake, they would misplace one or two pieces by a small amount, whereas when the masters made mistakes, they misplaced a *lot* of pieces at the same time. Or, at least that's what it *looked like* initially.
However, after analyzing the data more closely, the researchers found that the "mistakes" the masters made were actually not that big as they first looked like, when you analyzed the board in terms of *patterns* and *groupings* instead of just as a collection of individual pieces. It turned out that when the masters made a mistake, they would misplace an entire "strategic" grouping of pieces. There was also another difference between the groups, in that the masters would *never* place a piece into a position that would be impossible to reach according to the rules of the game, whereas this *did* happen with the amateurs. This highly suggests that the two groups of players were approaching the problem completely differently.
The amateurs were memorizing each piece *individually*. The masters were memorizing *patterns* of pieces, including their "history" (i.e. "How did this piece get here?") and their strategic value ("Why did this piece get here?")
There was another experiment where they repeated the same basic setup but with the pieces distributed randomly on the board, instead of following the rules of the game. It turned out that the masters had a lot more problems remembering those positions, made a lot more mistakes, and were much closer to the amateurs. The reason being that they weren't able to find any patterns or strategies in this random permutation of pieces.
In the other video, where Larnell Lewis learns a fusion song after only one run-through of active listening, one run-through of taking notes, and a third go of checking out particular sections, he mentioned that you have to listen to lots of different genres, lots of different styles, lots of different musicians, and also lots of different instruments, and learn all of their idioms. Then you can easily pick up even a complex fusion song, because you will be able to pick up on those various idioms.
In particular, that fusion song he is playing in that other video, sounds like it is one of those royalty-free drum playalongs that is specifically written to sound like a certain song or style or artist, as close to the original as possible without violating copyright. So, he is *immediately* picking up on the various idioms in the song "Chick's Pain" which are obviously taken from Chick Corea's "Spain" (just say "Chick's Spain" three times very quickly …) which is a song he would have not only heard but played hundreds, if not thousands of times himself.
On the other hand, even if he did not say it at the beginning, it is pretty clear from how he is approaching the song, that he has indeed not only never heard Enter Sandman or Metallica, but pretty much no metal at all. So, he has no reference point, no idioms, no patterns, no strategies he can recognize, except the universal musical ones like song structure, harmony, melody, and rhythm. He doesn't know that Lars Ulrich likes to end fills on 2. He doesn't know that Lars Ulrich is what my drum teacher sarcastically calls a "top drummer", meaning a drummer who doesn't involve their feet in their fills.
And it shows in the kinds of "mistakes" (and I am using that word *very loosely* here) Larnell Lewis is making that a) he is not seeing individual hits or kicks or notes, but larger patterns and idioms, and b) he is lacking reference points from metal drumming and substituting how own gospel, jazz, and fusion idioms.
It reminds me also of a friend of mine who was touring with a production of a Blues Brothers musical, which consisted of a small touring ensemble, which was completed with locally hired talent. One of the roles that was filled with local talent, because it's really only two songs in the show and would be too expensive to bring a singer along only for those two songs, was the role of Aretha Franklin. In one city, the woman the local promoter had recommended turned out to be an absolutely amazing singer. Wait, let me rephrase that: the woman turned out to be an absolutely amazing *opera* singer. She was probably a ten times better singer than the one they had rehearsed and played with during their residency, and she was also a much better stage actress, but she did not understand soul and R&B. Like, not at all. Not the tiniest bit. She was approaching "Respect" as if it was the "Queen of the Night" aria from Mozart's Magic Flute. Apparently, it was terrible :-D
Fantastic take! This was super interesting to read, thanks for taking the time to type it out. I think that this is also a great reminder that no matter how talented or practiced you are, you can always find something new to learn from others who don’t share the same skill set; Maybe even those who might not be as experienced as you.
Good and fair points!
Love love Larnell. Amazing drummer and great guy!
He must have kinda like a photographic memory and it's almost impossible to get this close after hearing it once and for the first time, even if he missed a few ghost notes. But I think it was exactly as we saw it. He hears it twice and plays 98%, I have no doubt! That's very impressive, such an auditory memory is very rare.
So, I remember seeing Larnell and his brother when they were kids. They used to come into a music store I was working at and dazzle anyone who was there with their musicality at 8 and 11 (I think-may be off there)! Think is with Larnell that doesn’t line up with Metallica on this component is…..he has more groove in one backbeat then most musicians combined. I’ve always felt Lars plays more on top of the beat comparatively, so ya-I can see why you would say this doesn’t sound like Metallica anymore. Just different feels.
Enjoyed your reaction; I agree that it lacks the “thunder” of Metallica, which as you suggest is likely a combination of the tuning and not pounding the skins in epic rock fashion. Still pretty impressive display of memory and improvisation though.
At the end he was showing off a bit, but if Lars ever had the flu or corona or sth, they should probably call him. Different style, sure., but so good. You have to appreciate skills when you see or hear them.
And he is a nice guy too.
Just tops it off that he's the coolest dude in the room everywhere he goes...
Craziest part of the whole thing for me is when he plays the double kick with one foot one petal haha
Imagine if he heard it a second time.
HAHA
Lars would be fired
Who wants to see Larnell do some Primus?
That dude is a phenomenal drummer
True artist appreciate the craft enough to work outside the comfort zone. Pushing the limits of themselves. How cool. 👌🏿
It *is* different, but it's like when a chef works with someone else's recipe, every artist of any real skill is going to add their own little flourishes and flares that will differentiate it from the original. He added in little off-beats and flourishes that his instinct /style tells him should be there, and that's fine! There's nothing wrong with bringing your own taste to a dish or your own style to a song, as long as you're not actively butchering the song, and he didn't.
When did anyone say otherwise?
I just love how he put his own little spins on the song
Now i want to see someone make a reaction video of them reacting to this video
This guy is literally a genius!
Everyone’s forgetting he’s literally heard the song ONE TIME. He couldn’t play it perfectly if he wanted to. He’s not trying to do a perfect cover. He’s trying to play true enough to the original and then building on it with his own style. He got the build ups and the crash’s, the fills, the timing, the overall vibe
I already watched this video but I came in here to leave a like just for the LARS NELL
Hahahahhaa
Still stayed for the whole video cuz you're awesome XD
HAHA! YESSSSSS
Great reaction video - appreciate the honest take. IMO, Lars is not a Bonham and Larnell made the song better - there was these little things he threw in. Wonder how he’d play it after listening to the song a few times...
It would be great BTW to have a side by side synchronized take of Larnell on one channel and Lars original drum on the other. I did it clumsily with two different devices playing one version each at the same time but having a professionally edited video would be much better and more instructive.
Haven’t watched much of the video yet, but I have high expectations of any video when it starts with an apology 😂
One of the best reactions... i love it, i cry listening to this...
My guess is that Lionel wasn’t trying to nail Lars’ style, so much as get through the song by memory on a single pass, if he was also focusing on shifting his style, he might have been afraid to layer too many factors
He really enjoyed that! I really enjoyed it as well! He should co-lab w other metal bands 'live', even betta
Yes, Lars plays to the song ... which is what makes Metallica so awesome ... he plays what works and feels good and supports the song structure. Perfect. Music. There is drumming that is too ornamented or thought out that deviates or takes away from the power of a lot of heavy music. But Lars always pilots THE SONG. Love him.
Larnell’s feel and approach to the song seems genuine. Great break down and a intriguing video
Nice reaction It goes to show he did hear it for the first time🙂
It would be interesting to see a follow up where he got some time to fully make it his own
There is something interesting about how the difference in personalities can show more clearly in a simpler song. Larnell is so precise but when he plays the main beat, he is so stiff. Lars sounds looser and at ease, like he loves the song.
I can imagine this guy in church Sunday tearing it up...
Unreal for his second attempt. Love some of the stuff he does with it to.
It's very much his own take on the track.
You're getting a like for that joke alone btw. I'm sure Luke Holland would agree with me. Bah dum rush.
HAHA!
Brilliant. Simple song? Yeah, maybe so but to hear the song once and then bang out a version like this is incredible.
Larnells toms sound so amazing
Yes Michael!
Id recommend also taking a look on The city lights!! awesome video from Larnell
I've done it!
@@AndrewRooneyDrums whoops... I wonder how I missed this
love the sound of the snare on this vid
i like it hes not a metal drummer but he did a great job on hearing in once
Going to be honest: Larnell's version is a lot better, IMHO.
WHAT? I would check out that collab!
Larnell’s “Kawhi Leonard” laugh at the end gets me every time.
Totally with you on Lars. I say he's the Ringo Starr of metal - technical facility wise, he's not the best in his field (hell, like the old joke about Ringo, Lars isn't even the 'best' drummer in Metallica - James Hetfield frequently smoked him in on-stage drum battles back in the day), but he has a totally distinctive, swampy vibe to his playing with idiosyncracies that make his playing instantly recognisable (no ride cymbal, china spamming, wierd crash accents on the 2 etc), inspired *legions* of drummers to play, and Metallica just wouldn't sound like Metallica without him doing his thing - case in point being the festival show a number of years ago where a number of guest drummers sat in for Lars when he was unwell - was really cool to see Dave Lombardo, Joey Jordison etc playing with Metallica, but it definitely sounded different.
Oh yeah, and you should totally check out some of Josh Steffen's videos where he plays other artists' songs in a Lars style - he absolutely nails Lars' playing, it's uncanny.
I had that exact thought about Ringo. It's not about being the best its about being the best man for the gig. Lars is the best man for the Metallica gig.
Something most (if not all) reactions have missed, is that the actual playthrough of the song is "take 2" as mentiond by Larnell himself. So that sheet seen the stand maybe his notes or whatever (maybe it is nothing and I am overseing/overthinking things). Either way, it was an interesting watch (both the actual video and the reaction videos like this one). Great stuff.
I think it was take two cause he listened to the song once already to learn the song, that being take 1. Take 2 being when he played along with the track.
@@shonefob I don't think the listening part counts as "take two". But whatever, it was fun to watch.
Great great shot after just listening to the track. Doesn’t really matter that it didn’t match up to the original track. Sounded awesome!
Really great reaction... And yeah Larnell for president
I was waiting for u to react to this one
Got here in the end!
Good, Good joke at the beginning - that was class
Thank you!
I'm here all week LOL
Your commentary and analysis during his drumming was awesome, really enjoyed it. I've read somewhere in these comments that the drums in "Enter Sandman" are relatively simple. Can you recommend a song with a more "complex" drumming pattern so I can contrast? Thanks.
Hey Billy. Check out the Virgil Donati video in my reaction playlist :)
That's complex!
@@AndrewRooneyDrums Thanks man!
if a top-notch band covers another band's song, I would expect them TO NOT copy the original exactly. where's the fun in that? in these kinds of videos, I'm interested in how the person incorporates their style in the cover.... Larnell hit it out of the park.
You got it!
Thank you for this expert to expert deal. “It doesn’t sound like.. Lars/Metallica”. But he’s not far off first time through, whereas Lars might have been. Lol
In any case, if I spent $100 a ticket, I’d have felt ok w that version. #amiwrong ?
Mr Rooney,
If you have the strength, check out Larnell's performance of One Note Samba (arr by Laila Biali) at the Cotton Club from 8/9 years ago.
Sincerely,
A bewildered onlooker.
Those were his notes on the side
Thanks Mateo!
Those drums sound so siqq
Good set of headphones: Check. Coffee magically appeared: check. Let's GOOOOOO :)
I think the difference is that Larnell is playing it "corrrectly". I mean that he is playing with the music. Lars tends to be sort of ahead of the music a bit, so Larnell's playback sounds a little bit stilted because he is actually playing in the musically correct place, but not exactly the same pocket Lars plays in.
Pretty amazing. I can only think of a few musicians who could do this well on their first attempt. Yoyoka comes to mind.
he does great, but keep in mind the song has nothing really happening repeating a few things ( which does nothing to hurt how good it is)
25 secs of a jazz solo has more going on than a whole Metallica song.
lets not forget enter sandman is literally a pop song.
"Larnell for President" team, check his wikipedia for some bad news
HAHA!
0:25 seconds in and yeah I laughed as well👌
GREAT!
I agree with you at the end. The difference in feel is because of the kit set up. Lars hi hat is insane in its size and power. I believe without that anyone would have a hard time making a Metallica sound. But it was close enough to still feel metal even if not Metallica.
Lars plays drums like he's in a tennis rally, he's an old tennis player and you really can feel him pushing and pulling the time. James Hetfield's playing is like the tennis ball, obeying the laws of physics with metronomic precision.
You ever been to a concert with big M. You know that Lars likes to add different flavors all the time, it's just how he plays.
I wanna see Larnell hear Caravan for the first time and attempt it