For some reason, if often feels like playing music appears to be "easy" to the common music fan. Perhaps that's because some musicians make it look really easy with their effortless style of playing. Years and years of practicing day in and day out and studying music theory and technique has left them with an uncanny ability to play music in their sleep. It becomes second nature and that's all us fans really get to see. Or perhaps it's because some of the most iconic musicians in the world never learned a lick of music theory. They just picked up an instrument and relied solely on their God-given talent, creativity and passion, to make timeless art. But anyone who's ever picked up a guitar, or any instrument for that matter, knows that it's incredibly difficult to be good at. Sure, you can learn a few power chords and jam out with your friends, hell, maybe even become a rockstar. But to truly master the craft, it's very, very difficult. I've played guitar since I was about 12 and anytime I'm lucky enough to be in the room with a professional touring or session player, I feel like... to quote the great Charlie Sheen... a droopy-eyed, armless child. I'm quickly reminded that I just suck so bad... Drumeo, a very popular instructional website for drummers, as well as a YouTube channel for all kinds of drum content, really puts into perspective just how good some of these musicians are. One of their most famous clips features Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith playing a 30 Seconds To Mars song (that he's never heard before) for the very first time. They remove the drums from the track, give you a few minutes to hear the song and chart it out, and then you gotta play it. Not easy to do, especially when you're not familiar with that style of music, but part of the series is showing how drummers can put their own spin on a song they've never heard before. Country music's own Jake Sommers, touring drummer for Luke Combs, also took the challenge head on... and he CRUSHED it. First of all, it took them a minute to even find a song that he's never heard before, which is a testament to how much he's become a student of the game. And the song they did find was "Stranded," a 2016 song from French metal band Gojira. Jake obviously focuses his talents on country music so it's not hard to see why this is quite the test, and rather unfamiliar territory for the drummer. And like I said earlier, he crushed it... some of the comments from non-country music fans, and even longtime Gojira fans, were more than praiseworthy:
"This series acts as a living proof of how a drummer can change the whole feeling of an entire song. And every drummer has a new universe to show through her/his playing. Jake is such a beast, a great drummer." "The fact that he doesn’t play metal or anything remotely metal nor have a clue as to who Gojira are - he did an amazing job. Credit to him for having the guts to put himself out of his comfort zone - really impressed." "Huge Gojira fan here and I have to say this dude did a very respectable take on this song. Just goes to show the level that all professional drummers are at, and their ability to learn and adapt to different styles." "Any drummer that gets a Gojira song is thrown to the wolves. Since he's not usually playing a super technical genre either, laying a drum track to a song that features one of the most revered and skilled drummers in the world is an insane task. Well done!" "Dude this is maybe the most challenging one of these I’ve ever seen. This dude got thrown to the wolves and held his own and I respect the HELL out him and his ability. Mario is other worldly, and this dude got closer than most ever will." "I don't know this drummer but he's a total beast. To play that good a Gojira song on a second take is insane, what a pro." "You gotta hand it to the guy... completely out of his realm, his genre, and he did an incredible job!" Pretty cool, huh? Check it out: https://youtu.be/BYveIxo1-FY?si=2gytvUJxwLoD1W6M And here's the Gojira music video if you're so inclined: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNdC_3LR2AI And for another look at this Drumeo series, here's Dirk Verbeuren from Megadeth taking a crack at The Killers' mega hit, "Mr. Brightside." Granted, he's from Belgium and spent most of his career playing for the Swedish metal band Soilwork, but it's honestly pretty wild he's never heard this song before... must not have been to a white person's wedding here in America in the past 20 years. Nevertheless, he slowed it down a little and it was absolute fire... on the first try too. Give it a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbUYVcaF_l0&pp=ygUGZHJ1bWVv
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