When it comes to creating the best drummer, it is all about who one works with and where the work. An excellent instance to prove this point is the work of Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann.
They made such an incredible drumming pair that become the most influential duo in the region. Bill Kreutzmann was the founding member of the Grateful Dead member crew that had made a name for themselves in the 1960s. When Mickey Hart joined in 1967, it was only to seal the band’s fate as one of the most successful.
It was strange times, indeed. There had never been double-drummer outfits in rock’s history, but they made it happen. And for this reason, Dead featured in one of the first rock bands to have such outfits.
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The group may have been the only one that percussive tool symbiosis further. Over the years, they were able to build an empire of beats that were unrivaled. The energy that came out from each project they worked on was incredibly commendable.
They encouraged the creation of some of the most popular rock approaches we see today. For instance, the pair has managed to present the importance of double-drummers in the industries, fueling the introduction of even more best drummers.
When two great drummers come together, you can expect nothing but the best sounds to be produced. At the same time, it is not easy to find them working together in perfect harmony. This is why it is very amazing the Hart and Bill were able to pull it off successfully.
Hart was once heard saying, “the language that Bull and I shared is not spoken.” It was as though they had been tied together and become one body. Everyone seemed to know what the other was thinking, making the production amazingly harmonious. Whenever they played, it as if there was only one drummer working on many drum sets simultaneously. “It’s body languages, winks, and movement … a secret language that we cannot describe,” Hart continued.
When the Bill was asked to express their bond, he simply said, “Mickey hears in more of a straight-16th staccato, and I put in little more dotted thing…” This shows just how much they understand each other and how they were able to work so well together.
Hart also used what he called “Random Access Musical Universe” (RAMU) – style that he invented – as well as the infamous “beam” to make his point come home. Apart from this, he employed an eight-foot, 13-string “Pythagorean monochord” that ranks the air in the 70s.
The Dead continued working together and producing better music with more innovations. And by 1979, they had adopted what tapers call “Drum>Space,” and abandoned their interstellar mainstay “Dark Star.”
The new drum duet developed into a naturally improvised ticket that took them to different musical regions. Through this, different areas of rock fans across the globe got the taste of the incredible sounds the pair came up with. Their contribution to the industry has, therefore, remained relevant.
