Perspectives: Joey Baron

Drummer Joey Baron explains how he approaches the swing feel, comping, soloing and tuning.

"I am not thinking when comping. My approach is to listen to where the music is coming from and to imagine where it could go. I am deeply inspired by the swing feel and people who model it. The foundation of this feel does not require a lot of notes. When the music calls for forcefulness i am ready. BUT I am interested in what the other players are saying and if you are too pushy, playing a lot of notes, you can miss out on some wonderful moments. This swing feel is impossible to develop alone. I am constantly learning each time i play with a group. It is a long process that you develop through playing with people. It is not a mechanical formula learned in isolation.

"When soloing I am listening to melodies in my head as well as the sound of the instrument and imagining: of all the sounds, rhythms, textures, phrases . . . there are floating around at any given moment, which one (in my opinion) would be the best for the music I am playing in that moment. Then my mind makes a split second decision on whether I play it or not. I do not try to play exact pitches. I imply melodies using the whole range of the drumset using highs and lows, shorts and longs, accents, space. If the intent is strong, the mind of the listener will fill in whatever blanks there are in terms of exact pitch.

"I do love a low tuned bass drum. I am just as happy playing a ping pong (high
pitch) tuning if it suits the music. My true favorite sound is that of natural skins on the drums. THAT is a beautiful sound. Plastic is very ticky sounding. I prefer having options. Playing heads that are thick, punched with holes, mechanically muffled with felt and glue, black dotted etc limit the possibilities. As far as plastic goes, single ply plastic (as in a Remo white-coated ambassador) have given me the most options for sound since I began playing.

"I think we are in such a conservative time now, that if a drummer does anything other than be a lifeless metronome, that it is considered avant garde. Pitch changing a drum with your foot, scraping or bowing a cymbal, laying out (not playing). .  . These techniques have been around for ages. If I hear a sound or a strategy I like, I try to duplicate it on the drums and add it to my vocabulary, thereby increasing my options for making music. Music has been plagued by composers as well as players using these effects for novelty. The bottom line is to serve the music."

For more information on Joey Baron visit www.joeybaron.com.