A drum solo is an instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance. In music, solo means to play or sing alone. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is mostly a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ...

In rock, drum solos are unique in that traditionally they are always unaccompanied, whereas other instruments may play solos accompanied or unaccompanied. They are also typically free-form in that they do not necessarily adhere to the tempo, style or structure of the song they accompany.

In jazz, drum solos more typically adhere strictly to the tempo and form of the song, and may be accompanied sporadically by the other instruments; they may also "trade 4's", or take alternating 4 bar solos with the rest of the band. They may also trade 8's, 12's (in the case of a blues), 2's, single bars, or full choruses.

In worship music, a drum lift is a passage in which the singing is backed only by the drums. It is not normally considered a solo, as the primary focus remains on the singing, however it bears some similarity to a solo. A drum lift may be set or improvised, simple or elaborate, and may vary in length from part of a line to an entire verse. Worship music is a style of Christian music that is commonly used to denote songs that are used to worship God and set in a choral music style, usually with repeating, short, easily sung chorus parts. ...

In marching band or drum corps, a drum section feature allows the remainder of the ensemble to create challenging formations without having to play their instruments at the same time. This article is becoming very long. ... Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe two forms of marching units. ...

Some notable drum solos

• Ron Wilson drum solo Surfaris "Wipe Out" Charted #2 in 1963 re-charted 1965..The most known and played rock drum solo in rock and roll history.

• Alex Van Halen's drum solo in Hot for Teacher.

• Ron Bushy's solo from Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."

• Dave Cavalier's drum solo (B.A.S) is a good example of an advanced drum solo.

• Phil Collins and Chester Thompson, while Phil was in Genesis, had their famous "Drum Duets". The idea was first utilized as a segue between the tracks "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos" in live performances for Genesis between 1977 and 1981, before becoming a performance in its own right from 1982 to 1992. Collins has used this in his own solo shows.

• "Moby Dick", a drum solo by John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) reaching up to 30 minutes in length (in live versions). The song opens and closes with a few bars of instrumental music from the whole band.

• Buddy Rich's "Stick Trick" solo[1] is considered a must-see by many advanced jazz drummers.

• Lars Ulrich of Metallica performed a composed solo in the album Live Shit: Binge & Purge, which includes the "machine gun" double-bass beat, part of the song "One". Afterwards he plays a drum jam with fellow singer James Hetfield. This was recorded live in San Diego

• Ringo Starr played a brief drum solo in The Beatles' song "The End" featured on the Abbey Road album. This was Starr's only recorded drum solo.

• Jörg Michael of Stratovarius performed an intrincate solo in the track "Holy Solos" on the album Visions of Europe, (recorded live in Milan) after a keyboard-guitar duel between fellow bandmates Timo Tolkki and Jens Johansson, and a shortened version of the instrumental "Holy Light". Michael is known for being a pioneer on the fast double-bass beat, a Power Metal signature.

• Neil Peart of Rush is known for his technical drums solos containing odd time signatures, complicated arrangements and exotic percussion instruments. These solos have been featured on every live album released by the band, and include a basic framework of routines connected by sections of improvisation.
  • "The Rhythm Method" (audio)
  • "O Baterista"
  • "Der Trommler"
  • "Floating Snare"
  • "The Big Band Finale"
  • "The Waltz"
  • "From Limbo"
  • "Fill workout"
  • "Gadd Style fills"
  • "YYZ" (3d video based on studio recording)

• "Toad", improvised solo by Ginger Baker of Cream, released originally on the studio album Fresh Cream and later on the live portion of Wheels of Fire.

• "Tiger Rag", one-bar set introduction by Jock Jacobson.

• "The Big Noise from Winnetka", bass and drum duet with solo pasages, by bassist and arranger Bob Haggart. Originally recorded with Ray Bauduc on drums, covered by Gene Krupa and many others.
• "Rat Salad" by Black Sabbath's Bill Ward has a drum solo that is often compared to John Bonham's "Moby Dick".

• "Mountain Jam" by the Allman Brothers Band features a drum solo with their two drummers, Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks.

• ATTO - an album recorded in 1984 by Vladimir Tarasov (jazz drummer), containing only percussion instruments.

• The Grateful Dead were known to usually have at least one drum solo in the second set of each of their concerts. From 1967 to 1971 they featured drum solos from both of their drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. Hart left the band in 1971, leaving Kreutzmann to perform the drum solos by himself. Hart returned to the band in 1975 and the two drummers resumed their dual drum solos.

• In King Crimson's song called "B'Boom" both Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto perform a studio-recorded drum solo. Bill Bruford plays the snare while Pat Mastelotto works the percussion intstruments.

• KISS Drummer Eric Carr was well known for his live drum solos, utilizing electronic pads to synthesise notes.

• Judas Priest's "Painkiller" features an introductory drum solo, courtesy of Scott Travis.

• Various songs on Death's The Sound of Perseverance feature intrincate drum solos by drummer Richard Christy. His performance in this album is highly acclaimed. This album also includes a cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller". Various of these tracks are featured also in Death's Live in L.A. (Death & Raw) and Live in Eindhoven.

• Mike Portnoy's solo from Dream Theater's As I Am.

• Max Roach's Drums Unlimited is an album featuring three tracks of solo playing.

• Joey Jordison of SlipKnoT (band) played a 3 minute drum solo during SlipKnoT's Subliminal Verses Tour. It can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZawV8-Jk-M

• In a rarity for music, the Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein" featured two drum solos from drummer Chuck Ruff.

• Travis Barker of Blink 182,+44 and Boxcar Racer is known for many drum solos such as one when he brakes his arm and does a wonderful solo with only one arm.

Ronald Lawrence Wilson (Born: May 28, 1955 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and raised in Riverside, Rhode Island-) is an American current head coach and former National Hockey League player. ... The Surfaris were a surf rock band formed in California in 1962, and are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May, 1963 : Surfer Joe (the A side), andWipe Out on the B side of a 45 RPM single. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Alexander Arthur Van Halen (born on May 8, 1953) is a drummer and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen, along with his brother Eddie Van Halen who plays lead guitar and keyboards. ... Hot for Teacher is a song on Van Halens successful 1984 album. ... Ron Bushy was a co-founder of the rock band Iron Butterfly. ... Iron butterfly is also a name for an options-trading strategy. ... The album cover of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, released in 1968, was a 17-minute rock song by Iron Butterfly, released on their album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, occupying the entire second side of the album. ... Philip David Charles Collins (born January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock and pop musician. ... Chester Thompson, born in Baltimore, Maryland, made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappas touring band and with Weather Report. ... Genesis is an English progressive rock band formed in 1967. ... Moby Dick is a Led Zeppelin instrumental song from their second album. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album) Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, and are one of the most successful groups in popular music history. ... Bernard Buddy Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. ... Lars Ulrich (born December 26, 1963) is the drummer and co-founder of Metallica. ... Metallica is an American heavy metal band, formed on October 28, 1981. ... Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993) is Metallicas live album containing 3 CDs and 2 VHS tapes (new version: 2 DVDs) from concerts in Mexico City, Seattle and San Diego. ... One is a song performed by thrash metal band Metallica. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Richard Starkey, MBE (born July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England), known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English popular musician, singer and actor, best known as the drummer of The Beatles. ... The Beatles were a highly influential English rock band from Liverpool, Merseyside. ... The End is the next-to-last song to appear on the album Abbey Road by The Beatles. ... Abbey Road is the eleventh official album released by The Beatles. ... Jörg Michael is the German drummer of the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. ... Stratovarius is a Finnish Neoclassical/power metal band, known for its melodic approach to the genre. ... Visions of Europe is a live album by the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. ... Timo Tolkki (born March 3, 1966, in Klaukkala, Finland) is the guitarist, songwriter and producer of the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. ... Jens Johansson (November 2. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Neil Ellwood Peart (IPA: ) OC, (born September 12, 1952 in Hagersville, Ontario) is the drummer and lyricist for the progressive rock band Rush. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and what note value constitutes one beat. ... In music, an arrangement loosely describes rewriting a piece of pre-existing music for a specific set of instruments or voices, often in harmony or with additional original material. ... A percussion instrument can be any object which produces a sound by being struck with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. ... Toad is a song by British rock band Cream appearing on their 1966 debut album, Fresh Cream. ... Peter Edward Ginger Baker (born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer who gained fame as a member of Cream from 1966 until 1968. ... Cream was a 1960s British supergroup which featured guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker. ... Fresh Cream was Creams 1966 (see 1966 in music) debut album. ... Wheels of Fire is the name of the double album recorded by Cream. ... Tiger Rag is a popular tune, originally recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917. ... Paul Chambers, acclaimed jazz bassist A bassist is a musician who plays a double bass or electric bass (also referred to as bass guitar). ... In popular music an arrangement is a setting of a piece of music, which may have been composed by the arranger or by someone else. ... Bob Haggart (March 13, 1914 in New York City; died December 2, 1998 in Venice, Florida) was a jazz bassist best known for his work with Bob Crosby and Yank Lawson. ... Ray Bauduc (1906 — 1988) was a hugely popular and influential New Orleans-born jazz drummer best known for his work with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and their band-within-a-band, the Bobcats, between 1935 and 1942. ... Gene Krupa Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. ... Rat Salad is a two-and-a-half minute instrumental by Black Sabbath, from their 1970 album Paranoid. ... Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham. ... Bill Ward Bill Ward (born William Ward, May 5, 1948, Birmingham, England), is the drummer for the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980), was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... Moby Dick is a Led Zeppelin instrumental song from their second album. ... Mountain Jam is an Allman Brothers Band song off the Eat A Peach album. ... The original Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band is a pioneering and innovative Southern rock group from Macon, Georgia originally popular in the 1970s, described by Rolling Stones George Kimball in 1971 as the best . ... The Grateful Dead were an American psychedelia-influenced rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. ... Bill Kreutzmann (born May 7, 1946 in Palo Alto, California) was the drummer for legendary rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire 30-year career. ... Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born September 11, 1943) is known as one of the two drummers from the rock band the Grateful Dead. ... King Crimson is an English musical group founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. ... Bill Bruford on the cover of his album, Feels Good to Me William Scott Bruford (born May 17, 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England), better known as Bill Bruford, is an influential British drummer known for his forceful, highly precise, polyrhythmic style. ... Lee Patrick Mastelotto (born September 10, 1955 in Chico, California) is a rock drummer who has worked with King Crimson and XTC. Pat started playing the drums at the age of 10. ... KISS are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. ... Eric Carr (1950-1991) was the drummer in KISS from 1980 until his death in 1991. ... Judas Priest are a heavy metal band formed in 1968 in the northwest midlands of England, near Birmingham. ... Scott Travis (born September 6, 1961, Norfolk, Virginia, USA) is the drummer for legendary British heavy metal band Judas Priest. ... Death was an influential death metal band from the United States that was founded in 1983 and dissolved in 1999. ... The Sound of Perseverance is the seventh and final album released by Death in 1998. ... Richard Christy (born April 1, 1974 in Fort Scott, Kansas) is an American drummer who currently works as a comedy writer and for the The Howard Stern Show. ... Judas Priest are a heavy metal band formed in 1968 in the northwest midlands of England, near Birmingham. ... Death was an influential death metal band from the United States that was founded in 1983 and dissolved in 1999. ... Live in L.A. (Death & Raw) is the live album released by Death in 2001. ... Live in Eindhoven is a live album released by Death in 2001. ... Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American drummer primarily known for his work with the influential progressive metal band Dream Theater. ... Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in 1985. ... Jazz in 3/4 time cover released in 1957 on EmArcy Maxwell Lemuel Roach (born January 10 (according to the official records, though his family claims January 8), 1924)to parents Alphonse and Cressie Roach. ... Joey Jordison (his real name is Nathan Jonas Jordison, was born on April 26, 1975). ... Slipknot is a nine-piece nu-metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995 and currently signed to Roadrunner Records. ... Edgar Winter Group is a 1970s rock band founded by Edgar Winter. ... Frankenstein is the name of several rock and roll songs: The 1972 song by that name was a rock instrumental featuring an early popularization of the synthesizer by the Edgar Winter Group from their album They Only Come Out at Night. ... Charles F.C. (Chuck) Ruff (died November 19, 2000) was a lawyer in the District of Columbia who is most notable for being counsel to US President Bill Clinton. ... Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for blink-182. ...

See also

• Solo (music)
• Guitar solo