Posted on 01/27/2024 4:06:30 PM PST by DoodleBob
When losing oneself in the gateway masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon or the kaleidoscopic obscurity of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, one can easily overlook the masterful work of Nick Mason. As the rhythmic backbone of Pink Floyd, undoubtedly one of the 20th century’s finest rock bands, the affable beat-keeper always knew just how much to add and when to add it, an oft-overlooked attribute.
Furthermore, as the longest-standing member of Pink Floyd, his role has mimicked that of Ringo Starr in The Beatles as a mediator in times of internal tension. Unfortunately, in the story of Pink Floyd, there has been no shortage of that. But a closer look at Mason’s style will unlock the secret to his talent.
Firstly, it is important to note that Mason is not a virtuoso on the level of Ginger Baker or Mitch Mitchell by his own admission. “I still feel that. I’m still learning to live with it,” he told The Drummer’s Journal in 2015 when asked if he really felt insufficient as a drummer. “It’s hard to know now, but if I’d had lessons, there’s an argument to say that I wouldn’t have played the way I did.”
Mason continued to note how a lack of technical knowledge can open new doors to a departure from convention. “The upside is I’m grateful to have developed my own style,” he pointed out. Like so many drummers before and after him, Mason discovered that there’s much more to creative drumming than virtuosity.
To understand Mason’s approach to drumming, a good place to start is his pool of influence. Like his favourite drummer, Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mason was a jazz enthusiast who, awed by the virtuosity of genre icons like Buddy Rich, endeavoured to blend the intricate style into blues rock.
Speaking to Music Radar in 2010, Mason revealed his love for Mitchell and his jazz sensibilities. “In terms of style and rock drummers I like, it was Mitch Mitchell,” he said. “Whether it’s behind the beat or not, it’s so lazy, but it worked perfectly under Jimi and that slightly jazzy thing. There’s no one else like him.”
As a rock drummer with a jazz persuasion, Mason opts for a kit typically comprising both single and double-headed acoustic drums, tuned percussion, electronic drums and Rototoms. This extensive setup offers Mason a galaxy of intricate tones to adorn Pink Floyd’s often cinematic and ethereal compositions.
During Pink Floyd’s early chapters, Mason was heavy on the snares, often emphasising the second and fourth beats. This heavier approach can be heard prominently on 1969’s Ummagumma; the album’s first side was recorded during live shows, giving a snapshot of Mason’s live presence, which was generally a little heavier and more involved than in the studio.
When Pink Floyd released Meddle in 1971, its side two epic ‘Echoes’ lit the path for a more concerted future, namely the success of The Dark Side of the Moon two years later. This 23-minute offering was an all-around triumph, but too little has been said of Richard Wright’s keyboard composition and Mason’s newfound drumming command in the song over the years.
With his delicate studio approach maturing in the early ’70s, Mason abandoned the heavy snares in favour of a flatter, more subtle timbre. It is this approach by which Mason is recognised as an inspiration of his era. While his contemporaries lashed seven bells out of their skins, Mason observed a less-is-more mantra like his bandmate, lead guitarist David Gilmour.
With Mason’s gently swelling jazz-inspired approach under the belt, you might want to use the same brands as he has over the years. While he set out with Premier drums in the 1960s, he traded them for Ludigs in 1970, through Pink Floyd’s most celebrated spell until 1992. Today, he opts for Drum Workshop toms, pedals and hardware. Throughout his whole career, Mason has used Paiste cymbals.
Watch Mason discuss his modern setup, as used with his band Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, below.
Money
It’s a hit
Don’t give me that do goody good bull____!
Playing pedestrian drums paid off for Nick, Charlie Watts, Ringo, and Don Henley.
Guy’s so poor he can only afford old cars.
Ok that’s funny.
I wouldn’t call Ringo pedestrian.
Would call Ginger Baker a far better jazz versatile drummer than any of the pedestrians. Odd as Baker was and deaf as he became.
Today’s 80 age is yesterdays 50!
Charlie Watts said he was not Mick Jagger’s drummer, but that Jagger was his (Watts’) vocalist.
When your band is fronted by great singer / songwriters, maybe pedestrian drumming is all that is needed.
The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ULb9YE3UI
LOL!
Yes Ginger was a jazz drummer in a rock band. He and Moonie were the two most innovative rock drummers of the era.
That being said, though, Ringo was the perfect drummer for The Beatles, even if he wasn’t as flashy as the others. He wrote the book on how to drum “In The Pocket”.
Nick was a perfect drummer for PF. I always liked his simple fills and use of Toms and nice feel.
Live bands have monitors, which are basically amplifiers facing the band. That way, they can hear themselves (they can’t hear the sound from the amps and PA system). They’re usually up front, on the stage floor, tiled at a 45-degree angle.
But the Beatles never had monitors. Thus playing live was difficult. Making matters worse for them, they had a zillion screaming girls in the audience.
The ONLY way the Beatles could have played a gig without it being a train wreck, was if Ringo beat the s**t out of the drums and cymbals, to cut through the din and give the others something to latch onto.
Yes, Lars, and Charlie bang away for Metallica and Anthrax. But take away their monitors and amps, put them in front of a zillion screamers, and I bet Ringo]still wins the day.
His playing is fairly interesting at times, and he’s certainly more notable than Charlie Watts or anyone in AC/DC, or anyone else in my list. And yes, the Beatles were about the SONGWRITING - they weren’t about instrumental mastery. They didn’t need Moon or Bonham or Mitch or Ginger. In fact, put any of those wild men in Pink Floyd and visa versa, and it wouldn’t work. Nick was perfect for Pink Floyd - and he’s got a better car collection than me, so what do I know.
Ringo has his place, and if I was called Ringo I wouldn’t consider it being slagged off. But I stand by pedestrian.
What a fun looking auto collection ! J. Geils collected, as well.
Now show a still photo from the Cream Albert Hall show and look at Ginger Baker’s setup— most did not know that Baker became deaf— so the bass reflex LOUD signal was sent over a heavy duty 18 inch woofer as well as a equalized signal which vibrated the entire drum “box” and through his chair. He played from the sensation of the sound of Jack Bruce’s bass and also Clapton’s bottom end frequencies. Pretty clever. So was the use by Clapton many years ago on up to 2005 of running his guitar through a Leslie organ cabinet (with spinning speakers)- which can now be created in a electric signal stomp box (but Clapton had to wait until the full house signal came down enough on sustain to stomp the actuation button for the Leslie (and uh, not blow most of the house system). So have learned from major sound people in nashville (old timers).
Here is a video that shows both Ginger and the Leslie effect in one video “Badge” (the miswritten title from studio notes- Bridge looked like “Badge” who knew?):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPDZ2M51XDw
A better view of the set up tan large cabinet on the drum box and precisely placed drummer seat (bolted?).
Sunshine of Your Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyftaay-pFA
Well played!
Nice assessment thanks. The drummer - for that matter the bassist, guitarist, et al - must fit the band so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
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