Double drumming (sometimes referred to as double drums) is a musical technique, used mostly in rock music, where two drummers each play a drum kit at the same time.[citation needed] One may play the rhythm while the other may play another style, or both may play the same rhythm. It is more common to have a main drummer with an auxiliary percussionist who plays Latin American percussion, toms, or mallet percussion, but this is not considered "double drumming".[citation needed]
Featuring two drummers has been common in jazz music, in particular in free jazz.[1]
List of bands including double drumming/additional percussionists
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/...And_You_Will_Know_Us_by_the_Trail_of_Dead_%28live%29_at_Quart_Festival_2005%2C_Norway.jpg/220px-...And_You_Will_Know_Us_by_the_Trail_of_Dead_%28live%29_at_Quart_Festival_2005%2C_Norway.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/DoobieBrothersCollage-1000.jpg/220px-DoobieBrothersCollage-1000.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Genesis_Live_01.jpg/220px-Genesis_Live_01.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Grateful_Dead_at_the_Warfield-01.jpg/220px-Grateful_Dead_at_the_Warfield-01.jpg)
- 38 Special (two drummers: 1974–87)
- ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
- ABBA (two drummers during their 1977 Australian Tour)
- Adam and the Ants 1980–1982.
(Also for Adam Ant solo live shows 1982–1984, 1995, 2010, 2011–present) - Add N to (X)
- The Albion Band (1976-1978)
- The Allman Brothers Band (two drummers 1968–82 and 1989–91; two drummers and percussionist from 1991–2014)
- Angels of Light
- Apollo 440 (Stop the Rock)
- Arcade Fire
- The Arcs
- The Band (occasionally after 1983 reformation)
- Big Pig
- Black Eyes
- Bleachers[2]
- Bloc Party
- Blues Image (1966–1970)
- Bon Iver
- Brand New, 2014 tour
- Bright Eyes
- James Brown (intermittently, especially ca. 1966–76)
- Butthole Surfers, 1983–1985, 1986–1989, 2009
- Clear Light
- Phil Collins (Chester Thompson, touring)
- John Coltrane, on Meditations (1966)
- Cardiacs (drummer and percussionist: 1981–90; drummer and two percussionists: 2004–2008)[3]
- Caribou[4]
- Combichrist (additional percussionist)
- Concussion Ensemble (three regular drumkits, plus junk percussion)
- Course of Empire
- Crash Worship
- Cult of Luna
- Dananananaykroyd
- Danielson
- Dead & Company
- Demetrius Williams and Malachi Burgess, double drummers for DPB Band and with Brian Haas of JFJO and others
- The Dirtbombs
- Do Make Say Think
- The Doobie Brothers
- Eagles of Death Metal
- Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (2015–present)
- The Fall, 1981–1984, 1993–1997 (occasional), 2014–2016
- The Feelies
- Foreigner
- Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention (two drummers: 1966–69; drummer and percussionist: on and off from 1973–88; two drummers and percussionist: 1973–74)
- Fugazi (early 2000s shortly before breakup)
- Genesis (1976–1993, 2007; Bill Bruford and then Chester Thompson, touring)
- The Glitter Band
- Godsmack (occasionally)
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor
- Goose (2020–present)
- Gorillaz (2010, 2017–present)
- The Go! Team
- Grateful Dead (two drummers: 1967–1971, 1974–1995[5])
- Ground Zero (most but not all lineups)
- Hawkwind (1974–1976; occasionally thereafter)
- Henry Threadgill Sextett (1982–1989)
- Hidden Orchestra
- Hollywood Undead (an additional percussionist who plays on a kit that consists of both electronic and acoustic drums)
- Ill Niño (additional Latin percussion, consisting of bongos etc., including regular cymbals and drums)
- Incubus
- Indigo jam unit
- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (2023–present)
- Joe Bonamassa
- Joe Walsh
- Journey (in 2021 tour)
- Kamasi Washington
- King Crimson (drummer and percussionist: 1972–1973; two drummers: 1994–1997 and 2008; three drummers: 2013–2021)
- King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (2013–2020)
- Koinonia (two players, each with drumsets and aux percussion and varied usage)[6]
- Kylesa
- Levon Helm (during the 1980s)
- Little Richard (1997–2013)
- Live (during 2017–2019 live tours)
- Joe Lovano's Us Five band, ca. 2009–2012
- Mahavok (an Estonian band)
- Marmaduke Duke
- The Melvins (2006–2015)
- Ministry (during tours 1989–1990, 2003)
- Modest Mouse (2004–12)
- The Moody Blues (additional touring drummer: 1991–present)
- Morphine (two drummers: 1998–99)
- Motograter (additional. "Smur drums" consisting of steel barrel drums with drum heads)
- Murder, Inc.
- Mushroomhead (main drums and two water drumkits [live only], since 2006)
- The National (2019 tour)
- Neoton (acoustic and electronic)
- Needtobreathe
- N.E.R.D. (2007, 2008–2011, one show in 2018)
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (since 1994, on most but not all recordings and performances)
- Nomeansno, 1993–1997
- Nothing More (singer Jonny Hawkins performs a solo on a custom kit consisting of a vertical bass drum, a snare drum and a makeshift hi-hat, while the actual drummer repeats simple beats)
- Oomph! (addt. electronic percussion + acoustic backup percussion on live shows)
- Ornette Coleman, first with his album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation an early and seminal example of double drumming; and occasionally thereafter[7]
- The Outlaws (David Dix and Monty Yoho)
- Osees
- The Party Boys
- Pavement
- Pink Fairies 1970–1971, 1973, 1975
- Pink Floyd (1980–1994; touring)
- Poliça
- Queen + Adam Lambert (2017 tour)
- Radwimps (in live performances since 2017)
- Radiohead (In live performances since 2011)
- Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
- Rialto
- Robyn (2007 & 2008 live performances while supporting album, "Robyn")
- Rock Hot Chicks
- Rod Stewart (2017 and 2018 tour)
- The Roots
- Sabaton (only on their Wacken 2019 performance for their 20-year anniversary)
- Shout Out Out Out Out
- Showaddywaddy
- Sigue Sigue Sputnik
- Skeleton Key (additional junk percussion, consisting of various pieces of metal items and scrap).
- Slipknot (one drum kit, two percussion setups which include beer kegs)
- Sons of Kemet
- Steely Dan (on 1974 tour)
- Swans (on Filth and reunion albums)
- T. Rex (guest second drummer Ringo Starr in a jam scene in the film Born to Boogie,
two drummers plus percussionist on Spring 1974 tour,
otherwise one drummer plus percussionist 1971–1974) - Soulwax (three drummers used on From Deewee and 2017 tour)
- Taraf de Haïdouks (a Romanian band)
- Tedeschi Trucks Band
- Tortoise (on some but not all recordings and performances)
- Ulver
- Umphrey's McGee
- Upsilon Acrux
- U.S. Christmas
- The Ventures
- Vinegar Joe
- The Warlocks
- White Rabbits
- Wizzard
- Year of No Light
- Yes (during their 1991–1992 Union Tour)
- Zaïko Langa Langa (1985–1992)
- ZARD (Izumi Sakai)
- ZUTOMAYO
References
[edit]- ^ "25 Great Double-Drumming Tracks - Modern Drummer Magazine". Modern Drummer. moderndrummer.com. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (September 5, 2014). "Wallops of Exuberance With Traces of Yearning". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ^ Sgrignoli, Marco (20 July 2022). "Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". Ondarock.it (in Italian). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Jones, Charlie (17 March 2010). "Caribou interview: "I always feel like I am fumbling around."". DMY. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Eisen, Benjy (August 1, 2014). "The Grateful Dead's Drummers on Their 'Far-Out' New Collaboration". Esquire. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ "Photographic image" (JPG). I.ytimg.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ DownBeat: January 18, 1962 vol. 29, no. 2
External links
[edit]- "25 Great Double-Drumming Tracks", ModernDrummer.com. Accessed December 31, 2014.