Virgil / Gavin

Tech:
Speed - Virgil
Rolls - Tie
Footwork - Virgil
Cymbalwork - Gavin
Polys - I'd say Virgil
Odd-Time Sigs - Dead tie.
Control - Tie

Uniqueness - Tie

Versatility:
Stylistic - I'm not quite sure what you mean
Genre Blending - Gavin
Rudimentary Knowledge - Tie

Virgil is definitely better than Carey, but Gavin / Virgil is very close despite my picks. Gavin didn't need to just jump 20 positions, although 20s seems appropriate for him... but realistically Carey is a mid 30s at best drummer. Sean Reinert isn't very far off from him at all.

Since you never said who you were, I'm going to assume Slayer67

Stylistic means Control Over Multiple Styles. Just a shorter way of saying it. I think Gavin would get Stylistic Versatility.

Oh, I meant to. And yeah.

I'd actually give rolls to him too, considering he has those crazy paradiddle foot rolls.

So that's 3 - 3, with the tiebreaker being a tie.

Actually it's 4 to 3 Gavin. If you were referring to giving him Rolls, because he also takes Stylistic Versatility, as well as cymbalwork and genre blending.

Oh no, i meant the rolls go to virgil.

Ok, lets do this then...





Technical Ability :

Speed: Pridgen
Rolls: tie
Footwork: tie (P with one, C with two)
Cymbalwork:Carey
Control: Carey
Odd-Time Sigs: tie or Carey
Polyrhythms: Carey
Precision: Carey

Uniqueness: Carey

Versatility (Genre Blending, Command Over Multiple Styles, Rudimentary Knowledge)
all of thes go to Carey IMO, but i guess you could give Pridgen genre blending. Nevertheless, Carey still slaughters him.

I'd say:

Skill:
Speed - Pridgen
Rolls - Pridgen
Footwork - Pridgen
Cymbalwork - Tie
Odd-Time Sigs - Tie
Polyrhythms - Carey
Control - Carey
Precision - Carey

Uniqueness - Tie (I've never really heard anyone drum like Pridgen either)

Versatility:
Stylistic - Pridgen
Genre Blending - Tie
Rudimentary Knowledge - Pridgen

So Pridgen would win.

carey wins rudimentary knowledge over pridgen ? Rolls are tied? Yeah, ok.

I'd say:

Skill:
Speed - Pridgen
Rolls - Pridgen
Footwork - Pridgen
Cymbalwork - Tie
Odd-Time Sigs - Tie
Polyrhythms - Carey
Control - Carey
Precision - Carey

Uniqueness - Carey (Virtually ever gospel chops drummer? Come on now)

Versatility:
Stylistic - Pridgen
Genre Blending - Pridgen
Rudimentary Knowledge - Pridgen

This is a Berkley legend versus... a fan favorite. Still though, Pridgen is probably the sloppiest drummer in the top 50. (Can't say I blame him, though)

So are we just lumping Independence and polies together?

Shit yeah, he does sounds a lot like all the other Gospel Chops guys (except for Royster).

Yeah Pridgen is arguably the sloppiest drummer in the top 70 or 80, lol.

Hmm... good question. Limb Independence probably should get it's own criterion... since that's a different than Polyrhythms. Polies require good limb independence of course, but there are many other things that require good independence that aren't polyrhythms.

this is like walking into the twilight zone.. LOL


FTR, Pridg didnt finish Berkelee, and sounds like the other Gospel Chops drummers plus, Thomas Lang, Dylan Elise, Mike Mangini... quite a few people, he's just a bit faster. Stylistic versatility is a no-brainer... There's no way Pridge would sound any good doing tabla solos or Zep material, or any Puscifer material.. or Pygmy Love Circus, or Volto... He's got one or two styles down all good but he just can't meld. Rudimentary knowledge is unquestionably Carey in my mind too, but i wont do a bit debate about that...

I'm not really sure if that's a fair assumption... Thomas uses a little everything as far as rudiments go, and has a lot of very interesting ways to mix them up, so it's a tie if anything. Both of these guys have serious low scores on something on another; unlike anyone else (that i've heard) in the top 30... Carey's being speed and pridgens being control... but that being said these 2 are about as apples and oranges as it gets.

Virgil Donati (Planet X)
Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment)
Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, Solo)
Neil Peart (Rush, Buddy Rich Big Band)
Danny Carey (Tool, VOLTO!)
Thomas Pridgen
Mike Mangini (Steve Vai, Extreme, Annihilator)
Jack DeJohnette (Solo, Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis)

That's how I'd order those guys, personally... I took out the ones i didn't know.

apples and oranges is true, but i wouldn't say Carey scores incredibly for speed at all... he has some incredibly sneaky little phrases like parts of the solo in Forty Six & 2.. some of hte runs in Right In Two, all the like "metal" performances Hooker With A Penis... but i know thats the wrong tree to bark up, Pridgen trumps almost everyone there

Pridgen definitely takes Carey. And Peart. And Probably the other 3 also. I know the man is sloppy as hell but he has more natural ability than probably any of those guys. And he's quite versatile, he's played traditional jazz and jazz fusion quite well at the Modern Drummer fest.

Also, DeJohnette probably beats out Mangini and maybe a few others. I would use the criteria, but my satellite internet is being really screwy because of the weather here, so I'll have to wait until later.

Question: If this were JUST ranked on technical skill where would Bruford place? He's my fav so I'm curious