All true. To address your last sentence, I guess my point is: we’re seeing various examples of guys/gals on drums and it isn’t their main instrument in the band or what they do solo yet they can do it. In other words, we’re not talking about even playing with a ‘high degree of skill’ but getting through a song. I think most professional musicians can do that. I mean, Gilmour isn’t tearing it up. He’s just playing drums.
classic drummer bias (original comment). as a now retired competent professional drummer , it's all about timing , feel and hitting the changes while sometimes staying in the pocket and keeping time. it's not as easy as it sounds.
i have heard that on the song "boys keep swinging" bowie had the band change up instruments to get a bit of a ragged feel about the song.
Peter Hammill played drums on a few of his solo albums (pH7, A Black Box and Sitting Targets come to mind) but, to put it kindly, he’s no Guy Evans.
It seems the main contention of my original point was using the word competently. I guess that definition varies. I’m certainly not trying to denigrate good, professional drummers. But what I said is true: timing, feel, and hitting the changes. That’s drumming 101. Playing in the pocket and other subtleties of the instrument come with proficiency.
He sure did! Sang harmony and played bass on it too. Here's a fellow who can do it ALL as seen below! Guitars, bass, pedal steel, keys... and DRUMS: Ron Wood (he plays a mean harmonica, and he likes to play sax too!)
Tab’s a pretty good drummer; whenever there is an all-star Jam at a Blues festival, he gets on the drums so that more guitarists can participate.
Steve Winwood, Paul Rodgers, Prince, Ben Folds, Jan Hammer and Pete Townshend have all had their moments behind the kit.
I'll leave it to the Beatlephiles to either detail beyond his drumming on his s/t solo album or chastise me... but Mccartney. I'm surprised 6 of the first 10 posts of he thread didn't address this.
Jimmy Miller but first and foremost he always thought of himself as a drummer and percussionist. Maybe not first and foremost... but I could make an argument he did think of his first love as being skins and such.
Davy Jones of The Monkees would play drums when Micky had a solo. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day will take over for Tré Cool when Tré does his solo bits onstage. Billie also played drums (and bass) on some of their Kerplunk! (1992) tracks because he was in a rush to get them done.