Money Beat To The Max With Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr inspired countless drummers all around the world. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Ringo Starr, popular drummer for the Beatles, has gotten quite a bit of flak over the years from other drummers about what appears to be his “simple” style. The truth is, he helped define the traditional “Money Beat” by recording it on so many great albums from the Beatles. And if you really start to dig deep into Ringo’s drumming style, you’ll start to see that what he was playing wasn’t actually that simple at all. I’d like to focus on this iconic drummer in this post today, and share some of the more memorable videos I’ve seen about Ringo’s drumming. Some of the best drummers in the music business lifted ideas from Ringo, so I say give the man credit, because it’s definitely due. Enjoy!

I thought it would be fun to see him in action with the Beatles right off the bat. Here’s Ringo and the boys playing and singing one of their hit renditions, “Act Naturally,” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Amodaf-g8.

Rick Pagano, of the Beatles cover group The Fab Faux, has spent a lot of time studying Ringo’s drumming for his parts. Enjoy this extended lesson featuring some of the details he’s studied about Ringo’s drumming on a few of The Beatles’ more popular tunes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i39s-DTj8CQ.

Finally, Ringo has been part of a number of successful all star groups that have played Beatles music to audiences all around the world. This next video features a tribute to George Harrison after he passed, featuring Ringo on the drums, and a variety of all star musicians. Enjoy the performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZHtGVyeMX0.

I really hope you enjoyed hearing Ringo’s drumming, and learned a few things you may not have known before. Ringo changed how the drums were played and inspired countless musicians to pick up a pair of sticks and play the drums. There’s more coming your way at Play Drums By Ear, so stay tuned.

Thanks,

Chris