This is like the portlandia of drumming

Great compilation, but you forgot the all-important video of him playing with ice-cream scoops in an ice cream parlor. He was in rare form that day, really shredding it.

@unclerhombus

12 күн бұрын

lolllll 😂 It was too cringe to include, even for Gruber!

Freddie passed away in 2011. We know he taught generations of successful drummers. That’s a laudable accomplishment. I know Freddie could play and witnessed it multiple times. One of the people who talked about Freddie’s playing was Jim Chapin. He mentioned Freddie being way ahead of his time playing polyrhythms. I don’t have a desire to defend the fact that Freddie actually played the drums because I find the topic and trolling of this attempted cause celebre juvenile and inconsequential to the love of this instrument. That being said, Freddie was someone that a lot of us cared about. This reverence and love we had for Freddie had nothing to do with press rolls or whether he could play three camps. It’s not something you could quantify in an instagram post or a derogatory comment on KZread. I truly hope that, at least once in your life, you have a relationship with someone who shows you the love and meticulous care Freddie demonstrated in the manner he taught us drums. Beyond that, let my friend and teacher rest in peace.

@unclerhombus

Ай бұрын

I apologize if this video has caused you any pain or suffering. That certainly wasn’t my intent. I envy that you were able to witness Freddie play. In all these years I’ve heard of Freddie through Neil Peart, all I’ve ever wanted was to see him actually play but all searches have been almost completely fruitless. I believe you that he was a good friend and I probably would have gotten along with him quite well if I had met him.

@nealsausen4651

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus ; yes, as a weekly, Freddie GRUBER student for many years I saw him play hundreds of times, and he could play! But that wasn’t his thing he converted to teaching and he was a master it way ahead of his time. Just ask joey herrick

@markevans2814

25 күн бұрын

All I'm saying is, you students who studied with Freddie Gruber for years, could a couple of his students post some video of Gruber in his prime, tearing it up? I'm just curious to see it, that's all. The same can be said for Gary Chester. Why isn't there a lot of video of Gary Chester tearing it up, in his prime, as well? I am NOT knocking them, whatsoever. I'm just curious to SEE video of them, in their prime, driving a Band, period.

@nealsausen4651

25 күн бұрын

@@markevans2814 : I would, but I don’t have any videos of him playing by the time I got with him back in 1969. He was already pretty much teaching full-time and not really playing anymore with anyone but he has the teaching chops man he had those teaching chops and he never lost them. That’s the thing you have to try to remember, and you only have known that if you studied with him if you hadn’t studied with him, there’s no way you could’ve known that just sayin

@unclerhombus

25 күн бұрын

@@markevans2814 I’ve been asking and searching for *years.* Absolutely no one can provide a single thing except for what I’ve found here in this video, and it’s plain to see he wasn’t a drummer.

Gruber always seemed like a cult leader, and many fell under his spell. All of the real greats had endless performances caught on film from the old days, and there is nothing from him. I agree, a complete mystery.

@unclerhombus

4 күн бұрын

Yup. Every drummer who studied with Gruber was already an *amazing* drummer when they signed on with him. I understood his need to reinvent, but Peart’s playing lost originality and ferocity after lessons with him, imo. It took me *years* to find just the footage I’ve posted here, and my suspicions were confirmed - while although he could apparently teach, Freddie had zero playing ability.

How does one explain then the glowing testimony of renowned drummer/educators like Bruce Becker who were long time students of Freddie (not to mention Peart, Steve Smith, Weckl)? These type of high level players would not put up with bs. In fact, Becker even says in the early days of Gruber’s teaching, he was pretty much an old school drum teacher (using books, etc) and later became more of a Body movement guru type. Regardless, I think the “mystery” part of it makes it fascinating. Maybe Gruber was a bit like The Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. If so, that’s hilarious and enchanting to me.

@unclerhombus

Ай бұрын

Their testimonies mean they must have certainly learned something from him related to drumming, but my solid opinion is that, while Freddie could apparently *teach,* he definitely could not *play.* And that’s fine - there’s nothing wrong with that. I was simply shocked once I discovered this, as I expected Gruber’s drumming to be right on par with the others of his day - Krupa, Bellson, Jo Jones, Rich, Roach, etc. But the clips I’ve found clearly demonstrate that he hasn’t the ability to play even thee most basic beats on drums which was very confusing to me at first. All that being said, I would love to be proven wrong by anyone out there with footage to the contrary. All that is needed is a short video of him performing even rudiments on a pad to show that he could play. But no such footage exists, and the only footage that does exist is what we see here.

@michaelgreen5206

Ай бұрын

& Buddy Rich too!!!

@drummer78

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus This only further adds to the mystery: kzread.info/dash/bejne/e6aJsNWzpbrIdbA.htmlsi=_6R39Jk1D8KSocU5

@dankenton

23 күн бұрын

@@unclerhombus I studied with Freddie and I can tell you firsthand that he's a philosopher of drumming, not a practitioner. Nobody goes to Freddie to learn chops or particular styles but instead to make what skillset you already have work for you in a more effortless fashion. He was by far the strangest teacher I've studied with but also the most important in terms of endurance and longevity on the instrument.

Jim Chapin on Freddie Gruber’s drumming: kzread.info/dash/bejne/e6aJsNWzpbrIdbA.htmlsi=MpblNiPoMFvv8wnE

There's a saying - "Those who can't do teach," and I've always felt that could have been applied to him.

@unclerhombus

Ай бұрын

That is probably accurate in the case of Freddie.

@nealsausen4651

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus : NO… Freddy could also play don’t kid yourselves

@unclerhombus

Ай бұрын

@@nealsausen4651these clips of him behind the pad and the kit prove otherwise.

@nealsausen4651

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus : what are you trying to say about Freddy be specific? Are you pro or con Freddy’s abilities because he certainly had abilities on the drum set AND he could teach! Please clarify your last comment about otherwise about otherwise

@nealsausen4651

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus : it proves nothing otherwise except the only thing it does prove is that a lot of you naysayers are ignorant of Freddy’s abilities as both a player and a teacher I saw him at witnessed him hundred times playing behind a drum kit and he had some shit happening man I studied with him every week for over a quarter century I think I should know something about it. Let me ask you a question did you ever study with Freddy did you ever put any time in with him? Did you actually ever even meet the guy, at a NAMM show or at a PAS convention?! If you did not if you never spend time with him then how can you say anything about him it’s all hearsay on your part and that’s very dangerous. Nice video though.

Behold ... the biggest non-politician con man of all time.

@unclerhombus

12 күн бұрын

All someone has to do is provide any small shred of proof that Freddie could play even thee simplest of beats or grooves. Until then, I am convinced Gruber could not actually play drums.

@BDizDaBest

12 күн бұрын

@@unclerhombus yeah. We live in a world where you can obtain grainy archival footage of some African tribe playing complex bongo beats somewhere in the middle of the sub-Sahara in the early 1900s. But you still can’t get a single video clip of Freddie Krueger - sorry, Gruber - playing a paradiddle on a practice pad. It’s absurd.

@unclerhombus

12 күн бұрын

@@BDizDaBest right. And the footage posted here - the only time I’ve EVER seen Freddie on a drum pad - clearly demonstrates he couldn’t play a thing.

Thanks for doing this - although it such sparse pickings! 😲

@unclerhombus

Ай бұрын

Please let me know if you find any more clips!

@williamperri3437

Ай бұрын

And if we get the pleasure of ever seeing him do a drumroll 😮😂

@unclerhombus

Ай бұрын

@@williamperri3437 after seeing his pad work and his “groove” behind a kit in these videos, I honestly doubt he was able to play a drum roll at all.

@williamperri3437

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus but watch Jim Chapin in the drum set on KZread at the musicians institute! 😯 Very special player and very humble.

@SAHBfan

Ай бұрын

@@unclerhombus- That last clip sounds pretty horrible - but because it has no context I wonder if he was trying to demonstrate some odd polyrhythm or something. (I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt) If so, that is a very unfortunate legacy to leave behind! It is odd that he was still playing in the 1990s and maybe later and yet there is no decent footage. That isn’t all that long ago - there were plenty of video recorders around then, it isn’t like the Chick Webb era where you only got filmed if you were literally in a professional film studio making a movie. Many years ago I found an obscure jazz album where the drums were credited to Freddie Gruber. The drumming didn’t leap out as anything amazing, but it wasn’t bad, either. Maybe it might be fruitful to search out any recordings he made, rather than try to find video clips, if we want to hear him play?

Why is it that you can NEVER see any video available of Gruber as a young man shredding? Like 95% of the stuff you see, is just him doing a stroke exercise. Meanwhile, there is TONS of video of Buddy, Louie Bellson, Art Blakley, Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams, Cobham, etc. Where is all of this vaunted film of him tearing it up, when he was in his prime? I'm not being disrespectful, but I am curious. I mean, there's GOT to be some film from the 70's, right? I find that it's similar with Gary Chester. where's the film on Gary Chester tearing it up?!

@DNixon845

25 күн бұрын

Snake oil all day. He simply shows how physics work and one can’t argue with that. Fluid playing and not fighting the stick So basic physics.👍

@unclerhombus

12 күн бұрын

That’s such a great question - one that I’ve been asking for nearly an entire *decade* now. And never mind video (although I’d love to see that)…there isn’t even a single vinyl pressing of a single song Freddie has ever drummed on. Simplest answer is that, while he could apparently *teach,* he could not actually play drums. But people simply take his word that, “back in the day,” he was some drumming god, with zero proof of this claim. He’s just like the so-called “ancient Kung-Fu masters” who claim they can take down 50 men without even touching them, only to find their skills are completely nonexistent once an actual fighter challenges them in a sparring match.

These videos, the pronouncements intended to sound mystical while imparting nothing...even down to the way he holds the sticks...it all looks like someone who can't play at all.

@unclerhombus

9 күн бұрын

I couldn’t agree more - that’s why I chose the title I did for this video. All these great drummers singing praises to this guy, but then we see actual video of him in action and it is *blatantly* obvious this man wasn’t a drummer, and had absolutely no clue how to play. It’s truly a great mystery.

Freddy Guru ber made Steve Smith and Neil Peart great....after they were already great!. Well respected man. Give him that.