my metal band opened for PLANET X. Virgil was at his kit as I was setting up mine. when he seen my pAisTe gong I got a smile out if him. 9 months later at a drum clinic at MOTOR CITY GUITAR he said he remembered watching our band. I was floored. glad I didn't see him while playing. how the hell can you concentrate if the DRUM GOD has eyes on ya.?

@brettsadler126

6 жыл бұрын

MCG is the best place around us to catch the workshops by far. I missed out on Virgils visit but if he comes around again i will be there for sure.

@bradallmand2841

6 жыл бұрын

wow, what metal band are you in?. You must be killer legit to open for Planet X....Nice job!..

@The_Kevinist

5 жыл бұрын

>gets to open for Planet X >didn’t let your head witness and bop polyrhythmically to the probably and arguably one of the best fusion metal supergroup to ever graced the earth YOU ABSOLUTE MONSTER

@Hellion421

5 жыл бұрын

Chris Pouliot think he meant when he was playing, not Virgil. Doubt he'd miss out on that!

@jasperjenkins7729

5 жыл бұрын

@@bradallmand2841 BURNER also opened for RIK EMMITT of Triumph @ Harpos. And King Diamond @ palladium. Ratt also. Big deal. They were dickheads. Even played with KITTY on their 1st American show. Oh, the Daze.

I played with Virgil, he randomly came into my ensemble and started playing with us. What a beast, he started staring into my soul with his serious mindset and I realized how rubbish I play. This man is just insane and I'm very lucky to play a solo with him.

@broadcastworlds

5 жыл бұрын

I was being creative with my writing there, it just felt like he was staring into my soul that is all. But thanks for your comment.

Virgil plays DW drums is a bit of an understatement.

I absolutely LOVE where Virgil has taken his drumming. No one else like him.

@robertboyle5370

4 жыл бұрын

Thomas Lang is creeping up on him....fast

@corpsefoot758

2 жыл бұрын

@@robertboyle5370 Who says Virgil is staying in one spot either lmao This video is old

@dcmastermindfirst9418

2 жыл бұрын

@@robertboyle5370 Thomas lang is far more technical than Virge

@shadrachjunior8385

2 жыл бұрын

@@dcmastermindfirst9418 joke

@eduardo.872

2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic drummer!!

Whenever you think you can play drums, just remember that there is Virgil Donati

@dcmastermindfirst9418

2 жыл бұрын

Thomas lang is technically better.

@thedrummerscorner1

2 жыл бұрын

@@dcmastermindfirst9418 NO

@dcmastermindfirst9418

2 жыл бұрын

@@thedrummerscorner1 Yes he is.

@thehammer5200

2 жыл бұрын

@@dcmastermindfirst9418 Lang is still 10 years behind Virgil

@dcmastermindfirst9418

2 жыл бұрын

@@thehammer5200 Bullshit. Lang's feet alone are 20 years ahead of anything Dinati could ever hope to achieve

I bet if I practice real hard, I can learn to do that by the year two thousand never.

@umdiscodevinil

6 жыл бұрын

LOL!!!

@domthecolossus

6 жыл бұрын

Kit’s hella sick!! (Get it? Lol)

@spidermight8054

6 жыл бұрын

Lol! “Shartimus”!

@beefcake0354

5 жыл бұрын

too funny :D

@davidcosten8508

5 жыл бұрын

Nothing but rudiments, very boring playing actually, no feel and very little in the way of accents. If that were played live it would put people to sleep. I’m not sure this guy even understands the concept of expression, music comes from the soul.

First time watching him drum.... holy shit

@kiwidubz

5 жыл бұрын

me too, and now I see why many people think he's the best

so much power out of his traditional grip.

@w.j3468

5 жыл бұрын

What do you think of this power out of a traditional grip + fantastic bassdrum speed and technics? kzread.info/dash/bejne/fZV929OwcsfYfLg.html

@davidmichaelsen9805

5 жыл бұрын

W. J Valverde is a great drummer for sure.He is a HUGE Virgil Donati fan

@JerseyToTheBone

4 жыл бұрын

Look at Stewart Copeland....

@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE

4 жыл бұрын

@@JerseyToTheBone Don't forget Vinnie and Dave Weckl!

@teddys3558

4 жыл бұрын

Issac Benjamin yes that’s amazing when him!

I first saw Virgil Donati play at the Melbourne Drum expo back in the early 90s .. blew my mind with his double kick playing and his insane hand speed ... he has not lost any of that magic ...

Virgil is the guru who lives on the highest peak of the highest mountain of the drumming community.

@edwinbrighty5678

5 жыл бұрын

any good records?

@alexcivijovskidrummermaniac

5 жыл бұрын

still doesnt change the fact that he barely gigs with anyone in la or doesnt get any studio work in la why is that because hes too technical and has no feel or groove in his playing for example look at a drummer like steve gadd look at how many recordings hes done and how many people hes worked with alot more than virgil becausr he can groove and hes musical

@TheFissionchips

5 жыл бұрын

Gadd plays on simple 'pop' music. - Virgil is way beyond that slop. Stop trying to drag the best down to layman's levels.

@frankspikes4867

5 жыл бұрын

@@alexcivijovskidrummermaniac Here's what I have learned from playing, watching, and listening to music all my life. For every generation there are the apex musicains, actors, athletes, what ever. Then the next generation comes along and pushes the envelope. We can all learn from the rest of the musical world. I had the great fortune of seeing Steve Gadd and his in a drum off at the church is used to attend in L A. Both were great, but his son took it. He played some of his dad's grooves, and licks, and combined them with his own. And then he sped them up. Great times.

@josecabildo1207

5 жыл бұрын

alex civijovski people has this conception they dont call him for being “too technical” hahaha lol....... thats an excuse for jelly people, in reality he is not interesed, and devotes himself to his own vision, a true artist.

Wouldn't be a Virgil solo without that 3/16 pattern between the aux snare and the hi-hat 🤘

@dr.strange.2655

7 жыл бұрын

James Lyon Lol

@laytonmiller5865

7 жыл бұрын

That 3/16 pattern is what first caught my attention and made me a huge fan of his cuz it blew me away. But now I figured it out. You hear me Virgil?? I'M ONTO YOU. SOMEDAY I'LL BE A GOOD DRUMMER AND IT'LL BE YOUR FAULT!!! MWAHAHAHA

@newvultraz

6 жыл бұрын

And then it turns into a 5/16 pattern...

@Jordarr8994

4 жыл бұрын

Watched this clinic where he was playing an open solo and he randomly busted up a 7 note ostinato in SEXTUPLETS between his left hand and left foot while his right side was playing ridiculous patterns in SEXTUPLETS over it

The 200 people who gave a thumbs down undoubtedly believe that Lars Ulrich and Travis Barker are the greatest drummers to ever pick up a pair of sticks. It takes a good drummer just to understand what he’s doing…insane!!

@82mangini

10 ай бұрын

Thomas Lang is better than virgil

@jimmyr1888

9 ай бұрын

@@82manginibetter how?

@chrislivingston6955

3 ай бұрын

Totally agree I’ve been drumming for years and I could never reach this level of precision without his skill passion and technique it’s something to admire and keep us wanting more! Such a mean drummer and seems like a pretty cool n humble guy

precision, power and control. Nobody has is like Virgil. he's easily one of the greatest to ever put sticks to the instrument.

I remember watching one of his first clinics going on 25+yrs ago in Columbus, Oh "Drum Daze", when Virgil was with Premier. He had NO idea how to do a clinic. He came out and was the first person to ever do doubles with his feet...and I'll never forget the crowd response. I'd been to probably 50 clinics by that point, and I've never seen a crowd erupt on their feet WHILE someone was still playing. He got finished, to another standing ovation, and came out to do a Q&A...and was so uncomfortable with that environment, he just said something along the lines of "Thank you....uhm....I guess I should talk about my equipment. I play Premier....any questions?" You felt a little embarrassed for him, because he really didn't have any kind of layout to what he was going to do aside from playing and wasn't quite sure what to do with the situation. Then, when Peter Erskin came out, Peter wasn't sure what to do because he had never seen a crowd response like that. We felt awful for Peter Erskin having to come out after Virgils performance. Then Steve Smith came out after Erskin's performance and was telling us that backstage was an insecure mess after Virgils performance laughing at Marvin Smith's reaction back stage saying "You gotta laugh to keep from crying after watching that". I remember thinking we're watching the birth of a legend here. Virgil then came out and sat in the back of the auditorium to watch the other players. Clinics come and go over the years, but I never forgot that....

@dyeldasilva3868

3 жыл бұрын

What a story! Thank you for sharing it with us!

@atomicslam1589

3 жыл бұрын

@@dyeldasilva3868 Yeah....it was a bit winded, but worth telling. Probably like when someone watched Zeppelin play their first gig at some little bar, and knowing they were watching genius's at work, and it was just a matter of time. But, I had never seen anything like that up to that point, and never seen anything like it since. Absolutely NO ONE knew who Virgil was at that point, including all the other pro's at the clinic that day, other than the owner Jim Rupp, who came out and said...and I"ll never forget this..."This guy is an absolute MONSTER from Australia. I'm telling you now, because when he's finished and half of you are picking you jaw up off the floor, and the other half of you quit playing altogether, I don't want you to blame me....so I'm warning you now"....LOL. I think it may have been only the first or maybe second clinic Virgil had done in the states...he was the first "drumset" player to hit the stage that day (after a percussionist), because he's was the least known player. The auditorium was even completely full initially. And, he set the bar so high after that, you couldn't help but feel awful for every player that came out his performance. The strange thing to me after all these years is that, you never see him play like that anymore. That clinic was the last time I ever saw him unleash to that degree. I'm grateful I got to witness it. You could tell Virgil was taken back by the whole scene as well. P.S. If you can get to Columbus, OH, Columbus percussion puts on Drum Daze every year (or they used to anyway), it's very well done, and in a respectable venue...you should go and check it out. All the best to you, brother.

I remember seeing him with Peter Cupples in the early 80's. He was exceptional. Today, he is a living legend.

Virgil is a true monster of drums! Not only a player, but true composer, with passion and amazing imagination!!

best drum sound I’ve ever heard on youtube.

@dwdrums

4 жыл бұрын

😎

What drummers look like while playing: - Donati: that he can barely get anything right - Garstka: severly constipated - Peart: couldn't care less - Harrison: sometimes amazed at himself - Minneman: shouldn't have somuch fun just playing drums - Mangini: "I'll show them" - Kitcher: yes you heard me

@vinskilindqvist4554

4 жыл бұрын

Tauno Kekkonen Donati kyl näyttää juuri siltä mitä kirjoitit :D

@allsic

4 жыл бұрын

Lang: I am a Viking...

@spartandrew8672

4 жыл бұрын

Eric Not constipated but he is taking a massive shit during

Pfft! I can play like that in my sleep. It's just a pity I cant when I'm awake!

@bobcoco6047

4 жыл бұрын

Let's hope you're awake when you sleep & asleep when awake :D

@djGreenALERT

4 жыл бұрын

@@bobcoco6047 I'd love to understand that Bob, but I reckon I'll have to wait until I'm asleep to try. :))

He's my favorite drummer straight up. His playing is absolutely sensational

This level of drumming is beyond astonishing.. It's scaring 😳😳 True warrior.

Man I love Virgil. Almost as much as I love the sound he always gets out of his side snare.

Thank You Mr Donati for the many years of enjoyment you bring us all.

Just AMAZING! Visceral! Fantastic sounding drums!!! Brutal!

Virgil commands the kit with the finesse and dexterity that only Bruce Lee would have commanded if he was a drummer. Used to watch him as a young teenager in Melbourne back in the 80's and he was a breaking new ground back then only to become the beast he is today - certainly inspiring and can't wait to see him with Thomas very soon - will be a mind bending experience . Thanks Virgil

Not only can he transition between time signatures seemlessly, but the beats and fills he chooses for each time signature are A+, not bland cookie-cutter drum machine beats & fills. I’ve heard his band work before (I have his Icefish and self-titled albums) which is great, but he sounds even better here.

One thing I've noticed from Virgil since the switch to DW is that is doesn't use anywhere near as much double bass as he once did. In turn, I've noticed so many more new mind blowing phrases and concepts....This mans understanding and application of time and complex rhythmic structures is second to nobody I've ever seen. And obviously his chops are absolutely disgusting....What a wonderful and extremely rare talent to witness.

This guy opened my ears about dynamic. Inspiration. Monstro

4:07 is my favorite part (of course I love all the rest too). That's so Beautiful.. Unreal Thanks for making us dreaming by drumming Mr Donati 🎩

I rewatch Virgil's video from time to time only to never forget aliens live among us.

those shells are tone monsters and Virgil is just a monster himself

All this with traditional grip, just cool...

Incredible!! That's really all that can be said. Very inspiring as well-excellent Virgil-as always!

I can listen to that bass and snare ALL DAY!!

@treefrog3560

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah kick sound is amazing

Virgil you are the master . No one comes close in skill level .i have watched all of them and no one comes close . You are a freak

Never heard of him but I'm blown away. Insane drumming

Simply the most powerful drummer out there today! Hard choice for best soloist between Virgil and Weckl.

@cheemooo

5 жыл бұрын

Virgil Donati can play more difficult rhythms than Dave Weckl but Dave Weckl is more musical.

Wonderful sounding kit. The Clear Ambassadors (plus the tuning) speak beautifully on these drums.

Great to see you again Virgil!!!! Last time I saw you in person was (circa 2005) at Lemon Percussion in San Jose California where you were doing a Master Class! You were/are a gentleman, a true professional and an insperation of my playing to this day Sir!

he'll hit u with unexpected fills in times u won't even expect. this is by far my favorite Virgil drum solo

I am very sure he is so happy playing DWDrums ! Great drummer, great drumsets and hardware

The best in the entire world. No doubt! KING!

One of the most unique styles ever .....totally awesome guy.

Great drummer and person.. his patterns, crossed and layered are amazing...\m/

GoPro video + Audix mic sound.. Great sound and video anyway and great drummer. One of my favourites.

I love the metallic and raw sound of the drums

I caught up with Virgil at the Sydney drum an percussion festival. Virgil has broken so far in advance that he is now constantly in new territory mentally. Technically and physically... Well let me put it this way.. He played a 20min solo and broke three pairs of his vater assault sticks.. Left and right by the way! I have them here, signed and all!!! The master, the legend!! DONATI!!

@benmills1837

7 жыл бұрын

Darcy 809 yup. I went through a phase of trying out Vater sticks. I broke so many of them......then I discovered Vic Firth F1 nylon tip American Classics. They are just unbelievable.

Truly one of a kind.

Every time I watch this guy my brain falls out onto the floor.

Now that's playing with groove and feeling. One hell of a precise drummer too.

the way he plays with permutations boggles my mind, to the uninitiated it sounds like he is off time at times, if that makes sense. Amazing drummer no doubt!

excellent audio!!! That snare is amazing!!!

A Weckl disciple, definitely. Excellent to see and also to hear raw unprocessed sound for once. Seeing processed sound in a look-what-I-can-do video, hides the reality of what is happening, leaving someone looking to improve in the dark. So hats off to whomever decided to record this straight to the mic.

@Moparornuthin

5 жыл бұрын

He's actually a year older than Weckl. Started playing drums at 3 years old. Although i do believe they both had pointers off Joe Morello at some stage in their early years

There are drummers and then is Virgil. This guy doesn't need Dream Theater. Virgil is a stand alone and a showman.

@MyFabio64

6 жыл бұрын

True, I think he would have been bored in that band.

@rsalp

5 жыл бұрын

Virgil would have taken DT to the next level and beyond, still smh that they passed on him, maybe they didnt want another headstrong musician in the band, just another drummer to fall in line and do what we tell you to do. I like Mangini but I feel a void without portnoy and with Virgil DT would have been unstoppable. Oh well.

@alexcivijovskidrummermaniac

5 жыл бұрын

that's the reason why no one works with Virgil because he's to technical and has no feel or groove to his playing look at a drummer like steve gadd why does steve gadd get hired in the studio soo much and look at how many people hire steve gadd virgil doesn't get many gigs because he doesn't know how to groove if you want to get gigs groove and feel is more important than chops don't get me worng technique is important and chops to but if it's not needed at a gig then what's the point of having all those chops

@TheFissionchips

5 жыл бұрын

Gadd is a COMPETANT drummer but by no means is he head and shoulders above the rest. He's a session player, Virgil IS NOT. Virgil composes and write music, Gadd does not.

@musicmusic6595

5 жыл бұрын

The problem is virgil does the same thing all the time, with improvements but it is still the same feel consistently. The majority of his patterns are very linear albeit with odd times, but linear in feel. To be a good musician at the high level you have to be constantly evolving in sound and constantly bringing new and innovative idea's to the table. Watch everyone of virgil's solo's in the past x amount of video's, it's all based around very similar patterns and expression. I would love to see virgil try to more so approach the musical feel of drumming but i don't think he has it, if he was playing genuine jazz i think you would hear the same thing, a linear feel with that thrusting bass drum. Even in his jazz expressions you hear the same sound albeit slightly different, but very similar. I am a virgil fan have been since 2002, but i was hoping after all this time he would have moved on, but it is still the same. I would love to see him focus on other styles, but well, this is what his fan base is used too now.

once i was in a concert with him. I was practicing with my drum pad, and i heared a sound coming from his room. I went very quiet and i saw him practicing without a drum pad, amazingly he had his balls on the table and he used the drum sticks to hit them. Good rebound i have to say.

best sounding snare ever! fat and explosive...what a combo

This is one of the best recordings of virgil that I've heard

Far out! A very unique skilled drummer.

That was some amazing drumming there...

I had the privilege and honor to see him in Shreveport,LA. Around the mid 90s I think, Little Drummer Boy drum shop. He made realize I had a long way to go before I could be drummer. I almost felt like tearing up bc it was so inspirational. He will always be one of favorite drummers no matter what. He is truly better than this video shows, even though it takes a decent drummer to pick up on everything he just performed.

@dwdrums

4 жыл бұрын

😃

best dw sounding drums i've heard in a promo vid.

best live bass drum sound ever. tone, timbre, punch,etc. has it all.

@dwdrums

5 жыл бұрын

Virgil can do it all. 😄

To me Donati sounds even better on DW, Im glad he made the change

So beautiful !

Virgil is an alien who landed on earth to take drumming to an impossible level. He succeeded

@dwdrums

5 жыл бұрын

No one is like him! 😄

@user-hk7hz9cn7v

3 жыл бұрын

@@dwdrums I’m sure the mother planet is proud of his achievements on Earth. The alien has created his own Mt. Everest of drumming. Reach the top and you too can bask in the accomplishment of getting there haha 😆

this is absolutely insane

awesome as always but i love how virgil plays some jazz swinging bebop type of grooves....a true versatile drummer.

Listening and watching Virgil play in his Melbourne based band Loose Change way back in the 80's. Definitely deserved to get where he is now.Would love to get hold of some footage of the gigs from the Grainstore Tavern

Love this kit !!!

Amazing musician and killer drummer 🤘

that drumkit is very beautiful.

the king of metric modulation

Holy mother of sweet Snare. What an amazing sound.

I heard from a drummer friend that Virgil didn't like to go out and drink and party after his clinics. There was one with Weckl, Fomularo and Virgil. All were invited out for a drink after dinner. Virgil refused and said he had to practice his rudiments in his hotel room and had to wake up early the next day. He struck my friend as a really serious guy who cared only about drumming. I saw him in a clinic with Lang. He seemed like a nice enough guy but was way more serious compared to Thomas lang who enjoyed talking with the fans. Virgil was reserved. I have his Dawn of Time CD. Great compositions with some insane flurries and odd playing. I cant see him playing pop. Even if he could. He chose not to. He likes playing extreme drum music. Let's give it to him. He plays what he wants. Nobody here can mess with that. He doesn't want to be hired playing pop for big stars on classic albums. He wants to be on the edge. Drumming music not vocal music. It's his choice.

@mpk33

Жыл бұрын

Wrong. He played pop rock in Southern Sons in the early 90's & for Aussie pop diva Tina Arena.

@swangonzalez4797

Жыл бұрын

@@mpk33 In the drumming world he isnt widely known for those two minor stints in his carreer. He chose the road less taken.

The power between the kick and snare ♡♡♡

awesome colour love it!

Drumsound - AMAZING! HOLY SHIT!🙌 SUPER NICE PLAYING

You know, Donati has long been a master of polymetrics, His solos are amazing, but as a drummer with a few decades of experience under my belt, I can say that those solos probably don't appeal to a wider audience because they're often hard to follow. Now, with that aside, this has to be one of the "grooviest" solos I've ever heard from The Virg. It's clear he's always been capable of playing musically - the man wouldn't be getting pop gigs if it were otherwise - but I can't help thinking THIS solo sounds... More mature? More artistically creative, more spiritual? I can't put it into words. This feels like something the average musician can listen to and suddenly "get" what makes Virgil so unreal. Great solo, and a nice kit too! I didn't really like the black nickel hardware before this; I'm sort of a silver/chrome traditionalist. I'm looking to get a bigger kit, and now DW has just made it more difficult to do by expanding the range of what I like. Thanks for posting this, on multiple levels :)

@EricLee-nr5jp

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, there's definitely something different about his playing recently, which I think is really admirable. Always growing.

@Calebhd_

7 жыл бұрын

If you listen back to his Planet X stuff you can hear he still has a lot of groove while playing insanely difficult things

@Chris.Minarich.LongIsland

3 жыл бұрын

Welp, my friend Mike Greenberg,that drums & can really play, claims Vinnie is The GOAT ... and my cousin Cliff has Virgil as The GOAT. I don’t play but I listen astutely. Two different styles but it’s really hard to argue this solo!! Oh My God!! I’m an old Peart fan & of recent Danny Carey is whom I tip my cap to buy those are bands I love, that go with the overall sound..... neither are quite this level.

This guy is unbeliavebe.

So good!

I love that kit, hope one day I can afford one!

Impeccable on the record. Unbelievable live. Some of the stuff he does just blows your mind if you can even understand wtf is going on x) I bet alot of people just hear "banging all the drums randomly" when listening to some of the more technical drummers play solo =)) Atleast those 130 who disliked this video!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic! Love it! 👍

Always amazing....

Kudos to GoPro for picking up all of his drummer tone-deaf humming/grunting between the busy parts. Seriously, how has no one commented on that yet?

VIRGIL IS A FUCKING MONSTER , THE POWER HE COMMANDS FROM HIS LEFT HAND IN THAT STYLE IS SIMPLY AMAZING !!!!!!! I STARTED DRUMMING AT 12 , NOW 74 AND STILL DRUMMING , EVERY TIMEM I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH VIRGIL , I'M THERE !!!!!!!!

My goodness the sound coming from that kit and ummmm could I get the specs of that snare and the tuning of that kick ha haaaaaa wooooooooooooo i cant stop listening Virgil damn thank you 🙏 and DW thank you too 🥁

Great player, amazing chops. I can't understand most of what he is doing, but I appreciate his mad skills nonetheless. What gets me is the lumber. HOLY CRAP those are some chunky sticks for the level of articulation he plays with. Really punchy coming through in his playing.

Virgil sei il migliore. Complimenti vivissimi

Virgil “I am an Alien” Donati can make anything sound great. And those DW sound incredible. Would love to know his approach to tuning!

I like this color drums kit.

What a beast, great tuning, articulate fast fills. Great sounding kit! I prefer Tama to DW, but he makes DW sound awesome.

There all Amazing Drummer's.

Amazing!

wow incredible chops guy rocks

Very interesting solo

I could watch Virgil play drums all day lol

These Sabians Artisan sounds very very nice!!!!Great playing and rithym controll !!! But the fills is all the money!!! Great Virgil!!!

Virgil Donati is one of the best drummer on the world. Too we have another drummers, but few do what he does. Master Virgil!

his right hand control on from 3.33 followed by the fill at 3.48, I watched it 20 times. He must have eating the best breakfast that morning