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Jeff Porcaro is one of the most important professional drummers. The tracks he’s played on are so numerous and hip that it’s astounding to think about his contribution to music. Jeff is high up on the list with Jim Keltner, Jim Gordon, and Hal Blaine, to name a few. He’s really high on my list, for sure. The Musicians Institute YouTube Channel posts archive footage from videos made decades ago. One of the videos included a 45-minute Q&A with Jeff Porcaro in 1986. Jeff had several valuable tips to offer about playing, tracking drums, and overall professionalism. The following list was selected from his responses in the session. Some of the tips are quoted directly while others are paraphrased. I also included some analysis based on my own experience as well as some transcriptions of grooves he discusses or makes reference to in the video. 1. Being nervous is okay. Jeff attributed his filling in the eighth notes on the snare drum for the “Rosanna” shuffle to a gig that had him so nervous that his hand wouldn’t stop moving in between the snare accents. Being nervous is okay if you can channel the energy – use it to level up your energy for better performance. It could be someone in the audience that you want to impress, or it could be that you’re nervous about the people you’re playing with. Whatever it is, it’s important to use the energy to stay focused. Limit yourself from taking risks musically for the sake of taking risks. Dan Haerle, a teacher of mine while studying at University of North Texas, used to say that if you think to play it, you probably shouldn’t. This is why we practice so much. When the nerves get to you and the adrenaline kicks in, you want to be able to fall back on what you know – let your muscles take over while your emotions find a way to be cool in the situation. 2. It gets easier the more you do it. (16ths on “Hold the Line”) Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Neil Larrivee used to say that. Later in life, I learned that practice actually makes myelin – a sheath that develops around nerve fibers. The more you practice something a certain way, the more the myelin forms, increasing the speed at which nerve impulses can travel. Neil, in his own way, knew this was the case and taught us how to break down tough parts and develop the technique needed to improve your music performance. Jeff played the 16th-note hi hat part on “Hold the Line” with one hand. It’s fast for most drummers, but it wouldn’t sound right if he had played the part with two hands, Jeff says. I don’t know if it’s the nuance that happens when you use one hand or the definition that you get when your hand isn’t moving between the hi hat and snare. But he’s certainly right. Developing chops is all about good technique and relaxation. It takes a long time to connect with your muscles enough to control the relaxation, and there is no other way to do it besides putting in the time. 3. You have to play with a click. It takes some practice to become aware of the click track. But if you practice with a metronome, you should be fine. It may even be easier than without a click. I know that I prefer the click, even though often no click still sounds and can feel great for basic tracks. Jeff talks about the click in terms of playing ahead of the click on choruses and behind on the versus. This works if it’s natural for you to do it. Be careful not to sound too shaky. Trained ears can pick up someone who isn’t rushing or slowing down, but who isn’t with the click, either 4. People want to use real drummers. (drum loop on Africa) Real drummers are actually more efficient than drum machines. Jeff made the loop for “Africa” with real drums and percussion, which was performed by Lenny Castro. I’ve done sessions where the average time per song was about 20 minutes, and there’s no way a drum machine could have replaced what was produced. Jeff talks about how long it takes to program drums and how so many songs have the same snare. His advice is to add effects to your snare. These days, this is even easier, especially if you get creative with the sounds you are tracking. Check out this article on snare sounds for more ideas. 5. Use effects on real drums. (gate the room) Like mentioned above, the effects should be added to the real drums. Jeff cautions drummers, however, to be weary of engineers who want to gate the drums too much. He does not agree with changing the drum sound to the point that it takes out the liveliness of the drums that come from the entire kit resonating from one drum to another. Gates need to be open sometimes. “This is the groove. Open the gates.” He finishes his thoughts on effects and gates in this elaboration on the role of the engineer. It seems to me that Jeff’s feelings about engineers in this role comes from working with people who know their role and play it well, as well as work with people who don’t get it. Effects are supposed to enhance the sound that you already produced, not squash the signal to point that it resembles a cheap keyboard patch. Gating and compression are two effects that can ruin drum sounds by taking away part of the recorded signal in an effort to clean up the sound or make it more present in the mix. Use both of these effects sparingly and with care. 6. Speak up for yourself. This is probably the most importantly advice that I wish I had learned much sooner than I did. Jeff elaborated on his point by adding that if you know how you perform well, let people like engineers and artists know. Show them what you can do or what you know about getting the right sounds. I’ve done sessions where I was told ahead of time that the producer only mics drums a certain way or that I have to use their drums, not mine. I don’t have a problem with either of those stipulations, as long as the drums sound good and the micing strategy captures the source well. The problem with most of those situations was that neither was the case. How can you act professional when you’re being told that you will work under conditions that don’t support your potential? This comes with knowing your instrument, the tuning, showing up to sessions with plenty of alternative grooves to satisfy the picky producers, and being patient. Most engineers will see it your way if it leads to better sounds to work with in the tracks. But you won’t get their by writing off their ideas. Listen. Try the ideas. And offer alternative solutions if you think the session isn’t maxing the potential of capturing your sound. If that doesn’t work, it will work on enough sessions for you to figuring out who your people really are, and just work with them. 7. The subtle parts of the groove are magical. Some people don’t know that Jeff never played solos. He wasn’t into that approach to making music. He said it never felt right. His genius was stoked by the groove, the feel, the nuance of a song that made all the difference. This is something that is not always heard, but you know it when it’s not present. Jeff says you have to hear the subtle parts of the groove. This takes appreciation for the song, the instrument, and your performance in relation to the people you’re playing with. I settled into this level of awareness after I started practicing and playing for hours every day. It’s almost as if you brain needs to become wired for performance. And it’s not all about playing. Most of it is listening. To access this magical moment that Jeff talks about, you have to listen to music a lot – the old stuff, new stuff, your stuff, and anything you can get your hands on that’s good. 8. There are no tricks to getting a feel. The “feel” is personal, and it’s something that is often not developed in isolation, as Jeff says. Playing with other people often is great for your chops, knowledge of tunes, and developing the ability to connect with other players. Feel comes from being proficient on your instrument as wells being a great listener. It’s often the syncing and differences among each player’s feel that really makes the groove create a tension and release that can be reconciled by the listeners. In other words, playing on top of a beat without rushing can give this tension in relation to the pulse that raises the energy of the experience without losing control of the tempo. The say can be said for laying back on the beat. Like Jeff says, there is no trick. It takes practice and experience. The best experience comes from playing with a variety of people and keeping an open mind about what sounds good or what feels right. 9. It’s the engineer’s job to capture what the drummer is playing. Engineers who tell you that they record drums a certain way, only, are not playing their role appropriately. It’s the engineer’s job to capture the source of the sound as well as possible. Sometimes that may mean providing some advice to a drummer with less experience, but they should not rely on their advice to carry the tracking of those sounds. Producers and arrangers / artists can offer input as to the way you play because it’s their job to make the tracks turn out a certain way. They probably hired you, and they might also be the engineer. These circumstances tend to change when the producer is the artist and engineer. Although this situation is less common, it’s important to adjust your expectations based on the roles of the people in the room. 10. “If it’s a certain kind of tune, I like certain instruments – certain elements of sound.” This was Jeff’s response to a question about how he decided which drums and cymbals to use on a session. He used splash cymbals for reggae and different sized toms, snares, and cymbals, depending on the style of music or what he felt the song needed. I like to use brighter ride cymbals and deep snare drums for rock and blues tracks. The deep snare sound of a 6.5” Ludwig Supraphonic works great to support low register, rhythmic bass lines, and the heavier bright ride dances with the cutting lead guitar. For Latin tunes, I’m going to add blocks and bells, among other percussion for the tracks. 11. Stay sensitive to the business of music. I wish this was the advice I received in college. I remember playing so many gigs for free because I knew that it was the only way to make contacts. The occasional union gig came along, but it was easy to get discouraged and entertain negative thoughts directed at situations for the wrong reasons. Jeff warns musicians about getting too greedy. He comments about union rates being the norm but that it’s also important to acknowledge the situation. Some artists are great to work with, so working on the album may lead to playing the tour. He says of you help people, it all comes back. I once played with a and for almost no money because of the gear they used. The band had all of the recording and live sound gear you’d ever want to do regional touring. I learned how to program a digital board and explore different mic placements with the the variety of microphones available in the mic box. We had in-ear monitors, so it was the first time I could hear everything perfectly. And, if I couldn’t hear something, I could control my monitor mix with an app on my phone. 12. “I hate shuffles.” This is not the comment I ever expected from Jeff Porcaro. He’s known for his shuffles. But it certainly made me feel better about how much I struggle to play a shuffle like the one on “Rosanna” without fumbling through ensemble figures and fills. Jeff says that they’re so hard to play. He’s referring to the fact that they are hard to play well. Whether it’s the mechanics, chops, or feel, a shuffle will expose your weakness. To overcome some of the struggle, try slowing it down during your practice time or take away one of the layers. For example: Take away the shuffle on the snare drum when working up a Texas shuffle. If it’s the “Rosanna” shuffle, try taking away the back beat and just play the inner eighth notes and shuffle with the hit hat and snare. Add the kick, then add the snare -- one layer at a time.Practice playing fills that follow the shuffle pattern. Try short fills and long fills. Practice fills without stopping certain elements of the groove, like the kick or ride patterns. Final Thoughts I learned about Jeff Porcaro too late in my development. He was not the most technically advanced of all drummers, but he was one of the most professional, creative, and iconic because of how he approached a life of making music. His sounds and feel are second to none in the world. Most importantly, he seemed like the kind of musician who would appreciate making music with anyone, at any level as long as the vibe was cool and the tunes were hip.