Virgil Donati Impossible Independence | Study The Greats

In this episode of Study The Greats, I attempt to transcribe a solo section from an old Virgil Donati clinic at Musician's Institute. Needless to say, this broke my brain...
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[@abbdrums]

Download The Free Transcription Here → www.abbdrums.com/virgil-donati

[@pazenmaz]

I love your channel man! Thanks for this KILLER lesson I've been waiting for your deep Donati dive!! Now I've got something to work on this next decade...

[@bretallen4994]

How did you transcribe this? Just by ear?

[@dumpygoodness4086]

I'm a post-prog drummer and I've gotta say the future of drumming is a crazy cat named SUNOCO YONO (!) who plays in a bunch of stoner prog bands in New England, especially "avant bubblegum" band UNICORN HOLOCAUST. This dude takes drums farther than any other drummer I've found on the planet, and is far beyond a Virgil or Thomas Lang IMO. Yono is like an alien, who has little interest in the cliches of jazz / rock / classical drumming. It's like he doesn't even understand it. I personally think a Virgil or Lang or Mangini lack musicality. They feel like technicians. by contrast, Yono, is reportedly a half-ass fuckup who just goofs off on the drums and is a stoner who plays from the heart (but he was raised on billy cobham as a little boy!) as he does what he calls "1/1" time signature! (dude told me he imagines every beat is its own measure (!), so all the musicians are in the same tempo, but the accents are all over the place for each instrument; i can attest this sounds wild and crazy, yet is still organized.) he also does a lot of drumparts you can HUM, which is really unusual. IMO, Virgil lacks compositional chops (if you have those, you can improvise and it's tasty AF), as do most drummers, even your Buddy Riches or Langs or Weckls. (Benny Greb is one of the only drummers I've found who are truly musical.) Yono does all kinds of wild shit and even Physical Comedy behind the drums! For instance, I saw him do a few shows where he had so many scarves tied to his arms that it was a tornado of color as he did super-sick drumming! I like Gavin Harrison, but he's too "polite" for me, if you know what i mean. Same problem I have with Bruford. Too polite. Drums need some "violent maniac" in them, i think. Yono is sloppier than a Lang or Virgil though, but i like that about him. he's pushing himself PAST his skill level, which Mahavishnu did, and that made for terribly exciting music. I want a bit of messy insanity. that's what rock should be. i can't listen to a mike portnoy because he's lifeless and BLOODLESS. i'm drunk. pardon sloppy typing. but Unicorn Holocaust and his other bands have nothing online that I can find. wtf!!! my second fave drummer now is a french dude from Montreal, in a noise casio-drum duo called LAZOR BLADE. they've got some stuff online that blows me away. his drumming is very athletic, and fresh. most drummers to my ears sound like they're trying their hardest to NOT be original. I don't get that.

[@dumpygoodness4086]

IMO, i think it's not healthy to use your BRAIN when drumming. i try to use 110% HEART and instinct. virgil feels stiff and academic, ala Lang.

[@bretallen4994]

Are you implying that this Yono takes things musically further than anyone? Because that I can see, but some of the technical things Virgil has done can't be played by anyone else that I'm aware of.

[@nickpov3y]

i was impressed you even managed to transcribe that

[@some_g333]

Probably not that hard tbh. Once you realise the left hand/foot combination is just a repeated ostinato and you can isolate it, it just becomes about listening to a right foot right hand single strokes drum solo. Also there are plenty of apps which allow you slow down audio these days.

[@flickdrumming2851]

It just an app.. No big deal..

[@bluetilenedrummer]

@@flickdrumming2851 how does he separates left side from right side with video & audio?!

[@TheJollyMisanthrope]

One limb at a time. :)

[@philoconnor5234]

I played a gig in Australia where Virgil's band played after mine. He was about 15 and had a big double kit which he monstered. His double bass drumming and cymbal cross-overs etc were all on display at this early age. He looked as incredible then as he does now. I tossed my sticks away when I got home after that gig. I realised my single stroke roll technique might not cut-it in the big league LOL. My wife and I think he is a drumming savant. To me he also has the perfect style. He can be brutal but elegant at the same time. For me, I'll stick to my blues/rock drumming where I can at least understand what the hell's going on. I'm glad Virgil is getting the recognition he deserves. After I'd been playing 20-30 years and seen most of the best drummers, I always wondered why no-one ever mentioned Virgil. To me, what he was doing seemed much more complicated than what anyone else including Buddy Rich was doing or had done. Now a further 20 years down the track and he's finally established as a drumming legend. The sacrifices he has made in his life to get to this level are extraordinary. I'm still trying to learn to play doubles on my pedals and am finding it almost impossible. I'm 65. Virgil could do all that stuff as an early teenager. Ridiculous!!

[@nista67]

That would have been 'Taste'. First time I saw and heard him was when he was with Peter Cupples. Played a Sonor kit. He was phenomenal. I thought Steve Smith had a great traditional grip technique, but Virgil's was bewildering.

[@kfizz]

It takes years of practice to just follow stuff like this. I can only follow it and play a little bit like this . I can do my left hand pretty good all you do is get a grove an break it up like keeping a roll going. Then free form with the right. So what I do is do straight just do 16th on the hats with both hands than start to bounce every left, now keep the left going and play a ride or tom anything you like but I keep going back to the snare on 2 and 4.

[@philoconnor5234]

@@nista67 Good pick-up. It was Taste. Coming from Canberra with its' limited music scene, I saw Virgil and thought that was the standard for Sydney and Melbourne. Fortunately it wasn't otherwise I would never have got a gig. I'm now 65 and play in 3 bands so I'm glad I didn't retire at 18.lol

[@nista67]

@@philoconnor5234 Three bands? I dips me lid, sir. 👏👍✌

[@hazardeur]

dude, you can conquer the world with single stroke rolls. Don't need to be Virgil to cut it in the music biz. Thank god.

[@TehJaytius]

Definitely agree about how people take for granted Virg’s true level of knowledge. I think Marco and Thomas Lang are probably reasonably close to Virg in terms of being able to physically execute very very difficult concepts but when they improvise they (quite understandably) seem to stick to things they’re more comfortable with. Virg on the other hand, will just straight up start playing groups of 9 as quintuplets with his left hand and a polyrhythm with the right side of his body or something equally insane.

[@DionAlbers]

Those are the only 2 i could think of to.

[@percusski]

Lang just isn't in the same ballpark I'm afriad

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

@@percusski Lang is the only one of these three who can solo for long periods of time and you never have the feeling he's run out of ideas. Can't say the same for Marco or Donati.

[@7strokeguru713]

@@BrunodeSouzaLino When I studied with Mangini years ago, he told me that no drummer on the planet practices as much as Virgil. It's all starting to make sense.

[@ricklang_drummer]

Matt Garstka will probably have a piece.

[@RobBeatdownBrown]

I heard that Mr Weckl once said of Virgil..."Imagine how hard you'd have to practice to get that good" 😐 My brain hurts 🤕 I'ma head out.

[@abbdrums]

Pretty crazy huh

[@thomaswilliams3435]

@@abbdrums Of course I read it with your voice.

I believe Dave also said Virgil was born to drum. Well, duh. :-P

[@Convisis]

He actually said that in an in store appearance I went to 20 years ago, he was like “Virgil’s amazing, I’m not prepared to practice that much, I have a life.”

[@khabriel]

Is it true?

[@gp19]

I was lucky enough to go to one of his clinics a few years ago. He started with "simple" independence by playing single paradiddle with left foot and left hand, on top of double paradiddle with right hand and right foot.... I'm pretty sure he's an alien.

[@SylarTheBest]

Austin your work in the drum community does not go unnoticed. You've been doing an incredible job with these transcriptions, making em available for everyone, explaining the concepts, etc. Man, you deserve so much praise, so thank you.

[@AdamSoucyDrums]

My dude, the fact that you could even break this down enough to transcribe it is a feat all it’s own 👀 good LORD

[@smellyou]

you should get a reward for this video

[@TheFissionchips]

Virgil is the Holdsworth of drumming. Like his once bandmate Holdsworth, no one can come close. Every musician should own the Planet X album Quantum.

[@Ledgeview]

Wouldn't want someone to feel like they picked up the wrong one if they ended up with a copy of Moonbabies..lol

[@TheFissionchips]

@@Ledgeview A great album, but with no Alan. I'd love to see Donati, MacAlpine and Sherinian get it together next year. Alas Virgil says he's too busy to reform the best band ever this year.

[@hazardeur]

@@Ledgeview Moonbabies is the best PX record by far. Even though Desert Girl has one of my all time favourite Guitar solos

[@reubennb2859]

@@hazardeur I'm soon releasing a transcription vid for Allan's solo on Desert Girl

[@hazardeur]

@@reubennb2859 well I'll be damned!!!! thanks man. glad to see i'm not the only one that knows about this gem

[@roquemusic]

I definitely agree that he is probably the most advanced drummer.

[@MattPriceDrumming]

Roque Castaneda yep same

[@gregorygaskill4011]

It's about time someone else finally acknowledged the all time supremacy of Virgil Donati. He is by far the most advanced drummer of all time. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sadness for the loss of Neil Peart. You are loved and missed by all that you touched. RIP

[@killboybands1]

As crazy as it sounds Pete Zeldman is more advanced. Very sad about Peart it's like loosing an old friend.

[@tomhurst5363]

Agree about Neil: Will miss him so much. And of course Virgil is absolutely brilliant. I’ll have to check out Peter. Embarrassed to say I’m not familiar with him. But I soon will be. Thanks!

[@vladeguignimusic]

@@killboybands1 MMMMM.. no he's not. I've seen Pete, Seriously speaking Virgil Donati is WAY more advanced, like way way way more...

[@killboybands1]

@@vladeguignimusic Virgils got more monster chops and speed but he's not playing the kind of polyrhythms that Zeldman is playing. Virgil is doing things implying a 4/4 groove within quintuplets, or playing 4 against 5 ( Like in the just jamming on a riff video) but all his limbs are still working with in the same subdivision. When he does something like a 7 against 5 he can subdivide the bar into 35 parts but it's not even close to what Zeldman is doing conceptually: In Zelman's '9 Volt Polyrhythmic breakdown' video: He plays a 4/4 8th note groove in the time of 9/8, playing the 4/4 in his hands and the 9/8 groove in his feet split into 16ths with 6 different pedals. This requires the ability to subdivide the measure of 9 into 72 parts. In the same video, a 12 against 18 (with the 12 being swung) he plays 16 in the time of 9, 16 against 27, 13 against 18, 19 against 18, and 37 against 36????. Zeldman is a freak. In the example above (as hard as it is) Virgil still doesn't breach 6 note triplets. It's super hard because it's odd note groupings of 7 but there are no nested tuplets and everything stays within 24 notes per bar (16th note triplets). On the other hand 19 in the time of 18 requires Zeldman to subdivide 342 parts per bar. 37 against 36 requires 1332 parts all in a multi orchestrated pedal set up? (There's even an animated visualizer on youtube that shows how insane that poly-rhythm is). Even Virgil's seven-diddle explained in the above video is a pretty standard sticking for playing 7 note groupings (playing it between your left hand and left foot is not) split between only two instruments, hi-hat and left snare. Virgil's a monster and I love his playing..but more advanced? No chance. Zeldman is like if Pierre Boulez had a kid who became a drummer..

[@vladeguignimusic]

killboybands1 Virgil Does ALL of that .. and MORE.. He’s not playing only 4/4 and creating illusions only ... Keep in mind that this example Austin share is a “short” less than a minute of his playing.. There’s a lot more in Virgils world. Plus personally the stuff I’ve seen from Pete at least for me does not sound very musical, compared to Virgil.. but you know thats just my opinion, at the end of the day music is about taste and preference! Peace!

[@BneiAnusim]

Virgil Donati is THE most talented drummer I've seen. What makes him one of the kind is that he can also play the piano and write phenomenal music. Yes, he is totally dedicated to his craft.

[@dagoelius]

Virgil is from another dimension. When you talk to him in person, he is just on another level in terms of thinking and work ethic.

[@ChrisAllisonDrums]

I've been saying for a long time that I don't think we'll ever see another drummer like a Virgil. Surely no one else will be able to match his unwavering dedication to the instrument across his whole life. And as always, great video man!!

[@lmp9726]

Virgil stumped the guys in Dream Theater during his audition. They couldn't grok what he was doing, so Virgil had to explain it to them.

[@BMR86]

yeah hahaha.... he was too much for Dream Theater... it's actually crazy to say

[@LaVerdad65]

Bruno Neri Dream Theater is garbage

[@randymckinley4137]

Come on - Jordan Rudess eats polyrhythms for breakfast. Nothing Virgil did stumped them. They’re all very high skilled musicians. Virgil is so amazing at what he does, he couldn’t be a good fit. Whole DT is a great band, they even have to limit their instrumental sections to accommodate vocals, something Virgil is not limited by in most arrangements.

[@randymckinley4137]

No No your opinion. What bands do you like?

[@flooper8441]

@@randymckinley4137 Nothing Virgil did in the audition stumped the dream theater guys ( you're correct on that). But if they actually chose him and did a live show with him, they would be stumped. Virgil's true musicality would probably come out and confuse the DT guys. The dream theater guys have never played with a drummer who likes to sub divided beats/rhythms into different tuplet variations and polyrhythmic notations. The DT guys aren't bad musicians at all, they're definitely better than me. But the guys in dream theater aren't as musically advanced as virgil is, the closest to Virgil would probably be Rudess though.

[@ediot6969]

You are 100% correct, he is the most advanced drummer we have ever seen or heard. Not debatable, in my opinion.

[@awmagill]

I bet you there are people out there who'd claim Buddy Rich could have improvised this.

[@hazardeur]

i might borrow this in the future.:) While I hate the term "best" in the arts, and such thing is heavily subjective and can be argued, it's much harder to argue against Virgil being the most "advanced" drummer, provided you have a clue about drumming.

[@fitzcaraldozito]

@@awmagill 😅

[@davidcarbonnel6396]

I get the impression that this is as much about feel and personality as it is about technicity. Virgil's left side seems to be given up to muscle memory whereas his right side seems to be "speaking" or conversing using vocabulary that appears instantly in his mind. I truly believe that Virgil is no way near to counting this or conceptualizing this in any way apart from musical and rythmical dialogue. He's extremely present if you catch my drift. The key seems to be in the accents the ghost notes are just linear filler, the right sided accents bounce off of the more steady and regular left sided accents. It's beautifully musical, personal and perhaps most surprisingly; natural.

[@xXEvangelXx]

I love this comment. I wanted to say this too but you put it better than I could. I think when people play stuff on this level it's not even something they think about in terms of "rhythm". They have an idea for a statement and then they just do it

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

What you hear when you play these is not each rhythm separately, but what is called "composed rhythm", which is the sound of the two patterns superimposed. The human brain is not capable of executing multiple steps in parallel, which is why this "independence" stuff is hard to conceptualize at first.

[@amneenja5720]

@@nigelproctor yes!! the whole point is to make everything muscle memory, so you (to borrow gavin Harrison's terminology) have enough cpu space to make surr everything is coherent and clean. That's how I figured out how to play the thing from Rosetta stoned, I dedicated the hands and left foot to muscle memory, and just focused on making sure my right foot linked up to the left. now I can play the whole thing real smooth and naturally. imagine doing this for each rhythm, with different feels and phrasing... insanity!

[@jonmccallum4477]

Needed an ice bag for my brain after this one.

[@LV426CX1]

I saw him at a modern drummer festival in the late 90’s , I remember just everybody sitting there in stunned silence, a few seats over from me , John Tempesta was sitting there with his mouth open and on the corner of the stage Jim Chapin lookin on, shaking his head and smiling...I will never forget that. What a talent. Previous generations had Buddy, we have Virgil.

[@christiangibbs391]

Alas, I'm pretty sure that even Buddy would have packed up his sticks & gone home too 😳🥺

[@saltysaltine]

I attended a clinic of his about ten years ago. He showcased something similar to this there. If this wasn’t hard enough he would start changing the left hand pattern to the right hand and visa versa. Incredible display of independence and control.

[@SC-xi5un]

On 8 October 2019, Virgil Donati played a show with his band Southern Sons at a place called Gabe’s in Iowa City, Iowa. The audience numbered about 20, most of whom were members of a few local bands who opened for Southern Sons. I spoke with Virgil before the show and he said it was a “… Dismal night here in Iowa City…” When Southern Sons took the stage, a very loud death metal band could be heard playing in the venue downstairs. The guitar and bass players furiously picked up their amps and started to walk off the stage, but Virgil calmly convinced them to stay and play an absolutely amazing show through the noise. The fact that talentless sex objects fill stadiums with eager fans and Virgil Donati draws almost no one to a dive bar is proof that Satan runs the world.

[@enijize1234]

Death metal is awesome

[@ShartimusPrime]

Thanks for making us all feel stupid, Virgil! Thanks dude!

[@DionAlbers]

😂😂😂

[@bogatron69]

Unarguably one of the greatest of all time. Hats off to you for doing a good job explaining Virgil’s virtuosity.

[@denesisdelcorockschool3074]

Good to see you are back. So,this might be the most advanced playing I've ever seen/heard. I've been checking out Virgil for over a decade and always knew he was amazing. I thought I had a vague idea of what he was playing but never tried to take the time to break it down. Seeing on paper with both the right and left super imposed just opened my mind. I used to,for fun write "impossible" drum patterns with crazy independence and multi meter,etc. But Virgil is actually doing it. If I had seen the sheet music first without seeing the video I would not believe it was possible for anyone to play it. I mean this is almost unbelievable. I've been playing for forty years and after watching this I feel my abilities are that of a caveman missing two limbs. Just wow! Love your videos Austin. Absolutely great stuff. Keep it up. Add on: I was so overwhelmed by the video that I neglected to praise Austin for his efforts in doing the transcription and breakdown/explanation. Great work my friend. SO,today I attempted the left side ostinato. It immediatly felt awkward,Lol.Once I added the accent it felt really super weird and my brain was just not having it. I kept feeling the accent as the downbeat. Actually I had initially assumed Virgil was playing the accent as beat one in 17/16 and just layering the right side with linear phrases. Like with no real time signature. But to see it transcribed as 16th note triplets and hearing it lined up with a met was just jaw dropping. Really an eye opener.It made me realize that this dude is way deeper than I thought. I mean this is really clever stuff. Phrasing fives and paradiddles within 16th note triplets with r foot r hand AGAISNT 7 l foot l hand is just beyond incredible. I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a few days!

[@ruisilva2375]

Bro don't worry, 99% of drummers can't have his approach. It's so unique and hard. He have 2 CPU processors working at same time :) I follow him also for long time and the approach have lots of math's. But "basically" he close his left side with some pattern like Austin talked. He have an range of paradiddles worked very well. 5diddle,7diddles, doublepara,and so on. Then with right side he completely can make almost all figures, metric modulations,etc. And on this video he uses almost all note values the same, and he can use all note values. Like one of his music's, he is an "allien hip hop"

[@fishingnotcatching9622]

A few long years ago when he still lived in Australia he would practice in one of the studio/rehearsal rooms above Drumtek from time to time. I was there one morning and could hear this crazy playing going on and asked Ray Deegan who was and possibly still is the manager of Drumtek what was going on. His reply to me was that Virgil was up stairs practicing his mental aerobics which pretty much involved in him mirroring the kit and and splitting his body left and right side and he would practice playing different time signitures simultaneously and then swap them either side without stopping. I was also lucky enought to see him play in Taste and later in Network and Loose Change at the Grainstore Tavern Melbourne, I actually have an original vinyl record album of Loose Change, plenty of youtube footage of both of these bands. I attended a clinic once and after he played a piece with mixed up time signitures a guy asked during question time "where's 1?" he replied "at the start, did you miss it?" Yep!!

[@IuriSigma]

That's some awesome stories dude. Thanks for sharing! Dude's a monster.

[@fishingnotcatching9622]

@@IuriSigmaYes he is there is so much footage now I was only watching some clips this morning from his latest clinics in South Africa and the UK.

[@eduardovaltierra4977]

7 years ago he got here in Tijuana to perform in only one show, so, I didnt get my ticket, and my huge surprise was I met him outside of the venue and I took pictures with him, he is so humble.

[@johng7265]

Virgil is one of those truly pioneering drummers who comes once in a generation. He pushes the envelope to another dimension and changes the art and science of drumming and it will take a decade for drummers to understand and develop. A drumming Einstein in a way. A credit to Austiin for helping us mortals try and understand some his playing. One more thing, used to think Virgil would improvise but he could come back and play these concepts note for note again week after week

[@petedrummonddrums]

Great Video Austin. 8:28 I’m guessing the thinking is playing 3 groups of triplets, and then using a single kick (instead of a double) to displace the triplet phrase. He does that enough times so it covers the permutations of first, last and middle triplet being accented accented. Sort of gives you a window into his process. Obviously he goes through theses same variations and the inversions to cover all the bases while learning the independence. It’s also a phrasing tool I’ve heard him use a lot, using displacements to develop a fragment.

[@lozzobear]

It takes a truly strange mind to push so far into this kind of territory. Virgil has been going out there and playing stuff like this for decades, in front of crowds who have no idea what's going on. It's taken us 12 minutes of your excellent video breakdown to even vaguely understand what was happening in just a few bars of his improvisation, there's just no hope of catching much of it live. You've just gotta hang in there, appreciate the precision, catch whatever scraps your brain can wrap itself around and wait til he starts doing the fast double kick stuff and spinning his sticks so you can go "WOO!" So imagine being Virgil, operating on a level so far beyond everyone else that you're really only doing it to prove to yourself that it's possible, since so much of what he does will never be understood by another human. I can't think of many analogies to that.

[@mr_wessumz]

I had the pleasure of taking a day masterclass with him a few years back. He explained a couple of his more 'basic' concepts, and how he approaches different rhythms, patterns, displacements. Absolutely insane. And I have a much better idea of how he approaches rhythm, but dear lord he's forever on his own level. Insanity that you were even able to work out these... Like 16 bars. Kudos

[@robertpien8708]

Austin thanks so much for attempting to sta rt to dive in to the mind of Virgil . He loves to master his craft so other Drummers and musicians and see what is possible . From his extraordinary drumming to his thought-provoking music writing he is a musician through and through. He takes the impossible makes it possible through his passion I love of the art of Music. He can play any ostinato from any limb of his body utmost musicality. Transcribing it's also a gift understanding what drives and mechanics thank you so much for taking the time to do this. God bless you keep doing what you're doing. GREAT JOB :)

[@DougBrito]

These independence ideas, at the level of musicality that he plays it, I don't know anyone but Virgil who can do it! Songs like "Quantum Factor" and "Thinking Stone", by Planet X, there is some independence ideas that I first hearded and blew my mind!!

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Ataraxia also has the same stuff.

[@TheFissionchips]

Planet X - the greatest band the plebs have never heard of.

[@AdamTuminaro]

What.

[@davidcarbonnel6396]

You can do this Adam

[@abbdrums]

I dunno 🤕

[@MapleLeafs96]

I can't express how much I appreciate your effort. Great video Austin, keep it up!

[@gregarvidsson8815]

Thanks Austin for helping us all decode a couple of minutes of Virg... now on to his other 1,000,000,000 minutes of incalculable genius! And no surprise, Virg has developed amazingly since this "old" video. And agree @Bodhi... wonderful Melbourne musicians Joe Chindamo and Steve Hadley (and Roger McLaughlin.. we always claim the best Kiwi's as our own), and Kim May, playing in King Street on a Saturday night. Blessed. Thanks you gents for enriching our lives and inspiring us without filter or limit👍🏻.

[@christiangibbs391]

"Elementary, my dear Watson" 🤯😁 "Education never ends. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last.” 😎✌️🥁

[@timpricedrums]

Amazing stuff! Goes to show just how far Virgil has taken drumming. He’s a real one off. Sometimes I think I’m a good drummer. Then I listen to Virgil and feel like a total beginner. Great video 👍🏻

[@ruisilva2375]

Hi Austin, once again great contend as always. Finally someone gave the recognize that Virgil deserve. I saw Virgil live first time at 94 and he think diferent from all other drummers, sometimes he is so advanced that it's hard to listen his stuff. Sounds to messy, but I believe that is because our ears are not used to that type of approach. Later I saw him again in 2002 when he already mastered this poly-mixs and was mind blowing. Much respect to you because you showed and shared your difficulty to manage with this stuff. Virgil it's one of my top drummers even when I don't understand what he does :). But we'll even Jordan rudness didn't understood him on dream theater audition. When Virgil was more advanced and trying to putt his own style on the cover and DT people thought that he couldn't play the original track :). Very very happy to see this words and video about Virgil, as musician he really deserve. We can like his style or not, but he is completely on other stage. When now it's trend to approach metric modulation, he already made that in the 90s with his 1st solo album "stretch" in 95. Well Virgil it's topic to hours of conversation. Like it or hate it, he definitely have his position on "study the greats". Thanks Austin

[@rumblepac6823]

To Rui Silva: Well said. I am a Matt Gartska fan, as well as a Between the Buried and Me fan, as well as many other modern progressive bands. What they do today was pioneered 10, sometimes 20 years before by Virgil.

[@slamonfpv]

I saw Virgil in clinic at Sydney back in the 90s he was above everyone one's level then 8hrs of solid practice day in day out is showing levels we mortals don't even know about.the fact you can work out what's going on is impressive.

[@KrisVComm]

Saw him at The Baked Potato in 2003. Had no idea who he was. Exploded my brain and I’ve followed his playing ever since...I’m not even a drummer

[@jeanclaudebertoni6262]

I am so glad so also find this as mental twister. I have been in awe of this guy for years. Talk about drum mental gymnastics. Thanks for your refreshing honesty. Your channel is great!!

[@alonzovillarreal4666]

Awesome job Austin, I’ve gotten to watch him play from about 10 feet away on a couple different shows. Sometimes he does a fill and your sure it’s gonna crash and burn cuz it’s so out there but damn if he doesn’t nail it. Just astonishing the level of independence.

[@gerardo4104]

And if this is just not enough for you, see him playing the piano... He is so brilliant!! I think we'll understand his music and concepts in the next 20 or 30 years... maybe.

[@andreasbreitwieser1449]

he did a clinic tour at that time and I saw him in Frankfurt, Germany. He gave away a handout with his concept and three different patterns for the left side and explaint how he builted up the stuff for the right side. Also you can hear at the first time this concept at the 2007 CD "Quantum" from Planet X the song "The Thinking Stone". After the clinic I had a short conversation with him. At that time I had a little crisis for me and the instrument and I asked him what his goals in drumming are. He didn't understand. So I asked where he takes all this energy, the discipline and the endurance to get where he is. He just smiled his Virgin smile and answered: I don't think about this. I just sit at the drums, start playing and anything else is coming.......I just enjoy playing!

[@Johnlnw]

Yo Austin! Solid Solid work, I remember seeing that vid for the first time and I was just so overwhelmed by it that transcribing it seemed like an impossible task. Thanks for putting in the countless hours on your transcription vids, you're doing the community a huge favor by analyzing godly playing for mere mortals hahaha

[@thomasfucik7527]

I hit the like button before I even watched it. What a task to transcribe anything like Virgil's controlled, alien madness. Awesome job, Austin!

[@amargnwalkr]

Hey Austin, just wanted to say thanks for the way you approach your videos. It's concise and refreshing. And furthermore, I really appreciate that you can say, 'I'm not even gonna try this.' Big props for the transcription too.

[@drumsavvy8224]

People dont realise how virtuosic Virgil is..definitely one of the greats..and he can play anything from metal to jazz..

[@hazardeur]

one of the greats? he's at the very top of olympus my dude and there's a loooong way down until the next drummer even comes up ni viewing distance. none of the past greats could even play the stuff he's into nowadays much less improvise in it

[@Wiebe80]

Thanks for transcribing this insane drumpart! I totally agree with you: Virgil definitely is one of most advanced drummers out there. I've been following Virgil for decades now and even had the chance to participate at one of his masterclasses. He was mindblowing and playing 5's, 7's with his feet and soloing on top of that. Just insane! I wish I had the time to practice all that stuf. Definitely gonna try this one ;-) Great job Austin!

[@KevWhitehead]

Well done for actually sussing out what he was playing!! Virgil is unreal!!

[@PAD___]

Austin, great job capturing this detail and highlighting Virgil's gifts. You both elevate the craft of drumming.

[@effersidd1412]

Another great vid in this series! Thanks for transcription, inspiration and hard work! Feels good on my drummer's brain to decipher.

[@Se7enE1even1]

6:48 The sigh at the end of that is my spirit animal.

[@sergiozdrums]

That is just insane!!! great job transcribing that section! yeah I agree Virgil is from another planet ( X perhabs ) haha

[@nelsono4315]

love the channel, Austin. I have seen Virgil a few times and yeah, he's on another level. Impossible drumming

[@nzkiwi1a]

Awesome video Austin, excellent transcription and explanation of some mind blowing drumming, thanks.

[@victor.percussion666]

Thx for the transcription man, regards from Mexico 🥁

[@DrumApe]

Amazing analysis, a lot of work went into this.. respect!

[@SaintMont]

What a great work man !!! I'm definitely not an advance drummer but I think that your approach is quite good for sure !!! Keep breaking our heads with more content like this.

[@Glinggl72Freestyle]

Fantastic lesson for us all, and very humble in this age of ego and Narcissism to provide us with your own insight. I spent over a year with Thomas Lang when he Taught at MI London... I gave up on his concepts because I didn't have enough (or so I thought) years in my life to be able to emulate that kind of abstract independence. And other than a select few drummers drummers! There aren't many that care to try and decode what is really happening. So well done to you. You have uncovered the drumbset super brain. I believe there are some comparisons in Indian classical music, but they are instruments played separately. All in all enlightening thank you.

[@matthiasebert3414]

You did an amazing job transcribing this! Thanks for the great insights :)

[@andycrystal]

I have studied Virgil's drumming and approach for years. I went through his independence exercises (including his double bass book) and stuff because I was convinced that being able to play these things would turn me into a better drummer, more musical. I got to the point where I isolated myself for long periods of time honing in on these crazy patterns and I soon discovered that if I didn't practice these things regularly I would lose them and forget even those that I mastered. Very frustrating. Now I am only focused on groove, time-keeping, musicality and tone. As of today, I can't play these interdependence things anymore, nor I miss the ability to do so as I don't feel they have helped me become a better drummer at all. As a matter of fact, Studying composition, a little piano and sound engineering did! By the way, I find your little groove starting at 12:08 way more musical than all the stuff I put myself through when developing these brain-wrecking exercises. Keep it up Austin! You're one of the finest drummers on YT.

[@andrepereira744]

Nice coment man! To me that shows that you're humble about this(music/learning a instrument). Sure music is also this,but thank god,isn't just this.

[@marcobattiston1702]

I agree 100%. No doubt about Virgil's technique, advanced skill level and effort. But in my opinion there's little use for this kind of niche drumming that is incomprehensible not only for most (90-95%) people but also for for most of the drummers. I'm sorry because I know Virgil is a hell of a drummer but his drumming is something I really don't like. It gives me anxiety.

[@TheFissionchips]

@@marcobattiston1702 I can't listen to any other drummer after hearing Virgil. Planet X or nothing. When I hear Portnoy trying to play Virgil's beats with supergroup PSMS, I just laugh at his disco reductionism.

[@marcobattiston1702]

@@TheFissionchips it's ok, I don't want to persuade other people not to hear Donati's works. It's only my opinion and obviously there are some things I like too. Not Planet X, by them I could listen only to Dog Boots, maybe because it resembles a quite "normal" song aside for the insane double (strokes) bass part.

[@jerrywitaj]

Marco Battiston I agree. It’s niche drumming, like a circus act. Cool to marvel at and talk about, even chart, but where do you use it? But I love that about drumming....so many viewpoints!

[@ashlight9482]

What a great job you did! Thank you!

[@jeffwaters2470]

That is incredible. I dont know were to start! Always enjoy your videos.

[@mikelegel4169]

AUSTIN, I THINK YOU'RE ONE OF THE BEST TEACHERS ONLINE NOT AFRAID OF THE SICKEST LICKS THE GREATS DO, AND YOU DO A DAMN FINE JOB OF REPLICATING THEM. THANX FOR WHAT U DO BRO. 🥁🥁🥁🤗

[@abbdrums]

Thanks Mike 🙏🏼

[@garyleegomez8670]

He's gotta be a human/alien hybrid. The man is awesome! Thank you, Austin. You're insights are valuable to those of us who watch your channel. Well done, sir! Well Done!

[@lauratdrummer]

Man I can’t wait to learn this. It’ll hurt, but I’m excited. Tysm for this break down

[@kjc9trader491]

Wow!.... BTW - thanks for always being humble and honest - and without ego... Your the best out there!

[@tomhurst5363]

Amazing job as always Austin! So admire your commitment to your work and willingness to tackle the most challenging drum set artists of our time. Thank you for the informative videos. Hope to meet you one day and would love to learn more about your setup with Logic/Video etc. for my own transcriptions efforts. Much respect my friend.

[@tamborvivo]

Austin, thanks so much for your great work transcribing Virgil, it’s awesome to get a chance to actually understand what he is doing. I loved your video and of course Virgil’s unique craft Cheers!

[@matthewtorossi616]

great video.i love how you lay the playing out. great format. totally pro. thanks

[@7strokeguru713]

That's probably the most mind blowing thing I have ever seen transcribed, and also played (now that I understand it). This video made me realize that Virgil Donati is likely the most technical drummer who ever lived (and I've known of him for years). Brilliant work man. At the very least I'll do some work with that left side 7 in 16th note triplet ostinoto tomorrow. WOW. Thank you for this, brilliant work.

[@devyneynes8487]

Really thanks to you we discovered the complex and the greatness of virgil. I think that Thomas Lang and he are the two greatest references today.Thank you very much Austin also for your honesty and explanation, greetings from Argentina !

[@tcliveaction4960]

Thanks for your humility in saying that you have had trouble with this. Very transparent. Keep up the good work and don't give up on it. You should post a video of you playing it once you have it down

[@louisvdl4752]

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED This is super insane that you transcribed it man! Respect all the way. Love your content!

[@RickReasonnz]

Would be fascinating to see his brain activity while drumming compared to other drummers.

[@jerrylehti7230]

Thanks AB great job explaining the details

[@VICTHECOMMENTER]

Thank you for your work, this is mindblowing. Keep it up and good luck!!!

[@vmal1313]

Simply brilliant!! 🤯

[@vladeguignimusic]

Bro.. You dared to analyze him.. that's already super crazy. I met him once like 10 yrs ago when I still lived in the DR, he gave a clinic and he used my set of Sabians back then. He's pretty out.... and his way of thinking is not from earth. Congrats on this lesson, amazing.

[@abbdrums]

Thanks Vlade, glad you dig the vid man. He is definitely an alien for sure haha.

[@dinospd]

Watching the video of the left side: Hum... I think I can play that. Watching the video of the right side: Hum... I need to practice a little bit more, but I might play that... Watching both sides together: WHAT THE F*$#!!!

[@lavishd.4347]

I would definitely enjoyed watchin' you break down this down....even if you can't pull it off, its still very informative....please don't be ashamed to do more of these

[@revyu6754]

Really great scholarly and didactic explanation of Virgil’s amazing playing. Good job!

[@juanestanga1721]

Great job Austin!!! I love your explanation on grouping I am a big fan of it, I studied with ralph humphrey in LA, best regards from Argentina!!!!

[@bytorsnowdog5885]

Thank you Austin for transcription and breaking it down. Playing it is absolutely out of the question but at least now I can appreciate the genius behind what he is actually playing. Shout out to Neil Pearts' family, friends and fellow fans.

[@muncham]

I love your videos man, superb quality

[@mickeajax]

Great transcription, your videos are such inspiration to me. I have not tried this but have been experimenting with other odd ostinatos. The trick for has been letting the ostinato being what it is and not forcing it in to a subdivision. Then starting to improvising with very easy combination with the other half. After a while you pretty much starts to dictate the subdivision with improvising part not the ostinato. It is very hard (almost impossible) to actually hear both parts at the same time when your playing these combinations. When I start to get control over this I go back and forth between the original phrase, in this example 7, and 3’s, 4’s etc. This way I actually get to focus on the ostinato with different starting points.

[@flamadiddle]

Austin I really like your Logic analyzing, just to learn the software in depth like that is fantastic not to mention you demonstrating this stuff. I'm sure your drumming has come a long way just doing this. I wish I had the time. Nice going Thanks

[@tuomasrauhalaofficial]

Great stuff! I saw Virgil at Baked Potato last week. It´s just so sick! :) I´m also loving the quality of this video. Good job Austin!

[@welikerosafloyd]

You're very professional man, it's inspiring. Great vid

[@nkunal11]

Great breakdown. Thanks for sharing this!

[@eduardovaltierra4977]

Muchas gracias for the transcription, I already have my own Virgil Donati, Double bass drum freedom book. I have no words to explain how amazing it is the aknowledgement in this book. Saludos desde Tijuana.

[@paulorgcarvalho]

Much respect about your work Austin. Great lesson Most people think what you said in this video about Virgil, I'm sure. Keep it up

[@fishfinderchartersdavis9556]

Yep he’s a legend Thankyou for transcribing that for us Just incredible independent skills and crazy control nice video mate

[@toddwalkerdrumstudio]

OUTSTANDING "break-down" of this amazing Virgil D. performance Austin!........

[@Silversmith70]

I always liked him. I am always amazed at what I don't and never will know.

[@marknorrismusic3512]

Incredible break down of what's going on here! Subscribed!

[@Nbrane]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@matyasmeszaros1904]

Man, brilliant! Thank you!