MEINL DRUM FESTIVAL 2015 - Matt Garstka (Animals As Leaders) - Freestyle

[@HenryPerez_royal_hp]

LOVE how the crowd reacts whenever Matt makes a mistake, it's almost as if they're clapping to the fact that he comes back down to mere mortal level for a second LOL

[@janivelic2316]

There's no mistake here. Listen to Alastair Taylor's version with music

[@nathandrums0]

Jan Ivelic his loudly said “ahh!!” Shows indeed there were mistakes. Still awesome how he’s able to improvise all of this.

[@JoHarm96]

His sense of rhythm is out of this world.

[@MrDJELEDJE]

or out of tempo !!!

[@RyanxDunn]

@@MrDJELEDJE is that a whiplash reference I see :)))

[@wild_kreacher]

Ever heard of Gavin Harrison

[@3in1allinme]

Pushing his limits. No fear. Total honesty. He's one of a kind. I love it.

[@gcollective]

Seriously at 7:05, it's the best part. It proves 4 things: 1) he is improvising 2) he is being creative 3) he is pushing himself 4) he is a bad ass As a drummer I usually don't listen to drummers because most aren't very musical, conceptual or thoughtful, Mr. Garstka this performance is all those things. Keep up the good work.

[@TheCryptGyp]

gcollective he is human

[@TheCryptGyp]

***** didn't mean it in that manner, but alright

[@amdjacobsen]

gcollective The whole freestyle was basically him opening up during a practice session. There just happened to be an audience an a camera rolling. I love it - we are so afraid to look bad in front of others. We love to be perfectly polished, but he is just at a level that he can do what he wants and not be concerned with what others think. He has definitely earned that right.

[@jacobalvarez162]

5)He's playing in 5/4 at that part

[@JackFou]

+gcollective the collection of these qualities is why I absolutely love to listen to Gavin Harrison, both when he's playing but also when he's talking.

[@MarkChiassonGameDev]

Those dynamics, forever my favourite drummer

[@behindthen0thing]

can't blame you. he's amazing

[@fondue8897]

After watching numerous Matt Garstka solo vids and listening to Animals As Leaders trying to break their songs down, I have concluded only one thing: My brain hurts

[@akshitjha6251]

Fondue Is your brain dancing?

[@joelplascencia3568]

AAAAAAAH, you beat me to it!!!

[@omukssbm]

Joel Plascencia you beat me to the "beat me to it" comment

[@vexari01]

you both lost the beat... just like Matt xD

[@topramen1694]

It's really not that hard, all you have to do is turn the volume up and air drum

[@StopPanakinAnakin]

I love it when famous musicians that are ACTUALLY talented can laugh and actually acknowledge that they made a mistake. It was hilarious when he groaned after losing the beat! XD Matt Garstka is awesome.

[@ryanbunge3213]

7:04

[@nachorand]

Someone please call the ghost busters. Those ghost notes, for god's sake.

[@m1nty99]

that snare is fucking HAUNTED

[@MusicProductionJS]

The thing I love about Matt is that you think he's doing something crazy, and then you look at his left hand! He puts ghost notes in places that 95% of drummers would never think of / couldn't pull off. Amazing

[@MarkChiassonGameDev]

I don't how he does it, I've been working hard on dynamics but can't even come close to anything like this

[@lateralbeats]

+MusicProductionJS paranormal activity ghost notes in the heeze house!

[@leedsdrumacademy]

+acidbath32 Although all drumming is based off of stickings somehow, Matt's grooves/ghost notes also have to do with note placement (playing ghost notes wherever you don't play a bass drum for example) + incredible stick height control.

[@leedsdrumacademy]

+acidbath32 Although all drumming is based off of stickings somehow, Matt's grooves/ghost notes also have to do with note placement (playing ghost notes wherever you don't play a bass drum for example) + incredible stick height control.

[@TheVashnessItself99]

+MarkChiassonDrums what I've heard him say is that he literally writes out pretty much every variation of an idea and plays them till he's comfortable them, and makes mental notes of interesting sounding things or physically writes them out if its a complex idea. he's a machine man

[@chicken6111]

I love that he made a few errors. 1, it shows he is a human after all. but 2, he's pushing his own limits. That's admirable.

[@RewindThatLive]

It looks like he’s trying new things with this run, something he just started messing with, def testing his limits!

[@mrrogers3581]

That was seriously amazing. He totally redefined what a drum solo can be, he did not play according to the traditional standards of what a solo should be, he played mostly snare hi hats and kick. He was just jamming, testing his boundaries. You can tell he really enjoys it. And he's super open with the crowd. You can tell this wasn't rehearsed. I really love his drumming, but him as a drummer too. Didn't care about playing something cool or popular.

[@BradleyButlerDrums]

Improvising as a drummer at this skill level takes a lot of heavy thinking and quick thinking. If you notice, he is concentrating super hard when he is playing groove on the hats and snare. He doesn't even break concentration to look up when he hits the crash most times because he is already thinking about we he is going to do next. This is more respectable than written parts that are practiced over and over.

[@UrZNL]

Exactly.. And the balls to do that in front of an audience; filled with drummers mind you!

[@SuperAnimalDrummer]

+Bradley Butler I don't think he is thinking at all. He's just feeling it and having fun. He just happens to be really nasty and well practiced, so knows how to make his ideas cohere. That's just my opinion. We have no idea what's going on in his mind. we just know its probably awesome.

[@sexypoulpe]

+Mr.Viking when you know that you are one of the best drummers on Earth, you just don't care :)

[@ATXmw1]

+Bradley Butler well said.

[@isarealboy359]

Everything about this is great. He definitely OWNED his mistakes. Playing to perfection is never easy and the fact that this was a freestyle session made it all the better. ALL HAIL MATT GARSTKA!

[@dawsonhendricks7678]

The amount of ghost notes and dynamics that are played by Matt is literally mind bending. I can not mentally attempt to wrap my brain around what he plays. Truly spectacular.

[@MrDJELEDJE]

IMO ok there's lot's of ghosts, but that's noit my definition of dynamic.... Because no 30 seconds calm and doing after some creshendo.... everytime the same amount of energy => no dynamic I'm sorry. If He played very quiet and after very loud ok that's dynamic.... he doesn't at all... so boring.... We have the master that we deserve... Poor people between 20 and 30 years old hipster assholes

[@chupeteguaya]

Matt, you're a true inspiration. I've got nothing more to add. A contemporary drummer showing the true limits of excercise. A real master. Thank you.

[@pinkfloydfan417]

This is a great solo and I love seeing the drummer grooving through the mistakes. I like that he's improvising and pushing his limits on stage. Great dynamics and stick control.

[@Imperium_DI]

Guess this is how he exercise. Those odd-time signatures we're powerful. Complex timings + fast hands. Tho' it may sound boring to some(those who don't know shit/just hatin), but, for drummers who wanna learn more, this is so helpful.

[@teehundeart]

*were

[@eladguitar]

So whoever finds this boring doesn't know shit or just hating. Gotcha. (No, i don't find this boring, but i find this statement ridiculous)

[@strongdawg]

@@eladguitar I agree with both Eladius and Mr. Secratario. This is amazing, but also pretty much a "lets see how weird of a time signature I can play" exercise lol...not for everyone.

[@SkateSmokeAndDrum]

@@eladguitar It's kind of true. Non drummers can't comprehend how hard this stuff is on the same level as drummers. Not that you can't tell it's skilled, just not to the extent that a drummer can

[@eladguitar]

@@SkateSmokeAndDrum but he was talking about enjoying/not enjoying.. Not about comprehending how hard it is. When you recognize how hard something is, it doesn't necessarily mean you will enjoy it more. It's just that i think it's a matter of taste and not comprehension, you can comprehend everything here and still find it boring.

[@m.a.nathaniel7660]

Best part: 0:00 - 12:20

[@JacobCorumWilliams]

Work of art. Undeniable power and control. Definitely in my top favourite drummers, pleasure to listen to

[@agdrummer2610]

he could have easily just played licks he has down pat and impressed people like +heylook but he wanted to really treat the people there and play some super complex shit and I appreciate the shit out of that! Matt is such a good drummer. Inspirational.

[@robintarket6844]

This man is one of the primary reasons I took an interest in learning hoe to drum and is one of the most talented drummers of all time, in my opinion. The best part, he is making mistakes which means that he is stepping out of his comfort zone and trying to be dynamic and utilizing this kit to the fullest extent. I pove progressive metal, and this man and the band Animals As Leaders that he's part of is the main reason why: the style is in constant motion, ever changing and mixing things up but still sounding just astoundingly awesome. Matt and Tosin is probably the best combo of guitarist and drummer I've heard in a very long time, and no matter the band, this band and this man are unique and irreplaceable. Keep doing what you do, guys. You're the best at it!

[@TheWeirddrummer]

One of the most impressive things with Matt is the way there's no power loss while he fills. ( 7:58 ) Sharp, fast and powerful, being creative in an uncommon way, we can see he's not used to that kind of exercise, but he's doing his best and play by the rules, improvising and giving his heart. If you don't know him and only stepped by this video, check out Animals as Leaders, and you'll see, everything will make sense.

[@jasonovens4932]

It’s nice to see phenomenal drummers miss every once in a while. It shows they are human after all. Good work, man!!

[@HenryPerez_royal_hp]

Matt is the future of drums in the present. This dude is just absolutely mind blowing, seriously. Aside from my three idols (Vinnie, Dave and Steve) he's my favorite drummer. Pure Madness, those dynamics are just....I'm done! -HP

[@AbeCastDrums]

I swear, this man will still be talked about 100 years from now.

[@jeremiahdombach9651]

this man is so inspiring. the way he continues after he misses a beat or two and gives a little shout of frustration then continues on with his killer beats is amazing! and dont even get me started on those ghost notes! He's got ghost notes in places that ghost notes have never been before! ALL HAIL MATT GARSTKA! :)

[@samwababoon]

This video simply does not get old... So much talent.

[@andyham6094]

For some reason, Matt garstka's performance at the Meinl festival is the best mixed performance out of any Meinl festival video ive ever seen and heard. It's prolly just a combination of everything, the Tama star kit, the beautiful slp dynamic bronze snare, the selection of Meinl cymbal, garstka's amazing playing, and the mixer and how they recorded this performance. Benny greb's performance this year was very good quality also. Overall, this Meinl festival was the best quality out of all of them IMO. His playthrough of kascade sounds so damn good.

[@co2bass213]

I never miss anything from Matt. The dude is incredible!

[@topramen1694]

Every now and then I come back to this video to steal his grooves or fill patterns and concepts. My left hand has gotten way more comfortable with ghost notes haha thank you Matt Garstka!!! And KZbin for show motion

[@gabrielgomer]

11:57 and 10:26 - That's what I do/sound like every fifth second when I'm trying out some AAL songs behind my kit...

[@winterkilldrummer23]

bruh me too lmfao lmfao

[@davidedelweiss]

matt, you're not only a drummer, you're an inspiration!!!

[@aaroncastrillon3681]

his snare sounds great!!

[@mikagami69]

Aaron Castrillon yeah, it's pretty awesome. just a tad of over-ring though. about a million times better than my snare

[@mikagami69]

Probably! :D

[@iPhownedyou]

Challenging himself on stage.. you need some balls for that!

[@JGBDYT]

iPhownedyou That's not challenging He is just enjoying the moment, amusing himself !

[@MrUrech]

25 000 hours of practice

[@mattgarstkasfan8602]

@@MrUrech 35 now I think

[@davidirwin6756]

Amazing drummer, and a cool dude. I hung out with him after they played in Oklahoma City.

[@OwenMcKinley]

Seriously jaw-dropping. The effort he displays is amazing!

[@benevolentsun]

This solo is just the ultimate Matt Gartska compilation!

[@Leviplaysdrums]

I can't believe that this guy keeps getting better!! holy crap what a groove monster

[@snarplaya]

I could listen to this forever.

[@nenissaK]

Matt in a nutshell: he puts things no-one ever knew existed in places no-one ever knew existed and makes it sound good

[@Supereid]

That poor hi hat. Just when he thought Matt forgot about him he hits him with some sub division he didn't even see coming.

[@PROTEUS_SEER-OF-EONS]

Now that's something you can appreciate regardless of your knowledge of drums or your skill level. My little sister would love this, and i'm sure Mike Mangini and Thomas Lang would as well.

[@evanniko5018]

Every snare hit is right on point. Sounds great.

[@timmydodd1978]

What a Ka$cade of notes... Another Year goes by and I’m still amazed by this video... looks like a lot of Physical Education that makes The Brain Dance...

[@Greenevil89]

80% of the time was on hi hat, snare, n bass drum. If this dude played in the streets he'd be the only drummer on the streets lmao nobody would fuck with that

[@hivemind1706]

The level of stupidity in your comment boggles my mind.

[@Greenevil89]

why?

[@nathandrums0]

Was that meant as a compliment or insult

[@jakefarley6202]

+Hive Mind That's a compliment.. He's saying he would be killing it on the streets so well that no other drummer would fuck with him.

[@VictorZamanian]

+NathanDrums I thought it was an insult, because I agreed with that sentiment. Thought this drummer is technically gifted, the piece was very boring because it's the same three sounds repeated over and over again with very little variety. (Note, this is *my* opinion.) Many drummers are much more interesting to listen to. Some beats in this piece, I could play while I was still a young boy in drummer school. :-| He's good, but not "interesting" (in my opinion, again).

[@andyham6094]

Damnnn them cymbals sound sooooo beautifullll. And that dynamic slp bronze snare sounds toooo good. Imma buy that shit right NOWW. ( dead serious ).

[@Siika336]

he seriously is one of the best drummers in the world!

[@zacfarro8678]

this is just riddiculous...this is so tight...what a great drum skill Matt...unbeliavable..

[@clifton7007]

9 mins onwards...holy shit! serious control and what a groove! mind blown.

[@YoutuberChannelNL]

124 thumbs down... why would anyone not like this video? I love it.

[@robertmeklosk1277]

Being able to solo just kind of playing grooves of increasing complexity and creativity is in many ways a lot more impressive and a greater show of skill/musicanship than the solos with lots of huge chops and insane explosivity and speed, however I do love hearing that sometimes well

[@MC3KING]

That china !! It's one of the best I've ever heard

[@Mjmjmj69]

i accidentally hit the refresh button, it started playing, and i had to watch it again

[@Hotshot2414]

Grooves > Chops. Nope. Im perfectly happy to be honest. This is the sorta stuff that gets you moving and grooving and keeps the hair on your arms up on end for the longest period of time. Brilliant.

[@Stonewall380]

I can barely do doubles with a DBP... He is doing triples with a single pedal. This dude is my favorite drummer tied with Matt Halpern and Benny Greb.

[@lablakelydress1988]

We have similar taste in drums 👍🏼

[@lemystere5345]

This guy is definitely good, but you should go watch Virgil Donati @ DRUMscene Live Tour Sydney, Australia. Makes this guy look like his student.

[@SuperLucasRay]

Matt Garstka is stupid good bro. You have to delve into his work to understand the mastery that he has attained.

[@Drummer12ify]

Virgil is boring, just saying. He is good tho

[@nicholass.6829]

I can do four stroke 16ths on bass drum and I'm not even bragging. You can too with practice.

[@Archi_Music]

Really great cymbals! All the set sound amazing, the china is the best and the crashes!

[@TheAndyking1990]

I watch youtube drumming vids and they make me want to go and practice - i watch Garstka drumming vids and they make me wish i never started drumming

[@pbonk1987]

Such POWER! you Matt are a BEAST!

[@triskelargentum3777]

Always pushing his limits. One of the best.

[@boyke171]

He's so good... And he has an amazing drum face!

[@iBaraban]

Matt Garstka - very honest drummer :)

[@joz9667]

UHHHMHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH the 18'' jazz crashes best meinl cymbals i think:D sounds amazing

[@Zerozerozero-m9l]

Oh man! The sound of that KIT!! THE FREAKING SOUND!!

[@mohantysumit]

I could never wonder a drummer giving Tosin Abasi a hard 'time'

[@bobwest9729]

Beautiful..

[@marcio1745]

LoL.... Interesting point of view

[@bplatz829]

+Sumit Mohanty I can't either, not even Matt.

[@TunnelJumper]

+Sumit Mohanty I've seen a few videos where even though all three are playing to a click, Tosin and Javier keep turning around to look at him as if telling him "please calm down, the audience doesn't understand!" There's a video where Javier even appears to scold him after an insane performance haha

[@bplatz829]

Daniel Calderon I doubt that's what he's doing. You made that up.

[@xaviersykora]

This mix is GREAT

[@BonkOverload]

10:27 Superman has been stabbed by kryptonite

[@bg4567890]

Awesome cymbals! But that snare sound.... Just godly

[@danielmathia5875]

+bg4567890 exactly. that snare make me cry.... beautiful... perfect.... i want it :)

[@lucasrafael9399]

+bg4567890 Tama SLP dinamyc bronze!

[@lucasrafael9399]

*dynamic hahaha sorry

[@Dreamside91]

+Lucas Rafael Thanks! You're sure it's that specific snare?

[@lucasrafael9399]

yes! there's a demo of it on sweetwater sound, drumcenternh and a few other youtube channels. features: the size is 14x5,5, 10 tube lugs, die cast hoops. but I think that it's noy exactly made of bronze, it's a brass shell for sure. out of that, matt will make sound great any snare... it's a sick. good luck man!

[@themadmaddrummer]

Killer Hi Hat, Snare and Kick Combo's !!!

[@drumsdistortion]

The amount of permutations he accomplishes in such short time is incredible.

[@Sasquatch9815]

Pretty awesome drum solo. You are super great with amazing dynamics. Just subbed your channel.

[@AndersonQuero]

07:04 10:27 11:55 11:59 AAAAAAAAAAHHHH

[@TunnelJumper]

+Anderson Quero Go to 2:46 in "Metal Drum Solo" (in Matt's personal youtube channel) video haha

[@rhythmindset6996]

I LOVE how the camera shakes on the bass drum hits.

[@tmaddrummer]

Just wait, Matt is getting better and better beyond belief!!!

[@joshmorrow6672]

Dudes out of this world, just like his band..

[@DroneTheDruid]

Somehow all my math homework got completed while I watched this video

[@isaaczaladar1174]

one the most complex but memorable drummer ever !!!!

[@jeferssondelarosa8654]

That groove ....... Oh my gooooood

[@dekalboy8816]

Please stop saying « error « . This is not error . This , is happemmimg just when your brain is not agree with your body just a few seconds , this is not error as this guy knows where he wants to go . This just is a proof that this solo is truly an improvised solo , and every solo should be improvised like that. I think the best solo of this drummer

[@WillVieiraFotografo]

insane doubles!

[@samuelkdrums]

This is what I'd call intelligent drumming! ;) He's got a great thinking and creative mind.

[@graemerife5159]

Jesus Christ his drums sound perfect

[@DAGDRUM53]

I'm glad it's not against the law to play so well.

[@drumcorpsboy1]

He's one of the very few that could break it

[@Seblo_]

This makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

[@asabrown1430]

Ghost notes for the win! Loved it!

[@petestix46]

man I totally agree. what a legend. ..

[@mariuszlekent3560]

Walczył długo ale na koniec perkusja go jednak pokonała. Niezły pojedynek brawo!!!

[@alonzovillarreal4666]

Astounding abilities!

[@jeffreyalexander7504]

5:43 thru 5:57 is a Kenwood Dennard lick. Matt's version is amazing.

[@tomverstappendrums3423]

I love that he is just jamming out and trying hard things which he sometimes messes up a little. He just zones out and does his thing

[@NICKHAM16]

11:32 feels so Benny Greb-ish to me. And that fill at 11:43 is glorious.

[@eloyfortezavargas4353]

I love his style

[@christopherlandry5712]

In most other videos with that china it sounds so stale. But in this mix you can really hear how its SUPPOSED to sound. Fantastic

[@natanaelguadalupeaviles5992]

awesome work out

[@devinbuchhorn]

That kit is all over the damn place! Its beautiful, would annoy the crap out of me having the toms dancing around like that.

[@utapau235]

I love his wobbly drumkit

[@onatgirit9247]

This is a short film. A good one.

[@r3stless508]

11:22 had me shook cause those are the kinds of ideas i have going on sometimes but my execution just isn't there yet

[@ajgdrums24]

The more I learn about music and come to better understand time and subdivisions, the crazier this solo seems to get....

[@a-gnosis]

Awesome job.

[@Lukas-kh5gu]

In the description it says "14” Byzance Vintage Sand Hat" - well do they mean the Benny Greb Sand Hats? Cause there's no vintage sand hat i guess.

[@danieljordison0793]

+Lukas T no, they mean Byzance Vintage Sand hats, thats the name of the model