Tomas Haake (Meshuggah) - drumtalk [episode 05]

[@robertbentley5604]

"I have to be that machine". You most certainly are!

[@billymahameru7381]

said a machine while pointing to Tomas Haake

[@yumadapaka]

good musicians are usually the modest/humble one's. i have so much respect for tomas haake.

[@eccob8961]

Yeppp !!

[@underscoreisnotvalid]

i love his sense of humour, it's so subtle, he'll be dead serious for ages and then just throw in a bunch of crazy jokes and take the piss out of himself

[@leon0210]

Doom guy

[@GingerDrums]

In many ways Haake has inverted the traditional drum set ostenato / embellishment relationship. Traditionally the feet keep time and the hands embelish. He is the other way around, and this is a clear concept which makes his playing unique and brings a new philosophy and sound to trap percussion. If I would analyse what he is saying, it is that he plays a 4/4 ostenato with the cymbals and snare, and then memorises a multi-bar melodic pattern which is played on the double bass in conjunction with the guitars and bass. This is why he doesn't need to be able to explain the polyrhythm for each bar, because the melody is not structurally significant to the time signature. edit: of course he sometimes embellishes with his hands and plays odd interpretations of 4/4, but that remains the structure, the feet remain the creative and melodic aspect around which the embellishment and musicality revolves. I hope this helps the discussion along!

[@drumkidstu]

I mean you could say the same about the great art blakey or elvin jones, or paul motian. Time comes from cymbal. Rhythms from the drums.

[@JachimW]

@@drumkidstu Tesseract plays in this way, too.

[@3m7c]

such an amazing and honest person

[@HoxVox]

3m7c clever person with sense of measure, and not only referring to music measures. it's a whole, ya know, obviously a clever person having complex thoughts cannot express herself or himself through a lower communication level.

[@Convisis]

Tomas is such a cool dude that he's being totally self-deprecating and playing it all down heavily when, of course, he knows EXACTLY what they're doing and could talk about it for hours on end, but just doesn't want to come off as an egotistical or self-indulgent prick. You the real MVP Tomas, have been for years, we all know that.

[@GabrielCsaba]

Everybody's losing their mind at his playing and he's like "Yeah, it's really hard to learn". Dude even wins at being unassuming.

[@Sir_vAce]

"I go like that for half an hour"... I smiled

[@unclemonster48]

My chin splints flared up thinking about it

[@TitanTrond]

A true legend of metal drumming imho.

[@borisbhaskar5109]

People talk about polyrhythms and all that..stuff And I like "yeah...ohh.. you know.. I DON'T SEE THIS POLYRHYTHM" I just see it like straight-forward Complete alien.

[@monkeyrobotsinc.9875]

nah. its easier that way. only nerds use or care about sheet music.

[@joemalone5330]

I think he said " I see it like just straight four four ".

[@DrummerMan52]

Listening to his voice, it's hard to believe that he primarily speaks Swedish.. Almost no accent at all!

[@AlexRamosDrTaz]

Yep. When I first heard him, before I knew where he was born, I thought he was American.

[@somberlight]

DrummerMan52 make sense actually. he's been doing foreign interviews for like ... what.. 20+ years now?

[@FredrikSvensson1979]

It's actually not that uncommon for Swedes to speak English very well and even have an American accent. Like a lot of smaller countries we import a lot of what is on TV, and of course a lot of that comes from the States or from England. However, unlike most countries we almost never dub anything, it's all just subtitled, and when you are a kid you're lika sponge so you sort of pick it up for free. Of course I don't know if this is the case with Tomas, but that's my guess.

[@THERAMMSTEINFAN490]

Well that and the neutral dialectal nature of some of the Scandinavian languages. Norwegians, Swedes and Danes generally have an easy time speaking english.

[@monkeyrobotsinc.9875]

only a broken machine would use the wrong accent.

[@holygroove2]

I LOVE how they have so many people perplexed by their approach. It makes me feel better to hear the drummer say that he attaches himself to the straight 4/4. In my view, the strength of their music is the way that the cycles seem to pull away from the basic 4/4 pulse.

[@doctajuice]

100%!! the most interesting and unique thing about meshuggah's music is the relationship between the 4/4 and the melody. the melody (kick drum patterns, accents, and fills included) rarely lines up with the back beat, but the way in which they spiral away from each other and reconverge - that's where the magic lies. and the fact that the back beat does remain kind of 4/4 most of the time, always keeps your head bobbing. definitely what makes meshuggah, meshuggah.

[@samwhitty3036]

Tomas being Tomas... why we adore this gentleman, scholar & truly unique/superior musician/artist. an absolutely fabulous fellow🙏🏼

[@eyemoeba]

what a gent, and a giant among drummers, someone who with Meshuggah have carved themselves into some unchartered musical territories.

[@FranHn1982]

Tomas "you know" Haake. Master!

[@Ryukaix]

Not flexing Not hiding. Straight To Point. Still Living Legend. ❤

[@jacobzamora2631]

sickest drummer ever

[@isaacdissonance3967]

Jacob Zamora ELLIOT HOFFMAN

[@drumsno]

The guy is a genius. Even his lyrics are awesome and so thought out

[@nenissaK]

I'm relieved after watching this. This is just how I've learned Meshuggah songs so far; first the "ostenato"/the rhythm, then after it gets to your muscle memory (the foot pattern; where it begins and ends and which limb (right or left) starts and ends the cycle and how long it lasts, also with non-dividable-by-eighth/fourth-notes -cycles you can first learn the cycle in relation to fourth notes, for instance in the New Millenium cyanide Christ where the cycle in the beginning is 23/16 it takes four cycles to even even up with the quarter notes etc :D) you can start to "really" learn it by thinking 4/4 and you start to memorize how it actually sounds but still feel the rhythm on top of it. And that helps noticing your own mistakes while you're learning. Playing on top of the song helps too :) I'm glad that I watched this. Haake is goddamn great!

[@btownshreds1]

nenissaK i still can’t fuckin get it after all this haha

[@rinzfxp]

it's the last part of all of that, where you start to hear the whole pattern in 4/4 normally the whole time, that's what takes the absolute longest. playing the rhythm over and over is one thing, but understanding how it all fits contextually is another level. meshuggah is a government psyop.

[@pattravers2611]

Such a great guy, and fantastic musician. I had the pleasure of working with him snd thr rest of the 'shuggah-naughts back in the day. All Aliens! ;) Chris Pelletier in Philly

[@alexlambino949]

Tomas confirmed what we knew all along. Guy's a fucking machine.

[@danatonimovies2321]

I have to be that machine.......thats a very important dimension of creativity....I would call it put your self in a situation that is new to you.....what is natural is also a question of your aural memory that plays tricks on you.

[@unclemonster48]

When he was talking about remembering where 1 is, it took me back to Mr. Purdys’ clinic video. Amongst The polyrhythms he always knows where 1 is.

[@matthewstrong8069]

Such a top bloke. Legend.

[@color-head1696]

BEAUTIFUL intro!

[@adamtaylor31]

That intro was cool as shit! As both a musician and an experienced radio operator/telegrapher...i could listen to that all day.

[@drumtalkofficial]

thanks a lot Adam, but are you for real? I assumed most people are annoyed by my early intros, especially this long and artsy fartsy one...

[@multiestonian]

Can't belive i just found out about Tomas Haake. Such a humble guy and an awesome drummer. When i first heard clockworks, it blew my mind.

[@wraith1117]

Drumming aside. I am so impressed with how well Thomas speaks English, he barely has an accent. Sorry, just something I noticed. Btw, loves me some Meshuggah.

[@TheManglerPolishDeathMetal]

wise honest person and pro drummer

[@1adoremusic]

He's so amazing.

[@andreasalme6701]

I love him so much

[@101silencio]

This is just so motivating that instead of watching the rest of the video I wanna go and Play!!!! Thank You A Lot!!!!

[@Satarnoch]

Jorge Eduardo Olivares Reyes Did you finish your session yet?

[@TheBandFake]

13:22 Thomas has a pain fetish. @_@

[@Turkentorque]

Did u spell "drumtalk" in morse code?🤔

[@drumtalkofficial]

yessir! in every intro the drum pattern you hear has the kick drum for "long" and the snare for "short", basically playing the word "drumtalk" ;-)

[@Turkentorque]

@@drumtalkofficial haha that is very nerdy, love it😄👍🏻

[@drumtalkofficial]

sounds like utter crap though =D hahahaha

[@simonlamphee9905]

Ace drummer along with Gene Hoglan

[@mattvdh]

what a handsome bastard

[@kevinsturges6957]

Finally someone else said what I’m thinking...

[@zodiacmanan]

Hail Almighty Tomas!

[@DIERAPPER]

Great style ...GREAT BAND...

[@danielemmanuel6261]

Yeah its all 4/4 Laughs in polyrythm

[@sasaki9825]

Daniel Emmanuel bruh Im fucking dead ⚰️💀🤣😂

[@Consural]

Haake is so metal that he doesn't need a practice pad, he literally just uses his own knees. Sounds like something you would make up as a joke but it's actually true.

[@vibratoryuniverse308]

A great drummer could prepare for a gig with nothing but their feet hitting the floor, and their hands hitting their knees

[@RexIsOnline]

9:16 That would explain why his fills have so much finesse and intricacy in spite of the very rigid rhythms of the guitars.

[@Capt_shred]

8:33 ... says it all. perfect.

[@clayfoster8234]

I can’t think of another band that has as large a gulf between their influence and commercial success.

[@Merkaba4203]

Tomas got bars son

[@PanasonicTooth]

"Tap them legs, babies!"

[@kevinsturges6957]

I thought it was a painting of a jail cell behind him, and then a van drove by.

[@acbenepe]

would love to see him do a mike patton or bill lasllow thing though.

[@passofar]

The warm up? Precious. Its a warm up, not a practice! Perfect.

[@pioner8614]

13:23 ummm that feels noiiicccceeee that needs to become a meme, I laughed so hard 😂😂😂

[@AtlasCubeProgressiveRock]

Totally loving this ! :)

[@treverdavis5881]

He should be able to call the shots cause you can't replace this guy. He's in a different league

[@crazyjoedavola5430]

He's just awesome...yeah, awesome

[@that_drummer_guy647]

You cant tell me this dude didn't sell his soul to play that good...

[@jacingreen2739]

Tomas you're Awesome bro!

[@FKJBSDK]

Yup Tomas Haake can do blast beats

[@rogerlarsson889]

Thumbs Up for Tomas. Sweden rock

[@cesarplaza4929]

This guy doesn't mess around.. He's the real deal.. A REAL MACHINE GUN..

[@isaaczaladar1174]

Cesar Plaza even he's voice is cold generic tone incredible ;!;;!!

[@joshpelton3708]

weird he has no Swedish ascent at all!

[@monkeyrobotsinc.9875]

he does. a bit and he of course used it properly when he said his swedish name near the end.

[@charlesmattinglymendoza9612]

"I'm gonna do this at 2:38 god dammit"

[@macklotus6155]

so this is the guy that never skips leg day

[@zacalves]

7:16 why would people do that!? you're basically missing the whole fun! you have to do some mental work to get it but then every 4/4 bar is a refreshing new one. great interview, legendary musician!

[@Gwista]

you are the fucking machine !

[@fromthesky1050]

I really wish they would play Ivory Tower live, but I'm not sure if it's a song they'll ever play.

[@drumsno]

I would pay big money to go to a drum clinic with this guy. Watch him teach some more of his "polyrhythm 4/4" with playing examples and playing a few Meshuggah tunes, wrapping it up with the drum-machine-of-a-song "Bleed." haha!

[@shatteredstiks7392]

I think what he was trying to say is although he does.all the stuff with his feet everything his right hand is keeping a constant groove 4/4 kind of

[@kasper2514]

Safe to assume he has his kick pedals dialed in to a T.

[@123612100]

I find it funny how people bash on other bands for doing things like writing songs completely on a computer but give Meshuggah a pass. Don't get me wrong a lot of those bands suck but it seems people argue against the process rather than a band being good or not. Doesn't matter how you write the music as long as it kicks ass and Meshuggah proves that.

[@IWANTABIGBUTTGAL]

Deep.

[@dmitryshkolnik5233]

some songs are tricky, he said. like, not all of them, just.. some. yeah, right

[@llulisesll]

That warm up!!!!! you know??

[@dcs2690]

hummm it feels niice!

[@absoluteinfinity1197]

If thomas creates just 10% of the drum beats doesnt this mean the other members are also drummers in sense of programming that 90% non simple beats?

[@jonskaery]

Enderman22 all the other guys plays drums as well.

[@nunyabiznazz2775]

As a fellow artist I always find it so awkward when others ask for advice. An artist just FLOWS and figures the art/music out and delivers it in a way and technique that is comfortable for them. I've always said...……...music theory is for people that want to copy/mimic/or cover someone else's music. Otherwise, don't ask me for music scores or tablature...…. because I don't usually use/need it. FIND THE GROOVE AND FEEL THE MUSIC. Music is meant to be HEARD AND FELT. NOT ANALYZED.

[@drumtalkofficial]

totally disagree I love to think about what I do and how I do it. and why. but there are other ways to reflect than drum notations or techniques. this is why this programme is still alive and will be for quite some time I hope. reflection is not one single approach. it is as wide and creative as you allow it to be

[@nunyabiznazz2775]

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean? I apologize, but can you elaborate? Perhaps I was mostly talking about music theory and "written music" for the most part..... sort of expanding on What he was speaking on as far as working from feeling and not so much "mathematics" or "time signatures", etc. If that makes sense...…. it's hard for me to put this into words, sorry! Hope you have a great weekend, thank you for your content!

[@drumtalkofficial]

actually I was more referring to the point of analyzing what you do with music -- on an abstract level as well as what your body does. otherwise I guess you're missing some aspects where you can develop as well apart from 'just' getting your rudiments tighter or your feet stronger or what have you. I'm by no means a sheet music guy and I agree that you shouldn't put all your focus on mathematical playing. but to try a little mathematics here and there also helps when you're playing with feel. bottom line is do as much research as you can but don't necessarily try to be a robot -- 'cause what it comes down to in the end is finding your own voice. but taking everything into the equation is what I try to do in this show to open other people's mind the same way like my own perspective on drumming has developed through all these conversations I had.

[@nunyabiznazz2775]

Right on man I agree. Cheers brother!

[@hddrummer8838]

How is it possible for him to learn the songs like that? Fuck! I wanted to learn Lethargica and I had to transcribe it because it was just too weird.

[@isaaczaladar1174]

i love how he avoids all the shit complexity that their "fanboys" seem to think about them

[@monkeyrobotsinc.9875]

what? ur an idiot.

[@Astromyxin]

It's weird to not practice and write music when all of the band is there playing, bouncing ideas off of each other. It seems a bit inorganic. It's weird having to learn your own stuff,so to speak, as in transforming what your mind hears into digital programmed drums, then trying to play what you wrote with your mind on a computer in the physical world. It just seems weird to me.

[@eyemoeba]

that unfamiliar territory along with the extreme nature of the music pushes the players into ridiculous realms of playing, and that is why Haake is so fucking good. he's trying to keep up with an out of control rampaging monster, and doing pretty fucking well.

[@drumkidstu]

It makes sense to a degree though. They program stuff that they can’t hear and then learn it. It’s the reason why bands that sound similar, periphery comes to mind, don’t go to the same lengths with their rhythms. They write from their instruments vs meshuggah who put the instrument aside and go right to the computer. It’s really the closest acoustic music has gotten to electronic dance music.

[@drewjacobsracing]

I'd love to see him just jam out for like 30 minutes

[@lucianisidro]

Nylon brushes - like Flix Stix - are pretty good for warming up. They won't destroy your legs like regular drumsticks and they should minimize the urge of people around you to kill you, as they're very quiet on tables, seat cushions etc. And you can always whip up an omelette with them too. Just don't play your kit with them. Ever.

[@ChaosPootato]

TAP DEM LEGS!

[@Ryo7_7]

🤘🏾

[@Deadscone]

Does he ever say his last name?

[@robbieoneill7701]

+Carl He did at the end of the video when he was talking about warm ups 13:32

[@Shane-zo4mg]

+Robbie O'Neill hakuh? or hawk?

[@robbieoneill7701]

I sort of hear it as 'hawk-uh'. The 'e' at the end is pronounced

[@ZetroDrummer]

unique and highly developed warm-up system...LOL

[@holygroove2]

It looks simple, but I'm not sure that it is - he seems to be controlling the speed of the single strokes with the pinky and ring finger rather than the wrist...maybe that's easy to you, but that's crazy for me.

[@noahcolbeck7230]

holygroove2 I think you're overthinking it.

[@holygroove2]

Noah Colbeck All I know is that I can't do what he does, and his fills are ridiculous.

[@ZetroDrummer]

holygroove2 I agree Man, he can play some sick stuff and is one of my favourite drummers, but his worm up is nothing out of this world and that's hilarious. Cause you'd expect to hear some crazy warm up system and instead of that "nah I just play singles on my legs" :D

[@filsolano5465]

12:29 Actually No metronome can sit or even hang with you.

[@jerryrose9472]

I think it's so wild he's never played in any other bands. I would almost be curious to see him forced into a more conventional environment.

[@Unanythang]

He played with sol Niger within on some tracks Fredrick's side project

[@t3hgir]

@@Unanythang AFAIK Tomas only did spoken vocals on Sol Niger Within, Morgan did all the drum tracks. But maybe you meant the new album Fredrik was working on...

[@jeremyschiesser6730]

One of the best drummers in metal says “ I don’t really know what we’re doing” oh you modest liar! Lol

[@dustinferris5774]

ginger baker said the same thing about polyrhythms and "odd" timing.... their is always a four.

[@snabelsnas]

god damnit

[@psychotictactoe]

It almost sounds like he was just given stuff to play and he accepted it but now he is literally the heart of Meshuggah and take him away and the band ceases to exist.

[@Egoblivion]

It's funny how Thomas seems to downplay his knowledge of the complexity of his own music. Like they just feed independently and democratically into a machine and let 'er rip! These guys are allowing Meshuggah to become far more than the sum of its parts. What is happening? This is crazy!

[@monkeyrobotsinc.9875]

13:19 lol

[@jamessams4193]

Some songs are you know.... kinda tricky

[@monkeyrobotsinc.9875]

7:47

[@hocksaw]

god

[@KristofXIV]

12:27....Of Course you don´t sit with a metronome, the metronome would be sitting with you, and he is clearly scared xD

[@luisda1388]

funny guy tomas!haha!

[@TRFAD]

If you say you understand meshuggah you probably don't.

[@kylegast5787]

Hands in 4/4 or 3/4, feet in 16th note variations written over the bar line... It's hard but it's not magic.

[@TheGinglymus]

I don't understand all these comments about being modest. What should he sit there and say? “fuck me I'm so fucking good! Did you hear all that complicated shit I did? I analyse myself all the time and have come to the conclusion I am a genius.,"

[@FrankDag]

Taking a good drummer out of the songwriting process will be detrimental to any band. I can only imagine what they would sound like if they wrote organically, together, in a collaborative environment.

[@alisquare2272]

they might not sound as unique as they are!

[@FrankDag]

You think a talented songwriter would make them sound generic?

[@alisquare2272]

It might take forever to write a song like "don't look down". But I believe its possible, just requires a lot of time, patience and a damn good brain to memorize all the structures lol! I covered the song Demiurge with a bunch of really good musicians, and keep in mind its one of their easiest (playable by normal humans) song, yet we had difficulty synchronizing and remembering the ending riffs pattern! Only the drummer had in ears with the click track...

[@hugorezende199]

Bizarre that he dont really "warm up" on pad or even kits. Maybe when you get older you get used to drums way more easily but instead you have to worry more about stamina.

[@jamessams4193]

So you gotta learn a bunch of different... chunks of bars

[@coryleblanc]

7 months to learn a drum pattern