Mr Cobham is the reason I bought A Tama He has inspired my Drumming all my life I'm 62 years old Now and Still have the passion and burning Desire to Play, Thank you Mr Cobham You Truly are a legend 🥁🔥🥁
My brother started playing drums at 11 and feel in love with Cobham. Within 3 years he was playing along with Cobhams records. He even had drum set up like his. Floor toms, high hats, snares, double bass, half a dozen cymbals and even Roto Toms. You couldn't see him for the drums! I said he loved Cobham! Most of it was Tama drums and "Zildjian" cymbals. He would go to the Chicago Music store and trade up equipment. By the time our dad knew what was going on, he had 6k worth of drums. This was in 1980! Man could he play them damn skins!!!
First time I saw Billy was with the Mahavishnu Orchestra back in the 70' s. My jaw dropped in amazement. He's still doin it. He is..One of the best EVER done it!!
TAMA threw a drum clinic featuring Billy Cobham in Tokyo around 70' maybe right after he started endorsing the manufacturer. I went there when I was a kid and it was first to see him playing and very impressed by his groove and technique. I still remember he played Glass Menagerie and it was so cool that I ran to a record shop to find his album after the show was over. TAMA gave away Billy Cobham silver stickers that I put on my school notebook:D
Tama: "Hey Billy, can you do a short video with us?"Cobham: "Sure! Should I bring anything?"Tama: "Just your sticks, and a bunch of different headbands and shirts."
There are a ton of drummers- young guys and gals- 12-14 years old on youtube who are stupidly fast, and have all the technique anyone could ever want...there are many many great drummers- but so few musicians. BC is a MUSICAL drummer. He sings those drums in the same way Diz sang his bent horn. AMAZING! Thanks for sharing. :-)
To see this man play is a total gift to my ears hes my favoret drummer for almost 50 years ive been to 2 of his seminares and it totaly changed my drumming thanks billy with much love and respect peace and God Bless you
Welcome back, Billy! It's cool that he's able to get that tight, old fusion drum tone from a VERY modern build. I'm very, very surprised that Tama hasn't made a birch kit for the Star line. That Hokkaido birch they used in the 80's and 90's was a very respected, signature sound for them. The Grantstars were like Recording Customs or Pearl BLX on steroids. Great rock drums used by Joey Kramer and Dave Grohl back in the day.
Billy Cobham was the First Professional Drummer that I was Turned on Two. His Drumming was Outta this World. And Just to Think How His Drumming has Changed the Drumming Community. Keep on Inspiring Us Mr. Cobham.
Billy can blow you away with a pair of pencils and a lunch counter.. You have to research where Billy has come from... He doesn't need all the drums but with them he brings out more tonal colors than a simple four piece. Think of a piano with 1/2 octave to an 88 key Grand. Sure you can play twinkle twinkle little star.... but not much else. Billy continues to be one of the Great Drummers of our time.. Thank God he's still with us and playing better than ever! ....CORRECTION: Billy is one of the greatest drummers of ALL time.
Tom Venable Well, I've seen him play a small kit before when he played with the ??? Some traditional jazz quintet, I forget. I didn't know he used one with Mahavishnu Orchestra though.
This guy, the reason I scrapped and saved throughout my preteen and teen years to buy my dream set, the TAMA Imperial Star nine piece set, I believe called the Saturn 9. Still have it, looks almost as good as the day I bought it. I’m amazed at how well it has held up throughout the last few decades, just amazing. I’m still drawn to TAMA, not sure why, but for some reason, Billy made me a TAMA fankid, now fan adult.
Billy Cobham is a master of the kit! He's influenced a lot of other drummers including one of my favourite The Professor Neil Peart. Love Billy's style of playing and he's such an entertaining personality. Great video... thanks for posting. Gotta love the Tama drums too!
Thank you for coming to our practice in 78 with Blue Devils. That snare drummer that blew you away is now the percussion director. I was the kid with a broken hand.
Lord thank you for these great drummers.surprised he hadn't tried DW drums yet.i play a set of PCP drums by dw.andvthey sound amazing.and they're popular shells but they sound great.
I started playing in 1975 and there were only two "great" drummers that my drum teachers and the other drummers ever talked about: Danny Seraphine and Billy Cobham. (Yes, I know, what about John Bonham and Ginger Baker, among others? That's a different conversation.)
Cara Billy Cobham não tem explicação é um ser de outro mundo. A minha vida musical mudou desde quando eu ouvi o senhor Billy. Te amo Billy e Jesus tambem te ama muito abraços forte. André Alves Estamos ae
Billy is a legend, his early work with Mahavishnu (Newport Jazz Fest late 60's) monster. Still got my '89 Tama rock star with Z cymbals, seen no reason to change my equipment
Whoa! I am so happy Billy returned to TAMA!!! Billy makes them sound so good. Power Play album (the best to me) had this kind of tuning and sound. I had a Granstar kit then. This 70 year old Panamanian powerhouse is still the bad boy. Congratulations Billy and TAMA! a toast! Thanks for posting this excellent clip.
I saw Billy in London 1970’s at his Dum Clinic in the Old VIC theatre. I’ll never forget it, the kit looked like it was shaking from been played by ten drummers, not just one. Thanks Billy for signing a promo photo of you, but only for it to be stollen off my wall as it was framed in my studios in Dublin.
Went to a drum clinic with Billy and Jack Bruce in the early 80's at San Diego state university , Really Great guys very nice and helpful in many ways not just drumming but the music industry also
I've always enjoyed his playing. I picked up one of your big sets back in 1977, Saturn 12 + 1 and I up sized the bass drums to 24s. Still sounds great.
Billy is an amazing player and those Tama Star drums look and sound phenomenal. My first nice drum kit was a Tama Rockstar. Still have it in my parents attic, unfortunately living in an apartment I can only play electric kit now
JAZZMUSIC! PERCUSSIONISTS "LIKE" JAZZMUSICS! (BC)! AND THE "OTHER" JAZZMUSIC! PERCUSSIONISTS ARE "SIMPLY" THE "GREATEST" AND "BEST" STYLISTS OF "ALL" TIME! AND JAZZMUSIC! IS THE "MOST SYLISH AND THE BEST MUSIC ANYWAY" AND RULES! ALWAYS HAS "DONE" AND "ALWAYS" WILL! JAZZMUSIC! FULL STOP!
Not sure what you mean by "1st to really play double bass drums..."? Louie Bellson invented the double bass set, and could wail on them. Billy was not the 1st, but he's a master at playing them for sure.
@@gregm6894 Belson was basic. Like he was going to get in trouble or something for doing something new.. Billy really played the double bass drums. Took it to another level.
Maybe the best drums and one the best, Billy. A logical combination... In the 80th I saw Billy on a fantastic Tama Superstar Set at a concert in the Fabrik in Hamburg. I bought me one too and play it until to day. Now it's time for a new because I love the Tama Star Drums. I'll buy the Tama Star Marble Drums. That's it. And next 35 years later I'm dead or 89. That will be the drum for the rest of my life, it's fantastic. Don't ask if I sell my Tama Superstar Vintage, no no no, never. ;-) Greets from Germany, Rainer
queria ver ele usando uma dw sera ou craviotto rsrsrs viva billy cobham o que representa a arte da bateria com melhor expressao e personalidade ele e o buddy rich steve gadd ...entre outros parabens obrigado !
Left hand , right hand -whatever. The point is -you do what works for YOU. Don't let anybody tell you it should be done this way or that way. My father (Bless His Heart) used to get upset because I held a pencil with two fingers at the pressure point instead of one.
***** Yes, I'm starting to play like that on my own kit (left handed drummer - right handed kit.) I can play faster and more efficient than i used to. My arms aren't in each other's way.
+eqsmooth You play with your feet -if it works for you. There no laws floating around in space that says you have to play a certain way. You got a problem with that?
+eqsmooth I think you have a problem with yourself because you're all foaming at the mouth over something that does'nt warrant it. Did you go off your meds?
great drums.. a return to the first generation Superstar.. which is where BC started :-).. they are actually very similar to those... just that STAR are not all birch but a mix often including maple. Very expensive, but that's because of the labor cost involved.. they do sound really good.. but not 3 times as good as lover priced Tama.. but superior looks and nice hardware features cost a lot :-) But the craftsmanship and sound is really good!
you can just look at those drums and tell they are bomb-proof...I played a TAMA kit from 1980-1997 and the were virtually in NEW condition when I sold them to a neighborhood kid to buy a Yamaha Rec Custom 8 piece...the Starclassic B/B's are the best sounding drums on the market...
Thick heavy ass shells. Brothers, what models/kits have thick or very thick shell drums? Pls recommend some models. I don’t know where to look for them. Thick shells!Thnxx ❤
Since I see some debate over open arms playing. Do what you guys feel is right for you, as long as it doesn't get in the way. I don't get how this is even a thing. I'll also share an anecdote about this and Billy: I had the pleasure of attending a clinic of his a few years ago. BTW great clinic: lots of interesting musical concepts and grooves, plus interesting life stories. I also got to pay my respect and shake his hand at the end. He played the whole time with open arms and traditional grip. But when someone in the public requested the intro from Vital Transformation he went straight to crossed arms and matched grip, in one smooth motion. :D
Crimson Sunrise I checked the drum manual, and it says you can keep your hi-hat at any height you like. It's true though, *he* usually keeps it low for live concerts. This one occasion was a clinic though: maybe he knew he was probably going to play both ways.
TheAtb85 Not really for open handed playing. If you set them too high(higher than 4" higher than the snare, which is the height Carter Beauford uses), you'll only hit them at the edge and it will put strain in your arm and wrist, Same if you play cross handed and set the hihat almost 17" higher than the snare (the height Dave Ghrol uses)
+Crimson Sunrise There you go: i.imgur.com/aqtVHs8.jpg I just wanted to share this little (funny?) story. I was there and I saw it happen. If you are still skeptical, it's your right to be. I won't discuss it further. :)
Ya got to give it to tama they're world class when it comes to making drums probably the best, it's between tama and dW and I would be happy to own any of their high end stuff
I see a lot of speculation what is the right way to play the drumzz,the size of kits, and the way you hold the sticks, how you sit etc.. Well since all drummers have different preferences there is actually no right or wrong way. Traditional grip or matched grip? It's funny how certain drummers can only think in one way? Billy is one of the few drummers that can play traditional grip as well as matched grip equally well. And with either hand. Having played many different types of drumzz both large and small sets, and having setup many different combinations, there is no right or wrong way. There is only personal preferences. Many teachers want to give you their presences of setups, and technique, and the type of exercises they recommend, this is once again preferences that they personally found works for them. Billy could EASILY show you why he prefers, using his left hand lead on the hi hats as opposed to crossing over with the right right hand on the hi hat, but again it's only personal preference. As for the type of drumzz you use, there are many incredible sets out there, Tama star classics are one of the better upper echelons of drumzz. But make no mistake about it, there are methods and exercises you can use to help your technique, speed,timings, finesse on the set. and make no mistake about it, dynamics are a WONDERFUL friend to use to your benefit, instead of just bashing away at the kit. Also tuning a kit is perhaps the most important thing to learn, right behind how to setup a kit so it works and is comfortable for you and your needs. I personally use a bigger kit, but i'm able to play a 3 or 4 piece kit as well. I use an Ayotte maple kit, with all wood hoops on each drum. To me it is a very organic true sound. I also have a few videos up on youtube if you'd like to hear how the kit sounds. Billy is one of the greatest drummers ever to grace the music scene.We've ALL learned a lot from this master.
That's one of the MEANEST tribal circular tom fill endings I've ever heard. Again kids, he may not play it in absolute? There would be NO Extreme, Death Metal, etc w/o Billy Cobhams influence Drumming wise.
Not be weird but his arms and torso are very muscular. That must help him with his control? He is the opposite build of simon phillips but they both play very similarly. Cool to see how differentlyand similarly people are and play.
look guys i dont play drums, but everyone got there opinon, i come from musical family. my oldman was awesome drummer, he also played guitar weather its 4 - 6 or 12 string left hand and also played over top and bottom he was f&?%ken awesome not many people can do that. he had every album that came out of Billy Cobham. when he passed on we buried everything with him. my oldman said growing up listening to all types music make you talent person. every intstrument has its own sound or tone. it not the name or brand of the intsrument its the person playing it that creates sound. my oldman always said he is and will always be the best drummer in the world you will ever see. no disrepect to all you other drummers out there.
He went back to Tama because he didn't want to spend the dough out of his pocket. ottom line, they go to who will pay them and supply them their kits! Great drummer anyhow!
Of course you're right, Hadrorex. But it's not easy when you get to be such a prominent figure in any sphere. A writer will be pursued so that a company can boast that 'X' writes his blockbuster novels on their laptops. Big money endorsement. All free. Yay. Famous photographers changing brand or format is big news. And big money. People at the top of their profession can have a hard time managing all the cr*p that comes with success. Oh, I'm not saying we should feel sorry for all the poor little millionaires, but I AM saying that anyone with any class is going to have to make some difficult, life-changing decisions when the 7-figure offers start flooding in. Musicians are massively influential. EVERYTHING they do, wear, play, eat, drink, drive, is an endorsement opportunity for someone. Geddy Lee went back to Fender because they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Huge bag of cash, a Signature Bass line... Terrific. Why not? All the nice things he said during his Rickenbacker years still stand, just as all the nice things he says about Fender yadda, yadda, yadda. As with Geddy Lee, so with his pal Neil Peart - from Tama to Drum Workshop to - Well, never mind. ;-) Don't forget that these guys are professionals - music is their life, yes, but it's also a job. Bills to pay, kids to raise, a house to maintain, and all the rest of it. Part of the job is learning tact and diplomacy in case things go full circle and they end up having to eat their own words a few years down the line. Best not to step on too many corporate toes. Bilham Cobly could afford to buy any kit he liked. He could deliberately screw things up by putting together a mongrel kit, mixing drums and cymbals and sticks from 23 different manufacturers, just to p*ss everybody off. But amongst other things, he's a gentleman. He knows that he has a prominent position in the music world, and takes that part of his life seriously. People look up to him and listen when he speaks. By taking Tama's money he's not 'becoming their bitch', he's using his reputation to do something positive. Yes, there financial benefits, but he works damn hard to give something back, in interviews and classes and demonstrations and exhibitions all over the world. He could just take the cash, but he's bigger than that, and I think that's why so many people still love, admire and respect him. I just wish I could PLAY like him...
