Drum Teacher Reacts to Buddy Rich - Drum Solo 

This is not a reaction video. This is a kid watching their favourite superhero in action. Love the vid !

I'm a death metal fan, because of the drums mainly. But when I watch Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa and all those greats play, I'm left speechless every time!!

Buddy's hand speed looks like I'm watching a humming birds wings flap

The precision of a machine. The speed of a machine gun. The feel of a God. Buddy was a gift to us all.

There are many great drummers. Buddy will always be the King.

The left hand under the hi hat is pure class.

I learned to play by covering Bonham, Mitchell, Moon, Ringo, Copeland, and listening to Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra, just a sea of unreal drummers swirling about my high school earballs. But Buddy Rich was, is and always will be in a class by himself. Calling his playing, "Magic" is maybe the best description I've heard! Great video, your enthusiasm is contagious!

Buddy's left hand technique was god like. The stuff of legend.

Buddy was Buddy. Any drummer was in awe. Saw him in Palm Beach early 80s. Best I've ever witnessed. I would say Joe Morello was another guy with that powerful left hand technique

Shaking Buddy's hand and watching him play was an honor. Pure greatness and a perfectionist.

Buddy Rich Was The Only Drummer I Know Of Who Could Make A Room Full Of Professional Drummers WEEP Joyfully Watching Him Play. 🥁

My dad is trombonist Sonny Russo he played with Buddy in the 50s he also was the soloist in this concert with Sinatra , grew up listening to Buddy he always amazed period .

I've watched this video several times now. One because I never get tired of watching Buddy play. His left hand is stunning. The other is Garey's reaction to it. The excited fan and still the knowledgeable teacher and analyst. Entertaining as heck all the way around.

Buddy Rich is the GOAT of drummer🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

i almost had a heart attack just watching this, holy F- - - k Buddy made lightning jealous..

I remember first time I heard Buddy drum. It was just like "Wooooooooooaah. This guy is not just fantastic. HE'S LEGEND"

Saw Buddy and his band twice at the Bottom Line NYC in the early 80s. A true legend!

The greatest drummer and ball buster. The audiotapes of him berating the band members is LEGENDARY.

Buddy's soloing is phenomenal but his best work (in my opinion) is his ability to drive a big band perfectly.

Buddy was nearly 65 here and he passed away less than two years later. One of the ALL-TIME GREATS!

I'm not a drummer or a big drum fan, but I happened upon this video of Buddy Rich's one day and have watched it several times since. It's his solo when he played at the Concert of the Americas. It is simply amazing.

Buddy took off into the stratosphere during this performance. Floating above all us mortals, knowing that he’s painting another masterpiece.

THANKS FOR THIS INSIGHT INTO HIS ABILITIES TO PLAY DRUMS... I PLAYED FOR 66 YEARS BACKED STARS AND RETIRED HERE IN PHX AFTER 3- YEARS HERE.... BUDDY WAS AN INSPIRATION TO ME WLL THROUGH MY LEARNING YEARS WITH THAT MAGNIFICENT STICK CONTROL AND INDEPENDENCE OF ALL HIS LIMBS.... GOD BLESS HIM FOR BEING SO GREAT....

My cousin who is a drummer used to talk to me all the time about Buddy Rich. This is the first time I've actually watched him play. My mind has officially been blown.

Nobody better than Buddy... Truly one of a kind!

Greatest drummer to this day any drummer with a brain knows it.🥁🥁🥁

Greatest hands of any drummer i've ever seen, period!

This Is the best drums solo ever done by everyone...and no one will ever surpass It.

You have to remember...you guys that are drummers...back in the day in the 70s when I was learning how to play....there wernt any fancy cheater pedals or boom stands....and ofcourse RU-vid to show you guys how to do all those fancy tricks that buddy did....we had to buy the album and pick that stuff apart by ear....and if you were lucky enough to see one of these great drummers that was all just icing on the cake...because you were just glued to these guys...

I do believe that the good drum teacher is impressed.

I was honored to see Buddy live in college, he was an old man, 1982, but just roared on the drums, sweat dripping down his face and just when you thought he was done he'd turn it up higher....sweat pouring of his face... The most amazing performance I've ever seen... and I saw Elvis in concert..

I grew up in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s era of rock. So I was always amazed by drummers like Neil Peart, Phil Collins, Bill Bruford, and John Bonham, to name a few. However, when I looked into who these great drummers were influenced by, and discovered drummers like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, I was totally blown away!

Good lord those hands were lightning fast. Unreal.

Buddy's hand/wrist movements? It's like watching a hummingbird. I'm almost convinced he could fly if he'd wanted to. Incredible,utterly dedicated,hard working GENIUS.

At the moment he’s taking big breaths he was having a heart attack but he still finished the show and then was rushed to the hospital. His daughter Cathy would confirm this many years after he passed which was about 4 years after this show from another heart attack. RIP!

I'm happy to see someone loving what buddy rich could do. He was amazing. Ahead of his time.

I've always admired Buddy Rich. But I've always appreciated most of the drummers I've played gigs with. Everything they did was to enhance or support the tune that was being played. They knew how to support the horns in the beginning of a phrase or lead into a solo by the trumpet or sax. An especially educational solo was done by Buddy Rich on the Tonight Show w/Johnny Carson. Buddy was introduced and came out to sit at his drum set, center stage, and tap tap tap tap with one stick, faster and faster until it was a one stick roll, an incredibly fast single stick roll. From there he introduced other elements, other drums, cymbals, high hat, bass drum and it was all without a break in rhythm. It was a masterful demonstration by the master drummer. Doc's band did join in with a final chord.

BR set the bar so high,no one has come close yet.Quite simply the best drummer who ever played.Like the man said,it is like watching a magic show.

Buddy has set the standards way up for us drummers 😱

never seen a soloist better than Buddy!!!! this one is just fire, especially knowing his age and health at the time. great reactions and some great info. thanks for sharing!!!

If you haven't heard of Buddy Rich?!?!?!?!........Maybe it's TIME! Thanks Garey for this classic!

His daughter Cathy Rich commented that he had to be rushed to the hospital after this. This was in South America, it was very hot and he was wearing a full suit as you can see.

I'm not a drummer, but I can appreciate great drumming. I can also appreciate your infectious enthusiasm and obvious love of drumming. It's just as entertaining to watch your reactions as it is to watch the drummers.

No one in his class. Not only do I think he was the greatest drummer of all time...I think he is one of an elite group of the greatest musicians to ever live. Saw him in concert 4 times. No other drummer even close....

Everyone’s talking about Buddy Rich but this guy’s chest patting skills are next level

I saw Rich and his band in 1970 at the Imperial Room in the Royal York in Toronto. Incredible to see him live. His hi-hat technique was jaw-dropping. Speed, precision, dynamics and musicality. Brilliant and unique.

@5:05 That is about when Buddy Rich has his heart attack. That is the era of 'The show must go on."

As any drummer would be always been in awe of buddy but to see a professional drum teacher react like that just brought me to tears. I don’t think he was the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet but from a drumming p o v the king and always will be!

Geezus H Christ! Superbly deft touch. Unbelieveable! RIP!

Any of Mr Rich's drum solos will pretty much make me asphyxiate. It's just a reality! Outstanding!

don't know what I enjoyed more ; buddy's drumming or your "yessssss" lol. love it!

I was fortunate enough to see him in the early 1980s...just an awesome player...he always set the bar for other drummers, you forgot to mention he was 70 years old.....he always got extra points for that....RIP BR.

I saw Buddy at least twice, and I'm pretty sure I saw him a third time (it was 40 years ago, so my memory is a bit hazy - I saw several Big Band shows, including Woody Herman at least 3 times, Lionel Hampton, Maynard Ferguson, etc). He was just jaw dropping to watch and listen to. Phenomenal. While he had his inspirations and influences (Chick Webb among them), there was no one who could do what he did before he did it. He had natural talent that was above and beyond what anyone had. Drummers since then have had his work to learn from, and the technical ability of many modern drummers is comparable to Buddy - but none of them would be able to play on that level if Buddy hadn't come around to elevate the expectations and set new standards (and create new techniques). All of that is nice, but, more importantly, no one drove a band the way Buddy did. His band was CONSISTENTLY the tightest, most powerful big band around. His drumming propelled the band to play better. They had to. At the same time, when the song called for it he could scale way back and play tastefully for the song. His brush work was second to none - amazing. Such finesse and sophistication in that brush work. I wish I could go back in time to watch Buddy and his band again. His band was phenomenal. He was a true bandleader. For all the criticism he gets the guys who could hack it in his band loved him. Don Menza, for one, has said Buddy was the ONLY true bandleader he ever played for. Check out Menza's credits. He's a pro's pro, and not only a great player, but a great songwriter, too!

Buddy's skills at soloing & playing syncopated rhythms with the horn section are absolutely astonishing. He had a legendary irascible personality; probably driven by perfectionism.

Yes I had the pleasure of seeing him 2 times in concert. The 2nd time I saw him, he did a bass drum roll using 1 pedal. Lastly, we got permission to visit him on his tour bus after the concert. He and it was Awesome! 😃

Incredible speed and control Buddy Rich the true “Drum Master” the rest of only wish we had a tenth of his skills/ talent.

One of the best reaction-type videos on RU-vid. Informative and funny. Awesome to see the reverence bestowed from one drummer to another.

I always loved Buddy Rich.

After the surgery, he did the "Mall" tour. It was a month or two, maybe three, after the procedure. He played the Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills Illinois, at night, in the parking lot, temps at about 90dg and humid. I stood about 10 feet off to his right. Unforgettable. My father had a triple a few years before. He couldn't get back to work for over 6 months. The sternum is wired together and the saw cut is not close to being healed by the time Buddy was back on the road . The man had an incredible will.

Absolutely amazing..i saw him play in Sydney OZ in 73 i sat 6 feet away on his left hand side at the muscians club never seen anything like it before or since! He was deemed uncool by some, man did they miss out big time.phenomenal drummer.

All this awesome drumming, in a tuxedo, boss!

Buddy rich was a hummingbird. He's so fast a hummingbird might even be envious.

I got to talk to my hero he gave me about ten minutes of his time and he was great. for me no one will ever better his playing, has for his left hand technique...brilliant.

When i was a teenager playing drums using the Krupa method, after a while I could approximate (to a small degree) how drum soloists stroked their solos. What I mean by this, as a musician I knew what was going on. With Buddy Rich, I never knew how he did it. To this day, there have been few drummers who could put together an entertaining, enthusiastic, charismatic drum solo. Buddy Rich was the best.

Had the privilege of seeing Buddy back in the early '80s. He played a 10 minute solo without hitting a single drum head. He played every shell, every horn and the stage, but never hit a skin.

so great how this teacher is fanboying out so hard during the video! i love the reactions

What a master of the craft.

I could watch Buddy play for hours.

Who remembers the album Rich vs Roach, Buddy's epic drum battle against Max Roach?

ALSO SAW HIM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. I HAVE A PICTURE OF HIM THAT HE AUTOGRAPHED FOR ME. I THINK AROUND 1971 BUFFALO NY. THE BEST EVER...

and this is far from his best solo. He was older and not as strong as he had been. I was fortunate enough to see him play several times in the mid-seventies and was able to sit pretty close to him. He was without a doubt, the most powerful player I have ever seen. His speed and dexterity are often discussed but I very rarely hear them talk about how powerfully he played. He's still the only drummer to make me cry with amazement when he played.

I saw Buddy twice at the National Arts Center in Ottawa Ontario and was blown away and super inspired both times. Myself, for a rock guy found it strange that I was paying to see big band music but it was all about Buddy for me.

Hands down the most enjoyable and entertaining reaction to this epic Buddy Rich performance. That was fun.

And he had a heart attack during this..incredible

i saw him at Monterey Jazz Festival as a kid too. i got out of my seat and went to the stage... amazing and so loud!!!

He was an amazing technician, super speed using the traditional drum stick grip.

The legend Buddy Rich!! He could do more with a small drum kit than many drummers can do with 20+ piece kits. The could make that kit sing!! Love your reaction to this.

I do not play any instrument, cannot read one note of music....but I get the exact same feeling and emotion at 5:42 as this teacher does...it is just so amazing to see him play.

Respect that's one badass old man.

Watched the John Bonham upload right before viewing this. Wow, you can really hear Buddy Rich's direct influence on Bonham. Cymbal work is incredible here. Your enthusiasm and analysis are great!

His alternated muted and active high hat is what always gets me.... all while striking ghost notes on it with the left hand... it's like, HOW?

I think theres never been anybody better. He was IN credible ! I cant believe he could do drum rolls with one hand. Damn ! And he was old when he did this. Looked over 60 !

Was lucky enough to see him and his band live, met him after the show and was a real gentleman even to a 10 year old. He gave me his drumsticks but, after several moving homes they got lost. My father was in a band of 3 and the drummer really envious of me with the sticks, in a nice way..memories of that great man still with me...

In the 1940s my dad spent his teen years chasing Gene Krupa around Atlantic City and anywhere else within a few hours drive from Philadelphia that he was playing - at that time mostly with Benny Goodman. In the 60s and 70s Buddy Rich would appear on The Tonight Show quit often. At 12 to 16 (or so) It was the only time my dad would let me stay up past the evening news to watch this man play. Neither one of us plays the drums and I could never break down his techniques, but by the time Buddy Rich would finish playing the both of us would be whipped up into a frenzy. I still think he was one of the greatest drummers ever!

I’m am so glad I had the chance to see him when I was a teen. What a phenom!

I had a chance to see him live , but figured I'd have another chance . He died a week later , i was devastated

Heart attack while playing this, carried on. Then went to the hospital. Legend.

"I saw him in middle school and it was like a magic act." So true. Buddy did things that just defied logic. For example, the left hand single strokes - a one-handed roll basically, starting at about 1:53

No one could do singles and doubles like Buddy. That left hand........

Buddy has always been my favorite drummer. 🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽

Gary thanks for sharing your analasis of the Master with us.Your face expession said it all.Buddy was the man. I mean that display of technic and emotional vulcano behind the drumset melted in a master piece drum solo..

Thanks so much Gary. Such a worthwhile addition to you list of excellent appraisals of drummers. There is only one word for Buddy Rich - astonishing. He is THE benchmark to which ALL other drummers are compared. My personal favourite, Ian Paice, summed it up with his characterisation of Buddy - he calls him "The Master". Say no more.

I saw TV show with Buddy Rich and Mohammad Ali. Ali told Buddy "hold out your hands" Buddy was no shy guy ever but he gave an odd look and held out his hands. Ali Then said "If I had hands this fast I'd be Champion forever" . Buddy wasn't just great, he was a once upon a time phenome.

He really was and still is the best look how freaking fast and smooth he was damnit

I got to see Buddy once. No one has hands like Buddy

The true master at work

Nobody,ever,will be as good as the master,MR BUDDY RICH!!

They need to make a movie about him!!!

that was seriously one of the best solos I've seen. Thank you.

Notice his left hand! Best ever!