As a musician myself I don’t think people who have seen this movie or actually wrote it know how amazing this skill is. Being able to memorize a piece or even play by ear is actually very hard. They made it seem like him not being able to read music was the worst thing ever. And that he wasted people’s time. This is talent and while yes ready music is very important the fact that he actually could play by ear was marvelous.
Kal Campbell definitely. The crazy thing is a lot of people don’t know is many musicians have some sort of learning disorder. I have both Adhd and dyslexia. So while I can read music I sometimes mix up the notes unintentionally. So when I learned to play by ear and memorize music it made my life so much easier. I’m by no means a perfect artist but this skill helped me so much in school.
That’s how I was in marching band I wasn’t the best at reading music but I made up for by remembering the rhythms and how songs were supposed to sound and I could learn songs by ear and I’m a sousaphone player btw
Agreed. Even more so when talking about snare rudiments in particular. To the untrained ear, every tap of the snare sounds exactly the same but there's a massive difference between a ratamacue and a paradiddle. This is a purely genius level skill he's holding in his possession.
He WAS paying attention. Memorized the motions. Heard what was played. "I'm going to go through it slow..." Devon just sped it his version and cut off the end by like 2-3 drum stick hits to his snare. Takes precision talent to pull that off
Pattern recognition & retention. As a musician, it was years before i realized just how rare this kind of gift is. Some of the most skilled musicians you'll ever hear can't do this so effortlessly.
@@spdcrzy no. Musicality matters more than just being flashy. And you're still wrong because the stick work is not that hard. I've learned of bunch of drum corps music over the years and they add stick tricks WHILE staying extremely technical Flashy antics don't mean anything in the real life marching world if your music sucks
I remember everybody wanting to be in percussion when this came out in 6th grade. 3 some odd years later we had a wake up call in marching band and we found out what DCI (Drum Corps International) was and we were floored. Folks are out here playing at insanely high levels with the cardio of world class athletes.
I can’t read sheet music but I can relate to playing by ear, it’s not rly memorising it’s just finding a rhythm and continuing it. While adding stuff on, as long as it sounds good ur right
As someone whose been playing by ear for 15 years I too approve of this. However I do encourage the both of you to learn to read music. It really broadens your musical horizon and opens up a big new door for potential gigs
This movie demonstrates ALL LEVELS of HATE as you try and rise to your own potential. There's a devil on every level doing his best to keep you under, therefore keep the FAITH within yourself, know yourself, know that you have what it takes to be a greater you.
It was not hard, i was in precussions myself when I was in HS and our teacher (for some reason) made us watch this movie. Afterwards we made a cadence to this and the jam after flight of the bumble bee, and this was back in '02
@@LtGreaseMonkey06 here we go.... I been playing since I was 4. Not everybody that seen this movie played drums or any instrument which is why I said most ppl. To watch a cadence and repeat it by hear in seconds. This was scene to show how gifted he really was. The beginning is pretty easy but the ending is the solo.
@@stevechrollo8074 This movie was major. Do you think everybody that watched it Even noticed the solo. Or knew what it was called. The beginning sure its easy but the solo is in the ending.
My dad who was a drummer and went to a performance arts school in nyc told me how difficult this was. How gifted he was to be able to do something like that.
@@hithere327 man, my dad was/is a legend in my eyes. Because of him i grew up to really appreciate music. He’s the reason music is my first love. He taught me how to dj. The first record i put on the turntables was al b sure- naturally mine 😂My uncle rudy who was Lauren Hills tour/band drummer, in the late 90s, is the one who taught him how to play drums back in performance arts school in nyc. My dad was was kurtis blow’s first dj. He went by the name “Teejay the DJ” He’s told me countless stories of his past. He used to go to the Wayans apartment back in the day to dj with keenan. Said he always saw marlon and shawn running around lmao. He was best friends with Wesley snipes in hs. Said they used to call him “little Wesley” and they would fight over who looked the best and got the most girls lmao. This was before Wesley moved to Florida and then became an actor. This story popped up while we were watching Money train or Demolition man. Can’t remember which one, but we watched them a lot. When he brought it up i said “would Wesley remember you now if he saw you?” His reply was “hell yeah! That was my dawg!” My pops was the goat. Sold his dj speakers just so i can go to my 8th grade dinner dance. Not even my real prom. So yes, he’s definitely cool lol
I taught myself how to play the drums I would watch and listen see and count and once I was able to coordinate my hands and both my feet I could play the drums better then people that went to music school or could read music
It's funny growing up and loving music. I'm remember I couldn't read music to save my life, but I saw Drumline in movie theaters and it dawned on me I was just like Devin. I could memorize what I would hear or see when I would play piano and I was good at it. But when I would try and read music I hated it 💯.
I was pretty much the Devin of my School, got kicked out of band sophomore year becuz i cudnt read music..i did music theory twice and still cudnt get it...i didnt mind anyway, instead of being on the sidelines i just went to sports and went on the field...
It’s hilarious how people be in the comment section like “I memorize shit just like Devon”. 😂🤣🤣🤣 I understand that people just wanna feel special man. All jokes tho.
It's funny how some people can't read music (me) but I can watch this scene one time and memorize his solo just Iike Devin. I remember watching this in theaters and when this scene came on I was like YO THAT'S ME DUDE!! lol I can't read music to save my life but I can memorize music by ear!
everyone being like "i dont think people realize how hard this is to do and how hard it is to see a solo like this and play it back by memory" he literally just played 4 puhduhduhs and it looks like a paradiddle to switch to the alternate hand on the next phrase.. these are basic rudiments that anyone on a snareline (if they made the line) should be able to play in their sleep. obviously the movie did this for dramatic purposes but it really is not that extraordinary to repeat back... if he did a freestyle solo with more rudiments and variation making it harder to follow along, and devon still played it back perfectly, then that's where it would be impressive.
Well I think it’d be more difficult for a snare player in highschool who hasn’t touched a snare before then, which is probably what those people are saying
I myself can relate to Devon, I have a neurological disorder so its hard for me to read music, so as a drummer when I listen to songs I would cover, I listen to the way the drummer plays and I just memorize the beat pattern. Sometimes I add my own flavor to it to make it sound better
“Very complicated.” Lmao any middle school kid can play that. But I remember watching this in high school and being mesmerized. I actually can’t read music and I am a self taught snare drummer. Marched in high school, not in college but I played four seasons for the Miami Heats drumline.
unfortunately, not everybody starts this kind of music education in middle school. most students dont actually touch marching instruments until high school.
As a musician , drummer , or someone who marched on ANY level , you should actually hate this movie to be honest . I really wish they would’ve teamed up with a few former musicians and experts to make this thing more real . Like in this clip for example … Shawn plays the rhythm a total of 5 times before the run at the end but when Devon ran it back , he only played it 4 ? Like come on man . And then let’s not even talk about the ridiculous scene where Devon takes over the halftime show , drops to his knee …does the long roll and as they’re switching the camera from him to the crowd , he’s switched from matched grip to a traditional grip …which is no where near possible IN THE MIDDLE OF PLAYING🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ (go back and look at it)
I’ve been on the snare line since HS and been in band since sixth grade all my playing is done by ear. If I could do this on top of that I would really help me get the music down faster
playing drums, or snare and not being able to read music is just out right laziness. i learned 'the basics' on how to read drum music in one sitting when i was 14 years old. I wasn't any special kid or anything, it was explained and I absorbed it. Then you spent the rest of your life reading music and getting better and better at it. But to just not read at all, its just laziness/entitlement/ignorance.
There are many drummers that learn by feel at an early age. Some can play pretty damn good even before being exposed to reading music. The Suzuki method for example, is teaching based off of listening and repeating what's heard. "Children learn to speak by listening and imitating the spoken language they hear around them. In Suzuki teaching, much emphasis is placed on daily listening to recordings of the Suzukirepertoire, as well as music in general. The more frequently the students listen to the recordings, the more easily they learn to play." Clearly in the movie the character Devin was able to navigate and excel musically in his youth. However, college was a wake up call for him. Reading music is required to be a part of the music program! Some are more gifted than others and some learn music fundamentals at different times in life.
@@walterdockins8475 I agree with what you are saying, and there is benefit in learning 'any way possible'. But as you point out, there comes a point in life where the benefit of 'learning to read music' will become apparent and will turbo-charged your ability to play music. Even if you discover it later in life, once you know its true, why wouldn't you learn to read if its only going to make you a better musician? Even if it only allows you to communicate ideas to other musicians, its makes you a better musician.
Sean may have hated Devon here but he definitely wasn’t a hater or a cockblocker in the movie … he could’ve dead did funny shit to mess up Devon’s chances or relationship with shorty but he was really just more focused on the line
Tl,dr: My whole band plays by ear except the drummer( +idk any musicians who read it) I can't read or write sheet music and I compose piano songs. No musicians I know (other than drummers) read it either. We just say the time signature and notes/chords we are using and basically freestyle till it sounds good lol. Our drummers are always confused lmao. As a drummer (specifically marcher) sheet music helps because of how intricate the notes are(and how every hit is usually the same tone), but for piano and guitar players I know how my instrument behaves enough to just play by ear.
Reading music was nothing compared to being an audible prodigy. Devin didn’t need to learn how to read sheet music even though it’s important. You play it for him a couple times and he’d be good. Now I understand that sheet music is important because I’m the second movie he became a producer, HOWEVER, they was really saying this kid was a waste and couldn’t be on the line cause he couldn’t read sheet music? (On top of tryna be a solo act but that was justifiable to take him off the team for that). This man single-handedly SOLOED the Senate.
Devin is talented don't get me wrong. However there were rules everyone had to follow. If you can't read music, you don't deserve to be on the field. If the rules are being bent for one person that sets a bad precedence. More importantly while Devin is extremely talented, he was extremely cocky and not a team player. His ego is what got him kicked off the band.
