MusicRadar

Josh Freese will make you a better player - and person

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Drummer Josh Freese knows how to get the gig. His resume boasts working with artists as varied as Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, Devo, The Vandals, Sting, Paul Westerberg, Guns N' Roses, Slash, Stevie Nicks, The Indigo Girls...you get the idea: he's the go-to guy.

How he got there is a bit of a mystery, however. "I'm not a big fan of saying to people, 'You have to play like this' or 'You can't play that,'" Freese says, "because a lot of the time, those things that you're taught in music class or wherever don't translate to the real world."

With that in mind, MusicRadar asked the in-demand drummer (who is about to release a most wonderful solo album called Since 1972) if he had 3 real-life playing tips he would care to impart on all the budding Josh Freeses out there. Here's what he had to say:

1. Listen carefully

"Listen well and listen to as much as you can," Freese says. "By that I mean, if you're not into jazz, don't listen to it. I'm not into jazz, so I can't say I've spent a lot of time checking it out. I'm more of a rock and pop guy, so that's the stuff I listen to.

"But the thing is, I've always made sure to analyze why a song works. Structure, dynamics, melody, and then, of course, the playing -- all of these things coalesce to make a tune successful or not.

"Listen to the greats. Listen to the not-so-greats. Check out everything you can. Ask yourself, 'Can I play that part?' and then try to play it. Or ask yourself, 'Could I have played that part better?' and then see if you can. You can give yourself an incredible musical education in the privacy of your own bedroom if you just open up your ears and your mind.

"The main thing is, don't get stuck in a rut. Even if you have one band that's your favorite in the whole world, don't listen to only that band. There's a lot of greatness out there, and it's all educational."

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