MusicRadar

Alan White's dossier reads like a who's who of rock royalty. In addition to his celebrated work with the groundbreaking band Yes, the master drummer has played with icons such as John Lennon and George Harrison, among others. (Yup, that's him providing the massive beat on Instant Karma!)

"I've been very blessed," White says. "There's many terrific drummers out there, always have been, but I was lucky enough to be playing the right thing in the right place at the right time. John Lennon came into a club, saw what I was doing and liked it. He invited me to play in the Plastic Ono Band, which put me on the map, as they say."

"John Lennon came into a club, saw what I was doing and liked it. He invited me to play in the Plastic Ono Band, which put me on the map, as they say" Alan White

Place special emphasis on "playing the right thing," however. "Think about it," White says, "if John Lennon walked into that gig and saw me not at my best, he never would have called me. There are very simple and easy rules of playing that every drummer must know if they're going to go from point A to point B."

And so, without further ado, MusicRadar presents Alan White's dos and don'ts for drummers. While we can't guarantee you'll go on to play with legends and world-class bands such as Yes, you might find your next gig goes a whole lot better.

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