I started not really noticing Keith Moon when I saw the film
"The Kids Are Alright"
I had previously written him off as a buffoon because I had only seen footage of him in situations where the band was having to lipsynch to a backing track.
Later, I learned that he hated playing to a backing track (I feel the same)
and was deliberately goofing off
Then I saw him playing live and realised that he was one of the coolest drummers ever.
His un-orthodox style broke many pre-conceived notions about
what a drummer is.
Taking his cue from the jazz/big band drummers of the swing era
(Gene Krupa in particular), Keith never was happy with the role delegated to
rock n' roll drummers of his time.
Never content with being the faceless timekeeper role, Keith turned the drums back into a lead instrument.
His circular, whirlwind style was extremely loud and physical as well as very musical.
By keeping several cymbals at different pitches going almost continually throughout each song he gave a wash of colors to compliment a barrage of double bass & tom fills which he played on very open and ringy drums.
HERE ARE SOME THINGS I FIND IN COMMON WITH KEITH MOON
1- No drum solos!- Drum solos are 99% of the time very boring, there is enough time to show off during the song.
Small breaks and intros are cool, but it is more challenging to fit it into the context of the song.
2-Give the people something to watch- Most drummers get ingnored during video and film shoots because they are not interesting to watch.
3- Try not to isolate yourself from the audience-- Keith used to set fairly close to the front of the stage (but still giving enough room for the rest of the band) and did not like to use drum risers, connecting with the audience is very important.
4- Magnify your personality and incorporate it in your playing style- Most of the famous drummers in music were remembered for their flamboyant personalities as well as their playing.
5-Lip synching sucks - Obviously, you are gonna have to do it, but it really sucks if you are the type of drummer who does not always play the same thing every time.