Are drums necessary in a song?

[crimsoncitizen]

Hey, I'm writing/recording song and I'm wondering if drums are really all that necessary. I don't think they'd sound right with the song (piano drenched in reverb with harpsichords and vibraphones with even more reverb). So if you guys could list some songs in which there are no drums at all (that includes electronic drum beats like The Eraser) and as long as the music isn't classical (not that I have anything against that) so I could take a listen, that'd be really cool. Thanks.

[Mount_Happy]

Not really, it does help and adds a little more flavour to the song, but i dont think theyre essential.

[G-manMET]

It depends what type of music you're playing. If added in the right song, it can give you goosepimples. :)

[Rev'd_Flasher]

No, drums aren't necessary, but it really depends on what sort of mood you want to set with your music, and what sort of style you're playing in.

Here's some tracks by a group called the Ozric Tentacles without any drums:
Tidal Otherness (Erpsongs album version)
Misty Gliss
Crackerblocks (some percussion using just cymbals but no drums)
Ta-Khut (two drum sounds, just for effect, about halfway through, other than that it's percussion free)
They also use a lot of 'ethnic' percussion in their music and not just a straight drum kit, which adds many different musical flavours to their sound, so you might want to look into alternative forms of percussion if you think your music needs it.

[Liquid Tension]

I figure if there is a lot of electric guitar, especially with distortion and/or playing power chords you should have drums.

[marshalldylan10]

Umm, they help keep the beat. If the drummer fucks up, he fucks up the entire song.

[esruC]

Umm, they help keep the beat. If the drummer fucks up, he fucks up the entire song.

That's what I was thinking....

[Just Spurplin]

Nothing is necessary in any song. You can have a song that is just a piano, you can have a song that is just vocals, you can have a song that is just any one thing. And a song with any one thing could be good or even great if done properly. Sure having multiple things usually makes a song sound better, but if you can make it good without something, there is no reason to add it.

[veXati0n]

YES. end of thread.

[Playsatan]

drums make a song great in my opinion. without them, all the songs i like wud suck so much ass, it wud be a joke

[Rev'd_Flasher]

You could also give some Tangerine Dream a listen. They have done a lot of stuff that doesn't have drums. Try the "Phaedra" album to start.

[crimsoncitizen]

Does anyone have song suggestions outside of the Electronic genre?

[wrathchild]

Who mentioned metal?

Liquid Tension only hinted at it, and as far as I know, the bands Rev'd Flasher mentioned aren't metal. (Sorry, Flasher, I havn't heard them yet. I will download some when I get home from uni. Along with Tygers of Pan-Tang or whatever their name is.)

But besides that, it depends whether you prefer it without drums or not. Its your music, you can do whatever you want with it.

I probably prefer drums with most music. I havn't heard much stuff without.

[crimsoncitizen]

Who mentioned metal?

Liquid Tension only hinted at it, and as far as I know, the bands Rev'd Flasher mentioned aren't metal. (Sorry, Flasher, I havn't heard them yet. I will download some when I get home from uni. Along with Tygers of Pan-Tang or whatever their name is.)

Metal?

Here's What I listen To If That Helps Any:
The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Strokes, Sufjan Stevens, Bob Dylan, Brendan Benson, The Black Keys, Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, Tegan & Sara, Cold War Kids, The Clash, Stars, Andrew W.K., Simon & Garfunkel, Be Your Own Pet, Meat Loaf, Marilyn Manson, Tom Waits, Death Cab For Cutie, The Bravery, Rufus Wainwright, Wolfmother, Imogen Heap, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against The Machine, Ok Go, Sigur Ros, Moving Units, Seton Hotel, Coldplay, The Shins, Led Zeppelin, Devendra Banhart, Arcade Fire, Vashti Bunyan, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Interpol, Wolf Parade, Nirvana, Radiohead, Muse, Regina Spektor, Flaming Lips, Modern Rap Isn't Music: Let's Get That Clear, The Beatles, Loretta Lynn, Iron and Wine, Cat Power, Modest Mouse, Thom Yorke, Franz Ferdinand, Spoon, Beck, Queens Of The Stone Age, Jimi Hendrix, CCR, Albert Hammond Jr., The Pierces, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Suggestions For Drumless Songs.

[JaMaiCa]

It depends on the genre and style of music... drums are typically used to keep the beat. An instrument like a piano doesn't really need help with that though.

[Avo]

No, drums are not necessary in a song.

[Rev'd_Flasher]

Does anyone have song suggestions outside of the Electronic genre?
The Ozric Tentacles aren't "electronic". They mostly play instrumental progressive music with a rock/jazz/psychedelic fusion base. Their music covers a lot of ground though; as I already mentioned, they incorporate a lot of ethnic instruments into their sound which gives them an almost 'world music' type feel to their stuff.
Tangerine Dream are 'electronic' (for want of a better word) but they're not modern electronica. They're also quite progressive in their feel and approach to music.

Who mentioned metal?

Liquid Tension only hinted at it, and as far as I know, the bands Rev'd Flasher mentioned aren't metal. (Sorry, Flasher, I havn't heard them yet. I will download some when I get home from uni. Along with Tygers of Pan-Tang or whatever their name is.)
Yep, they're called the Tygers of Pan Tang, and they're great.

@the OP.
There's lots of music that doesn't have drums. Suzanne Vega has done some stuff which is just her singing with an acoustic guitar. "The Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin doesn't have drums, and neither does "That's the Way", and I don't think you can accuse either Suzanne Vega or Led Zeppelin of being electronic.

[Slug Moses]

Does anyone have song suggestions outside of the Electronic genre?
Bluegrass. No drums. The instruments take turns backing up and filling in with percussive rhythms to keep the beat going. Only a few bluegrass bands ever use drums, but more jam type bands are blending it nowadays, so you hear it more.

There are lots of folk styles that don't include drums. Blues started without drums.

Barbershop quartets are great and don't need drums. SWEET ADEEEEELIIIINEEE. :D

Personally, I don't think drums matter at all, a song can be arranged any way you want.

[Mount_Happy]

Does anyone have song suggestions outside of the Electronic genre?
Check out some old school blues like Robert Johnson and the like, real bluesmen used the tap of their foot for rhythm, no drums.

[Litio]

Are you saying drums aren't needed in any song? You're fucked. Songs without a beat/rhytmn are fucking useless. Listen to some "Tool" and tell me the drums in most of their songs don't make them what they are.

Fucking idiot.

[temp100]

Are you saying drums aren't needed in any song? You're fucked. Songs without a beat/rhytmn are fucking useless. Listen to some "Tool" and tell me the drums in most of their songs don't make them what they are.

Fucking idiot.
I don't know who you're talking to, but I don't think anyone is saying that.

You don't have to have drums to have a beat/rhythm. Songs without drums aren't automatically bad anyway.

Yes, Tool would be a lot less interesting without drums. Well that's because they're Tool and they have Danny Carey! Not all music needs drums, but drums play a big part in Tool - Tool needs drums.

[Slug Moses]

Are you saying drums aren't needed in any song? You're fucked. Songs without a beat/rhytmn are fucking useless. Listen to some "Tool" and tell me the drums in most of their songs don't make them what they are.

Fucking idiot.
Yeah, drums aren't needed for it to be a "song". I've been in a band for 5 years and we don't have a drummer and don't need one for our style of music. In fact, a drummer will ruin our music. You don't have to beat on drums to have a rhythm. How fucking hard is it to understand that. Don't be a dumbass.

[xyzman123]

You don't NEED drums. Especially if your making an acoustic song or something.

[crimsoncitizen]

Okay, Question Answered! Thank you! End Thread.......Now

[JesusFreak777]

If your after drum and bass tracks to produce then you have a problem....But on this track i think the drums make the song along with the bass

http://media.putfile.com/Barcelona-Drum--Bass

Drum and Bass is alright it just depends what mood your in i guess...different moods...different playlists