389 - Bill Bruford - An exploration into the drummer's creative process - Drummer's Resource: Conversations with the world's greatest drummers and music industry pros.
May 7, 2018

389 – Bill Bruford – An exploration into the drummer’s creative process

It’s hard to summarize Bill Bruford’s career or impact on the drumming community as a whole in a few sentences., but let me give you a 35,000 foot view of what he’s accomplished. Bill was the founding drummer of the iconic and ground-breaking band, YES and after his departure went on to work with King Crimson, collaborated with artists like The Roches, Patrick Moraz, and David Torn, and formed his jazz band Earthworks in 1986. He also returned to do a second stint with Yes, and two more stints with King Crimson.

Bruford retired from pubic performance in 2006 to explore the creative and scholastic side of drumming. His most recent book Uncharted: Creativity and the Expert Drummer explores the creativity involved in the way drummers make things work, make things matter, and make sense of both.

Bill Bruford talks about:

  • Why he retired from drumming
  • His thoughts on the current state of drumming
  • His thoughts on grooving and playing with and without a metronome
  • Prioritizing creativity when creating music in a band setting
  • The state of the music industry in the age of streaming
  • The concept of  “creative partnerships” and why they are so valuable for musicians
  • The importance of developing relationships in the music industry
  • Why he wrote his book “Uncharted: Creativity and the Expert Drummer”
  • The most common negative assumptions drummers have about themselves, and how to overcome them
  • The 4 fundamental elements of creativity
  • Much more

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