The Genius Of Danny Carey

Danny Carey isn’t just the drummer for Tool – he’s a musical genius in his own right. And we’re going to show you why.

If you’re familiar with Danny Carey, you probably know him for his polyrhythms, his mathematical approach to music, or at the very least, his awesome kit. But you don’t need convincing.

If you haven’t yet figured out why the Tool drummer has so much hype, here are 5 reasons why Danny Carey is a drumming genius:

0:00 - Intro
1:24 - Creative Grooves
There are too many wicked grooves to list here -- but just listen to the drum parts on “Stinkfist”, “The Pot”, and “Vicarious.” Danny’s grooves are undeniably cool, and Tool fans – even non-drummers – can instantly recognize many of them.

5:01 - Odd Time Mastery
If you’re new to Tool, check out the cool drumming on tracks like “Jambi”, “Rosetta Stoned”, "The Grudge", "46 & 2" or "7empest" for examples of Danny Carey mastering odd time signatures.

7:58 - Distinctive Drum Fills
Danny Carey’s fills are chock full of hand-foot combos, mixed subdivisions and groupings, and flawless bass drum skills (he used to practice rudiments in his feet). Tracks like "Sober", "Lateralus" and "The Pot" feature some incredibly varied and textured fills. Go listen.

10:16 - Polyrhythmic Drumming
For a band that writes songs based around the Fibonacci sequence, you can bet the drummer dives deep into polyrhythms, polymeters, and other mathematical goodies.

In tracks like “Rosetta Stoned”, Danny plays in 3/4 while implying 4/4 on the right hand and 5/16 with the bass drum. We hear multiple time signatures/meters happening at the same time, in many songs, giving us a cool over the bar line feel.

Even if you didn’t pay attention in math class, it still sounds really cool.

16:21 - Setup, Sound & Influences
Math, geometry, metaphysics: even his kit reflects his interests, with symmetrical cymbal placements and geometric designs on his electronic pads.

Many of his musical choices aren’t standard for a rock or metal kit. He uses Mandala electronic pads for samples, a Wavedrum, other electronics (Bill Bruford from Yes is an influence) and many other percussion instruments.

19:38 - Final Thoughts
So why is Danny Carey a ‘genius’?
He isn’t just a drummer – he’s an incredible musician who has carved out his own style of playing and composing. He writes memorable and interesting drum parts that have inspired drummers for over 30 years.

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[MrMesiahbolical]

ALL of the guys in TOOL are master musicians, they are extraordinarily intelligent, and have amazing work ethics. They're my favorite band because of all 3 factors.

[electric_whelk]

People talk about the time signatures a lot but I think the really unique thing about Carey is that he plays RIFFS. He's a rhythm guitarist on the drums. He'll play a groove and a fill and then the exact same groove and fill but orchestrated differently, the same way guitarists shift the same strumming patterns around different chords. It gives him this fantastic, low-slung, heavy PRESENCE at the back of the stage, which is nuanced and textured but is also an extremely solid, reliable foundation to build a song on. Man's an absolute titan.

[MJ-tgwb]

“Any good drummer plays music, he doesn’t play beats. You participate in the musical experience.” Wow.

[ryderjohnson]

Without a doubt, Danny Carey has to be considered one of the greatest drummers of all time. Pure genius, but also, the entire band concept, really.

[aaronhiggs]

Danny isn’t a metronome; he’s a pulse. Of course he’s always on time; but he adds musicality and dynamics to the song. Such an amazing technician.

[TheRicardoSanchez]

Danny is this era’s lord and master of percussion. Period. Stewart and Neil passed the baton. In truth, Danny is really on his own plane of existence. Not to discount the true greatness of so many others, but Danny is just….. He stands alone. He plays in like 5 dimensions. It’s beyond skill and talent. It’s Faustian deal stuff.

[Mpnavy]

Ahh, yes. Danny Carey. The man that motivated me to never even try to become a drummer.

[maltymission]

The best thing about Danny’s drumming, is that it’s never, ever, about showing off, but always to lift the music to another level. There are very few drummers out there who will be able to put their foot next to Danny’s, both in terms of technical mastery and creativity. He is on another level, and while he probably knows just how good and unique he is, he comes across as humble and easy going. I’ve seen tool live 6 times now, they are, by a mile, my favorite band and a lot of my appreciation is down to Danny and how he clicks with the other geniuses in the band to create such wonderful music.

[rjl]

Tool sounds better together live than any other band I’ve ever heard. They are masters, and Maynards voice is pure gold

[cloudbloom]

His drum sound and style can best be called as "tribal", there's a deliberate hypnosis to his playing which is distinctly his own yet it feels so raw and familiar. He taps into the human spirit

[gpaull]

“The Fear Inoculumn record has some great examples of polyrhythmic playing as well” - understatement of the century.

[Levelity]

That Eulogy groove hurts my brain so bad. I'm a guitarist but I've been fascinated by that groove for decades.

[timlovegrove]

Also, he's 61!!!! Watching him play 2.5hrs of this kind of stuff at full power on stage is truly epic and testament to his stamina and abilities.

[mountainhobbit]

love how you did a Danny tribute by wearing a jersey type athletic Drumeo shirt. ;-) One thing I have learned watching Danny is to keep my posture upright yet relaxed.

[Wraithlen]

Tool is just so damn good. Skilled, intellectual...pretty much a generational band IMO.

[pearlwsz]

If you’ve ever seen tool in concert, it’s pretty wild. Danny plays “lead” on just about every song unlike any drummer I can think of.

[sandypeardon]

I never really noticed drummers. But when I started listening to Tool, I found myself, for the first time, loving the drums the most. Thank you Danny Carey for waking up my appreciation for drums! You are by far the best I have ever heard!

[mbass]

Just saw Danny last night at MSG with Tool. I hadn't seen them for at least 15 years and gotta say.. As a bass player.. He's one of the best drummers out there and I found myself watching him more than the other guys. He sounds like he's heavily influenced by King Crimson he's so great!

[Phunkophil]

Speaking as a non drummer here: The most crazy thing to me about the polyrhythms is, how easy and effortless he makes it look, while performing. If I hear the polyrhythms broken down like this I understand how hard these are to play on any instrument. But from just looking at his performance I almost don't even realize the complexity. I've seen that performance of Pneuma many times and it just seems so natural and easy for him. Mad respect for the guy.

[scatpack]

Like I have heard said, Tool is a band with a LEAD drummer and a rhythm vocalist. Truly abstract and awesome. They have become one of my favorite bands of all time!