Dennis Chambers Hears TOOL For The First Time

What if funk/fusion drummer Dennis Chambers was the drummer for Tool?

(Don’t tell Danny Carey.)

Dennis is known for his legendary backbeat and funky style. So of course we felt mischievous and we dared him to try playing “Schism”, one of Tool’s biggest songs. It’s full of odd time signatures, quick, complex changes and unexpected accents, and Dennis had never heard it before.

But we didn’t ask him to learn the real drum parts: we wanted to see what he’d come up with on his own after hearing the song once. While you’ll hear the song with drums in this video, Dennis was actually listening to a drumless track.

“This is not me,” he warned us as he listened through the track, but “in my younger days, this would’ve been up my alley!”

How will Dennis Chambers not only learn a song he’s never heard before, but in a style he’s unfamiliar with – and in odd time, at that?

Since the song doesn’t have a drum track, he listens for two things: the style and the time signature. Watch Dennis’ playthrough where he gives it his own spin. It’s solid, it’s groovy, and there’s some unexpected footwork later on. It’s amazing how much a song can change with a different approach on the drums.

You’ve never heard Schism played like this before!

If you like Dennis Chambers, he has an entire 12-lesson course on funk drumming for Drumeo members. Join today and learn from the best!

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Follow us:

Follow Dennis:
_______________________________________________________

#dennischambers #tool #drumeo

[GuardianComplex]

He may not like it, but he knows the pieces fit.

[preparetobedazled]

They threw the most impossibly difficult song they could at him and he absolutely killed it. Love it.

[AbsoRuud]

You listen to Tool for the first time and manage to totally nail an improv drum performance. This man is a legend.

[marlonbrando]

Dude said “not my cup of tea” and then fucking crushed it 😂 You could tell he was listening to the song thinking “there’s going to be a shit load of ghost notes in here”

[Anothermindsomewhere]

My man read the track like braille, met it head on with humility and courage, left his body during the bridge, and emerged clean and blameless out the other side. This is an unintentionally flawless tribute expertly delivered. Thank you.

[dalianmoya]

“I’m quite sure it was wrong, but it felt great to me.” A real musician.

[alfietheelf]

You just throw Schism at this gentleman? And he absolutely killed it on his first try? That is a lifetime of skill and mastery of his craft. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. Absolutely fantastic.

[hayzuescreesto]

My man's eyes are CLOSED during what felt like his entire performance, and yet he crushes his rendition of this drumless version while feeling it out and hearing it for the first time. Incredible doesn't begin to cover it.

[simonwxyz]

"I'm quite sure it was wrong... But it felt great to me" is the absolute essence of drumming just for the vibes. You don't always have to be practiced and perfect in every situation, just enjoy yourself. Gotta respect that.

[jmmiller]

Watching him go from super uncomfortable and nervous to absolutely entranced in the music and finding the groove honestly made me kinda teary eyed. I don’t know why but I felt so happy.. Thank you, that was amazing.

[hamburgando]

He improvised on a very hard song, with an odd time signature and hearing for the first
This is a what a true musician is about! Legend!

[philipargo]

I'm not a drummer, I'm not a musician, but I really enjoy watching talented people try to pull off other talented people's work like this. Watching anyone (especially with a different style) take on Danny Carry's material is my favorite.

[jnprather]

Yeah we definitely need him hearing the original drum part, and we DEFINITELY need "Danny Carey reacts to Dennis Chambers writing a drum part for his song".

[flynnsarcade.]

I'm in awe really. Imagine being 60 years old and never heard a TOOL song in your life much less Danny Carey. Then someone springs "Schism" on you for 1 play and says "Now you play it" for the whole internet and TOOL fans to hear and judge. This is a stunning effort. Dennis is just beyond incredible.

If you think you could do better, go listen to something like “Above & Below” by The Brecker Brothers one time and see how you fare.

[tristenwilliams]

You can see him fall out of the time signature a few times, and hops right back in without losing a beat. What a ridiculously hard song to try and improv to, and he does a great job

[CameronMerrick-Braund]

it was so satisfying watch him go through all the different parts of the song and try out different grooves, and by about the 10:00 minute mark when he its the double kick drums snare and crash with the off beats he immediately starts smiling because it's like he cracked it and fell into the intended syncopation. Seeing the transformation in real time and him pulling that out by the end almost me tear up because it's so triumphant and a reminder how we're all so connected to some sense and flow together rather than separately. Beautfiul.

[BrentBrewington]

“I’m pretty sure it was wrong, but it felt right to me”

Right on, Mr. Chambers. That’s totally the mindset I love with this video

[rodgerdodger]

Massive tool fan here, seeing this man absolutely kill this track in his own way made me almost feel emotional, hard to explain

[JustWalkMan]

This is equivalent to solving a rubix cube blindfolded

[Trymr]

Please do more of these concepts where people try to play over a song they’ve never heard. I saw the Enter Sandman one & that one’s brilliant too but this concept is awesome. I loved this.