Jason Bonham Quotes

I've listened to musicians who say that using a metronone makes you robotic, that it decreases your 'feel.' That's ridiculous. Either you have feel or you don't. Feel is one of those intangibles that can't be taught. But if you do have feel, using a metronome will allow you to play cleaner - and that'll make your 'feel' have more, well, 'feeling.'

Well, rhythm is 90 percent of the interpretation.

Any time you sit out, it could throw off your rhythm a little bit, and I'm kind of a rhythm player.

Dad was pretty solid. He had great grooves and there was occasional moments of sheer brilliance with fills and things, but in general, the sheer brilliance is the simplicity, how much groove, how much feel he had, all the subtleties that we miss.

I'm a rhythm player. I need to set people up, I need to be in the flow of the game.

'Swing' is an adjective or a verb, not a noun. All jazz musicians should swing. There is no such thing as a 'swing band' in music.

Music has nothing to do with your technical ability.

I play more rhythmically than I do a lot of notes.

When I speak of natural drummers I'm talking about guys that are playing with the talent God gave 'em.

You don't have to play a whole lot of guitar to be a good blues player. Some people plays too much guitar. Stack it on top of each other the way it don't - you're working too fast. Blues not supposed to be played fast. Blues supposed to be played slow. You could kill a man with just one chord.

Drums were my first instrument, my first love. I need rhythm, something that moves.

I never think about rhythm versus melody; I've always just played to what's in my head.

Here's how I understand music. If you can play the same bunch of noise twice, it's music. To go beyond that is supercilious and pontificating.

How can you not love a man banging on the drums? He knows how to keep a rhythm.

Come to think of it, the way I play is like a drum machine- very mechanical.

Your personal history is a part of what happens with your hands and your head as you play music.

If you listen to the way I speak, I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument, that concept comes through very clearly.

Rhythm is born in all of us. To be a desirable dancing partner, you don't have to do all the intricate fancy steps that happen to be in vogue. All you have to do is be a good average dancer, and anybody who spends the time and effort can accomplish this.

To be able to play as slow as Al Jackson is almost impossible.

I do read music, but I prefer playing from the heart.

I agree totally with Metheny regarding the sound influencing the way you play.

I still love recording and still love the stage, but like my dad, I have the most fun when I am in front of that glorious orchestra or that kick-butt big band.

He comes in on the beat and plays on top of the beat. I think when Prince makes love, he hears drums instead of Ravel.

I did ballet, jazz, and all that, but I think hip-hop is really where I learned rhythm and groove, which has helped me in music.

Rhythm is God. I think, without rhythm, you can't create - there is no art.