Larnell Lewis Hears "Enter Sandman" For The First Time

March 17, 2021 12:33 PM

Sickening as it is watching Larnell Lewis hearing "Enter Sandman" for the first time and immediately nailing the drums when you yourself struggled for three years learning to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the guitar --badly--, you can't deny the man's talent, not just in being able to play a song perfectly after hearing it once, but also in how he breaks it down beforehand while listening to it. (Via.)
posted by MartinWisse (57 comments total)

An unbelievable talent. We were just talking about this the other day!

plus: Snarky Puppy just won a Grammy!
posted by gwint at 12:39 PM on March 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

Yeah, I didn't know about Snarky Puppy until I read the linked post, but they remind me of the Pierre Moerlen version of Gong from what I heard.
posted by MartinWisse at 12:50 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

That was fantastic. Shared with my drummer and Metallica friends.
posted by sundrop at 12:59 PM on March 17, 2021

I will never be this good at anything
posted by dis_integration at 1:02 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Love this, Larnell is an absolute beast, really an extraordinary talent, and I also love how 95% of the YouTube comments are just people dicking on Lars.
posted by saladin at 1:02 PM on March 17, 2021 [9 favorites]

This is so amazingly great, thank you for posting this! The combination of active listening and predictive skill was just terrific to watch. Not only will I be sending this video to all of my (music) students, I'll be working to learn how to teach them to do some version of this.
posted by LooseFilter at 1:03 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

The breakdown was very informative. What's meant by halftime?
I loved the predictive skill as well.
I was familiar with the beginning of Sandman, but this was probably the first (and second) time I ever heard the whole thing. I like it, but I lost interest toward the end.
posted by MtDewd at 1:06 PM on March 17, 2021

"What's meant by halftime?"

A basic explanation is that gun the main part of the song, the snare is hit on beats two and four of every measure. In the halftime section, it's only hit on beat three.
posted by jonathanhughes at 1:09 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Love this, Larnell is an absolute beast, really an extraordinary talent, and I also love how 95% of the YouTube comments are just people dicking on Lars

I’ll repeat my comment from the last thread, which is that Lewis heard the song once and proceeded to play it better than Lars ever has and ever will.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 1:10 PM on March 17, 2021 [15 favorites]

Agreed, after watching all the way through, Lewis does not play the part exactly after only hearing it once; his version is better and more filled-out.

What's meant by halftime?

Half time is an exact halving of the feel of the tempo, so what was 1-2-3-4 becomes 1---2--- (the feeling of tempo moves from, e.g., quarter note to half note, without actually changing). It's done in the flow of a song to sort of reduce the energy and let things open up before some kind of push or build-up that kicks back into regular time.
posted by LooseFilter at 1:16 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Love this, Larnell is an absolute beast, really an extraordinary talent, and I also love how 95% of the YouTube comments are just people dicking on Lars.

Paraphrasing one from the YT commentary: "Now I'd like to see a reaction video of Lars watching this one." Lol
posted by sundrop at 1:17 PM on March 17, 2021 [5 favorites]

Imagine being so good at something that your talent and skill are indistinguishable from witchcraft.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 1:17 PM on March 17, 2021 [8 favorites]

That man's face on his playback, that is what flow state looks like.

He is not in our shared reality at that time, he is in a universe made entirely of music. And joy.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:21 PM on March 17, 2021 [8 favorites]

Such a stunning display of skill and such a delightful-seeming guy!
posted by merriment at 1:34 PM on March 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

Drummer here: Larnell perfectly embodies the intersection of talent, education, diligence, patience, and just plain joy that I strive for. He is just wonderful, and the music world is immeasurably better for having him in it.
posted by jmfitch at 1:51 PM on March 17, 2021 [13 favorites]

I spent my twenties playing bass in a mod band. Our biggest hit, such as it was, had a little fermata where everyone stopped for one bar. I once asked the drummer (who had joined a few months before I did) about his audition. He said he was launched into that song without any preparation or even hearing it ahead of time at all. “What about that pause at the end of the verse?” I asked.

“Oh, I just stopped where the Monkees would have stopped.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:55 PM on March 17, 2021 [58 favorites]

I love during the "active listening" where he says things like "OK" and "right" while nodding. Message received, pattern read, yup yup yup.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:00 PM on March 17, 2021 [6 favorites]

I was expecting "skinny puppy" so today I've learned they are different bands, not me misremembering the name of one.

I enjoyed this video, would love to see him do this with more songs.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:03 PM on March 17, 2021 [4 favorites]

That was cool.I like watching him hear it the first time.

But they should've given a Metallica song from back when Lars still played drums like a metal beast.. like Damage Inc. or something. Enter Sandman is pretty straight forward on the drums.
posted by Liquidwolf at 2:38 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

I make sure to watch Snarky Puppy play “Lingus” at least once a year, the organ solo (well accompanied by drums) is epic

https://youtu.be/L_XJ_s5IsQc
posted by jeremias at 2:39 PM on March 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

This video brought me the most genuine smile of joy I've had in days. Watching something you love through another's eyes is always great; when that person is both brilliant and good-natured it's one of the best things there is. I really wish he'd caught the hit near the end, but still an incredible job to get so many nuances after one time through.
posted by dbx at 2:43 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

So freakin good. What an absolute bona fide talent.
posted by turbid dahlia at 2:45 PM on March 17, 2021

Also my immediate thought was "I bet some nerd in the comments is all 'nOw GiVe HiM a DaNnY cArEy ToOl SoNg To PlAy'" and I was very glad to see this did not happen.
posted by turbid dahlia at 2:47 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Great post! What's the deal with his cymbals that have holes in them?
posted by drezdn at 2:56 PM on March 17, 2021

I bet some nerd in the comments is all 'nOw GiVe HiM a DaNnY cArEy ToOl SoNg To PlAy

I mean, I'm a nerd and I'm here in the comments, and I'd love to see him try, for example, "Tom Sawyer". Not because "haha, gotcha!" (and not because of the weird racial undercurrent of the reaction video genre) but because I think he'd do a great job and enjoy the challenge.
posted by The Tensor at 2:58 PM on March 17, 2021

Larnell Lewis is from Toronto, so he was probably playing “Tom Sawyer” before he could walk.
posted by jonathanhughes at 3:05 PM on March 17, 2021 [26 favorites]

Not drumming but a pretty amazing recent Fresh Air interview with Jon Batiste in which he does a lot of explaining and breaking down of his music. Guy is really impressive and just… so, so nice.
posted by bz at 3:06 PM on March 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

Larnell Lewis is from Toronto, so he was probably playing “Tom Sawyer” before he could walk.

Considering he's so thoroughly NOT a rock/metal guy that he'd never heard "Enter Sandman", I wouldn't assume.
posted by The Tensor at 3:24 PM on March 17, 2021

Here's a bit of slightly shaky but good-quality crowd-cam of Larnell Lewis at the Rex with Snarky Puppy here in Toronto.

And dammit I want to be standing elbow-to-elbow with people in a small room watching a band right now!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:29 PM on March 17, 2021 [4 favorites]

What's the deal with his cymbals that have holes in them?
Let me Google that for you
Favorite answer: "All my cymbals have holes. Can't get 'em on the stands otherwise.."
posted by MtDewd at 3:40 PM on March 17, 2021 [5 favorites]

Enter Sandman is pretty straight forward on the drums.

This is the correct answer, it's a 4/4 beat you can break down as intro - verse - chorus - verse - solo - middle 8 - chorus - coda. It is four guitar riffs. For a guy as talented as this, it's not a real challenge. The mental note taking is impressive, he notes the changes at the correct spots, but he's getting some of the beats wrong.

I'd like to see him on take 2 or 3 after review.

Here are a couple youtubers who do metal covers performing it beat for beat. Meytal Cohen. Brooke C.

I also question if he's heard this song before. 22 million copies were sold, and 30 million of the album it's on. It's one of the most recognizable songs in rock music. It's what you teach beginner guitarists. It's a bit like saying, sure I'm a musician and I've studied this and become extremely competent, but I've never heard this stairway to heaven thing.
posted by adept256 at 3:47 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

Oh dear god I want to hear him do this with Zeppelin: Immigrant Song or Fool in the Rain.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:49 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

I also question if he's heard this song before.

So he's lying about that to make himself seem cooler?
posted by mrnutty at 4:11 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

> I also question if he's heard this song before. 22 million copies were sold, and 30 million of the album it's on. It's one of the most recognizable songs in rock music. It's what you teach beginner guitarists. It's a bit like saying, sure I'm a musician and I've studied this and become extremely competent, but I've never heard this stairway to heaven thing.

I've been listening and paying close attention to rock and other music for over thirty years and there's very little if any of Metallica's catalog that I could recognize on a needle drop. Never been a fan of metal and since there's been a lot of other music to keep up with, I don't really feel like I've had to pay attention to that scene, too.

He's probably heard "Enter Sandman" at least once in his life because it was probably on the PA when he was at the record shop or restaurant or whatever and he hadn't known it, but that's kind of hair-splitting.
posted by ardgedee at 4:32 PM on March 17, 2021 [6 favorites]

I this something I'd have to have heard of your favorite band to know about?
posted by The Tensor at 4:46 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

Now that I've watched the video in the OP I realize that this is probably the first time I've heard the entire song end-to-end.
posted by ardgedee at 4:52 PM on March 17, 2021 [4 favorites]

"This man inspired me to stop playing the drums."
posted by gottabefunky at 5:14 PM on March 17, 2021 [13 favorites]

That's from this one.

"The only flaw in this was that his shoe was untied. I'm surprised he didn't tie it while playing. I'm sure he could have."

"My drummer watched this. Now he’s a cameraman"
posted by gottabefunky at 5:19 PM on March 17, 2021 [4 favorites]

Re. the cymbal-hole questions: these will decay faster and sound 'trashier'. This is (I think) a fairly recent innovation, and it adds another axis to the palette of available cymbal sounds.

Broke drummers have been playing cracked nasty cymbals for years, and it sort of cuts the curve.
posted by jmfitch at 5:22 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Next time they do one of these videos I hope the challenge is Hella.
posted by sinfony at 5:54 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

jeremias, that “Lingus” video made my day. Thank you!
posted by Songdog at 5:59 PM on March 17, 2021

First thing I thought from description: nice, but not much compared to the video I saw of the guy playing some fusion track that he had only heard once. Same guy, it turns out!
posted by thelonius at 6:15 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

...and he not just played the heck out of it but also adjusted his glasses and monitors several times during...
posted by Clowder of bats at 6:17 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

It's surprising that he's never heard "Enter Sandman" but not unbelievable. I imagine it's probably been on in the background somewhere but it would go unnoticed. I don't mind the song, but it's an unremarkable song by a band with an unremarkable drummer. Wallpaper.

I stand by my assertion that a drummer from Toronto (aka YYZ) would 100% have heard "Tom Sawyer", and I'd bet a reasonable sum of money that Larnell Lewis probably played along with it when he was starting out, because that's what most drummers do. Especially Canadian drummers. Metallica is a well-known band, but again, Lars Ulrich is unremarkable. Rush, on the other hand is part of the fabric of Canadian music, and especially Toronto music. Those songs are everywhere. And while there are certainly some teenage drummers who have idolized Lars Ulrich, they would be a drop in the bucket to all the once-teenage drummers who still idolize Neil Peart.

Larnell Lewis may not be a metal drummer but he's certainly played on many records that don't fit into the same category that Snarky Puppy does; and you don't get that good and comfortable sounding playing "Enter Sandman" like he does without having played a lot of rock music.

Also, Larnell Lewis was called at the last minute for the "Lingus" track mentioned above. He flew to Amsterdam after getting the call and rehearsed with the band in the afternoon of the day he arrived for the recording that evening. I guess when you need someone to learn something quick, he's who you call.
posted by jonathanhughes at 6:46 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Next time they do one of these videos I hope the challenge is Hella.

Next time they do one of these videos I hope the challenge is Lightning Bolt.
posted by deadaluspark at 7:40 PM on March 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

This was really great. Insane how he found the vibe, the themes, and the things that jumped out of the themes and remembered it all, in a genre he wasn’t even familiar with.

But yeah, he could not possibly do that with Hella, Nervous Cop or Deerhoof, where the drum is the lead instrument rather than the accompaniment. Still, that takes nothing away from this at all.
posted by sjswitzer at 9:24 PM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

sjswitzer: "But yeah, he could not possibly do that with Hella, Nervous Cop or Deerhoof,"

Yeah, those he'd probably have to listen to twice...
posted by chavenet at 2:38 AM on March 18, 2021

There's another fantastic drummer story in this podcast episode of Song Exploder -- it's not so much that the session player nails it in one take, it's *how* he does it that makes it amazing. (The guest is John Roderick, but it's from six years ago and he's on his best behavior.)
posted by ardgedee at 3:33 AM on March 18, 2021

adept256: but he's getting some of the beats wrong.

He's such a better drummer than Lars, though, so it's not surprising to me that his drumming is more creative. His embellishments demonstrate that he understood the music. I didn't think the point of these challenges was for him to play the song note-for-note after hearing it for the first time.

I really got a kick out of watching Corey Henry's facial expressions through that Lingus keyboard solo. It's almost as enjoyable to watch the audience in that Lingus video, especially the guy geeking out watching Corey. (Found a transcription here.)
posted by emelenjr at 4:06 AM on March 18, 2021 [1 favorite]

I just think his definition of 'listening' to a track is different than lots of folks who might be thinking of just hearing a track on the mall pa.
posted by zenon at 12:11 PM on March 18, 2021 [1 favorite]

At the end of the video he says it was the second take. Yall been scammed.
posted by lkc at 2:04 PM on March 18, 2021 [2 favorites]

I mean, I'm a nerd and I'm here in the comments...

I specifically meant YouTube but I feel you. Yeah I'm sure he would have a ton of fun with it, I'm just really tired of seeing Carey trotted out every time somebody lesser-known does something amazing with drums.
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:08 PM on March 18, 2021

Larnell Lewis was 7 years old when Enter Sandman was released. And he was brought up on Gospel and Caribbean music. It's really understandable that he wouldn't really be exposed to it or seek it out on his own for any reason.

I grew up in southern California with my parents playing their records from the 60s, and then listening to "Alternative" radio in the 90s. When I went to college in North Carolina, no one would believe that I had never heard Freebird before. Like they really couldn't imagine a universe where that was possible. It may have been playing sometime, somewhere, in my vicinity, but I never heard it.
posted by team lowkey at 4:00 PM on March 18, 2021 [4 favorites]

He's a good drummer and all, but I'll second Liquidwolf. It wouldn't be fair to give him Dyer's Eve or any of the great pulse-shifting Lars songs -- "Oh I see, there's a 5/8 break after 9 measures of 7/4. Then...yeah, then he repeats it." -- but this is probably the most straight-ahead 4/4 common-phrasing Metallica song I know of.

What's coolest to me, it's a part of this drum lesson website that uses transcriptions as lesson pieces. I totally would have gone for something like that when I was learning.

Oh dear god I want to hear him do this with Zeppelin: Immigrant Song or Fool in the Rain.

Fool in the Rain is the Purdie Shuffle, which if you're like me has been in your YouTube sidebar for 5+ years.
posted by rhizome at 12:52 AM on March 19, 2021 [3 favorites]

I am only partway through watching this, but I love as he's listening to it for the first time and he starts pantomiming the drumming.

I like watching his mind at word even if I don't understand what it is he's hearing or the meaning of his short comments to himself.

I can do something like this with poetry. I'm really good at reading it and understanding it. The other night, through a string of associations, I ended up reading The Rime of the Ancient Mariner for the first time, out loud and to my very patient partner. We read about half of it, and will finish it up soon. But I was doing something like this as I read it—commenting on what I saw happening in the poem. It's not as cool as drumming and I'll never get four million views on Youtube doing it, but I am also very good at teaching poetry, so there's that.
posted by Orlop at 7:49 AM on March 20, 2021 [4 favorites]

This guy is fabulous, I just happened to catch it on some drum feeds on FB. This would be a hell of a resume package if you were just starting out! But what a genius right, much respect from a brass novice
posted by Upon Further Review at 11:41 AM on March 21, 2021

> the Purdie Shuffle, which if you're like me has been in your YouTube sidebar for 5+ years.

...not to mention the foundation of Kutiman-Thru-you - 01 - Mother of All Funk Chords
posted by CheapB at 9:55 AM on April 9, 2021