Wow, that's pretty random... I'd have to say for style, there's Neil Peart, for time, Chad Smith, for rhythm, The Reverend (drummer for Avenged Sevenfold), as for music, I don't really know of any famous music readers in drumming...

Vinnie Colaiuta!

He's known as an uncanny sight reader.

I think that's what allowed him to navigate through Zappa's stuff with such panache... especially on Joe's Garage!

Hey Hannah...

Cool stuff on your website! You're really getting out there!

I just moved to the Chicago area... I'll try to catch one of your shows at some point

My best friend's band Polydream is playing at The Republic Ballroom on December 5th. I can't wait to explore more of this area... and hopefully be playing out soon myself!

Take care...

Just to make sure, I don't want to glorify reading/writing music as the nadir of drumming.

There's a legendary story about Buddy Rich. Don't remember who he was playing with, but I seem to recall it was a famous singer, a woman. She asked Buddy Rich to sit in and threw a chart his way. After the show someone asked her what she thought of the famous drummer. She said something to affect of, "He didn't play a note on the page but he sure can swing."

To the best of my knowledge, Buddy never read music. There were a lot of drummers like that from his era. They just grew up in that genre and knew it well. While I think the demands have changed tremendously on drummers -- multiple styles, many different artists, lots of songs and drum tracks that require some knowledge of reading/writing -- you're still going to come across a successful drummer who can't read music. Talent always trumps technique. That's the way it should be, IMO. I have no problem with that.

So if you're still guessing what gets you employed, it isn't reading music. It's being a great player and a professional person. Learning the written notation of music just keeps all the doors opened -- in terms of what you can learn and how many people you can play with. You won't have to turn down gigs (in shame, no less) because you limited yourself when you were younger. And if you think you're the next Buddy, keep in mind he was a "name" drummer at age 6, so don't dwell on your own greatness too long.

To the specific question, I really like the comments about spacial relationships, because that's what reading music is all about. That's also what good time is about. A steady stream of 32nd notes is easy to read, assuming the notes are for batterie close enough together I can pull them off. You're not really getting into a reading challenge until you've seen triplets nested inside duplets in 12/8. The challenge in something like that isn't in playing the notes themselves. Even at a moderate tempo, any one with healthy limbs is physically capable of playing them. The challenge is knowing the space between the notes. If you don't know it before you see it, your goose is already cooked. You have to instinctively know how those notes are spaced before your eyes cross that passage. If you really want to fry your brain, start dropping notes from those triplets and adding dots and ties. hehe

Yeah, the space between the notes. That's what drumming is all about anyway. I've made this analogy before, but I like it, so I'll repeat it. A newspaper page designer starts the day with a blank page. Or, really, several blank pages. Bad designers think their agenda is to eliminate white space, to fill it up. Good designers look at the white space and realize the beauty of it, and work their pages so the white space becomes the featured part of the design, not the ink that mucks it up.

Wait ... what was the question again? hehe Sorry. I've really gone off the path here and I'm lost. Don't know how to find my way back to the trail so I'm sending up a flare and hoping someone can rescue me. Time for bed!

God, Hannah is so well spoken. I really forget she is only 17 at times, special kid.

Good post Gaddy (where you been?  Learning all those V.C. chops at H.O.D.com ?  )

Having gobs of talent where you can sneak by without reading is really rare.  Learning to read and taking lessons will make it much easier in the long run like Chrisso suggested and will help you understand what your idols are doing over at drummer world.

No big deal- I know plenty of guys that can't read and honestly I rarely play anything more "complicated" than they do; but I used to be a snob towards non readers.  Now I just don't care.   One can be illiterate and still be my friend 

Hey Johnny,

Welcome to Chi-town!!!  lol

Make sure to look us up and say hi sometime real soon.

Thanks for the compliment....

Hannah

I'm guessing Neil Peart, Chad Smith, and the Rev all read.

Urban legend recalls that Neil Peart could not read until he studied with Freddy Gruber back in the 90's IIRC?  *He made millions off the 3 stroke ruff boys and girls*

I would say, like his style or not- Neil Peart has a great mind and is a fantastic talent. 

Ninja,
The bottom line here.
Some forum members who are older and been through the personal ups and downs of the business are trying to help you here, not trying to put you down.
In my opinion, reading is not a law.
But like there is no law to eat vegetables, most sensible people say it's a good thing to do.
As I said, it isn't hard and it will add a lot to both your playing and your employability.
I studied at music college for four years.
I never got invited to join any bands because I could read or because I had a paper qualification. That doesn't mean the skill of reading didn't come in very handy many, many times in my career.
There are a lot of gigs that do require reading; pit orchestra (Broadway etc), talk show band (Late Night, SNL etc), many recording sessions, especially film score work.
Do you know at 15 years old you'll never want to follow one of those avenues of work?
I've done the loud rock band thing, and plenty of recording, but right now if anyone offered me the job on Late Night With letterman, or Saturday Night Live, I'd saw off my left leg if they asked me to. 
Times change, and you'll change with it.
It's exciting to be 15, with lot's of amazing adventures ahead of you.
But this is the time to soak up knowledge like a sponge.
As all the top businessmen and intellectuals in the land agree.....knowledge is power.
The power to work how and when you want, for fun or for money.
The majority of young drummers like you (early teens in 2007) will never be able to work whenever they want (either for fun or money). That's the tough nature of the arts. Most will give up at some point over the next few years.
The more tools you have in your kit bag, the less likely you'll be to fall by the wayside.

Wow.  I've been following this thread but staying out of the dialogue. But as I read today's posts I was hit with a sudden sense of incredible awe:  I am reading posts by so many experienced drummers willing to share their thoughts!  Crimony, two of the contributers to this thread have toured with some of my musical idols!!!!!!!  And like Keith, I could not have even imagined this concept when I started drumming as a kid 30 years ago.  We're all receiving absolutely priceless information IMHO and it's easy to take that for granted.  I just want to offer up a hearty thanks to all who contribute here.  I can't begin to describe what this means to me. 

Carry on!