The Case For Complexity

Bass player 'A' had ended the last song of the set with an exceptionally busy send off. Bass player 'B', who was of a different mind-set, later asked, "Why play something complicated when you can play something simple?" Bass player A replied, "Why play something simple when you can play something complicated?"

Naturally, bass player B was somewhat taken aback and didn't have a response for this. And neither do I. I'd love to be able to lay out a solid, convincing, unassailable argument for keeping it simple.

Simplicity Can be Beautiful
Some of the most moving drum parts I've heard were dirt simple. It might have worked with a more ambitious interpretations, but the simpler one just seemed magical. True, playing simply can be challenging enough, but there are good reasons for not keeping it simple.

Meg White vs. Matt Gartska vs. Max Roach
Different music styles require different levels of busy and different levels of complexity. A thrash metal drummer who isn't busy just won't do, and no one wants the drums front and centre throughout a ballad. Becoming familiar with the milieu will let you know what the standard practices are.

How Dense Can You Be?
I like the notion of musical density. Some music is sonically quite full; other bits are more on the light side. This concept can give some idea of what sort of playing might be appropriate. If I'm playing busy music with busy musicians, then I can stretch out a bit. And if the music is spare, then I may choose to fill it out or I might prefer to imitate wallpaper.

Part Of The Milieu
This goes along with density. Some genres are more dense and thus require more input from all players. Think progressive jazz, prog-rock, fusion, death metal. Power trios benefit from a busy drummer who can help fill things out.

Personal Milestones
The overall busy-ness of your playing changes over time. Most of us go through a honeymoon period, when more is always better. Also, as you grow musically,  you can handle more complex situations. So while we may overplay in the beginning, most of us adapt to the music before too long. We may then go on to learn to deal with more and more complex music.

It's part of the fun
First of all, raw energy is compelling. Pushing the music hard can get the entire room jumping, and complexity can deliver a lot of energy. Complexity is also inherently rewarding. There's the challenge of doing something complicated, and also the resulting buzz.