Why Carter Beauford Needs to Be on Your Drumming Radar

Beauford’s Influence on Me as a Drummer

Carter’s influence on me was pretty immediate. The first time I heard the intro to “Ants Marching,” I knew this wasn’t any ordinary drummer. Some of the funky hi-hat grooves that he was incorporating in the song, paired with those killer chops and fills, sold me immediately.

I began listening to Dave Matthews Band and studying Carter’s hi-hat mastery, trying to emulate what I heard on the kit. I would replay tracks from Under the Table and Dreaming over and over again, trying to decode and incorporate Carter’s sound into my own drumming. It has really challenged me to work on open handed techniques over the years.

He was a top 5 influential drummer for me in my earlier years, and quite frankly, his style is still incredibly influential to the way I play today.

Here is Carter in the studio with a GoPro camera on, demonstrating his incredible pocket and unbelievable chops.

But why does his approach matter for your playing today? Let’s break down what makes Carter Beauford a master, and how you can apply his mindset to your own practice sessions.

A Foundation Built on Jazz and Fusion

Carter Beauford’s unique style is the result of deep jazz roots blending with funk and rock.

Beauford was first exposed to the drums at just three years old. Unable to find a babysitter, his father took him along to a Buddy Rich concert. Young Carter was completely mesmerized by Rich on stage. Seeing his obsession, his father bought him a tin drum set with paper heads, and Carter never looked back.

During those formative years, his major influences were jazz giants like Tony Williams, Papa Jo Jones, and, of course, Buddy Rich. He actually began performing professionally by the age of nine.

Later on, Carter honed his chops playing in a Virginia-based jazz-fusion band called Secrets. They regularly played at Miller’s, a bar in Charlottesville where a young Dave Matthews worked as a bartender.

Matthews would watch Carter play at shows and eventually approached him in a downtown Charlottesville mall to ask for help with some music he had written. Carter and his friend LeRoi Moore (a saxophone player) listened to Dave’s music, realized he had something special, and agreed to record a demo. The rest is history.

Carter Beauford’s Drum Set and The Sound

Carter sits behind a massive setup that allows him to orchestrate his complex parts. His kit is as recognizable as his playing:

The Drums: He plays Yamaha Recording Customs in Piano Black. His tom sizes are 8″, 10″, 12″, and 14″, complemented by two 16×16 floor toms and a 20×16 bass drum. In earlier years, has also used a larger 22-inch bass drum during earlier eras with the Dave Matthews.

The Snares: He plays a 6.5×14 Pearl Masterworks Limited Edition and a Ludwig Alex Van Halen Signature Rosewood snare drum.

Hardware: His drums are mounted on a heavy-duty Yamaha HexRack II. For his feet, he uses a DW 9000 chain drive double pedal and a DW 9500 direct drive hi-hat stand.

Cymbals: He uses a massive array of Zildjians, primarily K series. He relies on K Zildjian hi-hats, K Custom Dark Crash/Rides, A Custom Projection Crashes, and a 21″ K Crash Ride (or a 20″ K Heavy Ride, depending on the tour).

Percussion: This is part of where Carter gets his unique sounds. He uses LP Granite Blocks, a red Jam Block, a Travis Barker signature cowbell, LP 72-bar whole tone chimes, and an Chinese Wedding Bell.

Studying the Techniques That Made Beauford So Unique

Beauford is celebrated for his incredible speed, deep pocket groove, and flawless fusion of jazz, funk, and rock. But his most defining technical trait is his open-handed drumming style.

Most right-handed drummers use a cross-handed style, crossing their right arm over their left to play the hi-hat while the left hand strikes the snare. Beauford flips this entirely. He plays a standard right-handed drum kit but leads with his left hand on the hi-hat and plays the snare with his right. His arms don’t cross.

How did this happen? According to his 1997 instructional release “Under the Table & Drumming,” Beauford’s signature open-handed ambidexterity was developed entirely by accident. As a young child practicing in front of a mirror, he reversed his drum placement in an attempt to visually replicate the stage perspectives of his idols (like Buddy Rich), to make his mirrored reflection match what he saw his heroes doing on TV, inadvertently teaching his left hand to lead on a standard right-handed configuration.

This happy accident forced him to develop total ambidextrous mastery, giving him identical power, speed, and control in both hands. Because his arms never block each other, he can move around his massive kit with unparalleled fluidity.

How to Practice Like Carter Beauford

If you want to pull some of this Beauford magic into your own playing, here is what you can focus on:

• Try Playing Open-Handed: You don’t need to completely change your technique forever, but try it as a warmup. Play a standard 8th-note rock groove, but use your left hand on the hi-hat and your right hand on the snare. It will feel awkward at first, but work at it, and it will improve your weaker hand’s timing and dexterity.
• Incorporate Independence on the Hi-Hat: Carter doesn’t just keep time with the hi-hat; he uses it as a lead instrument. Practice barking (opening and closing) the hi-hat on the “e” and “a” of the beat, rather than just on the downbeats or the “and.”
• Add Melodic Percussion: You don’t need a massive drum rack to sound like Carter. Add a single jam block or a cowbell to your setup. Try moving your right hand off the ride cymbal and onto the block during a groove to create a completely different sound.
• Blend Your Genres: Just like Carter brought Tony Williams’ jazz concepts into an acoustic rock band, try taking a traditional jazz ride pattern and playing it over a heavy funk kick and snare pattern.

Carter Beauford became a legend by mastering his instrument so thoroughly that he could break the standard rules of drumming. Start working on your weaker hand, add some new pieces to your kit, and push your boundaries to find your own voice.

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