Why don't we talk about ballad playing?
Ballad playing seems to be one of the most mysteriously under-discussed topics amongst drummers. If you are going to be a professional musician in nearly any genre of music, you are going to have to learn how to play a ballad whether you want to or not. So simply avoiding the topic is not an option.
Perhaps the reason this topic is avoided is because the role of the drums in a ballad tends to be particularly understated/supportive. You are not going to be the focus of attention when you are playing a ballad. However, that in no way means that what you are playing (or not playing) isn't important. On the contrary for a group to really pull off a ballad, what the drummer plays is key!
