Matt Cameron has been a staple of Drumeo‘s video feature content, and now the drummer has shared a breakdown of his memorable kit-work on Soundgarden‘s “Rusty Cage.”
Cameron’s drumming is vital to the standout cut from Badmotorfinger, and one of his most difficult parts comes right at the beginning during the intro — a propulsive barrage of fills that seemingly comes out of nowhere. As Cameron explained, Chris Cornell instructed Cameron to come in during this part.
“That was strictly a ‘feel’ thing,” explained Cameron, who essentially has to come in without any obvious musical cues — always a challenge for the rhythm section.
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From there, the drummer settles into the song’s uptempo stoner-rock grooves, adding decisive accentuations and cymbal crashes.
“The verse where Chris sings ‘I wanna break,’ I gave him a little crash cymbal right there: ‘I wanna break‘ — boom,” Cameron explained. “And it’s broken. I broke the ‘cage.’”
Cameron opens up his playing a bit during the bridge, adding rolling fills and more dynamic cymbal-work.
“That’s a good example of me accenting with the guitar,” he states. “Cymbals aren’t really used as a downbeat; they’re used more as an upbeat to accent the guitar parts.”
During the clip and per Drumeo’s typical format, Cameron plays over the studio recording of “Rusty Cage” to illustrate his playing. At the end, you can see him run through the full performance of the song.
In addition to Soundgarden, Cameron was Pearl Jam’s drummer for 27 years, but announced his departure from the band earlier this year.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking to pick up the drums or improve your skills — and even view full lessons from Cameron on other Soundgarden songs — Drumeo is offering a 30-day free trial for new members. Check out the video featuring Cameron breaking down “Rusty Cage” below.
Content shared from consequence.net.