--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without a drummer, you've got that sort…" description: "\"Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo in the top end - it's what gives our music..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg" --- # Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running… ![“Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo in the top end - it's what gives our music a lot of its momentum, a lot of its energy.” quote by Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg) > “Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo in the top end - it's what gives our music a lot of its momentum, a lot of its energy.” [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The banjo’s high‑end rhythm drives the song’s energy and momentum. **In simple terms:** Banjo adds lively rhythm and energy. Key Takeaway Leverage rhythmic elements for dynamic impact. Themes music creativity energy Mood enthusiastic analytical Type descriptive inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - live performance - band collaboration Key Concepts arrangement instrumentation Questions to Reflect On - How does rhythm shape a track’s feel? - What instruments can complement the banjo? A Different Perspective Overreliance on one instrument can limit texture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/) [Chasing Rhythmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chasing-rhythmic-5760570/) [Drummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drummer/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Happening Banjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happening-banjo-5760571/) [Momentum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/momentum/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Rhythmic Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythmic-thing-5760572/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [You know, I only claim to play three instruments. My dad is a banker, but a drummer at heart; and my mom used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-worsham/you-know-i-only-claim-to-play-three-instruments-my-dad-is-a-banker/) [Charlie Worsham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-worsham/) > [We never could have foreseen the success of 'Babel.' It's not like banjo records were soaring up the charts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/we-never-could-have-foreseen-the-success-of-babel-it-s-not-like-banjo/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [We have big limitations by not having a drummer. It instantly informs a lot of our musical decisions when it comes to writing. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/we-have-big-limitations-by-not-having-a-drummer-it-instantly-informs/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-doherty/banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thin-skin-diaphragm-is-stretched/) [Liz Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-doherty/) > [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/) [Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/) > [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/) [Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/) > [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) [Rory Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-block/) > [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) ## More by Ted Dwane > [It's strange to think about the scathing reviews 'Sigh No More' got and then consider that we could win best album a year or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/it-s-strange-to-think-about-the-scathing-reviews-sigh-no-more-got-and/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [People don't really need to question our sincerity when it comes to our songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/people-don-t-really-need-to-question-our-sincerity-when-it-comes-to/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [You leave school, work terrible jobs to pay rent, and that's when you start finding your way in music and forming bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/you-leave-school-work-terrible-jobs-to-pay-rent-and-that-s-when-you/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [We don't read a lot of what people say about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/we-don-t-read-a-lot-of-what-people-say-about-us/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [You can't really opt into something you don't believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/you-can-t-really-opt-into-something-you-don-t-believe-in/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [As soon as we started playing sports arenas, we thought how great it would be if we could instead play to 25,000 people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/as-soon-as-we-started-playing-sports-arenas-we-thought-how-great-it/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [You look at the instrumentation, and you can't really argue that we set out with commercial aspirations. Banjos and things like that are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/you-look-at-the-instrumentation-and-you-can-t-really-argue-that-we/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [Whether people jump up and down when they see us or are completely quiet, it just feels really good that they're connecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/whether-people-jump-up-and-down-when-they-see-us-or-are-completely/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [There's definitely a negative correlation between the higher the profile and the enjoyment of the gig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/there-s-definitely-a-negative-correlation-between-the-higher-the/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [If you told me in the '90s that I'd be in a chart battle with Green Day, I probably would have just laughed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/if-you-told-me-in-the-90s-that-i-d-be-in-a-chart-battle-with-green/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [As humans, we're such a discontented species. We're always trying to further ourselves, and you get all the way to the moon, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/as-humans-we-re-such-a-discontented-species-we-re-always-trying-to/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [Our spiritual home is definitely the U.K., but we have such a breadth of influence, and America's a huge part of that, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/our-spiritual-home-is-definitely-the-u-k-but-we-have-such-a-breadth/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [We're not the first band who went to public school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/we-re-not-the-first-band-who-went-to-public-school/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [We never thought we'd be commercially viable, and we were proved wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/we-never-thought-we-d-be-commercially-viable-and-we-were-proved-wrong/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) > [We don't want to be as big as Oasis!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/we-don-t-want-to-be-as-big-as-oasis/) [Ted Dwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) [Explore all 55 Ted Dwane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/) ## More Banjo quotes > [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) [Rory Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-block/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/) [Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/) > [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/) [Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/) > [“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-doherty/banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thin-skin-diaphragm-is-stretched/) [Liz Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-doherty/) > [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My dad also plays a little banjo and guitar, my mom plays the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-mcconnell/my-dad-also-plays-a-little-banjo-and-guitar-my-mom-plays-the-mandolin/) [Page McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-mcconnell/) > [Whenever a big white man picks up a banjo, my cheeks tighten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/whenever-a-big-white-man-picks-up-a-banjo-my-cheeks-tighten/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [“There was talk of the Centaur being moved into the elephant cages to make room for a banjo-picking Minotaur. Surrendering his meager furnishings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/there-was-talk-of-the-centaur-being-moved-into-the-elephant-cages-to/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) [Browse all 104 Banjo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjo/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo in the top end - it's what gives our music a lot of its momentum, a lot of its energy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ted Dwane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-of-running-chicken-chasing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Banjo" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-of-running-chicken-chasing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ted-dwane-12289_banjo_without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-o_3169108.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo…” — Ted Dwane", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ted Dwane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dwane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Without a drummer, you've got that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-of-running-chicken-chasing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dwane/without-a-drummer-you-ve-got-that-sort-of-running-chicken-chasing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```