Gus Kund
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Mar 23 2002
Posts: 385
Loc: Calif
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uPtJ7zHePo&feature=player_embedded#
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G.K.
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James Walker
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Mar 18 2002
Posts: 1281
Loc: Connecticut
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"...you walk off the bandstand tired...really tired." LOL
That was eight minutes and eight seconds of sheer brilliance, from two masters. Gold.
This sort of thing is one reason why playing vibes and steel pans has made me a better drummer - it really gives you a greater awareness of (not) stepping over other players' solos, when you experience what it's like for other players to step over YOUR solos. It didn't make my hands or feet any faster, but it improved the content of my playing.
Not to toot my own horn, but FWIW the greatest compliment I've ever gotten as a drummer was from a horn player: "Man, it's so easy for me to solo when you're on drums."
My own pet peeve is a bit more specific, but along the same lines: having rhythm section players latch onto something in my vibes solo, and play it along with me. "Finishing my sentences" is the way I describe it. It's actually a good sign, in a way, when players start doing this - it shows that they're listening to what the soloist is doing. Unfortunately, at that point, they haven't developed the ability to conceive of something different, but still complimentary, to add to the music.
There were times - especially back in my college days - when with certain drummers, I was leery of playing anything with literal rhythmic repetition. I'd start playing a figure, and the drummer would latch onto it and start playing it with me. As soon as he did that, I was locked into it.
I'd just stop playing, and when he stopped playing the figure, I'd continue on. After a few times going through this, he got the message. 
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moderator, mallet forum
Edited by James Walker (Tue Mar 30 2010 05:27 AM)
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roger strange
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Dec 09 2003
Posts: 1621
Loc: Nova Scotia Canada
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Sometimes the lessons come hard. I remember years ago when I was basically just getting my feet wet, I'd do what James said. Lock into the soloist. After a couple of tenor saxes upside my head, literally, I learned to cap the phrases and maybe run what I call the agreement in unison to the final phrase of the soloist's statement as I set up the rest of the group to hit abck into the tune. What Terry was talking about as a melodic soloist can also happen to a drummer. I've taken solos and found that no-one in the band was even listening to what I was talking about in my solo. When I see that happening I just cut it short and count the band back into the tune immediatley. of course there are also those cats who, when given a solo on guitar or horn who take their own heads and go completely somewhere else out of context to the tune. I just lay back, pull back the fire and basically just play cozy time and accompany them as much as possible while keeping the origianl tune's form in my head, until they are finished. Then set the band up to come back in with a phrase that brings everyone back around to the tune. Our job back there is to accompany. To make cats play outside their normal skins but in what they are playing. Anything else is counter productive to the music. if we can't make the tune bigger than it was origianlly and the sum of the band bigger than its parts as drummers, then we don't belong on the bandstand!! If I'm not told that I am easy to play with in the tunes I know I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I'll find a drummer I know who can fit with the band well and give him/her the gig. That's only happened a couple of times in my life and in the end it worked out much better that way.
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awfulldrummer
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Jun 26 2007
Posts: 984
Loc: the internet
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that was excellent! the only thing close to those stories i have. was a band i was in a few years back would take any gig they could find. we played in a metal show, like 10 or more bands. we weren't a metal band at all. everyone just ignored us. that was tirering.
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777Drum
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Feb 08 2006
Posts: 915
Loc: TX
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Pretty obvious stuff really. Play appropriately to the given piece. I have seen though, just a few months back, a very skilled drummer do this. Granted it was a social gathering, not a paid gig, but as a drummer, it just struck me as wrong. Almost like if you put on a cd to play to in the practice room and used it as more of a metronome to play off of. That's fine if you're alone and I'm sure most have done that. However, when playing music with others, it just seems rude and it really makes the music sound bad. It kind of kills the music. Interestingly, the drummer that sounded the best, was one that some consider not quite on their level. When he played the music sounded the best, because he played appropriately to every song. I found it a very interesting thing to observe. In my opinion he was certainly one of the best drummers that day.
Edited by 777Drum (Wed Mar 31 2010 08:27 AM)
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