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Ah drummers….what can be said about this strange
breed
Blisters
come to mind, the joy of lugging equipment year after
wonderful year. late at night, from house to car, find
parking, carry to stage, set them up, play your heart
out, break them down, back into their cases into the
car, up or back home, you sit down in your usual
chair and think, what just happened? Did I play
a gig? Ha-Ha
bet most drummers are probably moaning or laughing
right now...
Well at 10 the
bug hit me hard. When I first heard the
drum break in FOR YOUR LOVE by the Yardbirds around
1962 I was stopped dead when I heard I WANT TO HOLD
YOUR HAND by the Beatles…..I bought it for 69
cents at the Merrick L.I. “five and dime” then
SHE LOVES YOU in 1963, then early1964 the Beatles hit
the U.S and I saw Ringo swaying his hair
back an forth smiling on Ed Sullivan and said that’s
what I want to do, and I meant for the rest of
my life. I was never the same as I practiced an hour
and a half everyday for a year and a half….feeling
ready I started playing Greenwich Village in NYC every
Sunday afternoon. Each week a different Dad
drove us into Manhattan fom Brooklyn to play the gig
an I can remember seeing Jimi Hendrix at CAFÉ WHA
when he was still Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.
Over the years things have changed a bit, personally,
the industry, and business wise, we all have aged,
but I still play and listen to all genre’s
of music from Dean Martin to Johnny Thunders and
everything I can in-between. Physically drumming
takes stamina. Most natural drummers are hyper anyway
it seems. The most important thing is to LISTEN,
real close, and make it look like you’re not.
Although you’re the beat keeper, the bass is
the pulse and most drummers love good deep bass tones.
The most crucial thing of all is talent which can
not be taught it is God given or ‘natural don’t
let the blisters stop you, use band aids wrapped
in white surgical tape, work great. |
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I'm always hypnotized by a good rim-shot drummer
I
play that rim-shot crack on the snare drum, which is
what separates the men from the boys. A good drum fill
colors the sound helping with dynamics of the
song.
Drummers who only keep the beat lose my attention quickly.
A myth I’d like clear up is that most drummers
in person, are usually quite mellow and we
don’t
take our anger out on the drums. I never took my anger
out on the drums ever….not
the wife, kids, mortgage, doctor bills…could make
that happen. When
I drive to a gig I try to let all that slip away as I get
closer to the venue and downbeat for the show. When
I get home with equipment packed away I go over and over
the gig until I digested it like food. I
play every gig as it was my last. So many friends, young
and old have gone home and didn’t wake up this year.
Playing an instrument in a band over the years is a major
sacrifice with hours
and hours, days, months, years alone with those drums,
sacrificing long term careers in case you need to go on
tour. Parents
tell their daughters that they cant go out with you,
you are a bad influence, find a doctor, lawyer or
accountant and prepare for “He’s
a Rebel” to be your signature theme song. Be
prepared to be staring at your band mates butts cause the
drummer is usually in the back. I have enjoyed
being in a band with women, always a joy...
So
to all beginners and fellow players my best advice is
listen close, practice all the time, play your heart
out and your ass off…but most importantly of all
listen closly . I repeat…..listen
very closely even if you play loud
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