Studio Drummer – Foundations!

November 5, 2022

Miles Davis was once asked what were the raw essentials of having a great band. Miles replied, you have to have a great drummer. The interviewer then asked, what if you don’t have a great drummer? Miles replied,
YOU DON’T HAVE A BAND!

At e-studio-drummer we like to break down important aspects that are often overlooked. Often these aspects are overlooked to looked for different reasons. Inexperience is the first stumbling block. Trying to prematurely look ‘cool’ is often the biggest culprit. While sometimes this can work in your favor more often it’s an impediment.

YOU are the foundation of the music. Of course this works in concert with the rhythm section as well. But think of it as building a house. You are the framer. But first and foremost you are the creator of the foundation. The foundation is literally and figuratively the ‘bottom line’.
Very precise! In e-studio-drummer mentality, you are ‘framing a house’. Inches and fractions of inches matter, akin to the literal foundation and co-framer of a house.
If you alone, are out by an inch or less creating this foundation, by the time you get 2 stories up in the framing of a house you’ve got major problems.
For eg. If you screw up the measurement or the cut of an important structural beam, you’ve screwed up the house’s structure exponentially as the construction above this mistake continues! In our case, the ‘construction’ above us are the live band members and/or overdubs that are being added on top of the foundation you’re creating.

Of course we are human and not perfect. But we all continue to strive for more precision AND more creativity. Great creativity and fluidity is not that far off from plum lines, leveling and measuring.
But it all starts at this foundational level.

Give a lot of attention to note length. Discover and practice note duration. If you’re underpinning a large band for example and you have pauses and rests in the music you have to understand note length. I played brass for years before drums which was a great foundation for this aspect. Be aware of this very important aspect.

Being second nature with a click track or metronome is the bedrock of this. Burning note length into your head is not only when you’re playing and controlling a band large or small. It’s also when you’re resting for 2 beats, a bar or more. Learn how to perhaps mark enough time for the band members if necessary. If someone tends to rush or drag for example, mark time with perhaps a light hi hat to keep everyone on the same page

For starters, a physical aspect,

Thinking of our focus on foundation you have to have a solid throne. Have you ever observed a pianist and how they will meticulously adjust their throne/stool height and positioning so as to maximize their performance, endurance and musicality?
We have this very important foundational issue as well. When we have 4 limbs in motion often with a huge amount of physicality you have to have this obvious but so often overlooked piece of gear nailed.

ONCE YOU HAVE A VERY SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THIS FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL YOU CAN START TO ‘MOVE’ ASPECTS OF THE INSTRUMENT WITH FULL INTENTION, AS IN ‘BACKBEATS’ETC

More discussion on this aspect coming from e-studio-drummer.com!

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Studio Drummer – Tricks For Tendonitis

October 7, 2016

We musicians and studio players are all prown to have repetitive motion issues!  Guitar players have it bad as well.  I had an issue with my shoulder for a couple of years.  It was very painful to play anything above shoulder height.  Since then I’ve had very deep tendonitis in my right forearm.  It’s been a constant bother.

I did find an answer though.  It was not a medical centre, pills or anti-inflam’s.  For me it was topical extra strength Voltarin anti-inflamatory cream that my doc recommended I try.  There is a light version and an extra strength version.  It made a remarkable difference right away!  And by using it on an ongoing basis it helped my body get ahead of the inflamation and eventually correct itself.   I highly recommend it.  It’s not expensive and it’s not perscription.

Another trick to try if you’re in a bind and you have to play but the pain is taking over.  WD40!  Yup sounds crazy.  A great guitar player friend of mine told me about it.  Spray some of it on the affected area an hour or so before you play.  I don’t recommend using it ongoing being a petroleum product but it might help you through a one time emergency…

Cheers and good health!

 

 

 

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Studio Drummer – Know When Not To Be Overruled By A Producer

June 5, 2015

I’m going to be short and sweet about this but let me say this.  You have to know when to stand your ground as a player.  This is especially relevent if you’re in a band.  Don’t get me wrong, producers are a necessary and vital element in a music production.  There is a constant issue that arises though.  The issue is that producers often like to change things, change ideas for the sake of change and also to be able to lay claim to those changes.  A producer may usually have the final say and it’s important to respect that.  However you may have times when you feel strongly about a musical issue, or a concept that you’ve worked out that you want to contend for.  Times happen when you have to stand for those ideas, as uncomfortable as they may be.
I’ve been in band situations where parts and musical ideas have been very worked out.  They also hold a certain band dynamic, an energy if you will, that embodies the song or at least the version of the song that you’ve collectively created.  I’ve seen situations and been a part of them where a ‘producer’ will come in and run roughshod over everything you’ve worked on.  The problem that also arises is that there’s times when these producers have been brought in at good expense.

There does come a time when you have to contend for your ideas, your vision and concepts.  That can be like running into a brick wall at time when you’re trying to bring your most harmonious performance without and blockage and bad energy..

There lies the rub as they say..  It’s a balance of maintaining creativity against the machine in a sense.  The ‘machine’ can be the producer, the ego, the overbearing domination at times but .. that’s what I leave you to think about.

How much do you trust your concepts, your ideas and also equally important, how much are you willing to be a student, to have open ears and be willing to accept change and adapt and incorporate others ideas?

It’s a challenge isn’t it?  I’ve experienced it and it’s still a challenge to this day.  However there are times that I strongly contend for my position when I feel it’s in the best interest of the song and the artist, even if it is uncomfortable.  The song and the integrity of the project have to override not only the players views but also the producer’s at times as well.  A great producer will accept a contending viewpoint, at least as an alternative if it is presented properly and respectfully by you as the musician.

 

 

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Studio Drummer – DAW Recording – Increase Your Studio Ability

March 30, 2014

*AS A RULE, RECORDING FULL TAKES WILL INCREASE YOUR STUDIO ABILITY.*

 

I find that most producers today, given the ease and the speed tend to record in sections instead of entire takes.  As a result there are a whole generations of players, studio players included that have never been subject to one of the toughest skills that a session player was once required to have and still should possess.

 

This of course means your utmost execution and musicality throughout the entire piece of music. It also means precision against a click track and correct reading and interpretation of the chart in front of you.  And on top of this it means that bringing the fifth element, the quintessential element being your outstanding style and interpretation.

 

And don’t forget that tape has not gone away completely especially on very high end productions. 

 

*THERE ARE PRODUCERS AND ENGINEERS THAT STILL SWEAR BY THE SOUND OF TAPE.*

 

 They swear by it because of what’s called tape distortion, a certain tape compression and distortion that happens with analog tape that sounds sonically huge to the ear.  So as a studio drummer you should have the skills needed to play entire takes if you’re called for one of these sessions!

 

*LET’S TALK ABOUT DRUM EDITING.*

 

Of course with the advent of extremely powerful digital recording platforms many borderline performance issues can be adjusted or rescued with time shifting and quantization.  This can work well in your favor although as I was saying earlier you wouldn’t have had that luxury 20 years ago and nor would you if you were called into an analog recording situation today!

 

Digital editing, as well as having many advantages also has large and inherently dangerous disadvantages to you as a player that you need to be aware of.  This is something I’ve encountered many times in my business.

 

See coming post with more on this topic…

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Studio Drummer – Final thought regarding Chart Reading!

March 30, 2014

*FINALLY…*

 

 

This skill is one that just cannot be overlooked.  Decide to dedicate a percentage of your practice and attention to it. 

 

*REMEMBER*

 

If you can read competently as a drummer it puts you immediately into different league and will open up many new avenues of work!

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Studio Drummer – Chart Reading – First things First!

March 29, 2014

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

 

When I get a chart on a session I do the following;

 

I figure out the ‘road map’ so to speak. 

 

Are there repeats? Is there a DS, is there a DC, is there a DS al coda?


What are the dynamic markings, are there tacits, are there rals or rits, first and second endings etc?

 

By the way, never feel bad about clearing up issues around a chart and the way it’s ‘reading down’ so to speak.  What often happens is that you’re actually noticing a chart error on a session before the other musicians.  This happens very frequently since producers and writers are often cramming to finish a chart for a session.  At the very least it shows that you have a reading awareness and producers take note and appreciate this fact.

 

Then I move to tricky rhythmical phrases, ones that I don’t immediately recognize and I take a moment to interpret them.

 

 

*ONCE I’VE ESTABLISHED THAT I MOVE TO A PERSONAL TRICK THAT I USE THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO INCORPORATE.* 

 

A lot of chart writers put a different amount of bars on each stave.  This can be annoying and confusing if you’re looking away from the chart constantly.  What I do is I mark 4 and 8 bar sections all the way down the chart with a pencil.  Being that we normally feel western music in 4 and 8 bar phrases this is something you should try.  I’ve found it to be a very helpful navigational tool.

 

This way if I have a poorly written, hard to decipher chart that has different bar amounts on each line (and perhaps no chord changes written so it’s just a bar chart)  I can look away from the chart and look back and immediately know where I am.  This little trick has been invaluable to me over the years.

 

Since we have the unenviable task of playing such a physical instrument as well as not being able to look directly at the chart as well as having to so constantly divert our eyes away from the chart, every little helper we can discover for ourselves will be most helpful!

tune in for the next installment regarding reading tips!

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