Totally understand what you're saying about expectations of drummers these days - everything's so 'perfect'. But good musicians expect humanity in their music and what Dick says I totally agree with. The drummer is in charge - don't let anyone tell you different. With WikiLoops, in my very short time here so far and at risk of sounding like a cop-out, it's up to you what you play. That's the point of this place - everybody will approach things differently and it's that enormous scope of creativity that makes this place so enticing to me.
I've been playing for 32 years now and I've played a hell of a lot of gigs and recordings in that time. I'm not a professional - not by any stretch of the imagination - but I consider myself sufficiently 'experienced' these days. All I can offer you is my approach to playing in general, not just here. So here's a list of my thoughts on the matter. Sorry if I go on too long or am patronising - I don't mean to be.
- Make sure you're well versed in using a click. It should be second nature playing to one. It's very obvious when you can hear a drummer fighting to get back with the click.
- Listen to the track you're putting the drums on. What little pushes, phrases or themes are there you you can pick out, especially the bass if it's present? It's the little inflections like these which can really make you sound like you belong to the track - it might just be an open hi-hat accent or something but it can really make a difference. Then there's context: what sort of beat works best? Try a few out. Some tunes it's pretty obvious but others you could do all manner if different feels and transform the direction of the tune. Quite often the simpler the beat, the more effective it will be. As my first drum teacher said, "if you do a gig and no one notices you then you've done your job properly"!
- Fire up the metronome and keep playing round and round it until the tempo is ingrained. Do not record and do not play to the track. When I've been in the studio, I ask the engineer to just leave the click running and I doss about until it's rooted into me. Then I'm ready to record.
- I operate a three-take rule. If I don't get the track within three takes, I either move on to another one or take a break before coming back to it. Each subsequent take removes some of the freshness from the playing for me so if I haven't got it within three, I go for a smoke and a coffee or something then come back to it.
- Feel/Groove. This is number one. It's not what you play but how you play it. That's not just the type of beat you play but the dynamics within each stroke. Watch any professional play, in particular the hi-hat/ride, and there's an efficiency and fluidity to their movements, along with an ebb and flow to the sticks. It's these internal dynamics, no matter how slight, of the beat that gives it groove.
- Fills. If they don't flow or don't fit, don't use them. I tend to prefer small fills integrated as part of the beat - extra hi-hat or snare hits, etc. - to maintain flow. Big fills are reserved only for announcing changes in the music. Try playing four on the floor for two minutes without a single fill or variation. It's harder than it sounds!
- Don't get too uptight about mistakes, apart from timing errors as they can be glaring. A stick collision here, mis-hit cymbal there may annoy you but no-one else will really care or notice. And once everyone else adds their stuff, it probably can't be noticed anyway. To quote the same drum teacher again, "if you make a mistake, do it again and make it look like you meant to do it!"
A bit more than 2p there but I hope it helps.
Edited by
mpointon on March 02 2015 23:47