After I did a little more digging, I found this video by Brandon Khoo.
I like his style.
For my own growth as a drummer, I listen to my self playing drums. Nowadays, I use my cell phone to record Mass so I can listen to what I sounded like whenever I want to do so. This is not a new practice / method for me. I've always done this - recording myself playing drums - dating back to before I was even in a band in my parent's basement. When I would practice drums, I'd use a boom box and cassettes, which I still have in the sump pump storage room. I also recorded rehearsals and performances with Assume, various practice sessions in that basement, Old Stew, and Free Beer / Corporate Prisoner on cassettes. Later, when I played in Lou's Classic Ride, I used a micro recorder that I borrowed from a former co-worker. Eventually, I transitioned to using my cell phone instead of cassette tapes to create recordings of Uncle Rico the Band and auditions with other Ideal Bands.
Why? Am I obsessed with my own drumming?
No.
I do this because I do want to be able to serve the Music, not Me, when I play drums.
It doesn't really matter when I've played drums - from playing alone or with other musicians. I want to grow as a drummer. I don't want to play the same beat that every other drummer in the world plays. I felt that way the other night when I was practicing on the Yamaha electronic drums. As I played along with the pre-programmed tunes in the brain of the Yamaha set, I focused on the patterns that repeat - think verse, chorus, verse, chorus - in an endless loop. I intentionally tried to play "insane" patterns - that served Me, not the Music - during some of the cycles. I did that to foster creativity. After a cycle of playing an "insane" pattern, I would revert to playing a beat that served the Music, not Me. I actually found that being able to dial back the "insane" pattern to be a challenge during the "sane" pattern cycles. I plan to explore that challenge in future practice sessions. Of all the videos on the "All Videos of Me Playing Drums" page, I think this one - where I achieve the balance I crave. I play soft during the verse so that the drums are felt, not overbearing. I then have a hint at flashy during the "I've been waiting..." part of the song. During Brian's solo, I'm intentionally playing soft again.
Damn, I love the way we played that tune. Brian's guitar playing is spot-on, Matthew's bass locks in with my pattern, and Joe? Well, he belts out the lyrics with emotion.
Editor's Note: For videos, see https://prhmusic.blogspot.com/p/videos-of-me-playing-drums.html
No comments:
Post a Comment