<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 12, 2005 09:57 AM: Message edited by: Groovemeister ]</font>
Lovely words matricks. I guess that the music you are playing on some level has inspired you, it must be good writing to make you feel this way. Good for you to have this attitude! Not everything we play is going to make us smile or move us (as in this cue!) but once again, it puts us in a different playing role, where we are forced to leave our left foot clave's and double bass sextuplets at the door and put on a different hat entirely.
Even though we discuss the use of chops and technique a lot, we sometimes (IMO) neglect the basic fundamentals of being able to sight read, interpret charts and work with writers/producers as in matricks post, in order to realsise the music.
It's worth mentioning that nowadays more and more writers use pc's to print out what they have 'played in' (on the keyboard) as there drum track and when it's printed out, it can look like a fly has just shat on the page!! "This is your part" says the producer - "Thanks a f%ucking lot" I reply! "Now if you'll just explain to me how I'm meant to decipher this sh1t, we can get on!!!"
Well not exactly like that, but you get the idea. Writers are NOT drummers and in fact the drum kit can be a total mystery to them, but sometimes it is our job to interpret their parts, no matter how badly written they can be. This needs a different skill altogether!
Cheers matricks.... by the way, you've been on top form the last couple of days by the way! What's up with you? You must be getting some! [img]wink.gif[/img] Or is it just that Summer is on it's way?!?!
[img]biggrin.gif[/img] hehe!! [img]cool.gif[/img]
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 12, 2005 09:57 AM: Message edited by: Groovemeister ]</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Matricks,Originally posted by matricks:
I jump at the opportunity to be, what is essentially 'meat'... gigs where i am there to just lay it down and get out. I feel lucky that i am the tool they use to bring whatever they are working on, to life.
this is so so true. When I tell people about my job, they often say, "Yeah, but are you in a band". As it happens I am in a band, but my main source of income is session stuff.
I think people on the outside often interpret a session guy's life to be solitary and boring, they couldn't be more wrong, (60% of my work is usually with the same pool of guys who are now my close friends)...
Just like you said, I am at my proudest when I have just had a call to play a jingle/film/pop date. Being a hired gun is the most flattering thing in the world. Out of all the drummers they could call, they've called me. It's a beautiful thing that people trust me enough to pass control over, to take what they dream and make it into a reality... There is nothing better than that in my mind...
MP
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 12, 2005 09:56 AM: Message edited by: Groovemeister ]</font>
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 12, 2005 09:56 AM: Message edited by: Groovemeister ]</font>
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 12, 2005 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Groovemeister ]</font>
Yeah it does, thanks dazz. As you said, the best gig which sat the nicest was when you played quieter. That's exactly what I'm finding now. Everything just flows more. But as you said, there's times when the volume has to come up louder, such as in big band. I just need to find a way where, when I'm playing very loud, that I don't lose the precision and grooviness I have when I'm playing a bit quieter. I can handle any volume, and I do enjoy playing hard. But, the flow of my wrists just is't as smooth when I'm hitting harder. When I say I'm playing quieter, I guess I'm playing at f, rather than ff. Hard enough to get a nice tone from the toms and a nice rimshot, but not hard enough to be breaking sticks.
Actually, let me elaborate a bit more. The gig I'm doing has tracks which I get through my cans, but there's no click. Just some drums or percussion, even one and two bar breaks with absolutely nothing going on. Now, when I was playing really hard, I was still staying in time with it all, but, there were instances of my beats coming down early or late. But the gig I did on the weekend where I played quieter, everything was bang on. About 30 segue songs per set one after the other, and I think I nailed just about every backbeat with no late or early hits. Well, one or two, but compared to before, the difference was incredible.
Hey Dazz, thanks for the listen....
Just curious, do you know if your drum part was edited after the fact?
Cheers
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Dazzler:
"This is your part" says the producer - "Thanks a f%ucking lot" I reply! "Now if you'll just explain to me how I'm meant to decipher this sh1t, we can get on!!!"<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">At this point, your humble correspondent takes his life in his hands...Originally posted by Dazzler:
According to the sax player who was on the gig, the best I played (or the gig that he enjoyed the most) was the night after a very heavy drinking session and I was still worse for wear!! That night, I played a lot quieter and if I remember, it all seemed to sit a lot better and I wasn't forcing the issue shall we say.
[img]eek.gif[/img]
I realise that in the first quote you were exaggerating for effect, and that in the second you were referring to live rather than session, but ... might these have any part to play in your questions in the other thread, about the psychology of freelancing? You did seem to be playing quite hard in this particular clip, for example, and you do have a ... er ... robust way of presenting your views.
This is a genuine question - no implied smart-arsery at play.
(At this point, Moose hides under the stairs and covers his testicles [img]confused.gif[/img] )
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