the end of drum solos

I found an article about the demise of the rock drum solo with an interview with Neil Peart...

Here

Some funny comments on how solos sound to a non-drummer [img]wink.gif[/img]

he keeps waltz time, 3/4 rhythm (PA-tah-tah, PA-tah-tah) with his feet, while playing lightning-fast 6/8 and 7/8 drum fills across his other drums. In terms of physical coordination, this is something like playing badminton with two rackets while typing with your feet. But if you hadn't been enlightened, you might think it just sounds like billiard balls in a dryer.

i just started in a new band about 6 months ago....they kinda encourage (force) [img]mad.gif[/img] me to do solos every night...i know i play a pretty damn good solo, [img]wink.gif[/img] but the crowd just seems slightly more than mildly entertained. [img]eek.gif[/img] i think they make me do it so the rest of the band can all take a quick piss! [img]graemlins/whatever.gif[/img]

A few thoughts, if I may.

I think it's caused by too many drummers not playing musically. Many folks don't view the drum as a musical instrument. It's partly a function of some cultures not being rhythmically sophisticated (this never seems to be a problem on Afro Cuban or Brazilian gigs, and Indian crowds don't empty the room when the tabla or mrdingam player solos). It's also a function of many drummers not being musical, and not playing something folks can move their bodies to. Hence the rush to the snack bar.

In any situation, it's about reaching the people you're playing to, and playing the music for what it is, not what we wish we were playing at the moment. If we're not playing for an audience of musicians, we may have to be a little more overt. It may help the audience to have the rest of the band comp while the drummer solos; that way folks can follow the logic (or lack of it) more clearly. Building a solo off a second line thing can help too. One can very easily take a street beat, get folks dancing, and shift it around the kit, making it sound different, while playing the same basic rhythm. That's essentially what Krupa did on Sing Sing Sing.

In these situations, I think it's essential to think as a composer, rather than a drummer. This is a significant role change when one spends most of one's time grooving, but if that's what the music requests, we have to deliver. Or someone else will.

I'm not advocating doing the same thing every time, just being deliberate and systematic in organizing the ideas of the moment. If non- musicians sense logic, they'll be more likely to listen. They don't care if one can play one handed rolls or 7 over 19 over 3 over 5; for them, it's got to feel good, make sense, and burn.

It's also important, when out of ideas, to cease. Quantity is not quality. Segue into the next tune.


R

I agree with all of the comments above...

I also think its really important for people to be able to hear a pulse in a solo, even if it gets disguised every so often- it gives the listener something to latch on to.The first person I think of when it comes to this is Steve Gadd.