Advice for the waiting drummer

[NUTHA JASON]

Noodlin’ around…

Almost nothing will lose you brownie points outside of the actual gig more than sitting there playing random excerpts and (in your eyes) warming up. We all do it. A bit of Rosanna, a roll around the toms…oops that wasn’t too tidy… let’s do it again…ahh better …one more time to be sure…hey that was an interesting accent pattern in there ..let’s bring those down to the snare…now a roll…how’s the ride sounding today?…lets try a stream of triplets on the bass drum…whoa! Not neat at all…lets do that a few times slower shall we?….etc’ and then we look up and get a filthy look from our bassist or the bouncer or club owner or if in the studio perhaps the engineer. Lost in our own little word with one of the loudest instruments on the planet…hmmm. Not a good thing. It can look and sound very unprofessional. It can reveal some pretty horrible things about your chops and it can make everyone around you sick of your drums before you even start the actual playing.
It may be nervous energy or it may just be boredom. We often hide it behind the label: ‘warming up’ or ‘sound checking’. But it stands out most to us drummers when we are in a shared gig with a few other bands and then the other drummers do it. Then we see why it can be so bad.
For my part I never get nervous for gigs at all. So it is boredom. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the other people’s view on noodling. Heck I hate it when a guitarist feels the need to test every effect on his pedals or if a keyboardist at practice goes through his library of 2000 sounds to find the one that works for the song (something that should have been done at home). I believe ears can get tired and noodling from anyone in the band sets up a fatigue that will affect the practice for the band and the audience/staff at the gig. Background music is okay because we are able to tune it out. Our brain has heard a lot of it before and the music becomes the soundtrack to the movie of our lives. But random music or noise is hard to ignore. Our brain wants to listen to it, organise it, figure it out…we are alert to it and so part of our runtime is devoted to it whether we like it or not. And that makes us tired. I’m talking about us who are not noodling of course. It is a bad idea to make people tired of you before you start.
So what do we do about it?
In this thread I want to primarily talk about this from the noodler’s point of view. What can you do in the hour or more between the legitimate sound check and the actual gig?

I know we have a lot of experience here so I hope we get ideas from all of you.

My solutions that I use are:

- my toolbox (a small akg mic case) has a practice pad taped to its lid. I put it on my snare and hammer away silently
- I have a set of tala wands (rods if you like) and also brushes. I play along to the house music. First I make sure all my mics aren’t live. Then also I play mostly jazz concentrating on feathering my bass. Its fun to try to fit jazz onto whatever is playing on the house system. It’s amazing how flexible it is.
- I go and sit in my car and play on the steering wheel which has a great bounce, with the radio on and my feet on the pedals.
- In the studio I try to snag some earphones and listen to the guide track over and over while the other guys are getting ready. I air drum a lot.

j

[murphinelli]

Stay off the kit...practice rudiments on your leg. It is a great temptation to fiddle around on the kit....and annoying to everyone else. Especially during a rehearsal situation where time is precious. The more time wasted with people (not just drummers) noodling around...the less rehearsal time you have. Warm up on your knee and keep quite.

[gmrakich]

We do a sound check of ONE song and leave it in the hands of the sound guy. I spend the hour before carb loading and stretching and trying to remember little known Monty Python bits.

[T.Underhill]

We always use the first song as the sound check. Beforehand everyone tests the guitars, keys, vox and drums with a couple notes just to ensure they're on and working. Our board doesn't change much between the places we play so going right into the first set turns out decent. For the drums we concentrate mostly on bass and snare with about 10-15 hits before the show starts. Then the toms 2-3 times around. Since the drums are dialed in permanantly there's no longer a need for the "play the whole thang for me!"

The way I see it, you're gonna have a solid setlist before you play. Are you going to be playing random songs as they pop up in your mind? Not likely. So then don't screw around with your 3,000 keyboard sounds and stop playing your guitar through the amp. There's ways to warm up...silently! My one pet peeve is noodling in between songs. Dead air, playing the first two bars of every song to make sure you got it right, etc. You should go right into the song. I relate it to a drummer who has to practice the intro fills to songs all the time, it sounds unprofessional. So let's limit the noodling hahah!!!

"What can you do in the hour or more between the legitimate sound check and the actual gig?" Relax, mingle, have a beer.

[Mr. Pasquini]

Well, I have no drum gigging experience, but I've played concert violin many times. Noodling makes everyone mad and seems like you don't really know what you're doing. I always find a friend and chat or I play in the air. I also like to walk around and check out the venue. Make sure of where everything is and you know learn all the kinda secret places you can find in the venue. I used to play in a theatre at a local university a lot; I found all these great places I could just go and see everyone in the crowd but them not notice me. Things like that. Figure out something else that interests you. Talk with a friend. Check the house equipment and learn things about it. That's what I've always done when I'm bored pre-show

[wy yung]

Good thread idea.

I used to noodle back in the early days. I was lucky to realize just how annoying this was. Possibly because I heard other drummers do it. These days I prefer to take care of business. Noodling isn't business, so I don't do it. It's very rude to noodle when people are trying to discuss music.

To warm up there are a number of options. One can always play on a chair, knee, practice pad etc. I like to warm up early and then just sit and talk with people before the show. I also do not get nervous, so it's easy to have a conversation. It also doesn't matter if I don't know the tunes. If I screw up, that's okay. Nobody's going to die. For example I have a rhumba gig this coming Sunday. I've tried to get a song list or a recording, all to no avail. So I'll just use my ears and listen carefully. The reason I mention this is because if one is noodling, one isn't listening. I tend to feel that listening skill is on an equal footing with any other technique. So stop noodling and start listening!!!! :-)

[Auger]

Nicely said Wy,

Yeah -noodling is bad. It's not only amateurish, it's also really annoying as J pointed out.

I would always try to get out from behind the drum set. If I had my first choice, it would always be T's suggestion, but when the band I used to play for was making a serious push, if we actually had an hour after we set up and we were in the city where there was foot-traffic outside, we'd be out there handing out flyers and trying to spread the word about the gig or even just getting people to just visit our website -sometimes we'd split up and spread out for a couple of block radius. There was also networking inside the club if there were contacts that we wanted to make or strengthen already inside.

We had a regular monthly gig where this wasn't necessary, however, and I used to really enjoy the time relaxing before our set -it was a 3 hour set, so I was in no rush to get behind the drums.

But, sometimes a little planned noodling is needed too. It's almost impossible to plan out a setlist for a 3 hour set -we'd try, but, once your an hour and a half in and see what the crowd is responding to, your initial choice might seem wrong, or the singer's voice isn't holding out for certain tunes, or somebody breaks a string or something happens where there's a pause to deal with something. Well, the only thing worse than random noodling is a silent club. It doesn't seem like much time on stage but, it may seem like an eternity in the audience.

At this point, I'd usually start playing something -not just noodling, but an actual beat- and one of the other guys in group who wasn't pre-occupied would join me on bass or guitar. The thing is that it was important to do this QUIETLY ...all we were trying to do was give a little background noise so the place didn't feel silent. This is also only a good idea for a long set -something over an hour. Short sets we would rarely deviate from the planned list and never pause if we could possibly help it. Your style might make this a bad idea: we were sort of a jazzy/jam-y platform where this sort of thing was often even enjoyed by the audience (we often got applause, haha). But, after all that rambling, my point is that, while noodling is very bad -so is silence for more than a second or two.

Also, now that I’m thinking about it, my other advice is that, if you're in a situation where you get introduced, make sure you're ready to start IMMEDIATELY after the MC says your name. Nothing's worse than "ladies and gentlemen, NAME OF BAND" ...cricket chirping ...(spoken away from mic 'dude, are you ready? what are we starting with again?")

[jazzgregg]

Noodlin’ around…

Almost nothing will lose you brownie points outside of the actual gig more than sitting there playing random excerpts and (in your eyes) warming up. We all do it. A bit of Rosanna, a roll around the toms…oops that wasn’t too tidy… let’s do it again…ahh better …one more time to be sure…hey that was an interesting accent pattern in there ..let’s bring those down to the snare…now a roll…how’s the ride sounding today?…lets try a stream of triplets on the bass drum…whoa! Not neat at all…lets do that a few times slower shall we?….etc’ and then we look up and get a filthy look from our bassist or the bouncer or club owner or if in the studio perhaps the engineer. Lost in our own little word with one of the loudest instruments on the planet…hmmm. Not a good thing. It can look and sound very unprofessional. It can reveal some pretty horrible things about your chops and it can make everyone around you sick of your drums before you even start the actual playing.
It may be nervous energy or it may just be boredom. We often hide it behind the label: ‘warming up’ or ‘sound checking’. But it stands out most to us drummers when we are in a shared gig with a few other bands and then the other drummers do it. Then we see why it can be so bad.
For my part I never get nervous for gigs at all. So it is boredom. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the other people’s view on noodling. Heck I hate it when a guitarist feels the need to test every effect on his pedals or if a keyboardist at practice goes through his library of 2000 sounds to find the one that works for the song (something that should have been done at home). I believe ears can get tired and noodling from anyone in the band sets up a fatigue that will affect the practice for the band and the audience/staff at the gig. Background music is okay because we are able to tune it out. Our brain has heard a lot of it before and the music becomes the soundtrack to the movie of our lives. But random music or noise is hard to ignore. Our brain wants to listen to it, organise it, figure it out…we are alert to it and so part of our runtime is devoted to it whether we like it or not. And that makes us tired. I’m talking about us who are not noodling of course. It is a bad idea to make people tired of you before you start.
So what do we do about it?
In this thread I want to primarily talk about this from the noodler’s point of view. What can you do in the hour or more between the legitimate sound check and the actual gig?

I know we have a lot of experience here so I hope we get ideas from all of you.

My solutions that I use are:

- my toolbox (a small akg mic case) has a practice pad taped to its lid. I put it on my snare and hammer away silently
- I have a set of tala wands (rods if you like) and also brushes. I play along to the house music. First I make sure all my mics aren’t live. Then also I play mostly jazz concentrating on feathering my bass. Its fun to try to fit jazz onto whatever is playing on the house system. It’s amazing how flexible it is.
- I go and sit in my car and play on the steering wheel which has a great bounce, with the radio on and my feet on the pedals.
- In the studio I try to snag some earphones and listen to the guide track over and over while the other guys are getting ready. I air drum a lot.

j

Here's what you do: Shut up.

What I mean is, noodling is noodling wherever you do it. Take that time before you HAVE to play to NOT play. Wy Yung has the best suggestions here so far (especially the 'stop noodling and start listening' bit). I get really annoyed when drummers do what you are talking about J. I don't understand- tune your stuff before had- you know how good (or crappy) it sounds already- T. Underhill mentions using the first tune as sound check- this is pretty standard. Also- warm up at home. Do a few stretches that take under 5 minutes total.

Playing to other music I imagine would stray your focus, unless you are in a cover band in which case you'd literally likely be practicing along to the tunes you will be playing.

I'm surprised that you of all people J, with your mental ideas would advocate doing so much literal practice before a gig. I say don't. I say relax, chat with people (or to no one, whatever you prefer) go for a walk. Clear your head- no amount of noodling or playing rudiments on various surfaces will help you play well if you're head is not where it needs to be.

G

[wy yung]

Thanks Auger.

Just to slightly get off topic, is that 3 hour set one long set without a break?

Back on topic: what Auger describes is a professional version of noodling. It's called thinking on your feet and understanding what's important; i.e. the audience.

[jazzgregg]

Thanks Auger.

Just to slightly get off topic, is that 3 hour set one long set without a break?

Back on topic: what Auger describes is a professional version of noodling. It's called thinking on your feet and understanding what's important; i.e. the audience.

Exactly. Auger, I didn't see your post until after I posted mine. Well said indeed!
G

[NUTHA JASON]

I'm surprised that you of all people J, with your mental ideas would advocate doing so much literal practice before a gig

why not? i set up at 8:30 and go on at 9:30 or ten at most of my gigs. there is lots of chatting and a few swigs but i love drumming and gravitate to the set for 20 odd minutes for a bit of silent noodling (brushes and feather bass) usually. i can then make a few micro adjustments to my mic set up, cymbals and throne and sitting there playing a jazz pattern to a girls aloud song or a bonjovi tune wakes up my drumming brain and settles me mentally into the job at hand. since i can barely hear the kit over the house it is more of a preshow warm up. if i had to warm up at home as you suggest i would be cold by the time i start (some gigs i have to leave home at 6:00)

and yes i am in a covers band.

no, what i'm referring to in this thread is more what a guy can do insteady of the annoying noodling - the loud random stuff. at leytonstone oniels where we play once a month they have these little stools with a sponge and leather covering which are so perfect in terms of bounce that i have often been tempted to pack one up with my kit and bring it home. when we play there i always go and find one of the stools and take it to the band hang area for warming up. even so the stage is very dark in the 2 hours before we start and the DJ plays very loud so i creep onstage 20 - 30 mins before the show for some brushwork.

j

[Auger]

Just to slightly get off topic, is that 3 hour set one long set without a break?


nah -we usually took two short breaks.

[jazzgregg]

why not? i set up at 8:30 and go on at 9:30 or ten at most of my gigs. there is lots of chatting and a few swigs but i love drumming and gravitate to the set for 20 odd minutes for a bit of silent noodling (brushes and feather bass) usually. i can then make a few micro adjustments to my mic set up, cymbals and throne and sitting there playing a jazz pattern to a girls aloud song or a bonjovi tune wakes up my drumming brain and settles me mentally into the job at hand. since i can barely hear the kit over the house it is more of a preshow warm up. if i had to warm up at home as you suggest i would be cold by the time i start (some gigs i have to leave home at 6:00)

and yes i am in a covers band.

no, what i'm referring to in this thread is more what a guy can do insteady of the annoying noodling - the loud random stuff. at leytonstone oniels where we play once a month they have these little stools with a sponge and leather covering which are so perfect in terms of bounce that i have often been tempted to pack one up with my kit and bring it home. when we play there i always go and find one of the stools and take it to the band hang area for warming up. even so the stage is very dark in the 2 hours before we start and the DJ plays very loud so i creep onstage 20 - 30 mins before the show for some brushwork.

j

How is this different than other noodling? Is it because you 'have a purpose' in that you're playing to tunes? Just because no one can hear you very much does not mean they can't see you and that it doesn't look (is) unprofessional.

Noodling is noodling. Volume is irrelevant. This is why I think there are alternatives to going up on stange and 'quietly' noodling.
G

[murphinelli]

even so the stage is very dark in the 2 hours before we start and the DJ plays very loud so i creep onstage 20 - 30 mins before the show for some brushwork.
j

no offense j and others that might do this....i find even this annoying, unprofessional, and uncool. when i'm sitting at a bar (jazz, rock, or whatever) having a beer waiting for the show to start...the last thing i want to see the drummer doing (or any of the musicians) is on stage practicing...i don't care if i can hear it or not...i'd much rather see the drummer hangin' with the band or the audience having a beverage...shooting the breeze...than playing up there before the show. stay off the stage until the music starts....

[jazzgregg]

no offense j and others that might do this....i find even this annoying, unprofessional, and uncool. when i'm sitting at a bar (jazz, rock, or whatever) having a beer waiting for the show to start...the last thing i want to see the drummer doing (or any of the musicians) is on stage practicing...i don't care if i can hear it or not...i'd much rather see the drummer hangin' with the band or the audience having a beverage...shooting the breeze...than playing up there before the show. stay off the stage until the music starts....

Did you just agree with me?

G

[murphinelli]

Did you just agree with me?

G


Hard to believe isn't it? Miracles do happen....but then again I agree with a lot of what you say. However, that is on a different Forum....;-)

[wy yung]

even so the stage is very dark in the 2 hours before we start and the DJ plays very loud so i creep onstage 20 - 30 mins before the show for some brushwork.

j

No offence.

I would never do this. I too consider this very unprofessional. The stage should await the band so that when the band comes on, the lights go up and the show begins. There's an element of mystery in an unoccupied stage. Then a sense of excitement and expectation when the band walks on. Or when the lights go down and the background music stops. The anticipation.........

Seeing a drummer up on stage, or any other musician practicing, totally destroys the atmosphere.

Of course sometimes it is impossible not to be on stage. There may be problems, such as breakdown of equipment or someone arriving late. But in an ideal situation, no person should be practicing on stage.

At least that's my opinion. Many club owners, agents, managers and bandleaders have agreed with me over the years.

EDIT.
There may have been some who didn't. But I never heard anything.

[karan733]

one could argue that joey jordison noodles before every gig! :D



*steps away from what is about to happen*

[NUTHA JASON]

no offense taken. i guess it depends on the gig. my gigs ...that is, the places i play at, this is not a problem and is not judged the way you think. they only care that there is no sound disturbing the house music. many times my presence on the stage has generated excitement in the crowd and i am often called to the stage front for a chat. on our lower stages other drummers come up and stand around the kit and we talk. as you can guess from my participation on this forum i love talking drums.

and gregg. i defined noodling in my first post. there is no need for you to redefine it nor presume to lecture me so. noodling is anything a musician does that makes unecessary sound in a place. relative to the house my quiet drumming is not noodling per se. i'm also talking about during sound check, set up and even in the practice room. you don't know me nor have attended any gigs of mine so i find your harsh judgement of my professionalism offensive. please don't try to derail this thread from its original purpose by petty arguments.

j

[wy yung]

no offense taken. i guess it depends on the gig. my gigs ...that is, the places i play at, this is not a problem and is not judged the way you think. they only care that there is no sound disturbing the house music. many times my presence on the stage has generated excitement in the crowd and i am often called to the stage front for a chat. on our lower stages other drummers come up and stand around the kit and we talk. as you can guess from my participation on this forum i love talking drums.


j

Thanks for that. I was actually a bit worried you'd take offence. The fact of the matter is we all have differing experience. (I've been playing, stopping, checking the thread. Going back to playing, stopping...) For most of the shows I've played, it wasn't really a consideration to be up on stage before a show.

I'm pretty much a new comer here. Being a bit slow, I had no idea there was a forum on site. It seems to me to be a very good community. Many posters obviously have much experience. I think as long as people realize we all have different experience, everything should be okay.

Jason, I've very much enjoyed reading your posts so far. I look forward to reading more.

[NUTHA JASON]

the feeling is mutual wy yung.

in the short time you have been here i have found every post of yours full of quality.

and as an aside, i don't noodle er...silently, at every gig. some gigs we do are so crowded that the stage is a haven for the band (reading o'niels for example) others the stage is very lit up and open plan and at those we sort of rush the stage to applause at the start a la beatles style. each place and sometimes each night is a whole different situation.

j

[wy yung]

Thanks for that. It means a lot.

[rendezvous_drummer]

I bought a Vic firth practice pad with the beads to give it the snare sound. I'll go find a corner, bring my throne there and just do rudiments for the warmup to get me away from the kit. Sometimes before a gig, I won't warmup. I go out and talk with the audience. I find that always pumps me up and to go outside with my IPOD and just listen to music with great grooving going on (LMJ, Mitch Mitchell, etc.).

[NUTHA JASON]

who is LMJ?
: - ]

j

[rendezvous_drummer]

who is LMJ?
: - ]

j

That would be Larry Mullen Jr.
No bashing please :-)

[NUTHA JASON]

why? i happen to think the man is a very cool drummer. we cover several u2 songs so i'm right with you on that one.
j

[rendezvous_drummer]

why? i happen to think the man is a very cool drummer. we cover several u2 songs so i'm right with you on that one.
j

Cool. I know some people on this forum don't like Larry Mullen Jr. because they find him boring.. I don't know how that's possible. That's cool though that you do covers. What songs have you done?

[NUTHA JASON]

with or without you
streets have no name
vertigo

the guy is a masterful user of the tambourine. he really plays for the song powerfully and consistently. he's up there with phill rudd and roger taylor in my opinion. one of the greatest pop drummers although they are heavier and heavier as time goes by so rock as well.

j

[rendezvous_drummer]

Very true. It was in the Modern Drummer poll that Larry Mullen Jr. won best pop rock drummer, beating Kenny Arranoff. I'm trying to incorporate the tambourine more into my playing.

Sorry for going off topic here.

[NUTHA JASON]

i know... naughty you and me.

but it teases out a point that you made about listening to something inspiring rather than noodling so its okay.

j

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I think this may go back to a thread that was entitled Mental Practice. It wasnt what I thought once it got going. i.e, what kind of things do we pound on, tap on etc. I was more on the thought of closing ones eyes and hearing the music, and actually practicing mentally, but the idea of the MP3 player with your own music on it, even if you have played the song a hundred times is a great idea. Ear buds in place, eyes closed listening to the music and envisioning your playing will do more than one may think. If you watch gymnasts, divers, ice skaters they do their whole routine, standing back stage, eye closed seeing exactly what they want to feel as they perform. Give it a try.

[murphinelli]

i've seen U2 4 times, but have never seen Larry noodling on stage before the show....;-)

back to the thread topic. this is from my experience both playing and observing over 25yrs in the US. note: perhaps there are some countries/pubs/situations that have different traditions & atmospheres so not all of these apply, but on general principle they do to me.

advice for the waiting drummer:
A. For Gigs
1. practice at home
2. stay away from the stage (or setup area) unless you have to be there for a sound check or to fix something or there is nowhere else to go.
3. things to do (depending on how much time you have): mingle with the crowd (have a tea, coke, chai latte, beer, scotch, water), hang out with your band, go for a walk, meditate, listen to your mp3 player, read a book, go practice your fly casting...
4. do not practice (including noodle, rudiments, stick twirling, etc): in front of the audience. if you must, go in the bathroom, your car, behind the stage...it doesn't look good and is unprofessional to be caught practicing in front of people before a show...in my opinion. i've never seen a professional doing this that i can remember. not at a major show or a mini-bar gig.

B. For Rehearsals
1. practice at home
2. stay on your drum stool and wait for the leader's direction (band leader, choir leader, etc.)
3. no noodling allowed. no tapping or encouraging a mini-jam session with the piano player, etc. this wastes time and is super annoying to the leader and the other musicians.
4. while other members are practicing their part sans rhythm section, keep quite. no tapping...sit quietly and wait until they need you again. it's okay to keep warmed up quietly on your knee...but don't make a sound that distracts the other musicians. you may not have this scenario much in a normal band, but if you play with a choir or group of singers....it happens all the time....and the drummer needs to keep quiet!

[SOGdrummer]

Interesting post, thanks Jason for making us think about this. I hadn't really given it too much thought...I never "noodle" at a gig, once we are set up and the sound check is done I pretty much leave the stage until it's time to start the set. I like to visit with the host people, whether it is a club owner, bartender, etc. or since we play at a lot of Christian coffeehouses and/churches with the managers or clergy. I will take about 15 minutes prior to the set to put on the IPod and listen to the music...mostly originals and all on cd.

Now that I think about it I may be guilty of noodling during practice...does it count if you are playing while waiting for another of the musicians to find their charts? We have a couple of prime offenders and I am usually very well prepared so I end up noodling certain parts of the upcoming song...

I do get annoyed when our guitarists are playing and not paying attention when we are ready to begin the next song at practice so I guess I am as much of a pain..

I'll have to give it more serious thought at practice from now on...

Oh, and I also have permanently bruised thighs from practicing on my legs...

Interesting...I also agree with appreciating your posts...if I see your name on them I always open them up.

Thanks!

[NUTHA JASON]

Now that I think about it I may be guilty of noodling during practice...does it count if you are playing while waiting for another of the musicians to find their charts? We have a couple of prime offenders and I am usually very well prepared so I end up noodling certain parts of the upcoming song...


yep...me too. i guess i had two intentions when starting up this thread. one was as stated, to get other guys alternatives to noodling. but the other was just to raise awareness of it as i have seen many shared gigs where it is a common problem.

i think there is room for some noodling in a rehersal as long as everyone is aware of how annoying it can get. our band has a song that grew out of noodling. i was trying a groove in 7 and the bassist hooked onto it. next thing we were coming up with a guitar part. so it goes. but i think as in all things there has to be a balance and that starts with an awareness.

j

ps: i appreciate your appreciation.

[SOGdrummer]

I think a lot of new ideas and therefore songs come from "noodling". Not only at the infancy of a new song but I know alot of our stuff started out sounding very different and grew into the final result because the guitar players, bassist or I started playing them in a new way...a lot of times from "noodling".

I guess the real difference comes down to when it is appropriate to do so...perhaps not before a gig and maybe not in a practice session when there is a lot to accomplish. But I think all creative bands need to noodle (or jam) at times to keep things fresh.

But what do I know...I'm 50 and still driving my family crazy with constant tapping on everthing...!

[Auger]

noodling during practice can lead to jamming which can lead to writing which can be good. Again, this one really depends on the group of people you’re with but, even at a rehearsal, I'd try to really minimize this as, in my opinion, it's mostly detrimental. It's one thing if someone presents an idea to jam on or play around with, but noodling leading to something productive in a spontaneous way happens pretty rarely in my experience. And, if others are trying to talk or work on something (like a guitar player trying to explain an idea or anything to do a bass player or something with a song to I wouldn't do it at all -no matter how quiet, it's distracting. It also makes it hard for someone to take the lead and keep rehearsal moving if you have to get everyone quiet before you can say "hey, lets' do this now" -especially if you're not in a group with a 'leader.' So, it's one of those things that i'd say can be good, but i'd still advise against it.

Anyway J, I hear you about what your doing not being noodling before a set and not distracting the people in the club, but I have to say I still don't think it's a super idea. The problem I have with stuff like that is that it's not professional. The way I look at it is that, when you're at a gig and you're on stage, you're working. Sure, it's a job we love ...so much fun that some people do it for no money, but it's still a job. It's different than a normal job because one of your foremost responsibilities is to entertain -so it's not about being 'serious' all the time, but if someone looks over and I'm just playing around behind the drums -even if they can't hear me over the music being piped in- I'm clearly just doing something for my own enjoyment and that's not really professional. If you're in a band that's trying to make some headway in a professional sense, I feel this is especially bad because it can reflect on the organization as a whole. Sure, maybe no one will care, but that's not really the point. I’m having a little trouble trying to articulate this, so I hope what I’m trying to say at least somewhat comes across.
Anyway, just my perspective.

[Womble]

There are two distinct situations here:

REHEARSAL: if you're in a big band/there's a clear leader etc. you don't play until you're meant to. Simple. If you're in a band with your mates/band members who have since become your friends etc. it's really no problem. I can guarantee the guitarist will be noodling far more often than you. That is most guitarists' reason for existence. New songs often arise in this manner. I trust everyone to have enough sense not to noodle their band mates to the point that they get rid of you.

AT A GIG: I have never stayed behind my kit nor returned to my kit at any point between a sound check and the performance time, nor have I ever seen anyone else do it. There is no need. If you haven't got your drums set up comfortably during the sound check you're either a noob or you have OCD. I would question the need to ever spend time getting your drums 'exactly the way you need them', but that's another thread (see the video of Stewart Copeland and my accompanying comment in his thread). No one who is confident and free from nerves needs to play along to the house DJ in this time. You know the songs backwards, and no amount of brush playing is going to make the slightest difference to how you perform on the night. Go have a beer (just one, mind) and chat to your mates.

[TopCat]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=noodling

That settles it then. Anyone else for Catfish?

[LiveGoat]

Aside from being one of the greatest songs ever recorded, "With or Without You" is one of the greatest drum songs ever recorded, IMO. Mullen Jr. rocks.

As to noodleing, I don't do it at gigs (too scared!) but I noticed from listening to rehearsal tapes that I do it all the frickin' time. Usually it's legit (trying to improve a beat, fill etc..), but at our last rehearsal the guitarist said, do you know the closing fill to "Rock and Roll?" I played it and he was like, "that's awesome". I then proceeded to play it three more times cause, heck, it's fun to play! Then the guitarsist said, "yeah that's, cool, you don't need to play it anymore." Point taken, sir.

---LG




Cool. I know some people on this forum don't like Larry Mullen Jr. because they find him boring.. I don't know how that's possible. That's cool though that you do covers. What songs have you done?

[Celereon]

Hm my 2c

I'd agree with you completely on this one. Keeping in mind though that I've only been drumming for, what, 4 months, so I'm not pro or anything...(and proud of it :P)

Just as a random thought...at Planetshakers (which I can't get over) the drummer and sound guy was onstage testing and fine-tuning the drums about 20 minutes before it started. Mikes were off, and it was in a big place, so no one noticed, except a few drummers who were watching (me) and a few...less intelligent people screaming "DO A DRUM SOLO" which they wouldn't be able to hear over 4000 others having their own conversations.

The entrance worked really well though, all of a sudden the lights would go out and it'd be pitch black, and under darkness the band would walk onstage. The house lights would stay out and only the stage spotlights would stay on.

You should've heard them SCREAM when the lights went out. Hm. My poor ears.
Cel

[Almuric]

I'm not guilty of the type of noodleing talked of here. Never have been. It was not a conscious thing though. I just get the kit set up and as soon as I do I'm off the stage and into the audience. I like to mingle and talk to the folks, my bandmates, have a drink of whatever. It just never occurs to me to go back onstage untill showtime. We structure the setlist with warm-up songs as the first ones so warming up is not a big issue. I think Buddy Rich said when asked if he needed to warm-up, "Hell, I play every day. I don't need to warm-up!"

[cnw60]

So I'm sitting here at work this afternoon and the park behind our office is set up for a weekend festival. A thunderstorm about an hour ago shut down the scheduled band, but for the last 15 minutes, some bozo has decided to sit down at the drum set and treat us all to an extended solo.

OH MY GOD!!!! - he's pretty much covered every sin that has been mentioned in this thread. Every single hackneyed, sporadic, ill-timed, groove-lacking, cliche-ridden, popcorn sounding, rushed fill, crash-bang-boom, let's see how many things I can hit, with as little tone or musicality possible - and he's still at it - AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH.

I know that everybody on this site is either, a) better than this guy or, b) knows better than to showcase how little talent they have - but for the love of drummers everywhere - please, please, please - pay attention to what Nutha and everybody else is saying here and don't reinforce the stereotype of drummers being a bunch of hacks who just like to hear themselves bang away. If you're onstage in a public venue, be professional and don't treat it like your practice room.

OK - rant over - I feel better, thanks for letting me vent. (deep breath - sigh....)