DrummerCA35
Senior Member
How close do you guys and girls learn your parts when you're playing covers? For example, if you're playing "Walk this Way" you'd certainly play the drum intro as it was done, I would think. Or songs with key drum parts/fills/phrases that are part of the song structure.
But take a song like "Jump" by Van Halen where there are some weird things going on with the drums like during the guitar solo. Our band is going to try it. It sounds like 4/4 time to me during this section, but with really odd syncopation and so forth. I'm thinking a lot of you guys could play it in your sleep. For me, to do it like the recording would mean listening to it multiple times, trying to either write it out, or find a written drum tab out there, or watch Youtube videos of people doing a drum cover. I saw one with a 14 year old girl doing "Jump" that sounded great. Or I could just "slop through" that section and NOT spend the time to learn that odd part during the guitar solo. I don't like "slopping through". I doubt that anyone would notice or care. But I would know. If there were some drummers in the audience who knew the part I could see them saying "Hey, man, that guys not playing it right! What a sh**head! I will study some videos like this one: http://www.onlinedrummer.com/drum-lessons/how-to-play-jump-van-halen-guitar-solo-on-drums/
Similar to Don't Stop by Journey. I've learned the first couple of sections pretty close, as the beat changes, with the cymbal bell thing and all, but never quite got the last section/beat thing down exactly right. If I sat down and spent the time I could, and I'm planning on it.
Generally, I try to do the drum parts justice and keep the flavor of the original. Sometimes change things intentionally here and there, or add things. But where you have to actually study the parts and break them down and work them out...how far do you guys go with this in trying to stay close to the original?
Thanks for any responses.
But take a song like "Jump" by Van Halen where there are some weird things going on with the drums like during the guitar solo. Our band is going to try it. It sounds like 4/4 time to me during this section, but with really odd syncopation and so forth. I'm thinking a lot of you guys could play it in your sleep. For me, to do it like the recording would mean listening to it multiple times, trying to either write it out, or find a written drum tab out there, or watch Youtube videos of people doing a drum cover. I saw one with a 14 year old girl doing "Jump" that sounded great. Or I could just "slop through" that section and NOT spend the time to learn that odd part during the guitar solo. I don't like "slopping through". I doubt that anyone would notice or care. But I would know. If there were some drummers in the audience who knew the part I could see them saying "Hey, man, that guys not playing it right! What a sh**head! I will study some videos like this one: http://www.onlinedrummer.com/drum-lessons/how-to-play-jump-van-halen-guitar-solo-on-drums/
Similar to Don't Stop by Journey. I've learned the first couple of sections pretty close, as the beat changes, with the cymbal bell thing and all, but never quite got the last section/beat thing down exactly right. If I sat down and spent the time I could, and I'm planning on it.
Generally, I try to do the drum parts justice and keep the flavor of the original. Sometimes change things intentionally here and there, or add things. But where you have to actually study the parts and break them down and work them out...how far do you guys go with this in trying to stay close to the original?
Thanks for any responses.
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