Larry
"Uncle Larry"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ATD9vTHSE
It's Gavin on Letterman during drum solo week doing "The Chicken"
I know that "The Chicken" is a 16 bar form.
Sometime I get a solo on this same tune. Either at bar one or bar 9. Which makes it harder for me. I have resorted to playing my solo sans form, but keeping the time chugging along, and looking at the leader for when he is going to hit the figure. I cheat. I want to know where I am when I solo.
I see Gavin has in ear monitors.
I'm guessing there has to be a click or something. The way the band hits the figure perfectly...after 16 bars...has to be lined up, right? He (and the rest of the band) are not just counting in their heads, right?
I'm pretty good knowing the form of a song. Except when I solo. ALL my brainpower goes to trying to make something sound interesting. But I lose the form. Right now, I can't do both for more than about 8 bars.
So just do 2 - 8 bar solos right? Sounds stupid easy on paper, but try as I might, I just default to my previous behavior, which is to suck at solos.
In most drumsolos, that's OK if the form gets lost, the drummer can take however long they want.
Not in my band. The bandleader insists on me keeping any form intact...and I really struggle with it. I can't actually do it on a 16 bar form. I can do 4 and 8 though. I can do 8 bars and keep count. For some reason, after 8...I'm drifting out to sea lol. This is actually very theraputic lol
WhoIs? gave me some great tips, but TBH, they go right out the window when I solo. Not because they're bad tips, because I can't do them yet. It's a mental thing, I know this. I default to the wrong headspace, instead of playing 2 progressions of say "Jingle Bells" for instance. (Jingle Bells is 8 bars) Jingle Bells is not even anywhere near my head 1 second before the solo lol.
I stand in awe of drummers who can make up a solo (not pre rehearsed) and be able to make nice sounding phrases, and still keep form totally perfect, all by themselves.
My question here is, how did Gavin do that?
My biggest problem while soloing is I get nervous. I'm pulled out of any zone I was in, and now I have to step up. I hate pressure. I don't like being the center of attention for more than a few seconds, (unless it's written into the song, no problem there lol) so for me, solos = social anxiety. I'm putting 100% ME out there. My solos are so unsatisfying. I don't do flashy triplets or "wow" stuff, I try and play melodically, (I suck at melody! I never studied it!) which usually misses the mark, and which doesn't do thing one for the people watching (a guess). Sometimes I will hit on a rhythmic jungle thing that seems to be the best thing I do, so you'd think I'd go for that all the time, but yea, no.
So after writing all this, I realize my biggest problem isn't a solution to to problem, I have that, it's dealing with the anxiety. On paper I know what to do. Jingle Bells. Once or twice. When it comes time to solo, I stiffen right up. How do you guys remedy this?
Most guys I see have zero problem with this, they love the spotlight. They are relaxed, they take their time....I'm a ball of nerves when I solo. Not relaxed, totally hamstringing myself, yet I can't help it.
HELP!
It's Gavin on Letterman during drum solo week doing "The Chicken"
I know that "The Chicken" is a 16 bar form.
Sometime I get a solo on this same tune. Either at bar one or bar 9. Which makes it harder for me. I have resorted to playing my solo sans form, but keeping the time chugging along, and looking at the leader for when he is going to hit the figure. I cheat. I want to know where I am when I solo.
I see Gavin has in ear monitors.
I'm guessing there has to be a click or something. The way the band hits the figure perfectly...after 16 bars...has to be lined up, right? He (and the rest of the band) are not just counting in their heads, right?
I'm pretty good knowing the form of a song. Except when I solo. ALL my brainpower goes to trying to make something sound interesting. But I lose the form. Right now, I can't do both for more than about 8 bars.
So just do 2 - 8 bar solos right? Sounds stupid easy on paper, but try as I might, I just default to my previous behavior, which is to suck at solos.
In most drumsolos, that's OK if the form gets lost, the drummer can take however long they want.
Not in my band. The bandleader insists on me keeping any form intact...and I really struggle with it. I can't actually do it on a 16 bar form. I can do 4 and 8 though. I can do 8 bars and keep count. For some reason, after 8...I'm drifting out to sea lol. This is actually very theraputic lol
WhoIs? gave me some great tips, but TBH, they go right out the window when I solo. Not because they're bad tips, because I can't do them yet. It's a mental thing, I know this. I default to the wrong headspace, instead of playing 2 progressions of say "Jingle Bells" for instance. (Jingle Bells is 8 bars) Jingle Bells is not even anywhere near my head 1 second before the solo lol.
I stand in awe of drummers who can make up a solo (not pre rehearsed) and be able to make nice sounding phrases, and still keep form totally perfect, all by themselves.
My question here is, how did Gavin do that?
My biggest problem while soloing is I get nervous. I'm pulled out of any zone I was in, and now I have to step up. I hate pressure. I don't like being the center of attention for more than a few seconds, (unless it's written into the song, no problem there lol) so for me, solos = social anxiety. I'm putting 100% ME out there. My solos are so unsatisfying. I don't do flashy triplets or "wow" stuff, I try and play melodically, (I suck at melody! I never studied it!) which usually misses the mark, and which doesn't do thing one for the people watching (a guess). Sometimes I will hit on a rhythmic jungle thing that seems to be the best thing I do, so you'd think I'd go for that all the time, but yea, no.
So after writing all this, I realize my biggest problem isn't a solution to to problem, I have that, it's dealing with the anxiety. On paper I know what to do. Jingle Bells. Once or twice. When it comes time to solo, I stiffen right up. How do you guys remedy this?
Most guys I see have zero problem with this, they love the spotlight. They are relaxed, they take their time....I'm a ball of nerves when I solo. Not relaxed, totally hamstringing myself, yet I can't help it.
HELP!
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