Aint my cross to bear

It's a different mindset on the drums - I don't see the same insecurities and concerns on keyboard or guitar forums - to me to be a good drummer you have to be even more tuned in and its a bigger challenge, at least for me... other stuff is just easier but that's what makes the drums so challenging and the reward so great if you persist... you're reaping what you sow now with these comments but more than any other instrument you can't rest on your laurels with drums, not if you want to be the best you can be... keep up the good fight that's the way I'm looking at it, the drums are often the only thing that keep me sane these days with the economy and a job I have to hold on to that sucks big time wish I were good enough to be in that dream band, but regardless I'll keep on playing.
 
Larry, maybe it's because you've been exposed to the playing of many, many incredible drummers whose ability is far beyond yours ... Vinnie, Weckl, Gadd etc, yet you don't hear about all the legendary electricians of the world?

Not to mention that drumming is part of you. You may one day hope to retire from electrical work but I doubt you have plans to retire from drumming.
 
Larry, Polly makes a great point about comparing yourself to the greats of drumming. How can we ever be truly satisfied with our own playing when there's clearly stuff out there that we cannot hope to get close to. On one hand yes, I see that, but on the other hand, I cannot live my life like that, otherwise my time on this rock would be marked only by under achievement.

My mother is in her last few days of her life. I'm travelling 300 miles each day to be with her. Is she the best mother in the world? Too damn right she is! Do I remember times when she could have handled something in a better way? Of course I do. Are there times when she thought of herself for a change,. Oh yes. Does she think of herself as the best mother in the world? Of course not. The point is, I'm so proud of her and what she stands for, I regard her minor human failings as part of the package, but that will never diminish my view of her greatness as my mother.

Sorry for the heavy analogy, but your view of your own drumming runs parallel to me. When you've obviously been a part of something that sounded good, you got off on, others got off on, why is it so wrong to be proud of that? What brings about the necessity to find fault or areas for improvement to the detrement of the whole. Sure, seeking to improve is a great thing but why shouldn't the journey be marked by little triumphs along the way.

There is a middle ground Larry, it's accepting there's always room for improvement but also recognising how far you've travelled and enjoying the journey. That journey needs to be peppered with moments of rejoicing to balance the effort it takes to keep you moving forward. I have no problem accepting the praise of my peers so long as I have no problem in accepting criticism equally. So long as that praise or criticism is fair & balanced, that's cool with me.

I can never be the best, but I can be my best, and if someone recognises that & seeks to praise me for it, great. Also, consider the audience member who comes up to you at the end of a gig and says "that was the greatest", or whatever. Why question that? To them, in that moment in time, it was the greatest. It wasn't the version played by &^%*&^% in 1947, it was the version just played by Larry & his band. A moment in time Larry, isn't that what we all live for? Nothing wrong with running with it, it's running away with it that becomes a problem.
 
Andy, I'm surprised you can walk - you have a huge heart! I am Cold Ethel by comparison ... my heart chops aren't very good, no matter how much I practice the rudiments of empathy :)

Really well said, old bean!

It's a different mindset on the drums - I don't see the same insecurities and concerns on keyboard or guitar forums - to me to be a good drummer you have to be even more tuned in and its a bigger challenge,

Now this is an interesting comment. I wonder if this is because prowess on drums are more objectively quantifiable - more mathematical? Of course aspects of playing any instrument have interpretation, choice of phrase, timbre, and generally emoting but side by side comparisons are harder with tuned instruments. For instance, it's easier to compare the playing of Lenny White to Nick Mason - they both play backbeats and fills - than to compare Al DiMeola with David Gilmour because the range of possibilities on tuned instruments are greater.

So when you see someone like Vinnie, it's easy to think OMG I can't play! But as Andy says, of course we can ... we play like ourselves :)
 
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Great stuff, Andy.. Polly's right about his heart size. ( ...and wrong about her own... )

Larry, what do you say to that one guy who comes up to you after the gig, with his eyes shining with excitement and emotion ( and maybe with a few too many Martinis.. ) and pumps your hand and says " man, you guys were incredible!!" or I loved that song that you did!!", and doesn't let go of your hand?

"Thanks, man actually it really wasn't that good, and I shoulda/coulda played it better?"

To me, therein lies the Universe. You created something which in turn created magic for someone else. Thats good enough reason to be proud.

The how, why, how, how much better isn't relevant. And what is good enough, anyway? Whats the benchmark?
Are we not allowed to say to ourselves " hey, we killed it last night", or " I played great last night", till we acquire Mr. Colauita's repertoire of chops?

No way to live, folks.. and I hope we never get good enough. Drums have to give me two things. A sense of accomplishment & mastery, yes, but also a sense of wonder and challenge. Something I'll always look forward to overcoming. Its a Pandora's box - no fun if you've looked inside and there's nothing more to find!!

I think you said in one of your earlier threads, that what turns you on is when you get people up n' moving and dancing..

Not many people in this world or in too many other professions can claim to be able to do that. Get people happy enough to jump off their seats.

Thats something to be mighty proud of.

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First off, Andy, my sympathies go out to you. Tell your Mom that someone in PA thinks she did a great job with her son. I can't even imagine what you are going through, I haven't reached that point in life yet.
You guys are the best.
I want to write more and address what was said, but I have to go to work. And I'm a damn fine electrician!
(This is just practice...)
And while I'm at it, I'm a decent drummer too!
(That was hard and I'm hesitant to post this, just practicing Andys advice to run with it...a little)
Great stuff guys, to be continued in the evening...I want to address Grea's and Abe's comments
 
Ok, work's done, band practice is done. I missed some stuff in a bit of a rush.

Firstly, condolences Andy. It's weird to lose a parent. Mum died in '95. It leaves quite a hole, and your heart goes out to them when they suffer near the end (even though they can be annoying pains in the neck). You know what they are feeling because you know them so well. 300kms a day ... your devotion is inspiring ... you're a great son! As Larry said, your mum obviously brung ya up good :)


When you've obviously been a part of something that sounded good, you got off on, others got off on ... What brings about the necessity to find fault or areas for improvement to the detrement of the whole. Sure, seeking to improve is a great thing but why shouldn't the journey be marked by little triumphs along the way.

There is a middle ground Larry, it's accepting there's always room for improvement but also recognising how far you've travelled and enjoying the journey. That journey needs to be peppered with moments of rejoicing to balance the effort it takes to keep you moving forward. I have no problem accepting the praise of my peers so long as I have no problem in accepting criticism equally. So long as that praise or criticism is fair & balanced, that's cool with me.

Yup, our drive to grow vs creating a vibe in the moment. Abe called it magic - same diff. The former can never be satisfied but the latter can. It's all about creating a vibe to me these days ... session by session, song by song, passage by passage, moment by moment. Playing what you think your aural surroundings want from you.

Acceptance of second best is thought by some to be postmodern thinking but I don't think postmodernism is the villainous thing it's often made out to me. It's simply acknowledging that the world isn't purely objective, it's also personal. Both POVs matter in their own way and ideally they exist in balance.

BTW, my band sounded pretty damn good at rehearsal tonight :) I've had a cold coming on and felt like crap at work all day. By the time we were packing up I felt great.

Oh, they're playing my song ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUFO_04J1r4
 
After reading your comments Larry and reading the others, all I can do is echo what the others have said.

I think its hard to compare you being a fine electrician with being a fine drummer. You could do an electrical job perfectly and take 100 people and challenge them to find fault and they couldn't. They would all agree that you did a fine job.

With music it's a little more open to interpretation. Some people like the blues, some don't and so on.

I feel the same way that you do about playing. I'm always second guessing what I have done, when I mess up I'm really hard on myself. When I record myself and listen back I tend to not look for what I did right, but what I did wrong and focus on that. Maybe it is a drummer thing.

I couldn't find any fault with your execution of the song. I think you played it superbly. But what stood out to me is the whole feel that you and the band had. It was a great vibe which is what the blues is about. I have listen to the song a couple of more times and it just makes me feel good all over!

I have never seen you play, but from what I have heard, you should smile evertytime you sit behind that drum kit because you are making great music!
 
Larry, maybe it's because you've been exposed to the playing of many, many incredible drummers whose ability is far beyond yours ...

but I doubt you have plans to retire from drumming.

No Pol, that's not really it. I just think it's wrong for anyone to say about themselves that they are really good. You know the type of person. I don't wanna be "that" guy. I think props only mean something when it comes from someone other than yourself. But like I said earlier, I have no problem bragging about some difficult electrical job I pulled off, but no way would I ever brag about my own drumming. Would you?

Actually I will retire from the drums....when my birth certificate expires.

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Larry, what do you say to that one guy who comes up to you after the gig, with his eyes shining with excitement and emotion ( and maybe with a few too many Martinis.. ) and pumps your hand and says " man, you guys were incredible!!" or I loved that song that you did!!", and doesn't let go of your hand?

"Thanks, man actually it really wasn't that good, and I shoulda/coulda played it better?"

Are we not allowed to say to ourselves " hey, we killed it last night", or " I played great last night", till we acquire Mr. Colauita's repertoire of chops?

When someone goes out of their way to say they enjoyed my playing, I accept the compliment graciously and genuinely thank them. I won't squash any enthusiasm with a negative comment. But I have to quick change the subject.... I'll talk about my gear, or the other guys' playing no problem.

It's all good, there's no real problem, I just find it curious that I won't brag about my playing but I'm perfectly willing to brag about my electric work. You think it would be opposite, because in my heart I'm a musician not an electrician.

Also, I wonder if Vinnie or Gadd thinks they themselves are masters? I'm thinking not. Buddy Rich might have ha ha..
 
...like I said earlier, I have no problem bragging about some difficult electrical job I pulled off, but no way would I ever brag about my own drumming. Would you?

Nup. A couple of years ago I was at a party where there were some top line award-winning musos playing, plus their pals.

I was chatting outside with some randoms outside and expressed a musical view. I was challenged by some guy, who asked me if I played. Yes, sure I play. Yeah, but can you play WELL?

Now I'm thinking that the way this guy said it he must have been one of the band's jam mates and I'm not in that class. I hesitated because I didn't know what to say when our singer came to my rescue (earlier in the evening he'd sat in with the guys playing) and said that I was a terrific rock drummer ... note the qualification ... "rock drummer". I'm glad he did use that qualifier because I sure wouldn't have been able to mix it with those guys playing jazz and world music.

I'm generally not comfortable talking myself up - in pretty well anything. I like the credo - under-promise and over-deliver. It takes the pressure off and also helps me focus properly on what I'm doing rather than having ego getting in the way.

Actually I will retire from the drums....when my birth certificate expires.

In other words, you're actually agreeing with me :)

When someone goes out of their way to say they enjoyed my playing, I accept the compliment graciously and genuinely thank them. I won't squash any enthusiasm with a negative comment. But I have to quick change the subject.... I'll talk about my gear, or the other guys' playing no problem.

It's all good, there's no real problem, I just find it curious that I won't brag about my playing but I'm perfectly willing to brag about my electric work. You think it would be opposite, because in my heart I'm a musician not an electrician.

Also, I wonder if Vinnie or Gadd thinks they themselves are masters? I'm thinking not. Buddy Rich might have ha ha..

Yep, I react very similarly - noted, quietly bask in it and change the subject ASAP. My gut feeling is that Vinnie and Steve wouldn't refer to themselves as "masters" but probably wouldn't argue if someone else said they were. I agree that Buddy wouldn't be humble and Pretty Purdie sure isn't!

Larry, I will always give you good feedback ... as I would to any person whose last three threads have been titled, "Aint my cross to bear", "Execution" and "Choking" :)
 
I'm with you all the way on this one, Larry. Just playing devils advocate. Humility is the only thing that keeps the mind and the ears wide open.
I quote Albert Einstein, who said "“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”

I think we are embarrassed, and perhaps rightly so when people praise us to the heavens because we dont want to see ourselves as a bunch of narcissistic dolts that the Gods are laughing at.

We can kid & be kidded about about our day gig because actually its not that important in the overall scheme of things, right?

Music, now thats different. Too personal, too real, too sensitive, too important.


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I'm generally not comfortable talking myself up - in pretty well anything. I like the credo - under-promise and over-deliver. It takes the pressure off and also helps me focus properly on what I'm doing rather than having ego getting in the way.

Pol, was the 'Can you play well?' question, a sexist comment? I ask because its a really stupid thing to ask someone and I cant think of any good players who would ask that of other musicians. All the heavy cats I've run ever into, without fail are happy to jam with a hacker for a tune or too, and will never let him/her feel as if they were lacking in any way.

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I'm with you all the way on this one, Larry. Just playing devils advocate. Humility is the only thing that keeps the mind and the ears wide open.
I quote Albert Einstein, who said "“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”

I think we are embarrassed, and perhaps rightly so when people praise us to the heavens because we dont want to see ourselves as a bunch of narcissistic dolts that the Gods are laughing at.

We can kid & be kidded about about our day gig because actually its not that important in the overall scheme of things, right?

Music, now thats different. Too personal, too real, too sensitive, too important.


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Wow what a great post, top to bottom. I love the quote!
You really nailed it home for me Abe, crystallized it into its purest form. That's at the very core of this whole thread for me. Music is so personal, so sensitive, and so real... I can't talk about it. Great. JK of course. Thanks.

Polly when that guy asked you if you can play well, it would have been funny if you would have asked him what style the song "well" was in. Answer an awkward question with another question. Great social evasive manuever. BTW as an aside I want to compliment you on your posts. You really lavish a lot of care on your posts with all your links and research, and you always include the other members comments in your posts. You are like the glue here, and I love your posting style. But can you play "well?" :)
Feel free to brag about your writing prowness.
 
I agree, Larry. We'd all been skating around the crux of the matter and then Abe puts his finger right on it. Perfect!

And yeah, it was a weird question to be asked. I am aware that there's something about me that makes some people think I'm a pretender until they get to know me better. It happens at work when I start new jobs too. Probably some kind of deep innate gormlessless lol

Good comeback ... "Are you referring to any particular genres or is the question more general?" or ... "Define well" or ... "Funny you should say that. Just the other day I was chatting with one of my students, Vinnie - Vinnie Coliauta ... you know of him? He's quite popular in some circles. Anyway, he said ..."

It's the old story. All the good comebacks arrive too late.

Abe, I don't know if it was sexist. I suspect it's more likely that credibility gap I mentioned, but being an older hippie-looking woman wouldn't have helped. Still, in this guy's genre (jazz) I don't play "well" and he probably had that sussed out. I found his Rambo-esque gunslinger mentality pretty lame, though. You guys know the score; we play music because we love it and don't care for that status-driven sub-agenda.
 
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BTW as an aside I want to compliment you on your posts. You really lavish a lot of care on your posts with all your links and research, and you always include the other members comments in your posts. You are like the glue here, and I love your posting style. But can you play "well?" :)
Feel free to brag about your writing prowness.

Larry, stop it - you're freakin' me out! *grin* ... um, I'll try again ... thanks for those comments! How's that? Now ... about that Hammond player on the blues track ... are you going to have him play at more gigs? :)

I don't think I'll brag about my writing but cop this email exchange between our keys player and me after he said he had to go for a kilt fitting (yes, he's Scottish) for a wedding on a day on which we were talking about having a rehearsal:

Me: Ach mon, what's there to fit with a kilt? Ah'm picturing Scotmen turnin' round in front o' th' mirror sayin' "Hoots mon! Does me arse look big in this?" :)

Him: your bum should look big in a kilt if you want to reinforce your alpha male dominance. We Scots have studied our primate cousins closely and they clearly use this technique to great effect - the baboons being the prime exponents!

Me: Col, I am confused. If a big bum is a sign of male dominance, wouldn't that mean that women have exceptional male dominance???

Him: Nae, nae, lassie! You've got it all wrong. That's quite a different sort of arse. The big soft feminine bum purrs out the message of fecundity and nurture, whereas the proud male bottom is like a big hairy mobile phone tower sending out aggressive warning broadcasts to beware unless you really fancy your chances in a square go.

ROFL
 
Dude that is really solid playing. You have a really nice 'voice' on the instrument. Your band sounds great! Organ adds really nice depth.
 
Kinda off topic, maybe not, but either way check this out, Larry.. Michael Landau.. with Vinnie ( or Gary Novak, not sure ) on drums. Esmokin'!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcHR-rCb9HU&feature=related

Offtopic? Average's post was the first ontopic comment for days :) A good comment too.

One thing I didn't mention about Larry's track is how he sat so consistently at around 40bpm the whole time without dragging or pushing. A pro standard performance from an electrician :)

Abe, great dynamics in that drum performance although he seemed to go a bit mental at around 5:30 lol

For slow blues I'm nuts about Mica Paris and Dave Gilmour's I Put A Spell On You.
 
Wow Abe great band and great drumming on that track. THAT"S confidence in time feel.
He definitely plays some over the top stuff which I myself would not attempt in that kind of song, but he made it work for him. He stretched it for sure at times, and pulled it off successfully.

Pol, I love "Spell On You". Great version too! Have you heard the original? Screamin Jay Hawkins? I think it's a one hit wonder for him if memory serves. The story goes that he recorded it at like 8AM after a night of drinking.
Our band does that tune, I really love playing it. If I can find a recording of it I'll post it.

Pol, did you metronome me on "Cross"? You need to get a life girl! 40 BPM? I had no idea the song was that slow.
It's nice to know though that I did good according to Mr. Metro gnome.
 
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