Drummer's kryptonite?

TraxxFactor

Member
Hey guys, I was watching Superman Returns recently on TV and they brought up the subject of kryptonite. I sat there thinking and thought of the question: what is a drummer's kryptonite? My answer would be a flat-out terrible kit. What are your opinions and thoughts?
 
My kryptonite is playing with a lousy band with musicians who don't listen to each other. I still do my job, but if it isn't grooving together, I feel kind of weak in the joints. Also, when I'm on tour for more than 2 weeks. That's when the road fatigue sets in..
 
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What really stops me from being able to play well, in any instrument as well as the drums, is when someone in the band is playing wrong. It just really puts me off. I can't feel the groove when the wrong notes are being played if that makes sense?
 
Drugs

20202020202020

What's up with the 202020 etc. thing? I've seen it before, I have no clue what it means though.

Mine would be though, that the singer is TOTALLY off tune. It just ruins the whole song. And comparing other great awesome drummers to me. But I'm slowly getting over it.
 
Drummergirl, any post has to be 20 characters minimum in length. People type 20202020 to fulfill the requirement.
 
percussionists who play too much, and dont know how to count..... dont get me wrong, i mean i love playing with percussionists, it just when they dont know there place in a song......actually that it could be any instrument for that matter *shutters*

what my drum teacher calls "Jazzers" which is a musican (typically jazz it seems, but i mean no dis-respect to any jazz musicans) who doesn't actually learn the song and just reads the charts, and doesn't groove with the rest of the band.... most frustrating

and of course performing with a very atracttive female lead singer......distracting....lol

-Jonathan
 
percussionists who play too much, and dont know how to count..... dont get me wrong, i mean i love playing with percussionists, it just when they dont know there place in a song......actually that it could be any instrument for that matter *shutters*

my bass player doesnt know that his instrument isnt a guitar.
he is constantly leaving me out to dry playing too high, not hitting the root on the end of the measure...
frustrating. i just want rhythmic support. too much to ask?

i played with a drummer friend of mine a while back and he never stopped doing fills.
when he did stop id let the groove breathe for a bit. when id be about to start messing around, hed start back up.
if you play with another drummer, remember groove rhythm and time first. fills and showing off second. imo.
 
Singers who try to dictate to everyone else, thinking they're the boss. They tend to forget that the band has the ability to make them look good or really bad. A little constructive criticism is fine but when you struggle holding a tune and then try to tell everyone else they are off and how to play it right, I don't think so.
 
or playing with a bad bass player who just cant keep it together.

OR

a stupid conductor or band member who tells you to play something that just sounds bad, then yells at you for playing it exactly how he/she says to.
 
Singers who try to dictate to everyone else, thinking they're the boss. They tend to forget that the band has the ability to make them look good or really bad. A little constructive criticism is fine but when you struggle holding a tune and then try to tell everyone else they are off and how to play it right, I don't think so.

The singer in my garage band is always telling me to play softer or slower and I just say, "I don't know what those two words mean and please sing louder."
 
Funny how a lot of posts are about blaming other musicians. Interesting.

I think when you stop listening or stop improving then you get weaker as a drummer.

For me though, the REAL drummer's kryptonite is a lack of confidence. Often it stems from not being prepared - both physically and mentally. I'm typically my own worst critic - which is helpful to a point - but then it becomes completely detrimental if you let it affect your self-confidence.

By far the worst for me was having my best friend and music-writing partner belittle the way I felt about my own drumming ability. He's an incredible musician on several instruments, and so I put a lot of faith in his criticisms. He praises my other playing and songwriting, but if I'm drums I get several looks from him - like he's saying "what the f*ck is wrong with you?". That used to really mess me up and I allowed that to completely ruin my pocket.

It's funny how that lack of confidence will get right into your limbs and all of sudden you've convinced yourself that you suck. At least that was it for me. I did learn to get passed this though, and being prepared went a long way in building my confidence back up.

On the other hand - you gotta stay humble too. A false sense of self-worth or being over-confident is even worse. I know so many drummer who THINK they are the cat's meow, but they really do suck. Funny how that works.
 
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