Fun on Stage? Presence?

Something I rarely have when I'm on stage, is fun. A little sad, kinda funny, but true. Now, I haven't performed live very often, probably about 5 times since I've been actually playing the drums. But anyway, all of those experiences have been of me feeling inadequate or embarassed, even when I've played everything right and perfect. I'd purposely take off my contacts so I didn't have to see anyone in the crowd and all I thought about was "don't mess up". Also, another drummer at one gig mentioned that I play "straight" and I lack presence. First off what does "playing straight" mean? and what can I do to gain presence?

I need some help because it looks as if my band is finally getting serious and wants to start playing gigs and I don't want this to be a constant drag. Thanks
 
Have you heard the old saying " if it's not fun don't do it." It should be fun playing in your band or it becomes a chore. Don't worry it does become fun after a while. At your stage I would suggest to really know your parts( in the songs ) inside and out. That way you will be able to relax on stage and have some fun.
As for the drummer saying stuff to you , don't worry about him , he was probably just trying to help. Some of the best bands in the world have drummers that play straight. ( Phil Rudd ). Stage presence will come eventually. A great drummer once said to me ' if people are dancing you are doing a good job' . So try to relax and have fun.
 
Since most of your limbs are in use the whole time and you're stuck sitting in a chair, a drummer's stage presence is limited :)

That being said, i'll share with you a few of the things I do on stage, to at least "look" like you're having the time of your life up there. Even if you are not having fun, you have to act like it. If you're up there looking like you don't want to be there then that will translate to the crowd.

A couple things I do: If you have got any stick tricks, twirls, tosses that you are able to play within song context and stay in time, these are GREAT crowd pleasers! I would definately recommend them, but don't overdo them.

Bang your head! Having long-ish hair helps. Play with power, when you're going for the big crash on 1, really make it BIG! By that I mean slam those cymbals!(with proper technique of course, to prevent cracking :D) put your whole body into it.

SMILE, lots! Make eye contact with people. Make goofy faces. Mouth the words to the song if you know them! I usually find a girl in the crowd, make eye contact and stick out my tongue at her in a childish manner. It works every time.

At the end(or beginning) of a song with a long holdout...you know...where you're just making the long SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sound on your crashes, stand up! It looks really cool for a drummer to stand above his drumkit while playing even the simplest things!

As far as messing up goes, get used to it! Chances are, you are going to at least mess something up every gig. The grand part of this is, that 99% of time, YOU and your band are going to be the only ones to notice :) In my experience, the more I think about messing up, the more I mess up. Messing up is inevitable, the important part is how you deal with it. If you biff a little sticking or something don't make the "ugh" face, instead laugh it off, again, smile! :D It looks better on you if someone in the crowd notices it(which they probably won't!)


In conclusion, have the time of your freakin' life up on stage man. If you look boring, you'll play boring, and the music as a whole will be boring because ultimately, the drummer is the driving force of the band. Okay, maybe the bass player too but we won't talk about that on DRUMMERworld.com now will we? :)

Good luck on your endeavours
 
Just watch videos of drummers who have prescence, such as Keith Moon, Nicko Mcbrain, John Bonham and Gene Krupa. :)
 
Here's some more of similar stuff. I remember being there, being uncomfortable, feeling self-conscious. It's an experience issue partly, one you'll get over. So feel free to get over it right now, you're the only one holding you back.

I think what made a big difference for me was when I went from someone who was comfortable only when I knew it all cold, to being someone who realized that I could hang with pretty much whatever they throw at me. I'm not an awesome drummer, just comfortable that at a rock gig, I'm not gonna get creamed. So now it's a matter of how can we have a cool musical experience. If I've been practicing a lot and feelin' chopsy, I'll let loose the Inner Colaiuta. If I'm not feeling too saucy from a lack of practice or something, I'll go Ringo on that gig and have a good time layin' down the smoothness and the one-note fills. Either way, realize you have a package for any situation, and have some good times.

The other thing is that it's a party. Some people go to parties and dance. Some sit behind a set of drums and play. Some pick up guitars. Some pour drinks and shmooze with their friends. Playing drums is your equivalent of dancing, it's what you do for a good time. So get into it, don't worry about making the groovy fill you worked on as much as having a grooving good time. If you're having fun, people who watch you will have fun. they're not drum critics, they're party goers. When you're not having fun, fake it for a song or two. It works.
 
Just watch videos of drummers who have prescence, such as Keith Moon, Nicko Mcbrain, John Bonham and Gene Krupa. :)

stanton moore looks like he is having the most fun ever when hes playing
steve jordan looks like he is so deep in the groove its hurts

the thing that looks and sounds the best to me is when the drummer tries to play the melody in his beat. if your confused, go a play a song you know alone on your drums. now, think about the other parts of the song, the guitar, bass. try to infer the other parts through your playing. its hard to do and you really cant hear a difference, but it is there and youll look like you are more than just the beat of the song.
 
It really helps reading responses that don't suggest "perfection" which is probably why I feel like its no fun, because I'm trying to achieve that. I'll relax and bring the smiles, wear my contacts and, I don't have long hair, but I'll wear it as a big afro maybe,lol. Thanks guys!
 
My favorite drummers that look like they're having fun and enjoying themselves: Gene Krupa, Big Sid Catlett and Stanton Moore. Take a look at some of their videos on DW and youtube. Also get the feel of the music in your gut. Remember what it feels like when you're just listening to a tune that moves you? Get that feeling when you're playing and go with it. You don't have to be perfect. If you make a mistake, just drive on through. I'm 71 years old and believe me, nobody remembers any mistakes I made when I started playing over 50 years ago - not even me. Good luck and keep swingin'.
 
One thing that I should mention:

Presence is often something that must be practiced. If you rehearse playing with small strokes and looking subdued, you'll likely perform the same way, ESPECIALLY when you're nervous (although adrenaline does help to pack a punch in your performance).

On the other hand, if you learn to hit with the same force/volume AND still are able to raise the sticks above your head at rehearsal, hey, that'll be more comfortable at the gig. However you rehearse, THAT'S how you'll perform, especially when nerves start getting at you or your adrenaline wears off.

Case in point: I direct a vocal ensemble at the high school. I've been telling them that they need to practice as they want to perform- facial expressions, articulations, volume. They keep insisting that they "can do it at the performance." First performance comes. They're absolutely right. They nailed it. Second performance comes. A little less exciting. Fast forward to this past Friday when we performed last- I noticed a LOT of bored faces, bad/lazy vowel shapes, and a general lack of precision. "We can do it at the performance" won't cut it once you get past the exciting gigs.

Bottom line- have fun at rehearsals. As musicians, we have a bad habit of focusing entirely on what we do wrong during practice and then expect ourselves to focus on the things we did right at performances. Don't stress the mistakes. Fix them, sure, but revel in the myriad mistakes that you no longer make. If you have fun in practice, you'll be much more likely to do the same in performance.
 
Something I rarely have when I'm on stage, is fun. A little sad, kinda funny, but true. Now, I haven't performed live very often, probably about 5 times since I've been actually playing the drums. But anyway, all of those experiences have been of me feeling inadequate or embarassed, even when I've played everything right and perfect. I'd purposely take off my contacts so I didn't have to see anyone in the crowd and all I thought about was "don't mess up". Also, another drummer at one gig mentioned that I play "straight" and I lack presence. First off what does "playing straight" mean? and what can I do to gain presence?

I need some help because it looks as if my band is finally getting serious and wants to start playing gigs and I don't want this to be a constant drag. Thanks

It may not seem it but this is a serious problem, If you want to do gigs and drum you have to enjoy what you do. When you are playing think, It dosn't matter if you make a few mistakes your bound too. Don't pay any notice to the crowd just consintrate on drumming and the band and then over time you will get used to the crowd's presence and then your on your way to be scared free of the stage !!!

All the best,
(P.S i think what he meens by "playing straight" is that you are not relaxing and getting into the songs)
 
Check out Carter Beauford(dave matthews band). In studio(there are some videos of him playing in studio on the site) he doesnt have the whole facial expression thing going with the cool style,etc(although he still has lots of feel). And then go check him out on youtube from a live show and youll notice that hes almost always smiling and really getting in the groove...although im sure it helps to have a lil smoke of something before the show...
 
Yeah i agree with everyone here - you cant worry about mistakes - after you have a few gigs where you make a couple, you realize nobody in the audience even noticed, and if they did, they don't care as long as you put on a good show.
In an earlier band I was in the bassist, if he made a mistake (rarely) he would actually play it again to make it sound like he meant it the first time :)

Gigs should be 99$ fun with 1% left over for mistakes - and in the band I'm in now, mistakes always get made because there are 7 of us - and sometimes we'll capitalize on those mistakes because sometimes they can lead to new ideas :)

Have a positive outlook - but if playing and gigging continue to provide zero joy - then stop playing.
 
Also, take pride in what you do. You are doing something awesome: playing drums in a band! Someone who looks aware of what he's doing an proud of it will have a better presence immediately. No need for fancy twirls if you look confident.
I also second the advice of making contact with the crowd. Find a hot chick and play for her ;) And even more important, both for stage presence and the music: keep in touch with your band. Give your bandmates a humorous look when you (or they) mess up a minor detail or whatever.
 
Big_Philly I'm a straight female. But I hear ya with the eye contact thing,lol. I love what I do, I just can't stand when other musicians are in the crowd; that's what makes me nervous a little, but I'm get over it. Thanks for the advice. I feel more prepared andI'm actually forward to my next show!
 
Big_Philly I'm a straight female.

LOL, classic internet oops.

If you look at the difference between the crowd and your band, you'll realize that the crowd wants to cheer you, wants you to do well, and are impressed by anything that doesn't totally suck. At rehearsal you talk about this lick and that and who's a great player and all the things you are aspiring to accomplish. But the crowd just assumes you're good, and they get up and dance and have a good time and think you're awesome. You also have the girl-drummer advantage, you have to completely fall off the stool and pass out for the crowd to be disappointed.
 
Back
Top