Thoughts on YouTube Covers?

MrDrumLo

MrDrumLo

Junior Member
Hey guys,

Just curious, as viewers, what do you want to see on YouTube drum covers - what would you find appealing/entertaining? Specifically.

I'm asking because I have a YouTube account for covers and I want to start sharing them!

If you saw a friend share his own drum cover videos on Facebook, honestly, would you think he's showing off or bragging in a way? (I enjoy playing and recording myself playing, but I don't want to come off as THAT guy - y'know?)

Thanks for reading my thread!
 
If you could find a way of displaying the score of what you are playing so that it's in sync with what you are playing that would be cool. No one ever does that. There are a billion people playing along to songs on YouTube and if you are exceptionally good then you won't need any advice from me but that's something I feel is lacking from the majority of videos.

As far as the general practice of publishing videos goes: I guess it depends on what you are trying to do. If the point is to get constructive feedback then there are plenty of very experienced players on this forum who are kind enough to do that as the mood takes them. If videos are simply a business card or demonstration of skill in order to get work from someone who can't see you in person then that makes a lot of sense. If, on the other hand, any random Joe out there puts up another video of Tom Sawyer just so people can tell him how amazing he is - then yeah, that's showing off. Ain't nothing wrong with that per se, but there's really nothing more to it than that.

Any kind of of performance necessarily involves a degree of extroversion so if you're worried about coming off as bragging then either you feel you're not ready yet or you're worried that people might not think you are as good as you do. Either way I'd recommend not concerning yourself with comments. Better still, turn The Comments Section off: if you want to invite a specific group (e.g. members of this forum) to watch your vids and talk about it then fair enough; but allowing random yahoos on YouTube to have their say rarely yields anything positive.

Good luck and have fun.
 
MrDrumLo said:
Just curious, as viewers, what do you want to see on YouTube drum covers - what would you find appealing/entertaining? Specifically.
Click to expand...

Multi-camera angles, foot cam and a professional- looking video are always nice but in the end it comes down to doing the song justice and playing it as accurately/ fluidly as possible (with a few embellishments if you want to throw some in of course).
 
I don't think you can avoid being "that guy" because if you post a YouTube video then some part of you believes that you're good.

I don't watch covers generally but I might enjoy covers played note for note if its something really impressive to watch (e.g a gavin harrison 05ric piece). It's pretty easy to see (and very boring) when someone plays a song that they know will get them the most exposure e.g chop suey. I have made a few videos myself and I either played something very different from the original part or played drums to a track that didn't originally have music, or I was jamming with friends. I'm not the greatest drummer and I haven't earned lots of followers but at least I did something original that I created myself. It has been good to be on YouTube because it puts me in my place and people have made some really helpful comments as well as nice compliments.

Setting up 5 cameras just looks like you're trying too hard in my book.
 
I just take them for what they are. the multi edited. protooled to death with cameras everywhere, doesn't tell me anything about the grove/chops/etc. I prefer the ones with one cell phone/one camera with crappier sound but real.
 
Generally speaking, I don't watch 'em unless they're by a friend I know, and then I'm usually listening to him or her demo a new piece of gear, not necessarily listening to the cover. They just don't interest me in any way, shape or form.
 
I like drum videos where you can see the player from multiple angles. If it's a video where multiple foot pedals are being used, I like to see what is going on down there.

On the contrary to what someone else said before, I can't stand drum videos recorded on a phone. It often prevents the tone of the drums to come through, and the bass drum becomes a messy, low pitched, rumbling noise.

I also like it when the player is good :) haha
 
I, personally, think that what is missing in the world of drum covers is a concentration on the details of standard grooves. There are plenty of people playing to songs with complex rhythms and a focus on chops, speed, and/or independence. What I don't see very much of are players who are accenting well on the hats/ride, ghosting occasionally in good taste, and playing tasteful-yet-simple fills. Guys who play 12 measures of straight, no-frills, well played rhythm throughout a verse seem to be in short supply. JMO
 
Bad Tempered Clavier said:
If you could find a way of displaying the score of what you are playing so that it's in sync with what you are playing that would be cool. No one ever does that. There are a billion people playing along to songs on YouTube and if you are exceptionally good then you won't need any advice from me but that's something I feel is lacking from the majority of videos.

As far as the general practice of publishing videos goes: I guess it depends on what you are trying to do. If the point is to get constructive feedback then there are plenty of very experienced players on this forum who are kind enough to do that as the mood takes them. If videos are simply a business card or demonstration of skill in order to get work from someone who can't see you in person then that makes a lot of sense. If, on the other hand, any random Joe out there puts up another video of Tom Sawyer just so people can tell him how amazing he is - then yeah, that's showing off. Ain't nothing wrong with that per se, but there's really nothing more to it than that.

Any kind of of performance necessarily involves a degree of extroversion so if you're worried about coming off as bragging then either you feel you're not ready yet or you're worried that people might not think you are as good as you do. Either way I'd recommend not concerning yourself with comments. Better still, turn The Comments Section off: if you want to invite a specific group (e.g. members of this forum) to watch your vids and talk about it then fair enough; but allowing random yahoos on YouTube to have their say rarely yields anything positive.

Good luck and have fun.
Click to expand...


Very cool idea about scores! Unfortunately I am a very basic reader (taught myself to play 14 years).

Personally, I don't know what my main goal in posting my videos are yet... kinda taking it one day at a time and seeing how it unfolds. By no means do I intend to "show off" for the sake of it, but I would like A) feedback on how to improve my drumming and/or my recordings, B ) I have been in recent contact with college music professors of mine (now are personal friends) and in the event that something professional should come of our relationships, I'd like to have a "portfolio" I suppose.

These are just some ideas, but no determined goals. For right now, this is a fun project for me. I brought up the Facebook question since I want to help direct traffic to my YouTube account, and I would like to do it in a tasteful/fun way... not in a "hey, look at me! I'm a douchbag!" way haha.

Thanks for your reply!
 
toddmc said:
Multi-camera angles, foot cam and a professional- looking video are always nice but in the end it comes down to doing the song justice and playing it as accurately/ fluidly as possible (with a few embellishments if you want to throw some in of course).
Click to expand...

I only have two (HD) cameras I will be using, I think that would suffice - one directly in front of me and one beside me closer.

As far as playing goes, I have ALL kinds of songs I want to share. Some Rock, Hip-Hop, funk, Latin American (Brazilian), even EDM. Some of these I will probably off-the-cuff it, and some I plan on learning beat-to-beat.
 
what I would love to see is players taking the time that it takes to record a you tube cover along to a recording and go actually play it with some other human beings .

record that and put it on youtube

playing along to a recording unfortunately doesn't say a whole lot about your ability to make music sound or feel good

it's walking a tight rope 2 feet off the ground with a huge net under you

it's sort of like lip syncing to your favorite song or being the king of the karaoke bar

I'm all for playing along to songs......hell it's how I spent my life from the age of 6 to 14.......you learn a whole lot for sure ......but to record it and put it out in public as if it is some sort of accomplishment is slightly strange to me ......what is even more strange is the 10s of thousands of views that some of these get.....(Luke Holland, Meytal Cohen, Emanuelle Caplette, Cobus, Hannah Ford )

if you were to break down the song in some creative way ....or parts of it .....and do it well ....so that maybe some beginners or intermediates could learn it ....then maybe I would see some sort of a point


obviously just one mans opinion....... because someone is watching these things.....it sure isn't me
 
Dre25 said:
I don't think you can avoid being "that guy" because if you post a YouTube video then some part of you believes that you're good.

I don't watch covers generally but I might enjoy covers played note for note if its something really impressive to watch (e.g a gavin harrison 05ric piece). It's pretty easy to see (and very boring) when someone plays a song that they know will get them the most exposure e.g chop suey. I have made a few videos myself and I either played something very different from the original part or played drums to a track that didn't originally have music, or I was jamming with friends. I'm not the greatest drummer and I haven't earned lots of followers but at least I did something original that I created myself. It has been good to be on YouTube because it puts me in my place and people have made some really helpful comments as well as nice compliments.

Setting up 5 cameras just looks like you're trying too hard in my book.
Click to expand...


Great feedback, and I agree: playing something different and not very common is my goal. I don't want to rehash the YYZ's, and whatever other overplayed song there is! If I can illustrate what I am thinking for myself, then I would like to say I'm leaning towards the Vadrum-type of videos... he doesn't necessarily "cover," he plays interesting tracks (most famously his Mario Bros. video... another good one is his Morse Code video). I like that, it's somewhat unusual, and yet he displays a lot of RANGE in his drumming!

Thanks for your reply!
 
I only tend to watch YouTube covers for other instruments - specifically bass (which I'm playing more and more of these days). In those instances, it's to help me learn the song rather than for the enjoyment of watching somebody else playing it. When I do watch covers, I like being able to see what's being played clearly and for the sound quality to be good - other than that I'm not picky. Distorted sound or badly-shot video are the two bugbears and to prevent these, you don't need a complex setup. One good-quality camera and knowing where to put a couple of decent microphones and you're ready.
 
alparrott said:
Generally speaking, I don't watch 'em unless they're by a friend I know, and then I'm usually listening to him or her demo a new piece of gear, not necessarily listening to the cover. They just don't interest me in any way, shape or form.
Click to expand...

This. The Youtube cover thing has been done to death.

There are so many better things I think a drummer could be doing with their time over making the one billionth drum cover to be on youtube.


Anthony Amodeo said:
I would I would love to see is players taking the time that it takes to record a you tube cover along to a recording and go actually play it with some other human beings .

record that and put it on youtube

playing along to a recording unfortunately doesn't say a whole lot about your ability to make music sound or feel good

it's sort of like lip syncing to your favorite song or being the king of the karaoke bar

I'm all for playing a long to songs......hell it's how I spent my life from the age of 6 to 14.......you learn a whole lot for sure ......but to record it and put it out in public as if it is some sort of accomplishment is slightly strange to me ......what is even more strange is the 10s of thousands of views that these get.

if you were to break down the song in some creative way ....or parts of it .....and do it well ....so that maybe some beginners or intermediates could learn it ....then I would see some sort of a point


obviously just one mans opinion.......
Click to expand...

Well said.

Why not just form/join a real cover band.

Or learn some basic music production, take the midi or sheet music of said cover song, re-do the whole the song and put a different spin on it. Take a pop song and make a metal version of it. Take a metal song and do a jazz version of it. Infuse some creativity.

I'm starting to think Dave Grohl's rant against American Idol should have been directed at youtube covers.
 
One minor thing: Please make the music start no later than 5-10 seconds into the video... This really bothers me, having to wait 20, 30!! seconds until something happens. Most people do have enough reading skills to grasp the "ah, this and that muso is playing this and that piece" within a couple seconds. Please don't try to rival Hollywood productions with some (pseudo) epic super long and super obsolete intros... That's it. As I said: a minor thing ;-)
 
drum4fun27302 said:
I just take them for what they are. the multi edited. protooled to death with cameras everywhere, doesn't tell me anything about the grove/chops/etc. I prefer the ones with one cell phone/one camera with crappier sound but real.
Click to expand...

I can see what you mean, but I don't see them as such a bad thing. Are they original, no of course not, but I think it's all in the way you want to go with the videos... (like someone mentioned earlier) is it for popularity, is it for educational/tutorial purposes, maybe a display of talent or skill for future work? To answer that, I simply don't know what my end-goal is... right now I just want to see where it goes and work from there. For now, it's for criticism (good or bad) and for fun.

Thanks for your reply, btw!

Davo-London said:
IMHO, for me to be interested ...


They should be very professional like Fede:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN8hKQUpWxM

Or they should be informative/educational and maybe breakdown the groove etc.

Davo
Click to expand...


Fede is awesome - fun drummer to watch!

Thanks!

joshhlegg said:
I like drum videos where you can see the player from multiple angles. If it's a video where multiple foot pedals are being used, I like to see what is going on down there.

On the contrary to what someone else said before, I can't stand drum videos recorded on a phone. It often prevents the tone of the drums to come through, and the bass drum becomes a messy, low pitched, rumbling noise.

I also like it when the player is good :) haha
Click to expand...


Agreed! Luckily I have a great interface and a very good e-drum. My audio recordings sound very clean, clear, and equal... I'll consider a pedal cam eventually, but for now I want to keep it simple - one directly in front, one directly beside.

Thanks a lot!

StickIt said:
I, personally, think that what is missing in the world of drum covers is a concentration on the details of standard grooves. There are plenty of people playing to songs with complex rhythms and a focus on chops, speed, and/or independence. What I don't see very much of are players who are accenting well on the hats/ride, ghosting occasionally in good taste, and playing tasteful-yet-simple fills. Guys who play 12 measures of straight, no-frills, well played rhythm throughout a verse seem to be in short supply. JMO
Click to expand...


You're right, I don't see TOO much emphasis on technical drumming on YouTube covers. I definitely don't aspire to promote myself as a sloppy drummer, for sure.

Thank you for your reply!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anthony Amodeo said:
what I would love to see is players taking the time that it takes to record a you tube cover along to a recording and go actually play it with some other human beings .

record that and put it on youtube

playing along to a recording unfortunately doesn't say a whole lot about your ability to make music sound or feel good

it's walking a tight rope 2 feet off the ground with a huge net under you

it's sort of like lip syncing to your favorite song or being the king of the karaoke bar

I'm all for playing along to songs......hell it's how I spent my life from the age of 6 to 14.......you learn a whole lot for sure ......but to record it and put it out in public as if it is some sort of accomplishment is slightly strange to me ......what is even more strange is the 10s of thousands of views that some of these get.....(Luke Holland, Meytal Cohen, Emanuelle Caplette, Cobus, Hannah Ford )

if you were to break down the song in some creative way ....or parts of it .....and do it well ....so that maybe some beginners or intermediates could learn it ....then maybe I would see some sort of a point


obviously just one mans opinion....... because someone is watching these things.....it sure isn't me
Click to expand...


I definitely agree with all of this! I used to play with many friends in the past, unfortunately I moved away, live in a town home, was forced to use an e-kit, and decided to use YouTube as a propeller towards other musicians, drummers and so on... maybe do an original cover with other musicians and compile our individual tracks to a specific song into our own music video? Seems like a fun project too!

Since I am self-taught (a very long time), I know HOW to play what I play, but explaining them in time sig. or notes would be an injustice to drummers who can read sheet like a book!

Great reply, thank you!
 
BacteriumFendYoke said:
I only tend to watch YouTube covers for other instruments - specifically bass (which I'm playing more and more of these days). In those instances, it's to help me learn the song rather than for the enjoyment of watching somebody else playing it. When I do watch covers, I like being able to see what's being played clearly and for the sound quality to be good - other than that I'm not picky. Distorted sound or badly-shot video are the two bugbears and to prevent these, you don't need a complex setup. One good-quality camera and knowing where to put a couple of decent microphones and you're ready.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback! Fortunately, the audio part for me is ready... now to plan video angles!

Arky said:
One minor thing: Please make the music start no later than 5-10 seconds into the video... This really bothers me, having to wait 20, 30!! seconds until something happens. Most people do have enough reading skills to grasp the "ah, this and that muso is playing this and that piece" within a couple seconds. Please don't try to rival Hollywood productions with some (pseudo) epic super long and super obsolete intros... That's it. As I said: a minor thing ;-)
Click to expand...


Thanks, Arky. I only plan on introducing my name, original artist & song, then get right to it! Haha
My video editing is very simple and basic (cut to one camera at point x, then back... etc)!
 
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