Yolanda Charles on drummers! :)

Good advice from a solid player. Thanks for sharing that with us Andy.
 
And ...there you have it,in a nutshell,drummers.It's not who can play the most notes to the bar,or can light the kit on fire,and play so fast,the he melts plastic heads,all the while twirling his sticks.Entertaining for sure,but...is it serving the music?During a solo maybe,but Listen/watch Max Roach,Papa Jo Jones,Tony Williams or Simon Phillips play a solo.The two can be sucessfully combined,but...............if you're not listening to the tune,you're missing the whole point.

Listen to it all,the bass,lead guitar,keys,melody.,in fact,all the instruments and how they intigrate,..especially the lyrics.How to move into a chorus,and introduce that chorus,prehaps with a fill....or not,and if or not works....than that's what you play.Or prehaps,move to a bridge/chorus ,back into another verse.It's not all a chops fest,and most ..... good musicians/drummers,will tell you that.Guys like Earl Palmer,Hal Blaine,Jim Keltner,Vinny,Ringo,Liberty DeVito.....et al,all know that,which is how they made a living playing drums.

Check ego at the door,and use those listening skills.Play for the music,and if less is more,then play less.Thanks for posting that Andy,I've been waiting....cheers

Steve B
 
Last edited:
And you notice that Aaron uses only one cymbal and hats? And you call me crazy ;)
Never called you crazy, & in your rodent gig, you've got the biggest ears in the industry. Yolanda would love you ;)

Check ego at the door,and use those listening skills.
Steve B
Yup, that's the message from Yolanda loud & clear.

Good advice from a solid player. Thanks for sharing that with us Andy.
Sage advice indeed, & from someone who's playing credits most can only dream of. She's obviously doing something right ;)
 
And you notice that Aaron uses only one cymbal and hats? And you call me crazy ;)
As further detail to your post Bo, Aaron normally plays with a couple of crashes in addition to the ride. You may notice that the film set in the background is the one from our Bass vs. Drums video. This filming was hastily bolted on to the back of that session as Yolanda had to get back to London. The video crew just brought in the "beatloaf crappy chair", & then removed the crashes from the kit so that Aaron & Yolanda had good line of sight, plus unobstructed single camera capture. The whole being an ad hoc improv one take with zero preparation apart from Aaron writing down his questions.

Thought you might notice the appearance of the 18" Meinl sand dry & extra dry crashes used as hats again :)
 
Finally, this Beat Loaf session ends up on Drummerworld :)

I've been nagging Aaron to release it....

Wonderful advice from Yolanda, listen is the key... as is feel and groove (pocket) drumming.

How true a bad drummer kill the band, no matter how good the rest of the band is :(

Now I could LISTEN to her playing all day, but I'm not sure or confident enough that I could play with her, there's some musicians that you're so afraid to play with because they're so good, no matters how hard you listen, Yolanda is in different league than me.


Thanks for the nudge Andy :)
 
I'm sorry, did the subject of drummers come up in that video? I must have missed it.

Misbehaving,
8Mile
 
I agree with Yolanda - ears are the crux of the biscuit. Listenig is easier said than done. My ears wouldn't have been fast enough to latch onto that last bassline the way Aaron did - very cool.

I think, given the volume of the drums from behind the kit, it's especially easy for us not to listen because the balance is often so out of whack as compared with the sound out front. These days I've been trying harder to catch myself before I drift off into Idiot Drumland - that magical place of delusional thrills I have visited too many times before :)
 
Now I could LISTEN to her playing all day, but I'm not sure or confident enough that I could play with her, there's some musicians that you're so afraid to play with because they're so good, no matters how hard you listen
And as you know Henri, I'll be facing down that particular "demon" evening of November 8th :(

I'm sorry, did the subject of drummers come up in that video? I must have missed it.

Misbehaving,
8Mile
Larry, you're a very naughty boy. Your punishment is to watch the video over & over until you get the message! ;)

My ears wouldn't have been fast enough to latch onto that last bassline the way Aaron did - very cool.
Very cool indeed! I love the way Aaron came in so effortlessly mid bar. That offered a slight skew that I found very appealing & organic.
 
This was an excellent beatloaf (wondering when Andy's beatloaf will show up??)

When I think back to those 2 days I immediate start smiling..
Yolanda is such a cool person and a more than fantastic player!

What Yolanda said about the "pocket" thing is exactly what I have been learning the last years (I still do.)

Again, excellent video :)
 
This was an excellent beatloaf (wondering when Andy's beatloaf will show up??)

When I think back to those 2 days I immediate start smiling..
Yolanda is such a cool person and a more than fantastic player!
Yes, it was a fun couple of days on the session :) Thank you for reminding me of my upcoming "guest appearance". Yet another opportunity for the fine forum membership to have fun at my expense. I've been presenting a few opportunities lately! :(

Notice how nervous Aaron is in this interview clip?
 
Now I could LISTEN to her playing all day, but I'm not sure or confident enough that I could play with her, there's some musicians that you're so afraid to play with because they're so good, no matters how hard you listen, Yolanda is in different league than me.

I play with bad bass players all the time. I've also had the pleasure a few times to play with some great ones. It's easier once you get over the intimidation factor. They know what time it is. You don't have to chase them all over the place or worry about them at all. You both establish your thing. And then you meld it together because things just fit in place. Great bass players are usually about groove. Even high end chops guys like Victor Wooten. Lock in with them and there'll be smiles all around. Try to show off and lose it and you may get "that look".
 
I play with bad bass players all the time. I've also had the pleasure a few times to play with some great ones. It's easier once you get over the intimidation factor. They know what time it is. You don't have to chase them all over the place or worry about them at all. You both establish your thing. And then you meld it together because things just fit in place. Great bass players are usually about groove. Even high end chops guys like Victor Wooten. Lock in with them and there'll be smiles all around. Try to show off and lose it and you may get "that look".
Great post! Even though it's natural to feel intimidated in such a scenario, there's a comfort in knowing the "superior" player/players have your back. They want you to succeed, & will usually play in a very supportive way that enables you to flourish so long as you play well within your capabilities. In such situations, it's my job to lay down a foundation that allows the "stars" to shine.

I'll be putting this to the test soon :)
 
As further detail to your post Bo, Aaron normally plays with a couple of crashes in addition to the ride. You may notice that the film set in the background is the one from our Bass vs. Drums video. This filming was hastily bolted on to the back of that session as Yolanda had to get back to London. The video crew just brought in the "beatloaf crappy chair", & then removed the crashes from the kit so that Aaron & Yolanda had good line of sight, plus unobstructed single camera capture. The whole being an ad hoc improv one take with zero preparation apart from Aaron writing down his questions.

Thought you might notice the appearance of the 18" Meinl sand dry & extra dry crashes used as hats again :)

Those 18's sound absolutely wicked! Finally got to watch this (I've been dealing with too many other things these last couple of days) and that was superb!

When she talked about drummer's not listening....so true. But how many times have I been put in the position where I just have to shut off everything else and plow through a song with those show choir kids or else the whole thing fall apart? It is a necessary evil sometimes ;)

I'm sure Yolanda would NEVER play for a show choir ;)
 
I'm sure Yolanda would NEVER play for a show choir ;)
Probably true, but you do raise a most valid point. When playing with players who might not always get it right, occasionally, it's our job to lay down things a bit thicker than we'd ordinarily do. That might be ploughing through against a tide of tempo fluctuation rather than simply riding the push/pull. It might be stamping the backbeat dynamic a bit too much for the music when others get lost, etc. Of course, those occasions are the exception, but sometimes it's our job, wether we like it or not.

Yolanda's in a different world, & I suspect would rarely find herself in a situation playing with others at a much lower level than herself. Again, I'll put that to the test in November! ;)
 
Re: intimidated by great players.

Useless waste of thought. Good players make it so much easier. It's like FINALLY someone who can pull their weight. F getting intimidated. You do what you do, they do what they do. Your being intimidated (speaking to no one in particular) does more to hurt you than help you. Either you can hang with great players or you can't. Introducing another element of distraction isn't helping anyone.
 
Re: intimidated by great players.

Useless waste of thought. Good players make it so much easier. It's like FINALLY someone who can pull their weight. F getting intimidated. You do what you do, they do what they do. Your being intimidated (speaking to no one in particular) does more to hurt you than help you. Either you can hang with great players or you can't. Introducing another element of distraction isn't helping anyone.

I'm RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, Lar! It's like, "Finally! We all get to eat at the big kids' table!"

Challenge me as a musician... but in the GOOD way.
 
Ah, Yolanda! She just oozes warmth and class.
Way too much of a good thing. She's special, & I'm yet to discover even the smallest negative in Yolanda. I hope I never do :)

Good players make it so much easier.
Yes they do! Unless said uber player is a complete cock, & so long as you approach the gig with complete outward honesty about your own ability, most players will have your back & almost nurture you through the experience. Keep it simple, play well within your ability limitations, & just enjoy a special moment in your life :)

Challenge me as a musician... but in the GOOD way.
And that respect is usually reciprocated. Trepidation is to be expected, but translating that within ourselves to intimidation is a destructive step for sure.
 
Back
Top