First jam tonight. Advice? Tips?
- Thread starter rummy
- Start date
beatdat
Senior Member
You've gotten good advice from your fellow members, but I'd like to add this:
It's almost summertime now, and rehearsal spaces can get hot. Make sure you bring water to stay hydrated (even if you're drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages) and a small towel to dry off betweens songs.
Another thing you may find, because of the excitement of jamming for the first time, is that you'll play a little more aggressively than usual, so have a couple of band-aids on hand in case you cut one of your fingers - no one likes to see bloodstains on a drum set.
Good luck and have fun!
It's almost summertime now, and rehearsal spaces can get hot. Make sure you bring water to stay hydrated (even if you're drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages) and a small towel to dry off betweens songs.
Another thing you may find, because of the excitement of jamming for the first time, is that you'll play a little more aggressively than usual, so have a couple of band-aids on hand in case you cut one of your fingers - no one likes to see bloodstains on a drum set.
Good luck and have fun!
Great perspective. Thank you.
Odd-Arne Oseberg
Platinum Member
Keep it simple.
Groove is king.
etc....etc...etc....
Groove is king.
etc....etc...etc....
makinao
Silver Member
1) I agree with most, find a groove and stay with it. No need for pyrotechnics at a first gig.
2) Most changes in dynamics or fills usually happen during the transitions between sections. So use this to your advantage as a guitar player who knows chord changes and song forms.
3) If there's a house kit, I bring a) sticks, b) drum key, c) cymbals, d) snare, 4) kick pedal. If any of these except sticks are better than what you have, then I'll use what's on the house kit.
2) Most changes in dynamics or fills usually happen during the transitions between sections. So use this to your advantage as a guitar player who knows chord changes and song forms.
3) If there's a house kit, I bring a) sticks, b) drum key, c) cymbals, d) snare, 4) kick pedal. If any of these except sticks are better than what you have, then I'll use what's on the house kit.
trickg
Silver Member
Hey! I hope the jam went well. I have a couple of thoughts on your post here.
For starters, if you are going to be a drummer and if you ever intend to get out and play with other people, you're going to need cases or bags for your gear. A cymbal bag for your cymbals would be a worthwhile investment, and you can get something cheap for now.
A lot of drummers like to have a bag with a lot of padded dividers. Honestly, it's not "that" important to have dividers, and for the first couple of years of my life, I had a basic single pocket Sabian bag that I got for free with the purchase of a Sabian AAX pack of cymbals. I simply stacked everything on a nylon bolt with nylon washers (you can get those in the special parts drawers in your Home Depot or Lowes hardware isle) so that they stayed in a single stack in the bag. After all, cymbals are designed to be hit so unless you are concerned about scratches, it's not that big of a deal. The main thing is to protect the edges.
When it comes to playing on a house kit, I'm always more comfortable with certain things of my own:
1.) Pedals - kick and hi-hat (Then you'll have your own clutch)
2.) Snare stand and my own snare (it's rare that the house snare sounds as good or better than one of mine)
3.) Throne
If I have those things, I can feel pretty at-home on almost any kit.
As for sticks, 5As are thick enough, but it depends on the context. Most of my playing is done in praise team settings where there's always a concern about volume coming off of an acoustic kit, so I've taken to using lighter, thinner sticks. I'm currently using Vic Firth maple SD4 combos - about the diameter of a 7A, but lighter because they are maple. Believe me, I can get PLENTY of volume out of those if I need, but if I was jamming with a classic rock cover group, I'd probably go to 5As. The thickest sticks I ever used were 5Bs, and I loved the tone I'd get from them, but I just didn't need that kind of volume.
Let us know how it went!
I owe a big thank you to this community. Last night was a blast, and they want me back next week!
We did mostly classic rock covers like Handle with care, Brown eyed girl, Crossroads, Authority song, etc. I kept it very simple and moved the kick around for different songs. It was really fun working out with the band to figure out how to count everybody in and things like that.
And, as you all said, being relaxed was the key. First few song, I was so stiff, and was unsure of my tempo. Then a few songs in, I felt more comfortable, and maybe even felt that elusive "pocket" for a moment or two.
The house kit was an import Mapex 1 up 1 down. I felt super comfortable with it pretty quickly. They mic'd the kick and nothing else. Kick drum sounded thunderous. It allowed me to kick with less effort to be heard than otherwise. I liked that.
And this helped me tremendously! Just knowing the changes and anticipating it with a crash was so satisfying. I felt like I was directing the band.
Overall, it was a fun experience. I can't wait to do it again next week. Now, how do I prep for next week? What can I do to prepare myself better?
We did mostly classic rock covers like Handle with care, Brown eyed girl, Crossroads, Authority song, etc. I kept it very simple and moved the kick around for different songs. It was really fun working out with the band to figure out how to count everybody in and things like that.
And, as you all said, being relaxed was the key. First few song, I was so stiff, and was unsure of my tempo. Then a few songs in, I felt more comfortable, and maybe even felt that elusive "pocket" for a moment or two.
The house kit was an import Mapex 1 up 1 down. I felt super comfortable with it pretty quickly. They mic'd the kick and nothing else. Kick drum sounded thunderous. It allowed me to kick with less effort to be heard than otherwise. I liked that.
And this helped me tremendously! Just knowing the changes and anticipating it with a crash was so satisfying. I felt like I was directing the band.
Overall, it was a fun experience. I can't wait to do it again next week. Now, how do I prep for next week? What can I do to prepare myself better?
uhtrinity
Senior Member
Just have fun and keep it simple. You can't really force a good experience, it'll happen or it won't.
As far as the cymbals. You can use the hi hat clutch to keep them together. Wrapping them with something wouldn't hurt. Not a bad idea to invest in a cymbal bag at some point.
Edit: You posted your experience as I was typing, glad it went well!
As far as the cymbals. You can use the hi hat clutch to keep them together. Wrapping them with something wouldn't hurt. Not a bad idea to invest in a cymbal bag at some point.
Edit: You posted your experience as I was typing, glad it went well!
uhtrinity
Senior Member
That will only work if they follow your time. Most of the time it ends up with you rubber banding between the metronome you hear and the time they play in. Could be pretty stressful.
Thanks for the response.
I ended up packing all my cymbals right back into the A391 pack box that they came to me in. It was pain, but it worked. I was looking at this. What do you think?
https://www.amazon.com/Sabian-61008...&qid=1528379087&sr=8-9&keywords=sabian+cymbal
The house kit had a Iron Cobra pedal and a Mapex hi hats pedal. I was nervous about using other pedals, but I got used to them after a song or two.
I brought 5As, 2Bs and Buddy Rich signature sticks. I was going to play with 5as, but when I saw Buddy smiling at me, I knew he was going to help me out.
Jokes aside, these guys played pretty soft. I hope I wasn't being too loud or too soft. I'm guessing I probably was doing both.
trickg
Silver Member
I think that's the exact cymbal bag I had when I first started. It depends on your budget, but I'm currently looking at this to replace the RoadRunner bag I currently use. (It originally came with a roller/handle setup, but I painstakingly removed it because I didn't like using it, and it just clunked into my leg when I'd carry it.)
https://www.amazon.com/Reunion-Blue...28379873&sr=1-1&keywords=reunion+blues+cymbal
Yes, it's double the cost, but I think it's probably double the bag in terms of construction and usability.
I had my mind set. I told myself I was going to show up as a drummer. I was going to think like one, act like one, etc. I knew I had my mentality right when I found myself getting annoyed with the lead player noodling while others were trying to talk. Guitar players, am I right? lol
This made me lol....thanks, I owe you one
Icetech
.
KEEF
Senior Member
whiteknightx
Silver Member
I'm really glad it went well.
One thing I've learned as I get older, I always play at home for an hour before gigs and rehearsals or such. That tends to work the kinks out for me so when I get there, I don't need 4 or 5 songs to get warmed up and loose on. It's made a huge difference for me.
One thing I've learned as I get older, I always play at home for an hour before gigs and rehearsals or such. That tends to work the kinks out for me so when I get there, I don't need 4 or 5 songs to get warmed up and loose on. It's made a huge difference for me.