The Fear Of Drum Solos

Hollywood Jim

Hollywood Jim

Platinum Member
I’m starting to get pissed off.......... No, wait, it’s too late, I’ve been pissed off for a long time.

I play with a few bands as a sub for when their regular drummer can’t do the gig. And I hear over and over again, “our regular drummer does not do solos”.

Last night I played a gig and the audience wanted to hear “Wipe Out” by the Surfaris. I can play that song backwards and forwards. So we played it and I even tacked on a two minute solo near the end. The audience went wild! I even got TIP$ and special compliments handed to me at the end of the show. Here is what pisses me off. The other two drummers that play for this band refuse to play Wipe Out or do drum solos.

More and more I hear about drummers who won’t do drum solos. This is spoiling things for me. Band members and leaders very rarely allow me to do a solo, even when I ask them to. Usually they say OK good; and then forget about it while playing. Lots of times they give solos to everyone in the band including the bass player; then they skip the drummer. I love playing drum solos. The audiences love hearing them, especially while they are dancing. I’m not talking about those 20 minute solos that they used to do at big concerts. I’m just talking about a one or two verse solo, on tempo and during those funky songs or upbeat rock songs.

I find it hard to believe that a good drummer can’t or won’t play some accented eight or sixteenth notes around the kit for a few measures. I’M SORRY BUT IT JUST PISSES ME OFF!!!!


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Hollywood Jim said:
I’m starting to get pissed off.......... No, wait, it’s too late, I’ve been pissed off for a long time.

I play with a few bands as a sub for when their regular drummer can’t do the gig. And I hear over and over again, “our regular drummer does not do solos”.

Last night I played a gig and the audience wanted to hear “Wipe Out” by the Surfaris. I can play that song backwards and forwards. So we played it and I even tacked on a two minute solo near the end. The audience went wild! I even got TIP$ and special compliments handed to me at the end of the show. Here is what pisses me off. The other two drummers that play for this band refuse to play Wipe Out or do drum solos.

More and more I hear about drummers who won’t do drum solos. This is spoiling things for me. Band members and leaders very rarely allow me to do a solo, even when I ask them to. Usually they say OK good; and then forget about it while playing. Lots of times they give solos to everyone in the band including the bass player; then they skip the drummer. I love playing drum solos. The audiences love hearing them, especially while they are dancing. I’m not talking about those 20 minute solos that they used to do at big concerts. I’m just talking about a one or two verse solo, on tempo and during those funky songs or upbeat rock songs.

I find it hard to believe that a good drummer can’t or won’t play some accented eight or sixteenth notes around the kit for a few measures. I’M SORRY BUT IT JUST PISSES ME OFF!!!!


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I don't play solos. Yeah... I do a few pre-choreographed 16th note rolls across the toms, but nothing that could really qualify as a "solo". In general, I'm a "no solo" kinda guy. Here's why: I suck.

I've been playing in various local bands since the early 80's and love it. I have impeccable timing. I can closely replicate most rock songs and I am the best "team player" a band could ever hope for. But.... Aside from a few basic rudiments, there's not a whole lot of interesting stuff I can do on my own. I can't even play a paradiddle, a ratamacue or even a decent double stroke roll. Seriously.

That's why I don't do solos. I'm an entertainer, paid to put on a good show. Me doing a solo would not show respect to the people who paid to see my band and me perform.

For the past couple years I've been playing in a 2-drummer band. As luck would have it, the other drummer has spectacular chops, loves fancy fills and is a good guy to work with. He struggles with shuffle beats and 16th note hi-hat disco beat; both of which I'm actually pretty good at. We plan each song to showcase both of our strengths and none of our weaknesses. Most of the time, I lay down the groove and he adds the "spice".

Does he like solos? Nope. Although he certainly has the chops to perform a great solo, he'd kind of a shy dude and is not comfortable in the spotlight.
 
A J said:
I don't play solos. Yeah... I do a few pre-choreographed 16th note rolls across the toms, but nothing that could really qualify as a "solo". In general, I'm a "no solo" kinda guy. Here's why: I suck.

I've been playing in various local bands since the early 80's and love it. I have impeccable timing. I can closely replicate most rock songs and I am the best "team player" a band could ever hope for. But.... Aside from a few basic rudiments, there's not a whole lot of interesting stuff I can do on my own. I can't even play a paradiddle, a ratamacue or even a decent double stroke roll. Seriously.

That's why I don't do solos. I'm an entertainer, paid to put on a good show. Me doing a solo would not show respect to the people who paid to see my band and me perform.

For the past couple years I've been playing in a 2-drummer band. As luck would have it, the other drummer has spectacular chops, loves fancy fills and is a good guy to work with. He struggles with shuffle beats and 16th note hi-hat disco beat; both of which I'm actually pretty good at. We plan each song to showcase both of our strengths and none of our weaknesses. Most of the time, I lay down the groove and he adds the "spice".

Does he like solos? Nope. Although he certainly has the chops to perform a great solo, he'd kind of a shy dude and is not comfortable in the spotlight.
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You just made me realize my post here is insulting all those drummers who for one reason or another can't play a solo. I'm sorry for that. I did not mean to insult anyone. Soloing is not the most important part of drumming. It is only a very very small part of drumming.
I'm feeling like I should delet this thread....................

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I gig as a bassist and woodwind player, but am at best, an incompetent hobby drummer. I won't even consider the term "percussionist" as remotely applicable. Bassists can run into the same issues with solos, often relating to the whole band dropping off and looking bored for X bars. Some have no interest trying to figure out how to make it work. I've lucked out in performing with some phenomenal drummers who would create an accommodating musical space for a bass solo, going back and forth between who was holding ground and who was taking point. Part of the drum solos were the bass hitting accents or marking time without interfering and vice versa. We sometimes worked out stuff together ahead of time that held solidly of its own accord without the rest of the band. A solo is not necessarily about unrivaled virtuosity.
 
For me, it's just lack of ability. I put all my time into playing songs, not stuff that would lend itself to soloing. That's not a matter of taste, it's just me not being a well rounded drummer. I suspect a lot of drummers who "won't" play solos "can't" play solos. Like me.

But I've started working on it.
 
Hollywood Jim said:
You just made me realize my post here is insulting all those drummers who for one reason or another can't play a solo. I'm sorry for that. I did not mean to insult anyone. Soloing is not the most important part of drumming. It is only a very very small part of drumming.
I'm feeling like I should delet this thread....................

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Your post is not at all insulting! You may be a great soloist, but you couldn't possibly compete with my...

funky groove beats...
perfect timing....
stunningly handsome stage presence.... ! :D

It's all good, Bro. I appreciate your insight and enthusiasm. No harm. No foul.
 
A J said:
Your post is not at all insulting! You may be a great soloist, but you couldn't possibly compete with my...

funky groove beats...
perfect timing....
stunningly handsome stage presence.... ! :D

It's all good, Bro. I appreciate your insight and enthusiasm. No harm. No foul.
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Ha ! Yes, I hear you. I play all the right things but my stage presence really does suck. And I can never remember to smile.

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Hollywood Jim said:
Ha ! Yes, I hear you. I play all the right things but my stage presence really does suck. And I can never remember to smile.

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Well... I don't want to brag but... True story.

Last Summer I was playing an outdoor private party gig. As I was tearing down my drums, some lady in the audience sent her cute college-age daughter up on stage to find out if I was married! The best part is that the keyboard player and other drummer both heard the conversation! :D

Given the choice of being a brilliant drum soloist or getting hit on by strange women, I'll choose the latter! :D

Good luck with your soloing! :D
 
Wait Hollywood, you actually asked for a solo?

I usually pass on the solos when I'm asked, but if they throw me one without a choice I then have to soldier through it.

I can play solos out of time just fine, but to me...I won't do that. If I must solo I must keep the time of the song during my phrasing.

It's a necessity for me, and it kills me because I'm not good enough at it.

I have a hard time keeping time and phrasing a solo that I'm inventing on the spot. I detest being the center of attention and most of the time, that one problem hamstrings me almost every time. I feel stifled in a big way. In my mind. If I could get the guitarist to keep the time on damped chucka chucka strings, I know I could do much better. As much as I love space in songs, space in my solos makes things worse inside my head. I always think I have to fill ALL the space. It's a personal problem. If someone kept basic time, I would be freed up, and space and phrasing wouldn't be a problem. At all. I might even look forward to a solo if I had help. If I had a massive ego, maybe I wouldn't have a problem. As it is, I never feel capable enough.

If I could solo really good, I would feel differently about it. But I am NEVER happy with my solos. I try to get out of the solo as quick as I can, which doesn't help the situation.

The worst part is if I am clearly signaling the end of my solo, and they don't come in on the 1, I have to somehow make a stupid unplanned addendum to the solo that I wanted to end. I really detest that.

Drummers are the only ones that actually solo. The guitarist's solo...isn't a true solo. I keep time for guitars, keys and bass during ALL of their "solos"

What pisses me off is that they just let me twist in the wind, offering zero support when I have to solo.

So there's nothing I like about soloing. Today.
 
I'm a new convert to soloing, but I definitely get the no-soloing mentality. I worked with a bassist who was a Hartt School grad and excellent player. He wanted nothing to do with solos either.
 
Larry..are we somehow joined at the hip?..you just typed a near identical reply as to what I'd have to type but you did it FOR me. Thanks bro!. 🎶
 
Dang Hollywood, you asked for a solo? Next thing you know, you'll be suggesting songs for the set list and requesting different places to eat after the show. Talking about overstepping your bounds! :ROFLMAO:

I have a couple of little solo breaks in the show, and they are fun to do. I think when done tastefully, they can really add to the show and give the audience a little taste of what you can do.
 
Rock Salad said:
I just keep playing the beat but louder and more cymbal crashes lol
I'm working at it. It is intimidating but heck, so are a lot of things when you have my (lack of) skill set
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I recently started with a teacher who is helping a lot with soloing, I was right up fron about I'm here for soling, period the end. What he's doing is going thru a lot of vocabulary, like six stroke roll variations, paradiddlediddle variations, Tony licks, Cobham licks, just throwing a ton of material at me. It's working, I like it. I go home with half a dozen sheets, and woodshed like mad, and torture my band by taking a lot of solos during rehearsal.
 
Fwiw. I hated solos and then i got a gig where i had to play one eveey night.

I would actually go home and practice soloing. How I was gonna start, it where I was going to go, what would be in the middle, what would be the transitions, and how I would end it. It really did take the pressure off " thinking" about what I was going to play.
 
A J said:
Given the choice of being a brilliant drum soloist or getting hit on by strange women, I'll choose the latter! :D
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Can't fathom how this would either/or proposition.

And considering the two scenarios - 1. having the sole attention (if even briefly) of the crowd under a spotlight or 2. being forever anonymous in the back row in the dark providing a support role than few understand or appreciate. Seems the odds would be stacked the other way... :)
 
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