Anyone ever play drums in the pit at a musical?

[Shasta86]

I just got back from a fabulous musical at my school, and I was inspired.

Is it fun? Is it hard work? Could a highschool student do it? :poke:

[cearleywine]

Yes. Not hard work if you can read music. You will most likely have to be dedicated to long practices, and very patient.

[Carminemw]

Yes..have played a few...can be fun playing in the pit band. It builds comradery and reading skills as well.The only thing that requires discipline is sitting thru rests and waiting for the actors to do their lines. It'sgreat fun though all in all...

[1001gear]

Done a couple. Community theatre. Easy drumming. Played just about what was on the page. ( most players wouldn't dream of doing this BTW) Just blend. People who know are always paying attention.

[louied78]

 

I just got back from a fabulous musical at my school, and I was inspired. Is it fun? Is it hard work? Could a highschool student do it? :poke:

 

 

I played drums for Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat when I was in HS. It was pretty cool because I had two solos throughout it and on the final showing, I played parts of the In a god a davida (not sure how that's spelled) solo as it fit rather well into the tempo. A lot of the parents came up and shook my hand and were thrilled by it. Even the choir teacher that I thought would really be pissed got a kick out of it. I had a blast. Do it if you get the chance.

[drumtechdad]

 

I just got back from a fabulous musical at my school, and I was inspired.

 

 

I've done several hundred performances of Broadway shows as a pro. Did some as a student, too.

 

 

Is it fun? Is it hard work? Could a highschool student do it? :poke:

 

 

It can be fun. Depends on the music, the conductor, the company, your colleagues. It can be very hard work. 8-10 shows a week for 10-20 weeks can be a grind. If the music sucks, or is boring, it can be a drag. On the plus side, you know where to show up for work every day without having to look in your book. And the money spends just as good as any other.

 

And exacting: professional companies want the music precisely the same every night. You play one phrase a little differently than you did last night and you're apt to get a note on your stand the next day, saying, "Please don't do that again." There's someone from the company listening to every show for this and other things.

 

And yes, a high school student can do it. As cearleywine said, you need serious reading chops and, if you're playing percussion as opposed to drumset, you need mallets and the ability to run around like a maniac among a large number of instruments.

 

Glad you had fun.

[manoeuver]

I played a buncha shows in Hi Skool. Came in handy. I got to college and played a number of scenes from West Side Story from memory. Got a pretty good reaction from that.

 

I do remember being quite bored a lot of the time. I quit playing musicals shortly after I got to college; actors are in general totally insufferable.

 

Great experience playing many styles and just fantastic for your reading chops.

[drumsdb]

I played a lot of musicals in high school. It started with the productions my own schools drama department did, but I eventually was hired (while still in high school) do to so for other high schools in my area.

 

It was a lot of fun at times and there are sometimes other perks. (I met my first serious girlfriend (violin player) doing a pit show at a rival school :-)

 

DB

[Darten]

I played a kit in the pit for a few off off off broadway musicals. The most fun ever... and the partys were good too. But reading is essential.

[slap happy drums]

done a few, made the $$$ that allowed me to move out of my parents house by playing kit for Oliver Twist.

 

Did one in Moorhead MN called "Once upon an Island"

So this was in Moorhead right?....not a ton of ethnic diversity.....sooooo

 

The choreographer was brought in from Jamaica, as was the lead actress.....did I mention this was a Junior High production....w/ a ringer for a leading lady, one preteen Black girl from Jamaica and 30 white kids doing the most adorable yet pathetic Jamaican accents ever, and I had to be onstage the whole time with war paint on my face standing behing a set of LP Congas......good times. (ended up doing a gig w/ my band after one of the shows, kept the war paint on, Dreadlocks and warpaint at a Moorhead bar gig, also good times)

 

To this day I still sometimes have.......a Juicy Mango, doo doo....STUCK in my fracking head.

 

Still, some of the best money I've ever made.

 

I've looked into a few local plays, but everyone here wants you to donate your time, or else it's on another level and the jobs have been filled for a long, long time.

[turdadactyl]

Last time I played in the pit was 1992ish. I recall having fun. I recall practicing A LOT. And I was a high school student at the time, so that answers that part of the question. Of course, it was also a high school production.

 

Maybe start there and then "move up" to community theater. Then to who knows where.

[danrothmusic]

I've been playing in them since I was in high school, so yes, a high school student can do it. Though I guess it depends on the student, really. If you can read music and act professionally, then yes. If you have trouble reading, you'll have a LOT of trouble in a pit.

Also, it helps to get a recording of the show and listen to it nonstop for a while, listening especially to what the drummer is doing.

It is hard work, though--you have to be paying attention basically all the time. If an actor messes up, you've gotta go with it--it's never the actor's fault if something goes wrong. To me it pays off, though. You get some cash and get a chance to perform (which is really the only reason I play).

Give it a shot--ask your high school if you can play for them next year (that's how I started). You might get your name around the local high school musical circle and get to play other places. Try it, and if you don't like it then you know, but there's nothing to lose by trying