I played drums for a blues jam last night!

[Bro' FF]

I bought a kit about six months ago, mostly to have in my music room so that I could get drummers to come over and play without the "moving the kit" excuse. I probably spent 8 hours or so behind it in the first two months, just messing around to see if I had any potential to drum... I really did not think I did at that point.

 

Anyhow, I am messing around one night and I finally begin to "get" it. So, over the past three months or so, I have probably spent 2-3 hours a week trying to get the basics down, playing to some simple stuff like Nirvana and some classic rock. Turns out I am indeed getting better...

 

I had my cymbals set up from left to right in a high-to-low fashion, tone-wise, similar to the way the toms are laid out. I thought this was normal... at any rate, I was singing with this cover band and watching the drummer do his cymbal accents and he is hardly having to move around the kit at all, he is on the ride, then a light crash just above the ride... on the hats, then a hit above the hats. NO going all over the kit to get a cymbal like I was trying to do.

 

So, I regrouped my cymbals for tone and put three in the general vicinity of the ride, which accent the ride nicely. Same with the hats, and a couple of more "universal" crashes in-between. I spent some money on good cymbals (A Custom ride behind hats, Paiste signature hats, K Custom Dark Ride on right, and A, A Custom, K, and K Custom splashes, crashes, and chinas) so they really sound great. Regrouping the cymbals gave me an exponential boost in fills and accents...

 

Next, I worked on getting the snare and hats at just the right height for me, and my playing improved again. Worked on hat tension and spread to find the best setup for me, and improved again. Worked on the hats alot to get the stick/opening/closing timing down to recreate what I hear on recordings.

 

So, after these few months I am as good as the drummer in our classic rock band (I play bass in that band) and figure I can sit in on a set now, if it is not too difficult musically. I invite this local blues master over, who has a girlfriend that plays bass really well also. This guy is an SRV, Hendrix, and old-school blues giant and really pro-caliber. We had a three-hour jam, covering old blues classics, Stevie Ray, Hendrix, Stray Cats, and some original stuff. I have a decent home studio setup, and I recorded our performance on my Alesis Masterlink, edited it down, and made a CD of our jam. IT KICKED ASS! My drumming was really pretty damn good, I have really focused on dynamics and get a good snare crack, have a nice touch with the cymbals, and have a good grasp of both the hats and the kick, and most importantly my meter is tight! The guitarist said I was like a "drum machine" and meant it as a compliment to my timing.

 

I dropped a few beats, mangled a fill or two, but by and large my playing was really good, and definately acceptable. We could have stepped into any open mic scenario and had the crowd cheering; the mistakes were not overt and you had to be listening for them to even notice. I notice because I am trying to get better.

 

Bottom line is that we all had a great time. In fact, the guitarist said it was the best jam he has had in years, and he is on TV around here and playing out all the time. I guess he got to play JUST what he wanted this time, instead of what other bands want him to play. It was a real kick and I am proud to be able to consider myself a drummer without shame. I have a lifetime of licks and technique to learn, but have a good hold on the basics and a reasonable amount of independance already. I have played bass for many years, guitar for about five, and now drums too. I think I can honestly say that playing drums is the most "fun" of any instrument thusfar.

 

Also, it is interesting to note that while playing guitar, I play speed/thrash metal almost exclusively. I play the "Dave Mustaine" and "James Hetfield" role in a Megadeth/Metallica tribute cover band. On bass, I play in an originals band that is all over the board, but mostly classic rock-influenced. On drums, I love the jazzy, bluesy stuff like Steely Dan, SRV, and others. You would think one genre would predominate over all instruments, but for me it does not. Music rules!

[Xplora]

I like the story. Thanks for sharing.

[Picker]

Bro you give me hope.

 

I've been a guitarist for several years, recently got into bass and now have recently purchased my first drum set.

 

So far, I've been doing what you mentioned, playing around for a few hours and seeing if I can make it sound good.

 

Anyway, your little story here has given me inspiration to continue to work on improving and hope that I can make things work for me.

 

Keep on hittin'