Locking w/bass drum-Bass drum patterns

[Whit Townsend]

Hello.
Hanvt been on much lately as I ve been in an acoustic guitar project, but I may get the call soon for a fledgeling RAB gig.
The organizer(singer/guitarist) tried something similar a year or so ago but it never got off the ground as everybody was too differrent. The organizer was a classic rock player w/some good RAB chops. The other singer/guitarist was a classic country/cowboy chord crooner. My background is bluegrass. The drummer was an old metal head. We could never establish a common groove so we kinda gave up.

Recently the lead guitarist/singer called me and wants to try again, doing classic rockabilly, just me & him and a drummer, poss adding another guitar later on. I said Ive love to try, so am waiting on his call that he found a drummer.

Being a bluegrasser I have very limited experience playing with a drummer. Me and tho old drummer never jelled. I could never lock onto his bass drum very well. I think he was overplaying, but it may have been me. I would just have to listen to his snare and play opposite of that. But it seems like me and the bass drum were never quite there most of the time.

So my question is, what does the bass drum do 90% of the time in classic rockabilly?
Play on the 1 and 3, with variations, like 1& 3?
Plus swung vatriations of the above?

Or does he play 4 to the bar?

What about other common rock beats like the Bo Diddly or some latin like beat?

What does your drummer do most of the time?

[StyleOverShow]

Use Pandora or similar internet radio and put in an 'artist' name and listen to the interplay between the bass and drums. It definitely has subtle defining 'beats', like simple 7 bar umph-pahs and then something interesting on the 8th bar turn around.

BTW, its R&B generally in my jargon.

[Rebop]

Originally Posted by Whit Townsend

So my question is, what does the bass drum do 90% of the time in classic rockabilly?
Play on the 1 and 3, with variations, like 1& 3?
Plus swung vatriations of the above?

Or does he play 4 to the bar?

What about other common rock beats like the Bo Diddly or some latin like beat?

What does your drummer do most of the time?

1 and 3 for country 2-beat and "4 on the floor" for swing tunes. If you're having trouble locking with a bass drum you can try watching the front head of the drum deflect every time the drummer steps on the pedal. Every time the head moves, you should be playing a note (generally). It's sometimes easier to feel out a new drummer this way, especially if you're not used to listening to the bass drum or can't hear his bass drum for whatever reason.

[Whit Townsend]

Thanks. From the responses, it seems I may have been approaching things the right way and it was the hard rock drummer gumming up the works after all. I kept saying I think it would help if you would simplify, but I would get a slack jawed blank look Then he would start simple but be Keith Moon(seemed to me anyway) before the song was over.

[Rebop]

Originally Posted by Whit Townsend

Then he would start simple but be Keith Moon(seemed to me anyway) before the song was over.

Welcome to my world. Some of them just don't get it. Make them listen to Junior Brown's drummers or even Bob Wills stuff.

Make them watch this:

YouTube - Junior Brown - My Wife Thinks You're Dead

And this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFef08YZ6qk

Not modern rockabilly but these are what the drummers should be able to do as well as go into other modes- when the music warrants it.

[Whit Townsend]

Originally Posted by Rebop

Welcome to my world. Some of them just don't get it. Make them listen to Junior Brown's drummers or even Bob Wills stuff.

Make them watch this:

YouTube - Junior Brown - My Wife Thinks You're Dead

And this:

YouTube - Ida Red - Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys Telescription 1951

Not modern rockabilly but these are what the drummers should be able to do as well as go into other modes- when the music warrants it.

If they can play that way I'll have no problem.