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Final Practice Before Show (Drummer...***)

#21
LYNCHMAN said:
i've always found that if you have a great rehearsal before a show, then the show will suck.

if you have a terrible rehearsal before a show then the show will rock...just works out that way...
i have no cosmic rhyme or reason why...just an observation!
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I think there is a very natural reason for this: Nail rehearsal, you might get complacent and forget to focus at the gig. Struggle at rehearsal, and you'll do whatever you have to NOT play that poorly at the gig ("man am I glad that wasn't in front of people"). Pretty good incentive to be ready.
 
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#23
mellowinman said:
Just play the show.

You'll figure out later if you have to hurt him.
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This.

Honestly, having been in a TON of bands, I have a hunch what was going on.

He likely just had a hard day at work, and drum fills were his way of "venting" a little. I'm being serious. It could be anything.... work stress, family issues, etc. But he was just letting off a little steam through his drumsticks.

Good luck with the show and report back!
 
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#24
I'm not sure dress rehearsals are a good idea except before mammoth gigs, if you have a ton of new material, or if you haven't been playing/gigging enough recently. The drummer was trying to blow off steam, and expressing confidence in the gig.
 
#25
Over the last couple of years the few drummers I've played with never have their own kits set up at home so the only time they get to play is at band rehearsals.
Naturally it's hard to stop them once they get behind a kit.
What I've done is try and get the drummer in maybe half an hour early and let him loose...on the clear understanding that once everyone else is there and there's work to be done he or she gets with the program.
Doesn't always work but hey, you've gotta start somewhere.
 
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#26
Oddly said:
Over the last couple of years the few drummers I've played with never have their own kits set up at home so the only time they get to play is at band rehearsals.
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This is pretty lame excuse to not be ready. I get that not everyone can set up a kit at home, but they need to find a way to be prepared. Your idea of letting a drummer have the room before rehearsals start is fine and good if they just need to pound on something, but that shouldn't be their only wood shedding time.
 
#33
Roll with it. Ideally that final walk through should be so on track that it is nearly unconscious. You should be able to watch your hands perform the song while your mind should be able to observe, almost as an audience member would. Similar to how your mind can drift when you drive.

You want that, so that your mind can watch as you perform and still guide you when the conditions differ (which they will during the performance). Something will be different during the show, acoustics, audience engagement, a blinding stage light, something. So last night, it was a goofy drummer at a rehearsal, who knows what it will be next time, get your hands right so your head can clearly guide you through, and have fun while you roll with it. Who knows, maybe the gig will be time for fills, or more energy, or to get subdued, point is that with a clear mind you can read the situation and not panic because your hands have the set down.

Practice isn't just about the songs, it's about preparing to perform and engage in that moment in the most natural effortless way possible.
 
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#35
fakeneckplate'65 said:
Is that drummer using the floor tom as both a cocktail style bass drum & tom? Neat! Pack light!
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Small Ludwig kit (Maples?) I'm not totally knowledgeable about them, but Todd (the drummer) has such an amazing collection (and availability via Steve Albini's Electrical Recording Studio in Chicago). he gets a really good sound with that kit!
 
#36
JtSD619 said:
Anyone else have this happen and felt the same way I do?
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As the new guy I'd tread lightly, but if he starts horsing around on every song there is nothing wrong saying, "I though we agreed we were going to play things the way we're playing them at the gig."

If it happens again, I'd speak up. It's a tough call. I played in a band where we'd release the hell out of tunes until they were perfect. It was the tightest band I'd every played in and people would comment on it. That's not for everyone though.

When I was in sales many, many years ago, this speaker said, "If you rehearse your pitch less than 10 times, it's sloppy; more than 10 times it sounds canned; more than a 100 times, it sounds natural." We rehearsed so much that when we played, all we thought about was the music. We knew what we were going to play and what every member in the band was going to play and we got past the whole thought process and were just able to concentrate on the creative process. I'm not saying it's the only way to go, but it worked for us.
 
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#39
mellowinman said:
Just play the show. You'll figure out later if you have to hurt him.
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00 images2b2.png

:laugh:



lfmn16 said:
It's a drummer. Hurt him first, then figure out if you should have.
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:laugh:
 
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