Hi-hat side of the drummer

[onosson]

if you improvise a lot, then frequent eye contact with the drummer is crucial - the rhythmic foundation of the entire band often depends upon it. It's all about good communication. It's impossible to get tight without it...

MM

I just finished a gig with a drummer who is blind. Trust me, eye contact is not necessary! I was playing stage left, incidentally...

 

[delta7fred]

I prefer stage left but do not mind right.

Small stages and a long bass neck mean I am usually put on the far left for the safety of others.

 

[Mystic Michael]

I'll phrase it as a question; in a free improvisation, what could you need to say to a drummer that could be accomplished via eye contact, that you couldn't communicate with your playing, if you're both listening and responsive ?

It's not just what you need to communicate to the drummer. It's also what the drummer needs to communicate to you.

I can envision any number of situations where eye contact would be a big help, even when it isn't, strictly speaking, essential. A full stop - to which I alluded earlier - is just one. When exactly to come back in? Especially when no one is counting measures - yet somehow you have to agree on where to place the "one" when you both re-enter the piece.

How about when you break into a different time signature altogether? I'm not necessarily referring just to pure improv here. It applies to semi-improvised material as well.

Case in point: Frank Zappa tunes. During especially tricky transitions, Frank would often actually conduct - like a good band leader should. How well would that have worked out had his players not been paying visual attention?

MM

 

[Mystic Michael]

I just finished a gig with a drummer who is blind. Trust me, eye contact is not necessary! I was playing stage left, incidentally...

What can I say? There are exceptions to every rule...

Blind people can often compensate for their lost sight in astonishing ways...such as developing extraordinarily acute hearing. Or exceedingly fine-tuned instincts. Even the ability to read minds.

All I'm saying is that in particularly challenging or difficult situations, more senses actively engaged is almost always better than fewer senses actively engaged.

Fair enough?

MM

 

[teleharmonium]

It's not just what you need to communicate to the drummer. It's also what the drummer needs to communicate to you.

Sure, but again, there are real limits on what eye contact alone can communicate, and the drummer can communicate back to me just by what he plays. He can indicate a coming transition or stop by a change in the pattern. You get to know that players' musical 'tells' with experience (but with most drummers, they are pretty obvious).

If I have eye contact with him, I'm not sure what else that gives us, in terms of his ability to be specific about a time based event where you have to be right on the money. You can sort of indicate "something is about to or should be happening or is messed up right now". Unless there is some sort of prearranged system of raising eyebrows or wiggling a nose or opening the mouth to mean various instructions, or some lip reading going on ?!

During especially tricky transitions, Frank would often actually conduct - like a good band leader should. How well would that have worked out had his players not been paying visual attention?

Sure, if conducting is necessary, it's necessary. But that would typically go beyond a bassist-drummer rapport as in the topic of this thread. The whole band needs to be in on that, usually.

In some music the conducting is done vocally (James Brown) or by riffs that indicate new tunes or sections (Miles or Fela). I like that approach because you can figure it out as a listener even if you just have an audio recording.

 

[BruceBass3901]

I prefer stage left so that I can see my drummer and so that I don't have to worry about smacking my lead singer or guitarist in the face with my headstock when I start moving around a bit

 

[troy mcclure]

I got into this argument with my guitarist...he said every major band the guitarist is on the drummers hi hat side... I said I prefer that side so I can make eye contact with e the drummer..I lost the battle... I now prefer being on the ride side , i can look at my fretting hand while looking at the guitarist or drummer if it looks like we are going to do something out of the norm...