Interviewing a new drummer

[Johnny Crab]

Drummer interview/auditions stuff not mentioned:

1) Give drummer a specific list of originals(2 or 3) and covers(2 or 3)
2) During the audition, one of the covers, purposely play the bass in between the primary beats for a short time at a random point in the song and then fall back into the "normal" bass timing. If the drummer train wrecks or loses timing, move on. If he answers your bass note timing with a drum lick and/or you look over at him and he's smiling or laughing, hire him. I ALWAYS did this to test a drummer's ability to listen, carry time, and allow me to "play outside of the straight jacket" of the covered song's bass line if desired.

 

[prd004]

Have him learn a few of your originals!
Otherwise you will have no idea weather or not this is in his skill set!
Plenty of players out there, (on all instruments), that can improv jam for days but can't create original parts or learn arrangements
Equally, if not more so, tons of peeps who can pull off 100's of covers but can't write.
Have him do what you will be needing him to do.
Good luck

 

[two fingers]

Make him carry your barbells up to the attic. You need a drummer with strength.

I try not to weigh on things like this until @mellowinman points out something I certainly would have otherwise forgotten.

Seriously though, I would have him prepare a cover song no matter what. That way there's no interpretation issue. We all know how it goes and how it's supposed to sound. That way you can determine if he is able to reproduce accurately something predetermined.

Have him prepare an original so that you can see if he fits in with your style.

Jam is optional. They usually tells me nothing because musicians always go straight to their comfort zone during open jams, So, of course, they are going to nail whatever they play. Let's say you guys are a funk band. You tell me "Hey, our drummer is going to kick off a funky jam and you take off in E." I'm going straight to my wheelhouse. I'm going to hit you with all of my favorite funk licks.....which will only serve to show you what my favorite licks are.

 

[Vaticblade]

I'd say find out what kind of person he is before he even shows you his chops. Nothing worse than having a band member you can't stand. Just sayin'. Oh, and then have him play "Tom Sawyer" from memory and if its not dead nuts, tell him you'll give him a call and send him on his way.

 

[Mark_70]

Ask him to play book-chak-boom-chak and jam over that.

Then ask him to rip through some Vinnie Colaiuta or Dave Weckl - that should cover it..

Regards
Mark

 

[lfmn16]

As soon as he's set up and ready to go, fire him and rage quit. It's only a matter of time anyway.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

Having just recently gone through this, I can tell you what I did.
I don't really expect anyone to show up with 3 of my songs memorized.
Talk to them on the phone. Hear their voice. listen to what they say about music, drums, etc. (wife? kids? job?)
If that works, then I tell them to come down, bring cymbals and sticks and anything they might want to be comfortable.
When they arrive, I point to the drum kit, and tell them to arrange it how they like. This is key. This shows how often they actually play drums. If they can arrange a setup in 10 min, then they know their way around a kit. If they act confused or anything, it will be a very short jam.
I pick about 4 or 5 tempos that I like to use in my music, and pick a couple riffs and rotate through a couple sets of tempos with them. Usually somethign from one of my songs, but just like verse / chorus type stuff. Nothing really complex, just to see if they can keep tempo, change tempo, and back to the same one.
If that works out OK, I will try to do some punches with them, to see if we can syncopate.
If that works, then by that time we are having fun and on our way.

 

[catcauphonic]

When i auditioned for an originals band, they sent me 5 songs they had recorded on cheap video or audio ... it was a startup and i was enthusiastic about them.

Asked them if they could tell me the keys or chord changes ... they could provide neither.
They gave me a week to figure them out, and i did ... they weren't very complex.

Showed up on time, prepared, didn't play too loud or act like an asshat (thanks TB I saved all that for later) ... we gelled.

Said they'd "let me know soon" ... my wife at home got the call saying i was in before i even got there.

Been making beautiful music and having fun with them since

Edit: We don't do any covers ... so why bother

 

[39-Bassist]

If it's an original band, I'd only be interested in them learning the original tunes.

I think 2 or 3 is a fair amount to get a good idea of the person you're dealing with. It will not only show you their playing, but will give you a clear idea of their work ethic. If you plan to spend more than just twenty minutes with them, I'd add a cover or two, jam - or send them a bunch of originals, tell them to learn whatever they want (but learn at least 2), and see what they come up with.

IMO, asking them to do covers, if you're an original band, or just jamming is a potential waste of time. I've auditioned many many many drummers, and some great drummers can jam, and bang out a bunch of covers - yet never learn originals the way ya want them to, or really work themselves into the music. Why waste time? If they can't or don't want to learn 2 originals, then you know what you're dealing with right out of the gate.

I agree but send him 2 originals and then throw another one at him (IF he learned the first 2 correctly) to see what the feel or vibe will be with his style of dynamics while playing.

KEEP IT SIMPLE! Less stress for everyone involved.
If he is the one then you will know it. (and be able to feel it too)

 

[Downunderwonder]

Check the dynamics. Lots of so called drummers have only two volume settings, bash and smash.

 

[pcake]

I don't really expect anyone to show up with 3 of my songs memorized.

why not?

if a drummer can't learn 1 or 2 originals in a week or 2, how's he going to learn all the songs?

 

[DreadyDiggs]

Different strokes for different folks. In my music we don't really jam and I'm not fond of it when we do. So an audition would consist of playing part of the set and seeing how it feels.

 

[madbass6]

And where do you see yourself in five years?
Who would you say has inspired you in life and why?

By far My kids are my biggest inpiration in my life ! music 2nd!.
In 5 years? Well let's see what's left
I've done the gigging sub etc. Seen/ the touring seen / the studio seen etc.
So when it comes to music I could honestly say, don't know where I'll be in 5years! Probably teaching! (?)

And where do you see yourself in five years?
Who would you say has inspired you in life and why?

 

[Biggbass]

A drummer friend of mine was contracted to play in a pick up band for Bo Diddley.
He got there an hour before show time to go over the set list and rehearse with Bo.
After waiting for 59 minutes, Mr Diddley walks into the dressing room and asks him if he
know how to play 'bomp-de-bomp-de-bomp...de-bomp-bomp'. My friend said yes.
Bo said, "rehearsal's over, let's go play!!"

true story...

 

[rockinbilly]

Hey folks, when interviewing a new drummer, what do I tell him to play?

Should we have him learn some of our original tunes, famous covers, or just make it a jam session.

We're having some conflict in the band about this.

What do you think?

I would have him learn something that your playing to find out if his style fits yours, and to find out what his work ethic is !

 

[Kmonk]

Jams are usually a waste of time. Everybody stands around trying to figure out what to play. I would suggest a couple of well known covers and maybe one original.

 

[nickrs540]

Whenever I would either try out or have people try out for a band The most fun and useful tactic for me is having the person work on a couple of the songs before hand. Then when he shows up start a jam in a similar vein to what your band is. Later on bring up the songs you requested he/she work on. That way you will cut some of tension and you can really see what the player is like under more normal circumstances.

 

[okcrum]

An audition is a job interview. Frank Zappa used to audition drummers by having them read Black Page.

Check out this drummer audition.

 

[Reno2]

I'd suggest 2 covers that match the style of your band, and in the "meeting" play a couple of new original songs to see if the drummer can addapt easily. If it seems this person might be good for the band, ask to learn a couple of your original songs for the next time (1 - 2 weeks) to see how fast this person learns songs never heard before.

But for me the most important part is chemistry. But I'm not a pro, so may not be applicable to your situation...

 

[ashtray]

Its tricky, but you have to get a feel for if they can play the style of music you play as well as how good they play in a band setting - ie, taking cues from other band members, playing in time, proper volume, looking up to be aware of their surroundings, etc.

A jam session might seem good, but they might play too loose in a jam and throw in all these showy runs that doesn't really tell you anything. You're less interested in their chops and more interested in their ability to hold down the groove as well as hit the changes and LEAD the band instead of following it.

That was one thing we had to teach our last drummer. He practiced with cds and was following the music - he waited for the changes instead of initiating them. When it finally clicked, the songs had more energy and the band stayed together better. That skill is 1000x more important than how many hits on the toms they can get in to one measure.

Also need to lock in with the bassist (duh) and keep steady time.

I say have the drummer learn some covers but also throw some stuff at him. See if he can adjust on the fly - ie, "one more time on the chorus!". He has to be alert for audibles as well as be able to adjust to playing differently than how he practiced the song.