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Texting while Drumming?

#2
I've seen it, from a drummer that wasn't in the band much longer. Ok, if it's a low pressure unpaid rehearsal that's one thing, but at a live show, I blew a gasket afterwards as he missed the song ending. All about the context of the situation and assuming it's a one timer, not habit.

I've had work blow up on me while rehearsing so it's either cancel rehearsal or let me multi-task. Some things are excusable.
 
#4
Nashrakh said:
I had a keys guy pull out a cell phone once. He continued to play the most amazing solo while talking on the phone, with the whole band still playing. That was a piece of band history forever remembered...
Click to expand...

The keyboard player I play with did a similar thing. But in addition to soloing, and talking on a cell phone, he was also watching his day-trading screen, placing buy/sell orders, posting on facebook, IM'ing his girlfriend AND wife.

While all this was going on, the dummer was texting and changing the oil in his car.

Amazing!

And the solos killed!
 
#5
Unless it is an emergency, this is rude and disrespectful to the other band members. Back before cell phones and texting we were playing at the guitar players house and he set his guitar down in the middle of a song to add fabric softener to his laundry. He had other issues, but that was the end for me.

If someone can't stay off the phone for a three hour rehearsal, I don't need them.
 
#7
Wikipedia about Vinnie Colaiuta said:
He's one of the most amazing sight-readers that ever existed on the instrument. One day we were in a Frank rehearsal, this was early '80s, and Frank brought in this piece of music called "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation." Just unbelievably complex. All the drums were written out, just like "The Black Page" except even more complex. There were these runs of like 17 over 3 and every drumhead is notated differently. And there were a whole bunch of people there, I think Bozzio was there. Vinnie had this piece of music on the stand to his right. To his left he had another music stand with a plate of sushi on it, okay? Now the tempo of the piece was very slow, like "The Black Page." And then the first riff came in, [mimics bizarre Zappa-esque drum rhythm patterns] with all these choking of cymbals, and hi-hat, riffs, spinning of rototoms and all this crazy stuff. And I saw Vinnie reading this thing. Now, Vinnie has this habit of pushing his glasses up with the middle finger of his right hand. Well I saw him look at this one bar of music, it was the last bar of music on the page. He started to play it as he was turning the page with one hand, and then once the page was turned he continued playing the riff with his right hand, as he reached over with his left hand, grabbed a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth, continued the riff with his left hand and feet, pushed his glasses up, and then played the remaining part of the bar. It was the slickest thing I have ever seen. Frank threw his music up in the air. Bozzio turned around and walked away. I just started laughing.
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If you have the skill to pull it off, go ahead!
 
#8
I have a drummer friend who I hire for my funk band- he is a remarkable cat with impeccable chops and time. One night we were KILLING it at a gig- I was singing and playing bass and he was kicking some incredible 16th note feels behind me. I turned around to smile and engage and shocked to see that he had his i-device in his hand playing a slide show of naked ladies.

He help up the device to me while playing a one handed fill and screamed

"TITTIES!!!"
 
#9
... I text and such during practice, most of my one handed skills are used to open my bottle and consume water though. I am a competent two handed tapper, I can handle tapping some lines just fine.

I would never do this at a gig unless I was showboating. ;)
 
#10
Oh well I guest I'm from the old school were this **** wouldn't have been tolerated, although we didn't have cell phones and pda's back then, but even if those vices were available.. there's no way in hell anybody could pull that BS no matter how good you may have been.
 
#13
hands5 said:
Oh well I guest I'm from the old school were this **** wouldn't have been tolerated, although we didn't have cell phones and pda's back then, but even if those vices were available.. there's no way in hell anybody could pull that BS no matter how good you may have been.
Click to expand...
During those back in the day gigs, I recall seeing-
Lighting up a cigarette
Taking a swig off double Jack Daniels
...it's like 1/2 the kit disappeared.
 
#19
I used to play with a guy who would not only text during live shows, but at bar gigs he'd order from the waitress and literally eat chicken wings... while playing.... Probably the best drummer I've ever played with, but was a total dick personality. What I refer to as an "artist dick".
 

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