drummers who do a pre- performance

Brian Henry · Posted 8 Oct 2005 9:50 am

Last night I was at a gig and it took the drummer forever to get set up. It looked just fine and we still had to wait an extra 15 minutes as we watched him endlessly adjusting skins and swopping cymbals around.

The rest of us were tuned up and waiting to kick off. The clup members even got tired of waiting and started on the dance floor without music. Eventually we got started and all went well. It seems to me that a set of drums should take no time to get set up. The rhythm section, the brass section, and both my necks were tuned and waiting. Am I being impatient or what??

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

NOPE! It's NOT you!

A real professional drummer can arrive and set up in about the same time as you. When playing a real drummer is seldom HEARD but you always know he's there; a real asset.

The rest are mostly self taught wanna-be's or former drum and bugle corps members and some of their glory seems to be in getting noticed for all of their mechanical hook-ups and ELECTRIC DRUMs.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

You should get yourself a set of drums and see how long it takes you. All of your strings are going to be in the same place everytime you play a note but if the drums are off a little you can cut your fingers on cymbals or bang your hands up on the rims. Believe it or not drums have to be tuned just like your guitar or bass and there's a lot more to it than tuning a guitar. The worst thing about being a drummer is everybody else seems to think they know more about playing drums than the drummer does. Now just think about that for a minute and step into his shoes. How would you like it if everybody else in the band actually thought they knew more about your instrument than you do? Your drummer should get there in time to make any adjustments he needs to to his drums but that goes for everybody on the bandstand. The trouble with being the drummer is so many guitar/bass/etc players don't give him the respect that they expect.

Chris Walke · From: St Charles, IL

well said

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

Always been a petpeeve of mine for any instrument. Especially with all the stage lights on..

I used to work with a very popular drummer here in town, and on those out of town gigs I never had to ask directions, I just drove to the city limits and rolled down my window an hour before the gig to hear the "drum check"..

I played with him a month ago and he now after all these years, just sets them up and plays them. Even better than all those years ago. Fancy that..

What's even worse is a "first song" that is a "sound check"..

( Shania from Stage 1: " Hi everybody! We're SO glad to be here in ____( fill in major city..) Our first song is going to be "Working on my Next Broken Heart", so the band can get the levels right with everybody actually playing, and I'm going out front to see if it sounds alright to me.. Hit it boys..." )

My advice to the initial posted question is if someone doesn't know how they are going to sound when they start playing, then go home and stay there until they do. Whole bands included..

JMHO

EJL

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Well we're very lucky down here; cause we play country music or western swing and the Real Country or Swing drummer always shows up with a Kick;snare;hat and ride....and that's it(possibly a floor); and usually set up before anyone else.
I can imagine other styles of music that calls for a drummer with a 10-piece kit; but not in real country music or real western swing.
Anytime one of the drummers that are not aware of what is what down here; halfway out of his truck; someone always tells him/her: "Just leave the rest of the stuff; or just leave".
Ricky

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

We Have one Drummer up here can really play well,Just about any style that you need........ONE!!!!

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

You can complicate anything to the point of being ridiculous. Be it a drummer (who takes 15 minutes to "position" his drums), a lead player (who takes 15 minutes to hook up 10 stomp boxes), a steeler (who takes 15 minutes to tune up), a bass player (who takes 15 minutes just to get on stage), a sound man (who takes 15 minutes to get "levels"), or a singer (who takes 15 minutes to pick songs for the set).

Just do it!

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 11 October 2005 at 04:36 AM.]

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

This is old school/generation thinking. Things have progressed tremendously since 1965 guys. It is mandatory in our band to arrive a minimum of one hour early and start setting up immediately. The P.A. and lights show up a minimum of an hour and a half to two hours to set up and get levels. Its the difference in playing for $50.00 or $100.00 or more. Its called professionalism. If you want to play Moose Hall gigs and sound like crap, show up a half hour before the gig with lousy sound gear and no preparation and get your $50.00. If you want to make real money, play better venues to large crowds then let the drummer take his 45 minutes to set up and tune. Ours does. It takes me the same amount of time to set up five instruments three amps and get everything tuned and sound checked.

[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 08 October 2005 at 03:19 PM.]

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

To me too much time taken setting up and "sound checking" in front of the crowd looks cheezy and it embarrasses me.

I don't care how much money, or what the venue is.

To each their own.

EJL

[This message was edited by Eric West on 08 October 2005 at 03:45 PM.]

Jim Peters · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.

Last weekend our drummer showed up a little late, was set up and into the 1st song in 5 minutes tops. We never mike drums or instruments unless we're outside or at a larger venue like Mississipi Nights or the Pageant. I can set up my guitar in the time it takes to plug it in, my steel the same. JP

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Those of us who don't play drums thing it's easy- just a matter of keeping time. I found out differently when I tried to play them at a jam session.

Suffice to say I was back at the steel after only one tune.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

Donny,
You find me a sound man that does the sound check in fifteen minutes and they're hired! As for the so called drummers in Texas, well you just need a beat bug or a flunky that can keep time. I'm talking about real drummers.

You just made my point Ricky.

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

If the band I play with is moving into a new location our sound woman and the entire band are required to be at the location a minimum of one hour before we are scheduled to start playing. If we are playing at a larger centre say a large dance hall or auditorium, we will set everything up in the afternoon and do a complete run through. This allows everyone to tune up, fine tune and most certainly gives our sound lady a chance to run all over the place to do her sound leveling thing.

Broken strings or reeds and so on; the band doesn’t miss a beat. If one of our guys does not have spare reeds or strings or, whatever else, you can bet your sorry butt that your ears will get a fine tuning either during intermission or after the gig is done for the night.

Long set ups or warm ups; it’s time to tune somebody in.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

[This message was edited by Les Anderson on 08 October 2005 at 04:38 PM.]

Brett Anderson · From: Arizona, USA

I'm with Ricky. My drummer MIke Ballard who is the best I've ever worked with, bought a brand new set of DW's last month. Exotic woods, 4,000 dollars worth. Absolutely gorgeous. But the first gig we worked after he got them he still showed up with Kick, snare, and a couple of cymbals. He was set up and ready to go in 15 minutes. But like Ricky, in my band its just real country and some western swing.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Soundchecks are fine, but they should not be done with an audience present. A professional performance (in my book, at least) has nothing that detracts from the SHOW. The audience should not have to watch the band set up or listen to them tune, if at all possible. Bar gigs are a bit looser, but the musicians should entertain the patrons, not disturb them.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1984 Sho-Bud S/D-12 7x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Dan E. Hoff · From: Blue Springs, Missouri, USA

Good drummers spend a lot of time perfecting their craft....Personally, I think it is their perogative, as to which part or parts of their sets they choose to use on stage..having worked with several drummers over the years, I cannot say, any thing very derogatory about any of them...
How about a good word for our drummers...

Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

Heard one drum set, you've heard them all...

Willis Vanderberg · From: Petoskey Mi

The main problem with all those drums is the drummer want to bang on them.
When I asked a drummer to listen to some country cds and see if he could play like that, his reply was " yeah, but that would be so boring". So he continues to play over the top and in between everything.
Of course we can't get quality folks with peanuts for pay either. I know for a fact the rest of the band would appreciate it if the beat was set and played through the whole song...It's kinda like surfin with no wave to get up on....and that really make a lot of work and a long night.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

Jack Latimer · From: Ontario, Canada

I've played drums and now guitar in a band and believe you are paid to play music for the crowd, so that means show up in advance of the crowd to do all the set up and checks. When the crowd arrives be ready for them. If you need an hour to set up be there an hour and a half ahead of time. Even as a drummer I can't stand hearing another drummer bang on the things without the rest of the band. Take as long as you like to set up, just don't force an audience to hear you do it.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

The problem with being a "country drummer" is that it is indeed boring but it's your job if that's where you're at. Playing within the context of the material is always the best for any situation but lets not forget about the guitar players that tend to play a rock solo instead of a country solo. The trouble with playing drums in a country band is they don't need a drummer. They just need a click track or a metronome. Telling the drummer to leave the rest in the car or just leave is just unexeptable to a drummer. Tell the guitar player to leave his reverb turned off or leave his delay pedals or any of his stuff that is absolutely not needed at home and see what you get. "You can't use an amp that has more than a 12" speaker in here Bud! What's all them things and them wires throwed all over the floor in front of the guitar player?" Yeah right! You'll get "He's just a drummer. I'm the guitar player!" Get outa town with that crap. That may be the way some people think but it sure doesn't make it right. When I went from playing the drums to steel guitar, once I played in a real country band, I knew that playing the drums wasn't near the fun. There seems to be this thing that the drummer doesn't matter and forget about a solo. All the non drummers seem to think they know more about playing drums than the drummer. Give me a break! It's not just country bands but it seems to hold more true in the country bands than anywhere else. I had to earn my voice in the bands I played drums in and the first thing you do is not let the rest of the band tell you what you can bring and what you can't. Next thing you know, they'll want to give the "drummer" half pay.

[This message was edited by Frank Parish on 09 October 2005 at 04:55 AM.]

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

Heard one drum set, you've heard them all...

Wrong! Does your Maverick sound like a push-pull?????

Dan E. Hoff · From: Blue Springs, Missouri, USA

Well said Frank.....you are now bringing
things, into their proper perspective....
WELL SAID "FRANK"

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

...drum solos bad...

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