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Lesson suggestions to get "tighter" in 3 weeks?

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So last year a friend showed up with some original tunes he wrote and I helped him work on them by coming up with drum parts. Now I'm not a drummer, never taken a lesson, just a guy with a cool 70's japanese kit in my space for other drummers to use that plays for fun.

Well apparently we have our first show in 3 weeks. The rest of the band I'm not worried about, they're all pretty seasoned musicians. But listening to recordings from the last practice, I think I'm the weakest link in some of the tunes. If I had to describe the issue it's that maybe my tempo varies over time but also that the drums aren't hitting precisely. Like each drum hit is a bit off and never quite locking into the band perfectly.

I have some free time in the next few weeks to run through some practices, youtube lessons, etc to try and improve this a bit and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions. Even just playing to a click can be a bit of a challenge for me.

Posted on 2 years ago
#1
Posts: 1460 Threads: 87
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Recording yourself and find the holes in your timing is a great idea. Mostly the rest will involve repetition for the songs. Take the parts you find troubling and work on those specifically. Don't go for perfection. Might be different than what you had originally played to get what works for the song. We all have to play within our limits and talents to sound right.

Have seen some great drummers play different than the recordings.

Posted on 2 years ago
#2
Posts: 5550 Threads: 576
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Id say try to keep a 4 count going

and if u mess up rest 1 count , and come back in ,

meter at a low volume and you will do well . Watch for the bridge, let them play it , just ride the ride ,

Oh try to follow the bass player with bass drum beats and you will fall into his grooves,

Good luck

April 2nd 1969 scarfed pink champagne holly wood and 65/66 downbeat snare, and , supra same year very minty kit old pies
66/67 downbeat with canister
Super 400 small round knob
1967 super classic obp





once the brass ceases to glitter, and the drum looses its luster, and the stage remains dark, all you have left is the timbre of family.
Posted on 2 years ago
#3
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That's good advice. Amosguy, absolutely good call.. keeping things simpler than my "ideal" version at this point is smart. Jaghog.. the bridges are where I tend to speed up for sure.

I also know I speed up or slow down during fills and intend to keep that **** to a bare minimum. It's tempting to do something "impressive" at practice and I can feel it coming on especially when everyone else is playing so good my brain says "do something really cool too" - it's a tempting trap.

Posted on 2 years ago
#4
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Hey NonBonham... if you've already had luck writing parts- you're on the way there! I'd 'suggest' playing a simple beat to a metronome for a LONG period.... say 4 minutes- just 2/4 -bass/snare - as you keep time on hats or ride for that long....

THEN do the same thing but add a simple fill every 6 or 8 measures in...Get your 'inner watch' keeping time without thinking about it.

Try different speeds- Faster- slower. Get used to just keeping time yet adding a fill WITHOUT losing time on the metronome.

It's boring..... but will push that 'time sense' into muscle memory.

Good luck! Drumming takes practice. When the 'clock' inside gets set with practice- you'll be able to jam all over - and come back to the same time. Hope you do well!

Posted on 2 years ago
#5
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Practice stick control by George Lawrence Stone. You only need to work on p.5 (which is the first page). Play the written exercises with your hands and keep steady time on your feet, either half notes or quarters will be fine. Strive for exact coordination of your hands and feet. Also produce an even sound in your hands. No accents, no galloping. Repeat each exercise 20x’s as indicated. You will see improvement weekly.

Posted on 2 years ago
#6
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