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SOT: Skills of drummers that only can play loud


Garrafon

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A lot of it, I think, is in adapting to the room you are playing in. You CAN'T play at the same levels in a small room as in a mega-auditorium; and even in the latter if you're running through the PA, you don't have to be super-loud onstage. Not super-quiet, either, necessarily... just what fits the music, and the room you're playing in. And please don't bury the singers, at least while they're still ALIVE! LOL
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So, we are faced with someone of a choice currently - a solid rock drummer with very good technical skills that bangs the cr&p out of his drums, or a much more laid-back, dynamic drummer who keeps a nice pocket but does not have the technical skills or experience of the other guy. My vote is for the latter. I would sacrifice some technical skill for someone who lays a killer groove and stays in the pocket and works with the band.

 

If you hire the first guy, non-musicians in your audience will think "hey...this drummer sounds great".

 

If you hire the second guy, non-musicians in the audience will think "hey...this band sounds great"

 

Which would you rather have your audience think?

 

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Dynamics are one of the most essential skill a drummer must have. For me, there's no difference between "he cannot play in time" and "he cannot play with dynamics". But since drummers -good ones- are a scarce resource, eventually every band has to get along with the decent ones for some time. So, if you have time, just keep auditions going, if not, play with the current one. It's all about the situation you're in.
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Things can always be worse. Loose your groove and who knows....this may be you. :)

 

[video:youtube]

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I've heard my fair share of drummers. When a cat really knows how to play, it can be heard in the music.

 

Less is more. I would hire groove-oriented drummer in a heartbeat. :cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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Garrafon, I would say the hesitance on whether he's the right guy means it might not work out in the long run. First impressions, for what they are worth ...

 

The shortcomings become amplified (no pun intended) with time. That's not to say you need perfection -- no one's perfect! -- but you probably know what I mean ... the person needs to seem like he/she really fits from the get-go.

 

And with regard to volume specifically, a drummer with volume issues can be a concern because there are some venues where you will need to turn down ... will the drummer be capable of making this adjustment, or will you risk losing call-back gigs?

 

Maybe a second audition is in order, and he will be more comfortable and play with a bit more dynamics. (Of course, you'd make sure to include quieter tunes in second audition.)

 

EDIT: Nevermind, I see that you were able to persuade the band to take the drummer with dynamics and groove. :cool:

Original Latin Jazz

CD Baby

 

"I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith

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Things can always be worse. Loose your groove and who knows....this may be you. :)

 

[video:youtube]

 

OMG, that is a real band ... I thought it was a joke but there are a mess (and I mean that) of videos of that band ... check out the "interview," priceless. Holy crap.

Original Latin Jazz

CD Baby

 

"I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith

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I thought this was really funny but .... I am sort of warped.

 

[video:youtube]

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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"I've never heard of any of those players. They must be new on the scene. Maybe they are some of Weckl's students." Hilarious!! :thu: I was a tech at an Elektric Band show years ago and the audience was full of that guy!
Instrumentation is meaningless - a song either stands on its own merit, or it requires bells and whistles to cover its lack of adequacy, much less quality. - kanker
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I love groove-oriented players!

 

But if someone like Mitch Mitchell or Tony Williams showed up for an audition, what would YOU do?

 

Actually for a lot of situations, they might actually be over-qualified - they'd be bored out of their minds just playing a steady, tasteful backbeat.

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