Out of the practice room, onto the stage

One day you will be in your practice room working on your Para-diddles and flama-diddles. Your cell phone will suddenly ring. On the other end of the line is  Joe Schmo the saxophonist. He says “Hey man, I have a “gig” this Saturday. My usual drummer can’t make it, he suggests you, can you do it?”

Well, Well, Well. Finally your first gig. Thousands of thoughts run through your head at this moment. Thoughts of excitement. “Yeah!!! My first gig”. Possibly thoughts of anxiety. Am I ready to play this gig? Do I know what I’m doing? Did all that time practicing para-diddles prepare me for this opportunity?

Many of my students often say they practice certain things over and over again but when they try to use them in the context of making music, many things they practiced do not come out freely. Yes they are practicing the correct things, but they don’t know why they are practicing them. Additionally, they are practicing things in way that fulfills a lifetime of “One-man bands”. In other words, they are not practicing with the objective of making music, especially with other musicians.

First off we should discuss some things that occur in a performance (also known as a "gig" for all you hipsters out there). Let us ask ourselves a few questions. What things will I need to know as a drummer to further myself as a musician on stage? What happens in a specified music, why does it happen, how does it happen, and what is my role to make it happen?

Before we get into the specifics, I’d like to mention an extremely important fact. Every gig you play will make you a better musician. Especially if your band mates are better and more experienced than you. 90 percent of the things your musical heroes can do have been learnt on the stage. So when you get called for that first gig, take it, regardless if you think you’re prepared or not. Confidence will be your guide. There is no substitute for experience.

With this being said, unfortunately confidence alone will not be enough to carry you through the gig. Therefore let’s dive into a few important concepts. I will give a brief description with the intent of expounding on these ideas in future articles.

Musical Styles- Often jazz music is presented with many styles. For example, bossa-nova, samba, waltz, rumba, funk, swing and ballads. At the bare minimum, you must explore and become familiar with a few basic rhythms with each of these styles. Another thing you must do is, listen to many recordings of each of these styles to become familiar with how they sound.

Song Form- Jazz music is usually not a bunch of musicians freely jamming on stage. The songs they perform have form and structure to them. It is something many drummers early in their career overlook due to the nature of our instrument. It is absolutely one of those things you must learn to become a pro.

Understanding solos- As a drummer, it is not absolutely necessary you understand the exact notes or chord changes the soloists are playing. This is a long process that takes a lot of time to learn and master. Although, you can “hear” the chord changes, and “hear” the improvised melodies the soloist is playing. If you are not at least listening for these things, you are not partaking in the process of making music. Here are a few things you can listen for during a solo:

-Improvised melody

-Rhythm and rhythmic intensity

-Interaction and use of space

-Overall shape of the solo. For example, slowly building intensity from beginning to end of solo

Intros and Endings- how does a song begin? How does a song end? What does “last 8 bars up front”, or “Vamp at the beginning” mean?

Trading solos- at some point someone is going to look at you and say, “trade fours”. This means that one of your band mates will solo for 4 measures, then you will solo for 4 measures, kind of like a game of ping-pong, except your opponent is on your team.

These are only a few examples of the concepts we will be diving into over the next few months. I will go into more detail and specifics in future articles. I will also be giving you suggestions for developing not only technical facility, but also how to practice these techniques, and how to apply them in a musical way. It is my hope that these monthly articles will help you get out of the practice room and onto the stage.