Right now I don't really have a topic for today's post - I just know I have to write 750 words. Let me write about what goes through my head during an average gig with Wishbone Ash...Firstly, I think it's important to warm up. The reason I warm up is because I know I have a more enjoyable gig if I do so. I never used to warm up - I just figured the first few songs would sort that out for me. What I found was, if I went out without warming up, I'd end up gripping the sticks too tight and that things would feel slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps half way through the set things would start to fall into place, but basically I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy playing. I decided to compare warming up to not warming up. On some gigs I did it and on others I didn't. The conclusion was that I played much better if I was warmed up, so now it's a fixed part of my schedule. So, what do I do for a warm up? I don't have a set routine. I just play around on a pad for 30 minutes. This is the approximate amount of time it takes and I haven't found a way to speed that up. It might sound like a long time, but it's a good way to prepare for the gig. 30 minutes before showtime I know that I'll be at my practice pad. The other benefit is that I actually get some practice time. On the road I rarely get time to practice anything. I can't practice at the kit as there's no time. Or if there is time, it'll be irritating somebody who's trying to get something else done (in case you weren't aware, the drums are a pretty loud instrument.) When I'm at the pad I can focus on my hand technique. I do a lot of comparison between my right and left hands. I'll pay close attention to how my right hand moves the stick in subtle ways and see if my left hand can do the same (usually it can't). I'll work on flams, and permutations of accents. Sometimes I'll play around with a new lick I've figured out, or play off beats against a metronome. It really doesn't matter as long as my hands are moving and getting used to how the sticks respond to the pad. Once I'm on stage my focus is on grooving. I'm aiming to play in such a way that, if you were to mute the rest of the band, the drums would sound groovy on their own. I think about things like the degree of openness of the hi-hat. Even playing a closed hi-hat there are different degrees of pressure you can apply with your foot that result in subtly different note lengths. Also, the balance of the kit (though in a live situation this isn't so much in your control.) I try to sing along with the vocals in my head and try not to get in the way with fills. Sometimes the vocal rhythm will dictate what I'm allowed to play in a groove.On some gigs I sing the quarter note through the whole show. On others I count the bars. Sometimes I'll focus solely on what Muddy's guitar is doing and phrase certain things with him, or respond to things that he plays. Sometimes I'll purposely hold back in certain sections of a song, even allowing the tempo to drop a little. Some songs work better when you allow those tempo fluctuations. Sometimes I'll be focused more on the visual aspect of playing. I think it's important to smile when you're on stage. I'm not very good at smiling at will - it feels fake. Our bass player, Bob Skeat, can smile for an entire gig. You wouldn't believe how many people comment on that after the show. Usually, if you see me smiling, it'll be because somebody screwed up. But I've been to gigs and watched bands where everybody looks miserable, or indifferent, and it has a big impact on how you feel as an audience member. So, when I'm on stage I try to smile at least some of the time. I'll be lost in other aspects of the music and suddenly remember where I am, and what I'm doing, and that I have a great job and I'll make sure I let my face reflect that. A friend once took me to see Rush. I'm not a big fan but I was in their home town and I figured it would be an interesting gig. There were 3 huge screens at the back of the stage so for most of the show you could see close ups of Neil and, errr, the other 2 guys. I didn't see him smile once. I know he has a lot of notes to remember and he says it's hard for him but, as an audience member who could see his face blown up to the size of a small building, it felt personal and definitely made the show less enjoyable. Ok, that's 866 words. Please comment and suggest topics for me. Let me know what you want to read about.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
750 Words - Day 8 : On Music as a Business
Ken Brown commented on my previous post saying "Have you thought of putting out more thoughts of 'music as a business'. Too many younger hopefuls believe it's all after show parties, loose women and sleeping in to 3pm." So, Ken, I'll let my fingers do the typing and see what my thoughts on "music as a business" turn out to be. Here we go…My early years as a drummer were highly influenced by a few DCI music videos that I owned. The three most influential of these were "Back to Basics" and "The Next Step" by Dave Weckl, and "Private Lesson" by Greg Bissonette. I learned a huge amount from these two drummers which has shaped my playing and attitude towards the drums and what it means to be a professional drummer. Perhaps that's why I'm sitting at my hotel room desk at 9am, writing 750 words on the music business, and not lying between the legs of a 21 year old groupie. I have to admit that being the drummer in a band that was formed 10 years before I was born has not turned out to be great for groupies. So, my first business advice to the younger hopefuls is "If you want groupies, go and audition for Justin Bieber" - or something. Personally I'm not a fan of loose women and I'm not really one for after show parties. Once I've done a gig I like to get a decent night's sleep. I've done my fair share of sleeping in till 3pm, but these days I prefer to get up earlier and be productive. When I was 11 years old I wanted to learn the drums. The reason I took up the instrument, persisted with the instrument, and continue to play the instrument is because I enjoyed it. I didn't take up the drums in order to attend after show parties. I think it's definitely true to say that part of the reason for forming bands was to get girls but, to be honest, I never used that to its full potential. I found that I enjoyed putting bands together for school concerts, coming up with band names, printing posters, borrowing cameras to video the gig, etc. These little projects were fun. It wasn't work then, and it isn't now. Ok, these 750 words aren't flowing out of me so I'm going to talk about the things I've done that I think played the biggest part in moving my career along.1. Practice.
I'm not the best drummer in the world. I'm not the best drummer I know (I have many friends who are incredible drummers) however I'm good enough to do the gig that I do and that's a result of lots of practice. 2. Being "business like."
There's a section at the end of Greg Bissonette's video where he says 50% of being a professional drummer is the playing and 50% is all the other stuff. He suggests putting together a demo reel, printing up business cards and going out to meet other musicians.
I've long been a fan of business cards. I printed up 250 of my first design when I was 15. I think 240 of them are still in a drawer somewhere. They make you feel professional, but unless you meet people to give them to they're next to useless.
Now I think of being "business like" more in terms of treating what I do as a job: If you're hired to turn up to a gig at 7pm, make sure you're there a little early; If it's a function gig, make sure you know the material.
Remember that somebody is paying you to do a job. Do it to the best of your ability.
Oh, and don't be an arsehole. Read Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people". It's old, and seems a little dated in places, but if you have any arsehole qualities that you're unaware of it'll help you to become aware of them. A close friend of mine had a complete personality change (for the better) after reading it. 3. Branding myself
When I was at Uni I bought the domain www.drumsolo.co.uk and created a website. I was quite attached to the URL but when I moved to London and met a web designer, who subsequently became a good friend, he convinced me to change my website to www.joecrabtree.com. It seemed weird at the time, but now I feel quite comfortable having that personal presence on the internet. It's strange to think of myself as a product or service but essentially, I suppose, that's what I am. If I want gigs I need potential employers to have confidence in me, and having that online statement certainly helps. I think my 750 words is nearly up. To revisit Ken's comment for a moment he says "Too many younger hopefuls believe it's all after show parties, loose women and sleeping in to 3pm." I suppose if you make it to the top then there can be a lot of those things, though probably not so much of the sleeping in bit. My advice to anyone who wants to play the drums for a living is to do it because you love playing the drums - NOT because of what you think playing the drums will bring you. What you think playing the drums will bring you will probably turn out to be wrong.
I'm not the best drummer in the world. I'm not the best drummer I know (I have many friends who are incredible drummers) however I'm good enough to do the gig that I do and that's a result of lots of practice. 2. Being "business like."
There's a section at the end of Greg Bissonette's video where he says 50% of being a professional drummer is the playing and 50% is all the other stuff. He suggests putting together a demo reel, printing up business cards and going out to meet other musicians.
I've long been a fan of business cards. I printed up 250 of my first design when I was 15. I think 240 of them are still in a drawer somewhere. They make you feel professional, but unless you meet people to give them to they're next to useless.
Now I think of being "business like" more in terms of treating what I do as a job: If you're hired to turn up to a gig at 7pm, make sure you're there a little early; If it's a function gig, make sure you know the material.
Remember that somebody is paying you to do a job. Do it to the best of your ability.
Oh, and don't be an arsehole. Read Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people". It's old, and seems a little dated in places, but if you have any arsehole qualities that you're unaware of it'll help you to become aware of them. A close friend of mine had a complete personality change (for the better) after reading it. 3. Branding myself
When I was at Uni I bought the domain www.drumsolo.co.uk and created a website. I was quite attached to the URL but when I moved to London and met a web designer, who subsequently became a good friend, he convinced me to change my website to www.joecrabtree.com. It seemed weird at the time, but now I feel quite comfortable having that personal presence on the internet. It's strange to think of myself as a product or service but essentially, I suppose, that's what I am. If I want gigs I need potential employers to have confidence in me, and having that online statement certainly helps. I think my 750 words is nearly up. To revisit Ken's comment for a moment he says "Too many younger hopefuls believe it's all after show parties, loose women and sleeping in to 3pm." I suppose if you make it to the top then there can be a lot of those things, though probably not so much of the sleeping in bit. My advice to anyone who wants to play the drums for a living is to do it because you love playing the drums - NOT because of what you think playing the drums will bring you. What you think playing the drums will bring you will probably turn out to be wrong.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
750 Words - Day 7 (Day 6 continued)
... So, I joined the David Cross Band. There was never really any money in it, but they had a couple of gigs in Japan planned for 6 months down the line. We rehearsed every Tuesday at a University in London. I played the crappy music room kit and they keyboard player used a tiny toy keyboard. It wasn't quite as pro as I'd expected. Of course, later on we rehearsed properly, but the toy instruments were sufficient for getting the songs in our heads.
Even before the Japan gig arrived the bass player, Mick Paul, had recommended to another band he was working with. I ended up doing a couple of reunion gigs with this band - 'Jade'. The guitarist from that band was a guy called Jimmy Litherland who'd played with Colosseum back in the day. All of this work was great, but not much of it paid. I was still working part time in order to pay the rent.Sometime later I'd been out at the cinema with a friend. I turned my phone back on after we left and had a voicemail message. It was a cold call from someone I'd never met asking me to come and audition for a band he was putting together to back a new female artist. I returned his call. It turned out that Pete Brown (whom I'd also never met, and apparently wrote the lyrics to Sunshine of Your Love) had recommended me. Pete had heard of me via Jimmy Litherland; who knew me because I'd accepted a gig from Mick; who I'd met because I answered an ad in Loot; which I'd picked up because I was walking in London, where I'd been because I'd met Carl (the sax player) in a band I'd joined because I met Jake, who I knew because I joined a band with Gavin from the jam night band in Manchester. If I want to go further back it's easy to trace the events that led to me attending the jam night and having the confidence to get up and play. The gig I accepted in London was the first one that paid enough to allow me to quit my regular job. I was finally a professional musician. I guess it was a year between moving and landing that gig, but it might have been two. I'm not sure. The well paid gig didn't last forever, but I met people in that band that I keep in touch with. Now I come to think of it, joining Wishbone Ash isn't directly related to that series of events. But that is how I came to be a professional, and after that I didn't want to have to get another regular job. I kept my eyes peeled for other opportunities. Sometimes I paid rent with function gigs, other times it was through doing online sessions for people. One day, after rehearsing with a band at Middlesex uni, I was walking through the building and spotted someone packing up some drums. I went and introduced myself - "Hi, I'm Joe" - and we ended up trading some ideas. We exchanged numbers and a week later I called for a chat and ended up inviting him to a friend's leaving do. He brought an American girl with him and on the drive to the party we got chatting. It turned out she was from Colorado and at some point commented that if I ever wanted to go skiing then I could stay at her place in Colorado, which was only a couple of hours drive from the mountains. Whether she meant it or not, I said Yes (it was a phase - I highly recommend reading 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace EVEN if you've seen the movie which is completely different.) 2 months later I was hanging out in Colorado with Sam and Jacqui - neither of whom, it turned out, were skiiers! While I was out in America, on my impromptu holiday, I began wondering how I was going to pay for it. Sam had studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and suggested I apply for a teaching job there. I knew of the school but teaching there had never crossed my mind. I didn't think I had the credentials. Even so, I figured I should at least contact someone and find out. As it happened I knew a guitarist and bass player who taught at the ACM (through other long winded random connections). I emailed both of them and they both told me to email Mike Sturgis who was head of the drum dept. At the time he was having health problems and he replied to my email but it didn't lead to anything. Six months later, out of the blue, I got an email from Mike saying he'd checked out my website, liked what he saw, and wondered if I wanted to come and take a look around the school. I ended up doing a bit of teaching there, covering for other teachers when they were off sick. Finally (we're nearly there) about a year after I'd started doing these odd bits of teaching I got a text from Mike asking me if I wanted to join Wishbone Ash.I had no idea who Wishbone Ash were, but it was a gig and I accepted it. It turned out to be the best thing that's happened to me. I love the guys in the band, we have enough gigs to make a living, I get to travel the world and be involved in writing new material. So, why did I begin this two two part article talking about meeting a random woman on a plane? When she sat down and I introduced myself with those three simple words, "Hi, I'm Joe", I didn't do it because I thought it would lead to a stimulating 7 1/2 hour conversation. Partly I did it because it feels rude to completely ignore someone who you'll be sharing the same space with for so long, but also because, as Forest Gump says, "life is like a box of chocolates…" Every memorable step of the journey that's taken me from sitting behind my first drum kit to making a living playing music I enjoy with people I care about, is memorable because it involved meeting somebody new. The most memorable incidents are those where I recall the internal debate that preceded my 3 word introduction - "why would they want to talk to me?", " what should I say?", "maybe I should just leave them alone - they look busy.", etc. Of course there will have been the odd occasion where I introduced myself and the person was too busy to talk. But I can honestly say that pretty much every person I've made the effort to introduce myself to has been kind and happy to have someone introduce themself. Networking (a horrible word) isn't about giving business cards to strangers and running away. It's about making new friends. And it's not about sitting at home thinking "who do I need to meet in order to get me this gig" and then stalking them. All of the people in my story were chance meetings and I had no idea where I was going. I was just enjoying meeting new people and making new connections. So, take those three words, and when you find yourself thinking you'd like to get to know somebody, use them. It's easy.Ok, I'm way over my 750 words for today. I hope you found my long winded tale insightful. Oh, and a note to the literal people out there… don't use those three exact words unless your name is actually Joe. I'd recommend setting Joe = your_name, before executing.
Even before the Japan gig arrived the bass player, Mick Paul, had recommended to another band he was working with. I ended up doing a couple of reunion gigs with this band - 'Jade'. The guitarist from that band was a guy called Jimmy Litherland who'd played with Colosseum back in the day. All of this work was great, but not much of it paid. I was still working part time in order to pay the rent.Sometime later I'd been out at the cinema with a friend. I turned my phone back on after we left and had a voicemail message. It was a cold call from someone I'd never met asking me to come and audition for a band he was putting together to back a new female artist. I returned his call. It turned out that Pete Brown (whom I'd also never met, and apparently wrote the lyrics to Sunshine of Your Love) had recommended me. Pete had heard of me via Jimmy Litherland; who knew me because I'd accepted a gig from Mick; who I'd met because I answered an ad in Loot; which I'd picked up because I was walking in London, where I'd been because I'd met Carl (the sax player) in a band I'd joined because I met Jake, who I knew because I joined a band with Gavin from the jam night band in Manchester. If I want to go further back it's easy to trace the events that led to me attending the jam night and having the confidence to get up and play. The gig I accepted in London was the first one that paid enough to allow me to quit my regular job. I was finally a professional musician. I guess it was a year between moving and landing that gig, but it might have been two. I'm not sure. The well paid gig didn't last forever, but I met people in that band that I keep in touch with. Now I come to think of it, joining Wishbone Ash isn't directly related to that series of events. But that is how I came to be a professional, and after that I didn't want to have to get another regular job. I kept my eyes peeled for other opportunities. Sometimes I paid rent with function gigs, other times it was through doing online sessions for people. One day, after rehearsing with a band at Middlesex uni, I was walking through the building and spotted someone packing up some drums. I went and introduced myself - "Hi, I'm Joe" - and we ended up trading some ideas. We exchanged numbers and a week later I called for a chat and ended up inviting him to a friend's leaving do. He brought an American girl with him and on the drive to the party we got chatting. It turned out she was from Colorado and at some point commented that if I ever wanted to go skiing then I could stay at her place in Colorado, which was only a couple of hours drive from the mountains. Whether she meant it or not, I said Yes (it was a phase - I highly recommend reading 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace EVEN if you've seen the movie which is completely different.) 2 months later I was hanging out in Colorado with Sam and Jacqui - neither of whom, it turned out, were skiiers! While I was out in America, on my impromptu holiday, I began wondering how I was going to pay for it. Sam had studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and suggested I apply for a teaching job there. I knew of the school but teaching there had never crossed my mind. I didn't think I had the credentials. Even so, I figured I should at least contact someone and find out. As it happened I knew a guitarist and bass player who taught at the ACM (through other long winded random connections). I emailed both of them and they both told me to email Mike Sturgis who was head of the drum dept. At the time he was having health problems and he replied to my email but it didn't lead to anything. Six months later, out of the blue, I got an email from Mike saying he'd checked out my website, liked what he saw, and wondered if I wanted to come and take a look around the school. I ended up doing a bit of teaching there, covering for other teachers when they were off sick. Finally (we're nearly there) about a year after I'd started doing these odd bits of teaching I got a text from Mike asking me if I wanted to join Wishbone Ash.I had no idea who Wishbone Ash were, but it was a gig and I accepted it. It turned out to be the best thing that's happened to me. I love the guys in the band, we have enough gigs to make a living, I get to travel the world and be involved in writing new material. So, why did I begin this two two part article talking about meeting a random woman on a plane? When she sat down and I introduced myself with those three simple words, "Hi, I'm Joe", I didn't do it because I thought it would lead to a stimulating 7 1/2 hour conversation. Partly I did it because it feels rude to completely ignore someone who you'll be sharing the same space with for so long, but also because, as Forest Gump says, "life is like a box of chocolates…" Every memorable step of the journey that's taken me from sitting behind my first drum kit to making a living playing music I enjoy with people I care about, is memorable because it involved meeting somebody new. The most memorable incidents are those where I recall the internal debate that preceded my 3 word introduction - "why would they want to talk to me?", " what should I say?", "maybe I should just leave them alone - they look busy.", etc. Of course there will have been the odd occasion where I introduced myself and the person was too busy to talk. But I can honestly say that pretty much every person I've made the effort to introduce myself to has been kind and happy to have someone introduce themself. Networking (a horrible word) isn't about giving business cards to strangers and running away. It's about making new friends. And it's not about sitting at home thinking "who do I need to meet in order to get me this gig" and then stalking them. All of the people in my story were chance meetings and I had no idea where I was going. I was just enjoying meeting new people and making new connections. So, take those three words, and when you find yourself thinking you'd like to get to know somebody, use them. It's easy.Ok, I'm way over my 750 words for today. I hope you found my long winded tale insightful. Oh, and a note to the literal people out there… don't use those three exact words unless your name is actually Joe. I'd recommend setting Joe = your_name, before executing.
Monday, April 25, 2011
750 Words - Day 6
I got up at 7am this morning (early for a musician!), forced down some breakfast, and got a lift to the airport.
I checked my slightly over-weight suitcase and lugged my carry on bag through security. I had to empty it of my laptop and a full set of drum mics which, to the non-musician, look fairly suspicious.
When boarding I was pulled aside again and my bag was searched for a second time.
When I finally made it onto the plane, a bit tired and grumpy, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that I had 3 seats to myself. I settled in by the window and yawned about 50 times as the plane climbed to cruising altitude (it stops my head from exploding with the pressure)
Once we'd levelled off I plugged in my headphones and picked a movie to watch. I'd got as far as the opening credits when a middle aged woman appeared by my side and asked if she could take the aisle seat. I removed my headphones and nodded my head, then introduced myself - "I'm Joe." The next 7 1/2 hours were spent in conversation with my new friend Cathy. It felt like one of the shortest flights I've taken. I was surprised to learn that Cathy worked as a computer program tester and used to write programs herself. She'd worked for Microsoft and written software to administer drugs to patients. Some really interesting stuff. Why am I telling you this? What on earth has it got to do with drumming?A question I get asked a lot is "How do you get a gig?" I can tell you how "I" got the gigs that I've done, but not how "one" gets a gig. Let me try and summarise how I ended up joining Wishbone Ash... After leaving uni I moved back to my parents' house, worked part time, taught private drum lessons, and gigged in wedding bands at the weekends. I wanted to 'break' into the session world but I had no idea how to go about it.
I started attending a jam night in Manchester and met a few people. One Saturday afternoon, after a good few months of wondering how to get gigs, I got a call from Hughie - the guitarist who ran the jam night. He'd got my number from the book you wrote your details in if you wanted to get up and jam. He asked me if I could do a gig with him the next week. It was only £50 in a small bar somewhere in Manchester, but it was the first time I'd been asked out of the blue to play some original music by someone whose musical talents I respected. I was quite excited and accepted his offer.
I did a few gigs with Hughie and became friends with the bass player, Gavin. A few months later, the function band that Gavin played in needed a new drummer and he put my name forward. I thought the trumpeter (is that what you call them?) on that gig was particularly good, and a similar age to me. I got his details, not knowing if the band would call me back for a second gig. It turned out that they did call me back, but not the trumpeter (I'll call him Jake, for that was his name.) He'd been a bit too good and was hitting the high squeaky notes all the time which they didn't think was fitting. I kept in touch with Jake and a few months later he asked me to join a Latin band which he played in. A couple of years later, when I wanted to make the move to London, I ended up renting a place with the saxophonist from this band who was going to study jazz at Middlesex Uni. Once in London I replied to every drummer wanted ad on the Loot website. Most of the bands were pretty awful and after a while I kind of gave up looking. I'd found a regular function band and was just about paying the rent between that and a part time job.
Then one day I randomly decided to pick up a paper copy of Loot and there was an ad saying "Ex King Crimson violinist seeking drummer." I called the number, auditioned for the band and got the gig. They wanted someone who could play in weird time signatures and jam and I'd spent many bedroom hours working on just that kind of thing... (that's 750 words and it's now 5am UK time so I've been awake for 22 hours. I'll continue tomorrow)
I checked my slightly over-weight suitcase and lugged my carry on bag through security. I had to empty it of my laptop and a full set of drum mics which, to the non-musician, look fairly suspicious.
When boarding I was pulled aside again and my bag was searched for a second time.
When I finally made it onto the plane, a bit tired and grumpy, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that I had 3 seats to myself. I settled in by the window and yawned about 50 times as the plane climbed to cruising altitude (it stops my head from exploding with the pressure)
Once we'd levelled off I plugged in my headphones and picked a movie to watch. I'd got as far as the opening credits when a middle aged woman appeared by my side and asked if she could take the aisle seat. I removed my headphones and nodded my head, then introduced myself - "I'm Joe." The next 7 1/2 hours were spent in conversation with my new friend Cathy. It felt like one of the shortest flights I've taken. I was surprised to learn that Cathy worked as a computer program tester and used to write programs herself. She'd worked for Microsoft and written software to administer drugs to patients. Some really interesting stuff. Why am I telling you this? What on earth has it got to do with drumming?A question I get asked a lot is "How do you get a gig?" I can tell you how "I" got the gigs that I've done, but not how "one" gets a gig. Let me try and summarise how I ended up joining Wishbone Ash... After leaving uni I moved back to my parents' house, worked part time, taught private drum lessons, and gigged in wedding bands at the weekends. I wanted to 'break' into the session world but I had no idea how to go about it.
I started attending a jam night in Manchester and met a few people. One Saturday afternoon, after a good few months of wondering how to get gigs, I got a call from Hughie - the guitarist who ran the jam night. He'd got my number from the book you wrote your details in if you wanted to get up and jam. He asked me if I could do a gig with him the next week. It was only £50 in a small bar somewhere in Manchester, but it was the first time I'd been asked out of the blue to play some original music by someone whose musical talents I respected. I was quite excited and accepted his offer.
I did a few gigs with Hughie and became friends with the bass player, Gavin. A few months later, the function band that Gavin played in needed a new drummer and he put my name forward. I thought the trumpeter (is that what you call them?) on that gig was particularly good, and a similar age to me. I got his details, not knowing if the band would call me back for a second gig. It turned out that they did call me back, but not the trumpeter (I'll call him Jake, for that was his name.) He'd been a bit too good and was hitting the high squeaky notes all the time which they didn't think was fitting. I kept in touch with Jake and a few months later he asked me to join a Latin band which he played in. A couple of years later, when I wanted to make the move to London, I ended up renting a place with the saxophonist from this band who was going to study jazz at Middlesex Uni. Once in London I replied to every drummer wanted ad on the Loot website. Most of the bands were pretty awful and after a while I kind of gave up looking. I'd found a regular function band and was just about paying the rent between that and a part time job.
Then one day I randomly decided to pick up a paper copy of Loot and there was an ad saying "Ex King Crimson violinist seeking drummer." I called the number, auditioned for the band and got the gig. They wanted someone who could play in weird time signatures and jam and I'd spent many bedroom hours working on just that kind of thing... (that's 750 words and it's now 5am UK time so I've been awake for 22 hours. I'll continue tomorrow)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Take Your Drumming to the Next Level!
Visit the software page for more info.
It's also very simple to displace grooves or parts of grooves to help you create new ones - think Gavin Harrison.
Visit the software page for more info.
How to sync videos from multiple cameras in Final Cut...the easy way.
A lot of the videos I've done for youtube involve more than one camera. I usually make these in Final Cut Pro and the most tedious step is the synchronisation of the video clips.
The way I used to do it was to set all the cameras and the DAW recording, then I'd sit down and click my sticks together as a sort of clapper board. Then, when it came to editing I'd locate that stick click in each clip and add a marker. I'd also have to identify the stick click in the audio file. It's not that difficult, but it can be time consuming, and it means that all cameras have to be running all the time, otherwise the job of synchronisation becomes much more difficult.I recently found a program that makes this a whole lot easier. It's called Plural Eyes. You basically save the video and audio files you want to sync in a Final Cut Sequence, then you open Plural Eyes, choose that sequence and click 'OK'. It analyses the audio from all the clips and aligns everything perfectly!I tested it out on a gig the other night. I set an audio recorder on the mixer and had a video camera recording 5 minute clips here and there from the stage. I then loaded all the files into Final Cut and let Plural Eyes do all the hard work. It worked perfectly!If you want to try it for yourself, click here for a free 30 day trial!If you're looking to convert video from a hard disk or SD card camcorder (or camera) for editing in Final Cut Pro (or any other editing software) then I highly recommend the free program MPEG Streamclip.Get MPEG Streamclip here
New Drum Lessons Online
I've had about a week between tours and I've been very busy recording and editing new drum videos. They're now all up on my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/pfefftube (I wish I'd named it better :) If you like the videos please subscribe to the channel - it helps to get the videos noticed. Also, feel free to embed the lessons anywhere you like and spread the word on forums or whatever. I appreciate any efforts to get the lessons out into the big wide world. I've recently started using posterous.com (http://joecrabtree.posterous.com/) to post these blogs. They also get posted at http://joecrabtree.blogspot.com You can subscribe to either of those using any RSS feed reader. You can also leave comments about the content or requests for future lessons/writing.I'm off to America in about 10 hours. The East coast dates are online here - http://www.wishboneash.com/tourdates - if I'm coming anywhere near you come down to the gig and we can talk drums! All the best,
Joe
Joe
750 Words - Day 5: On Touring
This is my 9th day of trying to write 750 words a day. I highly recommend giving it a go yourself. It's a great way to empty your mind of all the stuff that's floating around and get some ideas down without feeling like you have to have a beginning, middle and and end, or any kind of structure at all. The website is 750words.com Tomorrow I fly out to Boston for a 21 date tour of America. I still have to pack for this - not a favourite task of mine. Once I'm on the road I'm fine - every day is very much the same, and I have everything I need. It's the lead up to that that I dislike. Should you find yourself in a touring band at some point in the future, here are my top tips for life on the road:1. Packing:
The last two tours I did were the most efficient in this sense. Before I left I took a pair of underpants and a pair of socks and rolled them up inside a T-shirt. I filled my suitcase with these rolls. I had a carry bag which contained my wash bag (see below) and other things I might want day to day. I'd load this up with 5 rolls of clothes and forget about the suitcase. This is what I'd take into the hotel. Each morning is just a case of pulling out a new roll. I'd roll the dirty clothes up and put it at the other side of the bag so I know which stuff is clean. After 5 days I'd switch the worn clothes for 5 new rolls. A bin liner in the suitcase is a good place to store the dirty clothes. When you reach a venue with a washing machine all your washing is ready to go. I realise the above is not so efficient if you're a girl, or have some kind of fashion sense and care about what you wear. My life is simpler than that. I only buy Tshirts that I like, and I don't really mind what they go with. I also only have one pair of shoes (see below). A pair of jeans will last me at least a week. 2. Stage gear:
I usually wear a long sleeve black shirt on stage. I used to look for more exciting stage gear, but this seems to work and makes it easy to pack for the stage. I used to wear jeans on stage but they're not very comfortable after 2 hours of sitting in your own sweat (sorry!) and they don't dry well. Prior to the last tour I got some Reebok jogging pants which are a kind of satin black and dry very easily. This is the best change I've made in 6 years of touring :) 3. Wash bag:
Get a wash bag that unfolds and has a hook. Not all hotels have surfaces to put things on, and if they do they quite often get wet. You can hook your new wash bag onto the mirror, or the door and keep it out of harms way. I opted for this system after accidentally knocking my old washbag into the sink. 4. Laptop/iPhone:
These are basically all I take on the road with me these days. The iPhone replaces any books I would have taken with me and provides entertainment on long drives.
I can't read in a road vehicle. Audio books are great but send me to sleep if I'm not driving. So, the way I pass long drives in the van is usually HBO shows. I have a mobile holder which attaches to the window and I sit back and enjoy whichever series I'm working through. This is a two birds with one stone situation because I feel like van time is wasted time which I want to use productively. If I were to watch the entire run of the Sopranos at home when I could be doing other things then it would definitely feel like wasted time. So, not only do I look forward to van journeys but I'm also freeing up time when I'm not on the road to do proper stuff! Series I can recommend are: Six Feet Under, Deadwood, 24 (at least the first 5 seasons), Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Modern Family. That should get you started.5. Internet:
Free internet access largely depends on what level you're touring at, and where. If you're touring the UK I recommend a non-contract 3G USB stick rather than forking out a tenner at various hotels. America is usually pretty good for wifi. Germany (at least where we go) seems to be 50/50 with where it's free and where you have to pay. A T-Mobile 30 day pass in Germany usually serves me pretty well - though that's because we spend about a month in Germany. I can see that this probably isn't universally useful :) I've done 832 words now anyway....
The last two tours I did were the most efficient in this sense. Before I left I took a pair of underpants and a pair of socks and rolled them up inside a T-shirt. I filled my suitcase with these rolls. I had a carry bag which contained my wash bag (see below) and other things I might want day to day. I'd load this up with 5 rolls of clothes and forget about the suitcase. This is what I'd take into the hotel. Each morning is just a case of pulling out a new roll. I'd roll the dirty clothes up and put it at the other side of the bag so I know which stuff is clean. After 5 days I'd switch the worn clothes for 5 new rolls. A bin liner in the suitcase is a good place to store the dirty clothes. When you reach a venue with a washing machine all your washing is ready to go. I realise the above is not so efficient if you're a girl, or have some kind of fashion sense and care about what you wear. My life is simpler than that. I only buy Tshirts that I like, and I don't really mind what they go with. I also only have one pair of shoes (see below). A pair of jeans will last me at least a week. 2. Stage gear:
I usually wear a long sleeve black shirt on stage. I used to look for more exciting stage gear, but this seems to work and makes it easy to pack for the stage. I used to wear jeans on stage but they're not very comfortable after 2 hours of sitting in your own sweat (sorry!) and they don't dry well. Prior to the last tour I got some Reebok jogging pants which are a kind of satin black and dry very easily. This is the best change I've made in 6 years of touring :) 3. Wash bag:
Get a wash bag that unfolds and has a hook. Not all hotels have surfaces to put things on, and if they do they quite often get wet. You can hook your new wash bag onto the mirror, or the door and keep it out of harms way. I opted for this system after accidentally knocking my old washbag into the sink. 4. Laptop/iPhone:
These are basically all I take on the road with me these days. The iPhone replaces any books I would have taken with me and provides entertainment on long drives.
I can't read in a road vehicle. Audio books are great but send me to sleep if I'm not driving. So, the way I pass long drives in the van is usually HBO shows. I have a mobile holder which attaches to the window and I sit back and enjoy whichever series I'm working through. This is a two birds with one stone situation because I feel like van time is wasted time which I want to use productively. If I were to watch the entire run of the Sopranos at home when I could be doing other things then it would definitely feel like wasted time. So, not only do I look forward to van journeys but I'm also freeing up time when I'm not on the road to do proper stuff! Series I can recommend are: Six Feet Under, Deadwood, 24 (at least the first 5 seasons), Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Modern Family. That should get you started.5. Internet:
Free internet access largely depends on what level you're touring at, and where. If you're touring the UK I recommend a non-contract 3G USB stick rather than forking out a tenner at various hotels. America is usually pretty good for wifi. Germany (at least where we go) seems to be 50/50 with where it's free and where you have to pay. A T-Mobile 30 day pass in Germany usually serves me pretty well - though that's because we spend about a month in Germany. I can see that this probably isn't universally useful :) I've done 832 words now anyway....
Friday, April 22, 2011
750 Words - Day 4
Ok, so I finally pulled myself off my butt yesterday and went and sat at the drums to start thinking of solo ideas. I had my laptop with me, and the initial motivation for going to sit at the drums was to analyse a couple of simple licks I'd seen in a youtube video. It was just a couple of bars of 8th and 16th notes - lots of space - but it had stuck in my mind as something musical. If you'd like to check it out for yourself it's from a solo by my friend (and amazing drummer) Louie Palmer, and it's at 3-6 seconds in this solo: The rest of what he plays is also incredible, but this simple rhythmic idea was easy to grasp and for some reason sounded good. Without the memory of the actual notes he played, my own creations seemed lacking. There's something very definite about this simple rhythmic idea. Once I'd listened again I pinned the musicality down to 3 ideas.
1) It's a simple rhythm that any body can follow.
2) Both phrases begin on beat 3 of the bar, making them seem like a response to the opening silence (or in the case of the second phrase, in response to the first phrase)
3) The first phrase crosses the bar line, tying the whole thing together.So, to work on my own versions of this kind of thing I could set myself the boundaries (as discussed in my last entry) of beginning phrases on beat 3 of a bar, limiting myself to 8th and 16th notes, and carrying the first phrase over the bar line. That would result in similar rhythmic ideas that were my own and I could begin to decide what else makes them pleasing to the ear. You might want to have a go at making an entire solo using these rules and building the excitement in other ways. Perhaps beginning at a quiet dynamic level, or on a single sound source, and gradually getting louder and utilising more of the kit. In reality, you'll probably want to use this kind of thing as part of many other ideas in your solo. Another nice thing about this idea is that it comes with S P A C E. If you consider the initial 2 beats of rest as an integral part of the rhythm, then throwing it into the middle of a solo full of 32nd notes and rolls will MAKE you leave a bit of breathing space. I think that's a good thing. Breaking solos up into phrases (like taking a breath when you speak) helps the listener to follow what's going on. Even if they're not 'following' it then at least it gives their brains a little respite from the machine gun fire of the rest of the solo. Take a breather....I like a lot of things about Virgil Donati's playing, and Vinnie Colaiuta's playing, and Dennis Chambers' playing, etc. There's plenty of recordings of all these guys doing solos. Generally, I prefer the ones to a vamp (where the rest of the band continues playing an idea underneath the drum solo) because it's easier to hear where they're going with the solo and how their ideas fit around that musical idea. Sometimes a solo will be in the middle of a song without a vamp. In these contexts it's best if they keep a hihat or clave or something going on to help you feel the pulse. Certainly when playing a solo mid-song where the band isn't keeping anything going I find it very helpful to sing my own vamp and play around that. It not only helps to make the solo more musical, but also helps you keep track of where you are without having to count. In fact, even when playing an 'open solo' (one where you start and finish on your own and can take it where you like) I find it's good to have something more musical going on in your head. Talking about open solos, I've heard many in my time. As I said, Virgil and Dennis are incredible drummers, but with a 20 minute drum-only solo there's rarely more than a few things that really stand out to me. Usually it's places where they drop into some kind of groove. That's where you can really enjoy what's going on. Dennis is actually very good at playing solos around a groove, but also has a tendency to throw in bits that sound like he's falling down the stairs.That's my 750 words up for today... see you soon. Oh, and check out one of my favourite all time drum solos by the great Joey Baron. This guy is SO musical...
1) It's a simple rhythm that any body can follow.
2) Both phrases begin on beat 3 of the bar, making them seem like a response to the opening silence (or in the case of the second phrase, in response to the first phrase)
3) The first phrase crosses the bar line, tying the whole thing together.So, to work on my own versions of this kind of thing I could set myself the boundaries (as discussed in my last entry) of beginning phrases on beat 3 of a bar, limiting myself to 8th and 16th notes, and carrying the first phrase over the bar line. That would result in similar rhythmic ideas that were my own and I could begin to decide what else makes them pleasing to the ear. You might want to have a go at making an entire solo using these rules and building the excitement in other ways. Perhaps beginning at a quiet dynamic level, or on a single sound source, and gradually getting louder and utilising more of the kit. In reality, you'll probably want to use this kind of thing as part of many other ideas in your solo. Another nice thing about this idea is that it comes with S P A C E. If you consider the initial 2 beats of rest as an integral part of the rhythm, then throwing it into the middle of a solo full of 32nd notes and rolls will MAKE you leave a bit of breathing space. I think that's a good thing. Breaking solos up into phrases (like taking a breath when you speak) helps the listener to follow what's going on. Even if they're not 'following' it then at least it gives their brains a little respite from the machine gun fire of the rest of the solo. Take a breather....I like a lot of things about Virgil Donati's playing, and Vinnie Colaiuta's playing, and Dennis Chambers' playing, etc. There's plenty of recordings of all these guys doing solos. Generally, I prefer the ones to a vamp (where the rest of the band continues playing an idea underneath the drum solo) because it's easier to hear where they're going with the solo and how their ideas fit around that musical idea. Sometimes a solo will be in the middle of a song without a vamp. In these contexts it's best if they keep a hihat or clave or something going on to help you feel the pulse. Certainly when playing a solo mid-song where the band isn't keeping anything going I find it very helpful to sing my own vamp and play around that. It not only helps to make the solo more musical, but also helps you keep track of where you are without having to count. In fact, even when playing an 'open solo' (one where you start and finish on your own and can take it where you like) I find it's good to have something more musical going on in your head. Talking about open solos, I've heard many in my time. As I said, Virgil and Dennis are incredible drummers, but with a 20 minute drum-only solo there's rarely more than a few things that really stand out to me. Usually it's places where they drop into some kind of groove. That's where you can really enjoy what's going on. Dennis is actually very good at playing solos around a groove, but also has a tendency to throw in bits that sound like he's falling down the stairs.That's my 750 words up for today... see you soon. Oh, and check out one of my favourite all time drum solos by the great Joey Baron. This guy is SO musical...
750 words - Day 2
Where was I up to?
Let's talk about creating a drum solo. This is something I'm currently trying to do at the moment. I've seemingly failed at doing this completely off the cuff. I have a good number of gigs under my belt where I've just gone for an improvised solo in the same spot every night. There's perhaps been one or two gigs where I was happy with the result, and right now I couldn't even tell you what I did that I liked. If I'd recorded every night then I'd have something to go off. Perhaps I'd listen back and they wouldn't be as good as I'd imagined. On the other hand, perhaps nights where I'd thought it had gone badly would sound better than I thought. It's difficult to say without actually doing it.
I've had a few days off since the tour ended and I have another one coming up in less than a week. I've decided I should try and write a solo. This doesn't have to be a note for note thing, just an idea of how long it'll be and a series of licks that I know work in the context and increase in excitement so I can build to a climax.
Step 1 is going to be deciding on the temp. This particular song seems to change from night to night so I want to make sure that whatever I come up with will work at all tempos we might play it.
Then I'll decide on the length. I'll sing through the section before the solo, imagine a solo building to a climax, then returning to the song. I'll do this a few times until I find a length that seems good.
Next I'll start thinking about licks that I already know that work at that tempo. This isn't really something I've done before, but there are definitely 'licks' that I know already which could be utilised. For the first time I'm going to have to come up with names or descriptions for them. This should help when it comes to recall time. I'll come up with as long a list as I can - just throwing everything into the pot.
From there I will work towards structuring a solo from what I know already. If I don't feel like I have enough chops I'll take a look around youtube and records I have and see if there are things I could steal from other drum solos. Some things I'll inevitably have to spend some time figuring out - but that's a good use of my practice time anyway.
I want the solo to be enjoyed by as much of the audience as possible. To me, this means playing something that's melodic with good phrasing and things that people can latch on to. Plus, perhaps, a bit of fast double bass drum and arm crossing at the end :) That always works.
Let's think about some of the options.
What would it sound like if I came up with a 1 bar rhythmic phrase and repeated that with different orchestration for a few bars?
How about if I went for a 2 bar rhythmic phrase and used the first bar of that for a second and third repeat while changing the second bar each time.
Can I come up with rhythms interesting enough so I don't feel like I have to fill all the gaps with rolling snare drums. Could these rhythms be 1/8 notes, or even 1/4 notes?
How many ways can I think come up with for playing a 1/4 note rhythmic solo to make it interesting? Orchestration. Dynamics. etc.
Should the solo be based around a groove? Or free form? What about finding a relatively simple groove to play off and building to a climax without losing that groove?
Can I come up with a set of questions which I could ask of any drum solo to help deconstruct it? What would they be? The obvious initial ones would be...
Is this solo over a vamp or just drums?
If it's just drums is it completely free or is it still part of the song (i.e. does the drummer sing a vamp to himself or count bars?)
Those 2 questions would be enough to narrow down all the solos I can find to those that I could analyse to fit my current situation. Even if they're in a different tempo/style/time signature I could still get useful information from them.
750 Words - Day 3
So, drum solos. I played around a little bit yesterday. I noticed I was procrastinating. On my list of things to do was find good drum solos and write down the bits I liked. Also, to write down all the licks I could think of that might work. I kept putting it off. I wanted to 'write' a solo before the weekend, but I found that I really didn't want to start on the task.
With a bit of reflection I realised the reason was that I didn't feel like I was capable of creating something I was happy with. I didn't want to start on it for fear of realising that I couldn't come up with the goods. Which, if you think about it, is pretty silly. I already know that I can't do what I want at the moment, and all I was intending to do was to move closer to that goal. I suppose, but giving myself the deadline of the weekend to create a 'great' solo, then I was potentially setting myself up for failure and thus putting myself off even beginning the task.
Instead, I just sat at the drums and played around. I tried different tempos and realised, to my surprise, that I ended up using totally different 'licks' if I played at 110bpm, than if I played at 100bpm. Some things just didn't work at both speeds and if I tried to throw them in I'd speed up (or slow down). That was an interesting discovery as the song would work at both tempos.
The next thing I realised was that I have a tendency to always begin phrases in the same places. That gets boring, but it's hard to break out of. At one point I went to play something in my head which started on the snare with my right hand. I accidentally didn't play an accent so the rhythmic idea sounded like it started a 16th note later. Immediately it sounded more interesting than what I'd been playing before.
So, I took that concept and expanded on it. If you think in 4 bar phrases try giving yourself some boundaries. For example:
Begin all phrases in a certain place. Try the 2nd 16th note of the bar, or the 'a' of 2. Work this through all possibilities.
Begin all phrases on a certain drum, or cymbal. If you begin a phrase on a lone crash it'll make a nice change. You could also begin a phrase with a stepped hi-hat. Or a x-stick.
End all phrases in a certain place. Perhaps over the bar line.
End all phrases on a certain drum/cymbal.
Try intentionally always beginning and ending a phrase on the same beat and instrument that you start it on.
These are all just ideas to help broaden your sound palette. You'll undoubtedly find some of them more difficult than others. Also, you'll HAVE to count in order to know that you're actually starting/ending in the places you're telling yourself too. This can be difficult, but it's definitely something you should be able to do.
You may have to simplify the kind of thing you play in order to meet these criteria. That also is a good thing. As your competency increases you'll find the complexity of what you play will also increase. It's better this way than just playing complex things without thinking about them.
The main thing is to keep trying new things and making mental notes of what you like and what you don't. This is the process of creation and evolution of your style. TRY EVERYTHING and then EDIT.
Think about it. You know what you like and what you don't like when listening to other drummers. I suspect you don't always like EVERYTHING that even your favourite drummer plays. It'll seem more interesting and creative than what you play, but that's just because it's new and different to what you play. If you can come up with ways to make things you play be 'new' and 'different' to what you usually come up with then you can apply the same judgement to your ideas.
One final thought. Don't judge them too soon or you'll put yourself off. Give yourself creative freedom to try everything. Ideally you'd record it, then listen back when you've forgotten what you played. In that way you'll be able to judge it as you would someone else's playing.
750 words - Day 1
So, what if I start using these 750 words to write down some of my ideas? Perhaps on getting better at the drums. I know, for example, that it requires the application of time, and attention. The time being the sitting and playing and trying to make things do what I want, and the attention being the stepping back, analysing, and checking that I'm applying the time to the right things. You don't want to spend a week of solid practice working on something only to realise at the end of it that you've gone in the wrong direction.
Those subtleties in difference of direction can turn into big deviations from where you intend to go. It's like steering a ship - you need to keep it on course. Of course, you don't want to do the opposite and use all the time for attention as then you don't actually get anywhere. Plus, over thinking something isn't necessarily a good thing as you learn things as you get better. So, small steps and small corrections is the way to go.
What do you do when you're not sure which direction to go in? You know that you can be better. You notice differences between what you're playing and what other people are playing but you're not sure what the differences are.
Step 1 is to record (preferably video) yourself playing the thing that you're comparing yourself to. You might be surprised to find that you can already do it. If not, then it's likely that the differences will become more obvious. Either the difference will be technical - i.e. you know what they're playing but you either can't do it at all, or you can do it but it doesn't sound as good; or it'll be conceptual i.e. they have ideas that you don't.
The second one is hard to do anything with. Even in writing that sentence I realised that it doesn't make sense. For one thing, you don't know whether or not they created their thing on the spot. You also don't know that they wouldn't think the same of something you play - whether you worked it out beforehand or jammed it.
When it comes to creating things on the spot one thing to pay attention to is whether you really know what you're playing. I always have a tendency to reach for things that are too complex to really follow - even for me (and I'm playing them).
Try setting yourself boundaries - eg. only allowed to play in 8th notes, or triplets. Or, you have to KNOW what subdivisions you're using at all times. That way you can tell whether you're really in control or if you're just letting your arms go wherever they want.
Not that letting them go wherever they want is always a bad thing. If you let them do that and you're happy with the results then it's fine. It's when you're not happy with the results that you need to rethink things and take hold of the reins.
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