I can't jam freely (drummer)

T

teth

New member
Hi fellow SOFTies,

I've been playing drums for almost 4 years now. Took lessons at Yamaha until last year. I've got all of the basics down, like single and double strokes, accents, ghost notes, beats and stuff. Double bass too.

But when I play with friends or with my band, i realise that I am able to play songs which i have practiced to and learnt, but I can't jam freely when asked to, for example jamming with the bassist. My repertoire of fills and stuff are incredibly limited! My beats are uninteresting too.

Does anyone have any advice to what to do? Or could someone reccommend some books/dvds that might solve my problem? Thanks!
 
Quite easy la. being good at drumming is not about being good at a certain genre and that's it. It's about practicing, apply, modify, upgrade to another practice method, apply, modify. the cycle keeps on going.
What do I mean by other practice method. Choose other genre: Funk, Metal, Rock, Swing, Rap, Country, the list keeps on going. don't be stagnant. Find resources anywhere, listening to radio, go to Esplanade Library, listen carefully again to that song that you've mastered, and hear whether you've missed out on something else. Look up to your favourite drummer and study what he studied. Copy him, apply, modify..
And yeah drumming is not all about, paradiddles, single strokees, accent, ghost notes etc. When you play drum it's not about you, it's about the music.
is your left hand as good as your right hand? No..We can't stop learning. Even monster like Virgil Donati is still learning and still evolution. Happy Learning, cause I am.

MP.
 
hey teth. it's quite good to hear that u've got the basics down. and it's good that u've learnt double pedaling cuz u can use it to come up with more complex grooves.

wat kind of genre does ur bassist like to jam with u? i suppose it'll be funk or funk/rock eh?

one thing i'd reccomend u to do. just use THREE drums/cymbals
for a start just use hi hat, snare and bass drum.
just THESE 2 drums and 1 cymbal. keep playing with them all day, together with a metronome. there will come a time when u will stumble upon a groove and go "hey that's pretty cool!" that's how some pple become more creative. try doing nothing but just using those 3 drums/cymbals all day. u may be surprised how creative u actually can be! and not that usual dull "uninteresting beats" as u mentioned.

bass drum - u can even play ghost notes with bass drum!!
hi hat - there's open can closed hi hat, as well as a quick close after u hit it while it's opened
snare - rim click, rim shot, ghost notes, accented notes

since u already have your rudiments down, u can try paradiddle exercise strictly on these 3 instruments. u can try your double strokes, flam taps, flam drags, u know, watever there is.

of course watch lots of videos!!
one person i really learnt alot from Carter Beuford. he inspired me to play funk rhythms i would never have thought of.

do update this thread so that we can check out your improvements! :D
 
Listen to lots of different songs. Pay attention to how the drummers apply different grooves and fills to different songs :)
 
I use this book called Rick's Licks, by Rick Gratton... TONS of licks to learn from there... some people will dismiss this book as being 'useless in music' but I heavily disagree. Some of the examples are very, very musical and applicable in many musical contexts.

Try looking for this book when you go shopping for drum educational material... I learned a lot from it. And I'm not even 1/4 through it! The licks learnt there will help you with coming up with more creative fills and grooves (yes grooves).

And yo, I finished the course at Yamaha too. Glad to see a fellow survivor! I had James Chan as my teacher :twisted:
 
hmm...

some grooves i do just derive from simple rock beats. its like, u can make it more complicated. Depends on the genre, follow their basic beat. Then upgrade and improvise from there.

if 1 hand is constantly not doing anything, use it to do something else maybe. like...ghost notes...or etc :)
 
@funkifized haha i stopped halfway thru book 2. didnt complete cos i stopped for O levels. oh i got james chan too! :)

thanks guys. i'll try all the stuff you guys suggested.

i saw "creative control" by thomas lang the other day. is it worth getting to you guys?
 
Sometimes watching performances or shows like 'American Idol' or 'INXS' helps too.Can see how the drummer fits in to different kinds of music in different situation and how the whole band enjoy the music not just play them.
 
somebody is correct. you noe sometimes you would jux sket or sing a drum complicated groove? there u have it.your groove. whats left i for you to execute on the drum set.

theres a saying that "If you can sing it, you can play it". quite true so far... :D
 
listen to music like CRAZY. never limit your genres, there's something to learn from everything. lock yourself in a room and play like there's no tomorrow. and let yourself be inspired, be it by listening to music, playing soccer, or even watching porn!!

but seriously, when you feel the flow, let it come out into your drumming. you must get used to the motions, if not every fancy fill you remember might not come out when youre playing or solo-ing. once you get used to it, you can use it anytime. and only you will know that it's practised, the audience might just think it was something cool! haha

bottom line...
LISTEN TO EVERY DAMNED GENRE THERE IS. dont limit yourself.
 
hmm ya the jam freely thing was something i dreamt of when i first heard Vinnie Colaiuta's personal legend... it's still something i dream of doing... it's fusion i think:)

sing what you play? and listen to a lot of music because you can only sing out what you have heard...

personally i would recommend the Police if you want to get ideas on how to expand on something simple...

if not i would advice listening to Jing Chi, Abe Laboriel and friends, Pat Matheny, Dave Weckl, all the fusion stuff. yup:) have fun!

it would be better if you can transcribe some of these songs and then learn the patterns as your own...
 
jam freely

Hi I would like to say I am in the same boat as you. I am in the midst of lerning to let go. hahhaha thats a funny statement dont you think? Learning to let go?

I have seen a lot of local drummers play in the studio and I do observe one major thing. Good foundation is better than a person who has lots of feel, but no timing.

Yamaha students generally have fantastic foundation, good strokes, nice timing. So its a good thing that you are expanding right now and so it takes time you know, nothing to worry about. But keep that foundation. Metronome is the sacred truth hahahha

And please I am not teaching what you should I do, I am just wishing I took this route if I could turn back time.

Now when I just practice, I sing a tune to it. I come up with a tune and then i play while i sing the bass tune. Anything just anything I even improvised to the tune of Muppet show. hahhahhahah

Lastly, u must have fun. FUN!!!!! make all the mistakes you want now, then learn from it. My drum mentor always tell me, you need to get the shit out. just get the shit out. :) hope it helps dude.
 
i'm really glad that u understand tht timing is everything man!
it really is man, no time = loose band.
i understand tht u feel trapped teth, find a teacher tht can explain stuff to u, you'll get all tht u want and more from a gd teach. this forum is just for minor things and not something major, and some of the advice might not be too sound either
 
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