Tracks can be a great addition to our worship gatherings but I feel like we can lean on them a bit too much. I want to challenge you to work on your internal timing with this simple exercise.
As drummers, we need to be the “Boy Scout” of the team. We all need to be prepared for not only the songs we’re playing, but also any changes that may arise. We need to have on hand the tools to accomodate them both.
When I see drummers glued to a music stand, the vibe seems stiff. If we practice until we know the songs backward and forward, when we play at worship, we can climb in to the songs and be a part of them.
When I was preparing for David Crowder's "My Victory," I quickly realized that I had to get creative. When you listen to this song, pay attention to all of the production within this track. There are a lot of sampled sounds that you can't reproduce on an acoustic kit but there are some that you can get close to even if electronics aren't available.
Recently I parted ways with the DW kit that’s been my baby for the last 10 years. I've been wanting to venture outside of my comfort zone and get more of that old school vintage sound. My new kit has arrived!
Video recording myself helps me check everything from my posture (which tends to be horrible), to my playing (too busy?), to how I'm engaging with others from behind the kit.
This past week we brought a new drummer into the rotation at my church. I added some input to help the overall feel of the song and to simplify the groove. He was open to the advice and understood where I was coming from to help the song. This really impressed me and I have even more respect for this guy now.
Just starting drums? Do you drop into a panic everytime the worship leader switches the setlist? Do you feel like you have to be incredibly talented to play even the simplest songs? Well have I got news for you! This basic, BASIC groove will work with any song in 4/4. It's the Swiss Army Knife of drums.
What is the best way to practice? In this post, we are going to take a look at a few over-arching ideas before jumping into some more detailed thoughts next week.
Rudiments have their benefits. They serve a purpose and they are good to know, but I think they have their time and place. Let's figure out what those are.
Whether we learn with the sheet music originally, or learning a song from hearing it only, I think there are important reasons for internalizing songs beyond the need for the sheet music.
Preparation has been on my heart lately. So pull up a seat and a cup of your favorite joe or a tall glass of sweet tea. It's time to ruffle some feathers.
A few months back I had the opportunity to play for a live night of worship in which the setup included an auxiliary percussionist. It kept me on my toes, as he was one more sound in the mix I needed to be careful not to play over.
Last month I had the opportunity to play drums for a night of worship that was recorded for a live record. There's not a lot of room for issues or mistakes on something like that, and we wanted everything to run flawlessly. It would have been much more challenging if I didn't play consistently.
While walking the streets of good ol' New Orleans,I couldn't help but notice not just how many musicians, but how many types of musicians there were playing on the street corners. It just got me thinking about how important it is to dive into all types of genres of music in order to experience and appreciate them.
A good drummer can keep a beat, but an awesome drummer has the ability to give a song feeling. They know how and when to throw ghost notes and up beats in the mix, all to make a groove, well...groove.
