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Thread: solos

  1. #1
    Shazane Guest

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    I have a solo in one of our new songs, I've never written one before, what advice can you give me?

    It's a blackened death metal song, by the way.
    Last edited by Shazane; 07-08-2007 at 11:08 PM.

  2. #2

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    Speed and double kick - isn't that really all there is to it that style of music? Maybe I'm being too simplisit or cynical.....Is it at the start of the song or in the middle? Is towards the end of the song leading to the "finale"? Depending on "where" it is in the song should help determine what sort of solo it is. Beyond that though, "feel" it would be my only real advice. You can eihter build something aorund a centrla rhythm or continious beat (like your foot just keeps going 1 2 3 4 1 2...) and then you build around that, or you cold just go nuts for a couple of minutes hitting eveyrthing you can as much as you can. It also depends on if you want to be conscious of what you're doing so you can replicate it later - in which case construct it like 1 bar at a time, committing it to memory, then putting it all together once you have figured out and momorised each part individually.

    I dunno....hope something in there helped.....
    "What consumes your mind, controls your life" - So, what consumes your mind?

  3. #3
    Shazane Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by crazymanwithaplunger View Post
    Speed and double kick - isn't that really all there is to it that style of music? Maybe I'm being too simplisit or cynical.....
    All there is? Look up George Kollias, Jan Axel Blomberg, Dani "Azathothian Hands", Zbigniew Robert Promiński
    Sorry but I'm somewhat offended by that statement... metal is the most complicated style of music there is.

    That aside, it's toward the end of the song preceeding a guitar solo. Your last bit of advice was good, I think I'll try that, so thank'ee sai.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shazane View Post
    All there is? Look up George Kollias, Jan Axel Blomberg, Dani "Azathothian Hands", Zbigniew Robert Promiński
    Sorry but I'm somewhat offended by that statement... metal is the most complicated style of music there is.

    That aside, it's toward the end of the song preceeding a guitar solo. Your last bit of advice was good, I think I'll try that, so thank'ee sai.

    Didn't mean to offend - it was a joke. Shoulda put a smiley or something. Although, don't think I can agree with the statement that "metal is the most complicated style of music there is" - personally I think jazz is more "complicated" hence Danny Carey, Neil Paert, JoJo Mayer, Thomas Lang (the list goes on) being as fantastic as they are. Not saying there isn't some brilliant stuff from metal drummers, but, and this is just MY OPINION, as far as "complicated" drumming goes, Jazz is where it's at.

    Ok, considering the position within the song you'll probably want to make sure it is ending with a fair amount of energy and speed behind it then, but for the purposes of musicality and creating light and shade don't start out that way - start with something simple, maybe even a little laid back, something that people are gonna hear at first are gonna go "wow, this is really basic" and by the end are gonna be going "HOLY CRAP, THAT ROCKED!" Also pace yourself, the timing of where your build up a solo can cause it to either become boring (going too long with the same thing, either fast, slow loud doesn't mater, if it's the same for too long people are gonna get bored with it), or you won't have enough time to do the things it needs to progress properly and stand out.

    Also, try to know what the guitarist is going to be doing so what your playing can match up with him when he comes in, maybe your snare or kick can match him up or something and then he can take over.

    Beyond that though I think the rest is up to you and what you feel is right to play. No one can tell you what to play in your solo - it's all you man.
    "What consumes your mind, controls your life" - So, what consumes your mind?

  5. #5
    Shazane Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by crazymanwithaplunger View Post
    Didn't mean to offend - it was a joke. Shoulda put a smiley or something. Although, don't think I can agree with the statement that "metal is the most complicated style of music there is" - personally I think jazz is more "complicated" hence Danny Carey, Neil Paert, JoJo Mayer, Thomas Lang (the list goes on) being as fantastic as they are. Not saying there isn't some brilliant stuff from metal drummers, but, and this is just MY OPINION, as far as "complicated" drumming goes, Jazz is where it's at.
    Well that is a good point... metal IS essentially rock+jazz, many elements like double bass came from jazz after all, and while metal is faster, jazz includes more improvisation, so its a tough call for me regarding the drums...

    And I guess it will depend on how much time I have, I have some fills in mind so if I put them together in the right order with some rhythm in between it could work..

  6. #6

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    Cool, that's essentially all MOST solos are anyway - they are either a combination of fills or rudiments at seemingly random times, or they are a similar thing, just constructed around a rhythm/beat. Don't let the guitarist bully you though into giving him a bigger solo than you - fight for your drums!!! Especially in metal - that's one style of music where the drums are generally recognised as an actual instrument. Most of the time drums are just kinda there and no one notices.

    Either way man, good luck, and I can't wait to hear what you come up with. Get it recorded and give us guys a listen to you masterpiece!
    "What consumes your mind, controls your life" - So, what consumes your mind?

  7. #7

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    Death metal is pretty much by the book. Everytime I watch a death metal solo I'm "blown away" by the same thing: Fills keep getting faster and faster, and long continous blast beats. I think artists like Danny Carey, Neil Peart, and Thomas Lang have a much more diverse style, while at the same time they all posess the ability to do those huge, fast fills and blast beats, just choose to mix it up and have it sound interesting. My advice is don't focus on being a "metal" drummer and focus more on finding your own creative side to the style you choose so that one day you could have a chance at being one of the best, or an innovator, like we'd all want to be.

    -32

    Ahh my other advice was get the hell out of that band before you are seriously discouraged when it comes time to make a real record with a real producer and says straight up "you guys suck". The guitar is sketchy, but ok for the most part. The voice... Just no. And that part that pisses me off the most is that we can't hear your bass at all! Or the bass guitar for that matter. Anyway, best of luck regardless.
    www.myspace.com/maudeephyfe
    The good times won't roll themselves
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  8. #8
    Shazane Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by 32ndHeartBeat View Post
    Death metal is pretty much by the book. Everytime I watch a death metal solo I'm "blown away" by the same thing: Fills keep getting faster and faster, and long continous blast beats. I think artists like Danny Carey, Neil Peart, and Thomas Lang have a much more diverse style, while at the same time they all posess the ability to do those huge, fast fills and blast beats, just choose to mix it up and have it sound interesting. My advice is don't focus on being a "metal" drummer and focus more on finding your own creative side to the style you choose so that one day you could have a chance at being one of the best, or an innovator, like we'd all want to be.

    -32

    Ahh my other advice was get the hell out of that band before you are seriously discouraged when it comes time to make a real record with a real producer and says straight up "you guys suck". The guitar is sketchy, but ok for the most part. The voice... Just no. And that part that pisses me off the most is that we can't hear your bass at all! Or the bass guitar for that matter. Anyway, best of luck regardless.
    No... just... no. If you find them all to be the same thing then you must not understand what you're hearing, or else you are listening only to mediocre death metal and haven't heard a great metal drummer...

    By the way, our RECORDINGS suck, did you consider that? that dpesnt mean we do. Our old vocalist sucked horribly, we dont have him anymore, and on that recording the guitar sounds HORRIBLE and the bass drum and guitar are just absent from the sound...

    I'm not going to "get the hell out of that band", it means alot to me, and we dont care about getting signed on to a stupid record label that will try to tell us what to do, if we ever get famous we will be independently published, we're not in it for the fame or the money. I wouldnt give a damn what some producer tells me, its about what the fans think not some idiot who owns a record company.

  9. #9

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    Throw in some jazz stuff in your solo. Play some rudiments that you would normally use two hands for and use one hand on your ride cymbal to do these two handed rudiments. And if you can pull it off do a gravity blast on your snare.

  10. #10

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    Well for all it's worth, I didn't catch the solo in any of the songs.
    www.myspace.com/maudeephyfe
    The good times won't roll themselves
    Gretsch Renown Maple, Paiste Signature, Reflector, and Dark Energy

  11. #11
    drums-rock Guest

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    The thing i do (ino this probaly wont help) you start off with something pretty rubbish and boring so the crowd are mearly falling asleep so at the start that just like "we souldnt of came here" then do something totally unbalievible then they being going crazy! hope it helps

  12. #12

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    sorry i dont think that would help much lol :D

  13. #13

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    Erm...I like mucking about with solos when I'm on my kit. Not that I'm any good, but still...
    One thing I find you do is you do rythms on the toms. Get something you like and just repeat it, but mess around with it. Try and throw in a snare drum on the off beats and don't repeat everything. Go for originality.
    Slow it right down, so you can show everyone how complex you're going at, then speed it up. Or take a really simple but chugging beat and just speed it up to insane speeds.
    When you get to your snare drum, do rudiments on it. Keep a steady roll going, do double strokes, basically keep everyone on their toes.
    Today, on Ethel The Frog...

  14. #14

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    i cant tell you what to play on your own solo especially not knowing the song structure. but the most important thing to remember when busting a drum solo at a death metal show is that B.S. is unacceptable. guys like roddy, kolias, longstreth and flo mornier have totally raised the bar and are what people will judge a death drummers solo by. straight speed dont cut it anymore. people want to hear and see displays of light speed and four way independence in odd time sigs. death metal is one of the few remaining styles where people still pay attention to technical chops.

  15. #15
    Shazane Guest

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    I think I've got it, I have some fills in 3/4 and 5/8 split up with some 4/4 beats then one part in 7/8 that uses 3 polyrhythms, and I begin and end with a blast beat in 3/4 which makes a nice transition for the guitar to enter in.

    Wish I could record it for those of you who helped me but I don't have any mics yet.

  16. #16

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    WOWA!! sounds awesome and fairly technical. How long have you been playing for Shazane if you dont mind me asking?

  17. #17
    Shazane Guest

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    for 5 years technically, I was in band in 7th and 8th grade, where I learned all the basics of it, then last year I got my own set, and I had no idea what I was doing on it, but once I got the hang of it I've improved alot in a short time, though sometimes I still massacre fills or lose stamina on double bass or get completely disoriented in a polyrhythm. I've gotten pretty good at technical stuff because on of our guitarists always writes in wierd time signatures.

  18. #18

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    Sounds good Shazane, so you're just getting lubricated up now that you got your kit..the endurance and stamina will come in time, plenty of exercises for strengthening. Good luck, let us know how the solo(the whole gig for that matter) goes

  19. #19

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    for me personally I would never do a drum solo, until I became good enough to preform a very good one, because my knowledge of drums right now is not good enough for me to do a drum solo yet in my opinion. But for you it may be different, so I suggest keeping feel the main pirority in the solo.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lafirin View Post
    for me personally I would never do a drum solo, until I became good enough to preform a very good one, because my knowledge of drums right now is not good enough for me to do a drum solo yet in my opinion. But for you it may be different, so I suggest keeping feel the main pirority in the solo.
    thats a good point, but if this guy is understanding and playing odd times and pollys he is already a little more advanced than he is giving himself credit for and can prolly handle it.

    it sounds like some cool and krazy ideas shazane. i want to hear that 3 over 7 part

  21. #21

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    i only have 2 solos
    1 for metal
    and the other for funk/rock
    for the metal one i just do some paradiddles on the left and right rack tom and then do blast beats with the bass snare and the bell of the ride. then i get complicated and do open handed stuff. it takes about five min.
    for the funk one i do a bunch of flams and rimshots while maintaining a steady open handed beat. then i will do a bunch of stuff with the hat and snare only. i did it once in my friend's neighborhood on his set and i actually got a crowd cheering for me.
    just lending some ideas
    Ostinato is the way to go!

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