Drum Solo's - disappointed

[Colorado_scott]

I've been out of drumming for 20+ years, and was "OK" in my time, but never great - left hand issues for sure.. but what I recalled about drum solos within songs is that, the good ones (the ones I liked), kept with the rhythm of song. What happened to this? I've listened to many generic solos in the past days and frankly, it's 'how fast can I move my hands and how many heads can I hit while doing a roll - or can I keep all symbols moving while doing some roll with my double bass drum". I would say all that I have listened to, perhaps 20, are 'more of the same'.. and I get tired of hearing it after 3-4. These drummers are no doubt, 'great' but I like a Tempo or beat I can follow that has fills to make it interesting (not sure exactly how to express this). Listen to a nice guitar solo, like Lindsey Buckingham for instance, I never tire of it - never. It's not 'behind the back, playing as fast as you can", or picking with his teeth, just cause "I can do it".. you can follow it rhythmically and to me, it's great! I appreciate drum solo's that are similar.

I'm sure others will have different opinions, but I'd of hoped to see more drum solos that were not - play as fast as you can, and more finesse.

Suppose I'm an Old School Guy.

Scott

[pastor_bob]

Welcome to Drum Chat Colorado_scott!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being an Old School Guy, and since opinions vary on what makes a good solo, there's also nothing wrong with expressing the type that you like. Frankly, that's what gets the discussions going. Frankly, I envy the guys with the blazing speed, because I don't have it. I also, like you, really enjoy the rhythmic solos more . . . in part because I might actually have a chance of playing them one day. LOL

[slinglander]

Hey Scott, welcome to the forum which has plenty of "old school" drummers(among others, of course). At any rate keep looking for the drum solos from classic rock days and fusion-way more melodic than speedy. Guys like Cosy Powell, John Heisman, Ginger Baker,etc., are my inspiration.

[Bish]

Welcome to Drum Chat.

Speed drummers and guitar shredders are out there. Not my cup of tea or within my abilities for that matter. Stick with your tastes. You are not alone.

[stickadiddle]

Hey Scott, welcome to the forum which has plenty of "old school" drummers(among others, of course). At any rate keep looking for the drum solos from classic rock days and fusion-way more melodic than speedy. Guys like Cosy Powell, John Heisman, Ginger Baker,etc., are my inspiration.

I went to a John Heisman clinic once and apart from a demonstration of about 50 variations of a so called basic parradiddle which was mind blowing, one of the tips he gave to budding young drummers was; "If you start fast and loud you have nowhere to go!"

[Colorado_scott]

Thanks for the welcome and the responses. Sort of thought I'd take some heat for the comments, but seems there are others that feel the same. Hey, fast and "all over" is great, but its interesting to take the different sounds of the drums and blend them together to make a solo 'understandable'.. whatever that means.

sc

[MartyM]

CS..first off welcome to the chat as well.. I am old school..and old.. when I did solo's I always started and ended with the beat-feel of the song that was playing..but thats just me..going as fast as you can...well sometimes if it feels right..but timing, sound, style is just as important if not more than just playing fast. what ever you do don't forget to......

[drummer]

The important thing to note is that one is not better but just different. It does in fact come down to taste. I happen to love fast and/or complicated drum fills where they're playing around with the time. In addition to their chops, I think it's exciting to have to practically say "1" every 4 bars to even know where they are. Just as simple drummers sometimes get a bad rap for not playing more interesting, advanced drummers sometimes get a bad rap for not playing simple or melodic enough. I think, to each his own.

Also, don't make the mistake of stereotyping advanced drummers. Many of them can play more melodically or simply "when" they want to.

[rickthedrummer]

Drum solos should be tailored to the crowd the same way your music is tailored to the venue you are playing.

I usually put my videos on Drum Videos, and the few that like to watch them, would look for them there.

About 40 years ago, give or take a year, our guitar player wrote a song called "Voyage Towards Midnight". The title might imply something with a slower tempo, but it wasn't. I would take about 30 second solo to set the pattern up, here it takes about 4:30 before I get to the basic pattern of the song, then play a straight time, take a solo playing within the pattern, then break into something different, then back into the pattern. Needless to say, the song didn't last as long as the video.

You can play solos that stay in the rhythm, or you can vary it and still go back and finish within the beat you were playing. Sometimes with that song, I didn't take a solo at all, and sometimes it would go for 10 minutes. It always depends on the crowd reaction.

[Ricardo]

I agree with you CS.............although I like the other solos too, I love the old school approach.

We all loved the solo Shrieve put on us at Woodstock within SOUL SACRIFICE.............very good.


Here's a peek in case you forgot :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0mDM0A70Fc

[Colorado_scott]

Yes, that's the idea for sure.. I bet no one walked out on that..

scott

[atomcorr2]

when i first started on this site , somebody, i cant remember who, said one of the smartest things ive ever heard, this thread reminded of it , " just because you can play something, doesnt mean you should " very smart words.. playing fast is cool ,,, but only for about 10 seconds.... im really not a huge fan of drum solos, after about 30 seconds im bored with it , doesnt matter whos playing it . for me a perfect live drum solo is show what you got in 30 seconds then get back into the song .. but thats just me ..

and welcome to drum chat ....

[Russ]

The main beat is the most important to me, all that other stuff is just flash. If you wanna nail a song, just play simpler patterns and leave the half hour odysseys out! How are your bandmates going to follow along when the beat is going all over the place? It's fun for practice room, but when you start getting more serious about it you'll find using it sparingly is a winning formula.

[NPYYZ]

I was never a fan of doing a drum solo, however there were times when I was called upon to do so. Maybe a technical problem with some equipment during a show ,so solo! Sometimes the crowd would call for one. Sometimes it would just be a great night and the band would want me to do one. On these occasions I openly admit I stole or borrowed the solos I did from The Song T.N.,U.C. by GFR or I did the one from the live version of Alethea by Robin Trower. I scaled the GFR one down a bit just stuck with the best parts, but both solo's flow really well.

Trower solo: Really liked doing this one, short and sweet. Starts at 2:20

http://youtu.be/K0m14xkmQaw

Here's the GFR solo: much longer more of a solo then just a drum beat.
Starts at 2:45

http://youtu.be/A12GettHK6Y

I found both to be good because they kept a good pace and kept the crowd going. And they are both fairly easy.

[slinky]

if i solo it's within the beat. It just feels better and sounds better to me. If the solo is set up like ''and on drums!'' then I guess it's whatever you want to do. But after about 3 or 4 minutes of avant-garde I'm ready for the band to play the next song.

[slinky]

hey Rick nice video. Your drums sound good. Aquarian?. Had to go back and see when you turned the snare off.

[kay-gee]

I like to flick the snares off and just play wipeout! Everybody's jaw drops like you're playing the greatest drum solo in the world or something. Kinda funny.

all the best...

[kay-gee]

I have to agree with the OP. I'm not a fan of the long drawn out drum solo's. Even Buddy Rich is a little tiring after a while. I do enjoy little four bar "breaks" and such or a solo that is played against the band vamping, especially in jazz.

all the best...

[rickthedrummer]

hey Rick nice video. Your drums sound good. Aquarian?. Had to go back and see when you turned the snare off.

Thanks slinky.

The heads were Aquarian Super II's. I think that's what they are called.

[Animaldrums9585]

A song that comes to mind with a good drum solo, that is in time and phenomenal is the song Frankenstein by Edgar Winter. That song is awesome for drums, and has a lot of outstanding musicianship in it. A great song to jam out as well if you have a good keys player.

[Strider]

Hi, m8's
I think a solo is to either match the song its within or, if a stand-alone piece, a chance to show your musicality as well as your chops. Rise and fall, swell and diminish, flow and ebb. A planned sequence of melodic patterns (play songs with the different tones available) that flow into the next section, tell a story and keep the listeners' interest (not discounting showmanship in addition) with changes in time, volume and dynamics . Music! I like ones that have a structure like a Shakespearean play---intro, quick move to an attention-getting "crisis", denouement, picks up character/plot development in a series of waves of action and emotional heights and depths rising to the final crisis/resolution/ending. A good speech does the same.
My $0.02
Strider

[SparrowBeat]

I like solos where the drums are soloing over the other instruments rather than just by themselves.

[Bish]

Uh........


Holy crap...

[rickthedrummer]

Uh........


Holy crap...

Yep, the ladies are coming and are going to kick some serious butt.

This young lady is good and she's still fairly young.

Caitlin Kalafus is 1 of the fastest I've seen, male or female, and Ms Caplette plays with more "touch" than 95% of the male drummers.

[zzzdanz]

Never was a fan of solos at all, regardless of who it is.