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Thread: Playing quietly

  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by MartyM View Post
    My take on this situation is a little different...I would give your wife 20 dollars and have her go find some shoes...that should buy you several hours of full playing time...IMHO
    Only 20 dollars !!? For women's shoes ! Where is this mythical place !?
    Ok .. I'm just funnin with ya .
    Rudy.

  2. #27

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    that was my point...she will be looking for hours!!
    Enjoy the Music!

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  3. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Then how come jazz players can play quietly and still have chops and groove coming out the ying yang?!

    all the best...
    Define "quietly". I've seen playing that takes volume to nearly no sound at all. The playing didn't impress me. Playing softly all the time and specifically "trying" to play softly, is hugely detrimental to drumming. As far as Jazz drums go, they can't be played quietly enough for my taste.
    Last edited by SunDog; 05-07-2016 at 04:04 PM.

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  4. #29

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    Wow..you're not allowed to play at whatever volume you want in your own house ?! That's the whole reason you get a house ... so you can play whenever you want at whatever volume you want without some smelly guitar player or club owner telling you to "play softer" !
    Yea I get it ... you got a wife now so you have to be considerate .
    I had to learn to play soft because of the venues we've been playing lately . But that's for the gigs so that I can get payed . I do this for a living .
    but at home it's a whole other thing . I guess that's why I never got married . That and the fact that I find it hard to make a commitment . That's why I have 5 drumsets , three dogs , four bikes , three bedrooms and a hundred channels on the tele.... I just cant settle on one .
    Geez...I guess this didn't help any did it ? Well good luck to you Iron Cobra and I hope things get better for you .
    Rudy

  5. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Exactly. It is something that needs to be consciously practised, especially if you came from a more rocking background. At this point in life, I'm on a mission to attain this ability. If I could have a dream music gig it would be with a grand piano and upright bass. The flailing and hard hitting stopped impressing me years ago.

    all the best...
    Yep. It just takes practice. Control extends to all volume levels. How ya gonna have Forte, if you don't have Pianissimo? I do gigs running from low volume jazz to high intensity instrumental surf. It's taken some work to be able to run that range, but it's doable........lwdonley
    Last edited by bdonley; 05-07-2016 at 11:30 PM.

  6. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by bdonley View Post
    Yep. It just takes practice. Control extends to all volume levels. How ya gonna have Forte, if you don't have Pianissimo? I do gigs running from low volume jazz to high intensity instrumental surf. It's taken some work to be able to run that range, but it's doable........lwdonley
    Amen brother. Totally agree and frankly I'm a little surprised at some of the points made here. I thought drummers "wanted" to be seen as musicians and not just primal bangers. If drums are a musical instrument (naturally loud ones at that) then why shouldn't they be played at all ranges from ppp to fff? I can't imagine a piano or a guitar being played in such a way that spouses and family are driven out of the house.

    all the best...

  7. #32

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    I'm lucky, in that my girlfriend is completely onboard with my drumming. On the other hand, my wife hates it.

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  8. #33

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    20 dollar shoes? Might take more than that, my life likes quality shoes!

  9. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by G-man View Post
    Throw on some Remo Silent Stroke heads and get a set of Zildjian Low Volume cymbals. .
    I was wondering what would be one step up, volume wise from these 2 options. So I could keep my volume low but still do small room gigs, coffee shops etc. Any ideas G?
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  10. #35

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    rickthedrummer is a perfect example of someone playing well without beating the sh*t out of the drums. Check out his videos. You might well learn a little something.

  11. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by NikoSeven View Post
    I was wondering what would be one step up, volume wise from these 2 options. So I could keep my volume low but still do small room gigs, coffee shops etc. Any ideas G?
    That's a tough one. Evans Hydraulics have such a soft muted tone with little cutting overtones that they might work but they aren't very articulate. You actually have to hit them to get some tone. Might work though. Otherwise I think you're just back to regular heads, lightweight jazz sticks and a soft touch.

  12. #37

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    2 weeks ago our jam session ran late in the night about 1am. We play in a garage and no sound proofing. We decided to play "softly" even though some of the closest neighbors are cool. There's always "that" neighbor that wants to stir the pot.

  13. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by SunDog View Post
    I'm lucky, in that my girlfriend is completely onboard with my drumming. On the other hand, my wife hates it.

  14. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Amen brother. Totally agree and frankly I'm a little surprised at some of the points made here. I thought drummers "wanted" to be seen as musicians and not just primal bangers. If drums are a musical instrument (naturally loud ones at that) then why shouldn't they be played at all ranges from ppp to fff? I can't imagine a piano or a guitar being played in such a way that spouses and family are driven out of the house.

    all the best...
    If you're playing at all dynamics, then you're bound to hit that fff at some point and annoy someone. You can't stay at ppp an entire practice session. Well, you could, but for a prog rock drummer, loud and intense is a must, so I don't.
    I always include tempo variation and extreme dynamics in my practice/creative playing. Whether I'm working on my hands or my feet, I'm going to hit that fff for a while. No other way to gain stamina than to work those muscles.
    Played a gig recently where the drummer before me played so quietly that he was hard to hear. Even his backbeat! Mic on the kick and it was a barely audible thump in between these tiny taps.
    I gently asked him about his light touch. He said he was usually a jazz drummer (this was a Pop-Rock band) and he focused a lot on trying not to play too loud. So instead he got buried.
    Sound guy told me he had everything cranked as much as he dared, btw.
    Drums are the loudest instrument in the mix on most rock, pop, modern country, funk, hip-hop, fusion, metal, etc. Most everything but jazz! So to say "just practice quietly" is wildly off the mark, IMHO. You need to practice intensity if you're going to bring it when called for. Just like to you need to practice delicately in order to have that in your arsenal as well.
    And also, comparing piano or guitar to drums is way beyond apples to oranges to me.
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  15. #40

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    Good points and I agree with most. Sometimes it purely a genre thing. The guy mentioned was in the wrong gig. That jazz touch wont work in a pop rock setting. Neither will a metal touch work in a country or soft rock setting. I think most importantly you need to become a part of the sound, not outside of it or above it. There's much to consider. The style, the other musicians, the size of their amps etc...
    I don't mean to harp on jazz too much like it's the be all and end all of music because it's not, but what amazes me is how some of these guys can chop and groove your socks off and yet they're no louder than the acoustic piano and big bass.

    all the best...

  16. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    . I thought drummers "wanted" to be seen as musicians and not just primal bangers....
    Not all of us

  17. #42

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    Quote Originally Posted by kay-gee View Post
    Good points and I agree with most. Sometimes it purely a genre thing. The guy mentioned was in the wrong gig. That jazz touch wont work in a pop rock setting. Neither will a metal touch work in a country or soft rock setting.
    That's a lot of my point. To get to where you can flip from a loud, hard hitting gig, to a low key lounge gig takes serious control. And, it's fun to be able to do that. Every once in a while, I'll let loose at practice for a jazzy quiet gig, and then reel it back in. Whew! I do change sticks and cymbals for different circumstances. Rarely change drums. Control is the goal. Go loud, go quiet, but at *your* command..........

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