Are we losing our musicality?
Originally Posted by
carminemw
...And I would take issue with the serious musician comment since I met some real heavy hitters here on these boards, along with serious full-timers...
...Maybe it's a self centered type issue, but one of the benefits to being a truly well rounded musician is to be able to perform with and for people. It's nice to have individual self gratification, but there is so much more to music than how to play a blast beat at 260bpm.
I seem to fall in between the two--I'm an old fart, too--but I didn't start seriously studying percussion until I was in my early 30s...and that's something that has puzzled me, too. My drum teacher began studying percussion in the mid-50s, and he's as serious a musician as I've ever known...
In my case, people our age (I assume we're in our 50s--I'm 55, for what that's worth) are focused on "how does this work?" because we grew up with music in which we played with others, as you say!
Believe it or not, carmine, I don't like drum solos--not the interminably long kind in which the drummer hits everything up to and including the kitchen sink to have people say "hey, isn't that cool? Look at that cat play 8 side toms, double bass, timbales and bongos all at once!"
A short solo (two, maybe four bars max) that fits into the context of the tune--yeah, man, that's the kind of solo I dig...to me, as a percussionist, a short fill on the bongos or congas every so often creates more excitement and drive than an extended solo that literally stops the show--and stops the flow!
In my experience, I've gotten many more compliments on my dynamics, timing and feel (like, "Hey, man, the way you played your congas on such-and-such a song really fit the tune.") than I have on any solo I've ever done.
And I get more pleasure out of hearing how my drumming and percussion fits into to the groove than stickin' out like a sore thumb...
keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!
Charlie
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854
"There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi
"Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck
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