What Is Something You Do Well?

I can play the intro of We’re An American Band perfectly 4 out of 5 times.

So far, and I hope this stays the way it is, I've got insane memory to remember songs. Don't even gotta practise em, gig's enough for me to play the song well. Granted, if I were playing more technical stuff I would probably have trouble but with what I usually gig I don't have any memory issues.


Oh yeah, I'm cracked at finding great deals on drums!

Claymorexz said:

So far, and I hope this stays the way it is, I've got insane memory to remember songs. Don't even gotta practise em, gig's enough for me to play the song well. Granted, if I were playing more technical stuff I would probably have trouble but with what I usually gig I don't have any memory issues.

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I'm so envious of this ability. Not that I need it now, but I've always had pretty bad memory for learning songs, which is partly why I've never been into doing covers

Ok, to stay on topic: I have a good feel and dynamics in my playing, good musicality. And I've become persistent at practicing things that help my vocabulary on the drums, improving my flow.

I'm great at load ins, not so much on load outs though.

I’m good at adapting. A singer I know said I’m the most versatile drummer they’ve ever known.

I have 2 disabilities which affect my playing and make it near impossible for me to reach a rack tom so I don’t use one, just a floor tom. Likewise with cymbals, a single cymbal which I use as a crash/ride.

Tore a ligament in my right arm and was in a sling so did 3 gigs with just my weaker left arm, zero time to practice how I was going to do it beforehand.

I’ve turned up to gigs where the main band hasn’t turned up so I’ve done the whole set on a snare with brushes.

Had a migraine at a gig, with full flashing lights (it was like looking through a kaleidoscope!) and I couldn’t see any of my kit, adapted to the situation

Played gigs stood up with a snare on a sling marching band style. Played gigs like Slim Jim Phantom, with my floor tom acting as the bass drum.

One of my greatest assets when I was learning drums was I learned to play every genre I could and played along with anyone. I find a lot people pick 2 or 3 styles they like and excel at that but then struggle when asked to play in a different style. Maybe I’m a jack of all trades but it helps me especially when I’m in the house band at open mics, I constantly adapt to the other musicians especially those who are nervous or inexperienced. You want Country Roads in a shuffle rhythm but with an extra bar in the chorus because you forget where it goes back round? You’ve got it!

My whole life I’ve had to adapt, from losing my mum at an early age to being diagnosed with an incurable disease. I just adjust and crack on.

Listening to the song, finding fundamental grooves, playing quietly, keeping good time, using Occam's Razor (The simplest solution is usually the correct one), and having a very wide range of musical tastes.

I think I'm really good at playing quietly when needed. I can play most of my band's music, without sacrificing the parts or "dumbing them down", at a volume quiet enough a dinner crowd could hold conversation. And that's with my regular sticks, not brushes or rods.

I also think I'm good at adapting to most styles, even if out of my comfort zone. I'm not trying to claim that I can "play everything" but I certainly can "fake" almost anything.

DESTROYING SILENCE!!!

Ain't a lot I do really well but here's a short list of stuff I'm not embarassed about ;-)

I'm pretty good at singing while drumming.

I also been told by non-musicians and musicians alike (including drummerrs much, much better than me) that my playing has a good "danceable bounce" to it.

I can make a beat feel organic despite playing to a click and follow said click fairly close or play a little on the backside for verses or leanin' forward for the Choruses (when appropriate).

I have a decent grasp on how to play for the mics and for how the signal is processed.

I can squeeze some decent tones out of my recording rig.

I can setup and tear down quickly, I can play very quietly, and I can learn and remember tunes in most styles quickly.

One of the coolest touring gigs I ever got was with a now deceased jazz pianist/singer. I didn’t have near the chops of her longtime drummer but she called me for her last tour after seeing me play with an opening act. She said I played quietly enough that she could hear the vocals, and I got my gear on and off the stage quicker than anyone else she had ever played with. Those things were more important to her than chops.

Level42 said:

I can setup and tear down quickly, I can play very quietly, and I can learn and remember tunes in most styles quickly.

One of the coolest touring gigs I ever got was with a now deceased jazz pianist/singer. I didn’t have near the chops of her longtime drummer but she called me for her last tour after seeing me play with an opening act. She said I played quietly enough that she could hear the vocals, and I got my gear on and off the stage quicker than anyone else she had ever played with. Those things were more important to her than chops.

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Great post.

Sometimes it’s not about how good your chops are but what you’re like as a person, are you easy to get on with, quick to setup/pack down. Do you need a huge amount of the stage or is your kit small enough to fit where the leader wants it etc.

I play a 3 piece kit (plus hi hats and 1 cymbal), it’s an 8 minute job to setup/tear down. I know of venues that book us purely because we are ready to go in about 25 mins from setting our foot in the door. Likewise I’ve never failed an audition, I know most drummers can outplay me but I learn the songs (never any ‘not had time to learn them/dog ate my laptop’ excuses) and I make sure I’m the first one there, I smile and say the right things.