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I hope it's ok to alter the discussion slightly...sorry, MINIMAL surf
content!! (I'm also asking 2 groups.)
I've been playing drums about 20 years. Almost 19 years of that I was
playing in surf bands. I know how to play surf music. No reason to get
nervous, unless I'm sitting in with a band that I've never played with before...
So here's the scenario: I've been playing other styles of music for about a
year now [folk/country/blues/r&b/oldies rock, etc.] and in order to
supplement my income from my day job I'm putting it out there that I'm a
"drummer for hire". I had my first job on July 4th, it went well except for
one tune. You know the drill...show up, don't know any of the songs, set up
and just play for 4 hours. I only knew one player, the leader who hired me.
We did basic rock/blues/oldies. Leader counts off the song and tells me the
basic beat. From there you listen and watch for cues. Afterward I was told I
did great.
I have my second job this weekend, sitting in with a different group 2
consecutive nights. I don't know ANY of the band members. The leader says
'don't worry', you'll know the tunes. Everything from rock/oldies to Miles
Davis to Chuck Berry. (I don't know how to play Miles Davis songs!!)
The question is: How do you prepare yourself for this scenario? I know that
the more I play the more gigs I'll get, the more contacts I'll make, and the
more confident I'll be. For me, it's a lack of confidence because I'm
playing songs I never heard before. Any suggestions are appreciated. Make 2
assumptions: (1)I won't have a chance to see a setlist before the gig, and
(2)I don't read music, I just play by feel.
Mucho thanks,
Jeff "Stretch" Riedle
At 04:54 PM 8/8/05 -0000, you wrote:
>I'm always a mental mess when I play live, here's how I deal with it.
>
>I never drink coffee before, my hand shakes so much I can't play.
>
>A beer of two is cool for me but I don't drink much before playing,
>after is a different story.
>
>Da Weed is out of the question; I will forget how to tie my own shoes
>on stage.
>
>A 20 min. warmup before helps me settle down.
>
>I practice my butt off in preperation for the gig so I'm confident
>that I know the tunes and I can focus my nervous energy into playing
>the songs.
>
>Rick
--- In , Jeff Riedle <stretch@c...>
wrote:
> So here's the scenario: I've been playing other styles of music for
about a
> year now [folk/country/blues/r&b/oldies rock, etc.] and in order to
> supplement my income from my day job I'm putting it out there that
I'm a
> "drummer for hire". I had my first job on July 4th, it went well
except for
> one tune.
> I have my second job this weekend, sitting in with a different
group 2
> consecutive nights. I don't know ANY of the band members. The
leader says
> 'don't worry', you'll know the tunes. Everything from rock/oldies
to Miles
> Davis to Chuck Berry. (I don't know how to play Miles Davis songs!!)
>
> The question is: How do you prepare yourself for this scenario? I
know that
> the more I play the more gigs I'll get, the more contacts I'll
make, and the
> more confident I'll be. For me, it's a lack of confidence because
I'm
> playing songs I never heard before. Any suggestions are
appreciated. Make 2
> assumptions: (1)I won't have a chance to see a setlist before the
gig, and
> (2)I don't read music, I just play by feel.
>
> Mucho thanks,
> Jeff "Stretch" Riedle
First off it seems strange to me that a cover band that plays
rock/oldies is also going to be doing some Miles Davis songs.
It also seems strange to me that the leader will not give you a list
of the songs they know from which they will choose from while on the
bandstand.. At the very least you should request (and he should give
you) a list of the Miles Davis songs.. Yeah I know requesting those
will be tricky since you don't want him to know you are unfamiliar
with them..Maybe tell him that because in Miles' long career he went
thru so many different styles of Jazz e.g Be-Bop. Cool, Modal,
Modern jazz that freed up the rhythm section from playing time with
advante garde leanings with the young revolutinary super human
drummer Tony Williams to electronic to funk to more commercial so
that a list of all the Miles tunes they do will be helpful.
For what it's worth here is a list of the Miles songs that are most
often covered by jazz groups, don't know what 'basically' a RnR group
would cover from this list.
Four......Tune Up......Nardis..... Milestones.....Miles Theme....
So What...... All Blues..... Freddie the Freeloader....ESP.......
Agitation.....7 Steps To Heaven... and these songs, tho not written
by Miles are associated with him.... Walkin'....Footprints....
Nefertiti....On Green Dolphin Street......
You might want to read this list of Miles' tunes to the guy to see
which ones they do, at least that will give the appearance that you
are familiar with his songs.
If you get a list of Miles' tunes they cover and don't have access to
getting copies of them let me know and I will send you a cassette of
them.. Sorry I don't have a CD burner.
Tho I must say even if you listen to them over and over it isn't
going to be easy for a non jazz drummer to fake his way through these
songs even if you had a lot more time than a few days.
westcoastpaeb
