Controlling the "Feel"

[thechriscurtis]

One of the tracks I put up here is a fine example of how you, as the drummer, can make the final statement about how the overall tune will be perceived by the audience. Pop Rock #1 is the tune. I have recorded it with a straight rock beat first as Pop Rock #1a.mp3 and using a Hip Hop beat as Pop Rock #1b.mp3. You can download them both at:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=cb492af4e77051636e7203eb8736812908125a33a3ef6e0ac95965eaa7bc68bc

Of course for this situation to be present, the other band members - especially the bass player - would have to cooperate. Since I am essentially all of the band members on this tune I had the liberty of controlling the raw tracks that went down initially. I have a set of Yamaha DTXtreme digital drums but on this tune, it is easy to see that, as the drummer, you can easily knock out a nice beat with just a Snare, Bass Drum, HiHat, one tom and a Ride Cymbal. (OK - maybe I used two toms now and then, but you get the picture.)

[mdadmin]

Clearly.

I saw this happen in one of my own tunes where I played a pretty straight-forward cut-time feel, and someone else ended up doing blast beats over the same tune and completely changed the feel.

The drummer really has a disproportionate amount of influence over the overall feel of a song (for better or worse).

[toekneebullard]

No doubt, that's one of my favorite parts of writing for MinusDrums.  A different drummer can make a song completely different.  For example, Dave's take on Reconstruct.

Down side of this also is that I believe some of my songs, ones that I really like, don't come across well WITHOUT drums, so the preview is almost driving people away rather than attracting them. 

[thechriscurtis]

You are so correct. That' why I put the drum track on most of my previews. It gives a better preview I think.

[davegoode]

I think the hard part is daring yourself to be different.There is the stock groove that you know works  and then
there is that thing that's in the back of your head,and thats the one that launches the tune and /or gives it your own vibe...