Who has the most number one hits?

Most people commonly think it’s the Beatles ….

Even Billboard Magazine thinks it’s the Beatles

Image via Wikipedia

Let me give you a hint — it’s a drummer

the answer is — Hal Blaine

Hal is the most recorded musician in history.

The Wall Street Journal recently did an article on this —

and it was great! Check it out!

There is also a great book on Hal and The Wrecking Crew.

You can find it at amazon.com

Cover of Hal Blaine

Drummers rule!!

If you’ve not been to DrummerWorld, you’ve got to check it out. I spend time there and I love to chat with other drummers about … all things drumming.

The founders of this site have done a great job of keeping this focused on drummers. And there are thousands of people every day … talking and sharing.

The videos are incredible. I don’t know where they get all of them … but I’m glad that they do.

Go check it out … drummerworld.com

Did you see this story … Donovan McNabb may play drums before the Dallas Cowboys game this Sunday. I hope there is video … I’m sure there will be.

I wonder if he’d like a free drum lesson. Probably not … he has the cash to pay.    Glad to see him having some fun. Football is a game … but for some people it becomes more than that.  He is trying to lighten it up … life is short, have some fun.

It’s the same way with drumming. Some people take it so seriously that the fun is lost. It’s important to remember that it’s called “playing” for a reason. Remember when you were a kid … playing was what it was all about … and it was fun. That’s the way playing drums should be … and playing football.

As soon as the video is out … I’ll be watching.

See Dallas Morning News Article

One of the great drummers of all time explains “the most important part of drumming” … that would be making the beat feel good. This is kind of subjective … because a beat that feels good to one person may not feel good to another. However, there is a reason a beat may not feel good to someone. That is because the beat and the feel may be inappropriate for the song. This is a hard one to explain but through experience and the school of hard knocks, you will begin to understand what this means.

Kenny goes on to explain that the drummer is … “the spirit, the soul, the emotion in the band”. This is so true. Many people know that the drummer is the heartbeat of the music but they are also the heart beat of the band.

When playing, realize this and consider the emotion and spirit of the music.
Check out what Kenny has to say about this …

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/kennyaronoffmakingabeat.html

MG

How to build strong and long lasting relationships in your band?  This is a top priority if you intend to have fun playing in your band over the long term.

1. Avoid arguments

This is not always easy but will be a wise choice in the long run. Arguments happen because of a difference of opinion.  And it takes two to tango. So, to avoid driving home your point too strongly … retreat and try again … at another time.  If you feel the need to control the situation and win at all costs … good luck to you.

2. Show respect for the opinion of all band members

Listen more than you talk … seek to understand rather than seek to be understood … and you will be a long way down the road to a successful band experience. Handling the opinion of others can be challenging … if you have a strong opinion that is counter to your bandmate.  Showing respect for their opinion first will go a long way to allowing you to share your perspective and influence the direction of the band.

3. If you’re wrong, admin it and move on

Being straight with your band … will go a long way to building your relationships. If you make a mistake and try to hide it will only make matters worse. Ask for forgiveness and move on to do better next time.  Great relationships are built on trust and you can only do that on the firm foundations of … telling the truth.

4. Ask questions to understand

For a band to operate well, you must understand one another. There is no better way to do this than to ask questions. And ask questions not with an agenda but with a sincere desire to understand where they are coming from.  You may be surprised if you ask a question that you thought you knew the answer to. I have been surprised many times … to know that I didn’t know where they were coming from.

Click here for Part II

In this blog, we will be highlighting bands and who is playing drums in the band.  I recently realized that the drummer for the Who is … Zak Starkey.  Zak Starkey is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.  He has been playing and recording with them since 1996.  He recently played the Super Bowl with the band.  

More to come …

This blog is dedicated to playing drums in a band. There are many examples of drummers who have become the leader of the band they were a part of.

Phil Collins in one of these examples.  Not all drummers aspire to be the leader of the band but … I know there are things we can learn from a guy who plays drums and became the leader.

What can we learn from Phil Collins about playing drums in a band? 

1. Improve your skills … ’cause you never know
   When Phil started his career with Genesis he was the drummer and not the lead singer.  When Peter Gabriel left the group, they auditioned 400 other singers before they settled on Phil.  [thanks guys for the vote of confidence]
2. Build on your strengths. 
   Your strengths may be singing or other instruments or technically with the sound. Do what you can. 
3. Be flexible and open minded to the possibilities
   Do what is necessary to help the band succeed.
   Be flexible and be willing to try different things to help the band.

If you know of comments from Phil concerning playing drums in a band, share them here … If you know of articles or interviews where Phil talks about playing in a band … let me know.

MarshallG

What is a song form and how can it help me play drums in a band?

Song form is the arrangement or the flow of the song from section to section. For many, we just count off the song and hope for the best. We are not sure how the song goes but we figure we can watch the other musicians and know when to stop playing.  This is fine when you first begin playing but to really improve your ability to play in the band … learn the form of the song.  There are many benefits to this approach.

Sections of a song are …

1. the intro
2. the verse or verses [most songs have multiple verses]
3. the chorus
4. the bridge
5. the solos [any instrumental sections]
6. the tag or ending

As a drummer, knowing the song form can help you in many ways. Think of it as your road map. In some settings, the other musicians will call the song form the road map. And just like a map, it can help you get to your destination.  

Benefits of knowing the song form

1. It gives you a vision for how the song goes.
2. It eliminates the guessing.  Is this next section another verse or does it go to the bridge?
3. It will allow you to help the other musicians . As the drummer you will be able to setup sections of the song with your drum parts. The other musicians will recognize this and be able know where they are in the song.
4. It will allow you to build the song dynamically and emotionally.  If you know the sections you create an arc of sound to build to the next section.
5. It builds confidence in your playing.

When you have the basic song form in place, look at each section in detail.  Break each section down by measures or bars. What is a bar or measure?  This can take practice if you have to listen to an original recording and create your own part. If you have music already written out, think of it in sections. Is the section 4 measures,  or 8 or 16 or more?

Most popular music flows in even measures of 4, 8, or 16 measures.  However, many times the song writer will add or delete measure for the purposes of the song. As the drummer, you will look like a genius if you are able to explain this to the band … and set them up to succeed when you play the song live.

With practice, you will be able to naturally feel 4 or 8 measure phrases. Are you able to count and be aware of where you are in the song?  Do you know when you are on measure 3 or 7 of an 8 bar verse?

Let me know your challenges with this and I can offer some suggestions.

The answer to this question is … absolutely.  When you first start playing drums you … typically hate the metronome.  It messes with you … and playing with a metronome at first … is no fun.

BUT … in the long run it will be well worth it. Also, given the fact that the fundamental thing, most important to drumming, is great time keeping. For most of us without perfect time … we need to rely on our tools … and the metronome is tool number 2.  [Number one being your drum sticks]

So … even if you hate the metronome and you can’t play to it … use it to start the song. This is half the battle. If you can start in the right place … you chances of ending well are greatly improved.

Also, use an ear piece when using a metronome. It is very difficult to track tempo with your eyes. Ears are much better suited to this. And your eyes can be used for other important things … like watching the other members of the band.

Don’t even think about it … get a metronome and use it.

MG

Historically, the drummer has been considered a background player. The drums are not considered a “lead instrument”.  A lead instrument being a guitar or piano or any other instrument that can carry the melody and chords of the song. The drums are an instrument that provides support to singers and guitar players and piano players.  Because of the nature of the instrument, drummers have not been considered the leader of the band.

Now … there have always been exceptions and this was based on the ability or personality or additional skills of the drummer. Here are a few examples …

My premise is that a drummer can become a leader of the band by knowing their instrument and some basic musical knowledge. For drummers, the fundamentals include playing “good time”, some level of dynamics range, and ability to play styles. Given this and some basic knowledge of song form, this can make a drummer a much stronger leader.

For most drummers, they count off the band. This is a good start to becoming the leader. If you don’t count off your band … change that. Get a metronome, record the tempos of all your songs … and next time a song is called … dial up the tempo and count off the song.

A second way to become a leader of the band is to know song form. Song form is … intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc.   Every song has a different form but they all … usually have a intro, verse and chorus. If you know this for the song, you can help the rest of the band stay on track.

A  more advanced form of this can include knowing how many bars [measures] are in each section. Knowing this you can setup transitions of the song and build dynamnics.

Knowing how to do these simple things can help you become a stronger leader in your band. Every player has their part and the drummer can enhance the band by incorporating these simple things.

Have fun.

MG