Young Drummer Needs Advice

DoWn SiStem · Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 1:53 pm Post subject: Young Drummer Needs Advice

Ok,
I am 14 yrs and Im in three bands at the moment.

Currently I am in a band with a good friend.
I used to play in a band with him where he was the singer/back up guitarist but we disbanded because we, well we sucked.

I have been told I am the best drummer in my grade but I try to be humble. I never ever once called myself good/great/etc. (I've heard the Rush Cds)

Now he has been taking guitar lessons from the school since about september (beggining of school year) Now he claims he can play could probabaly play Jimmi Hendrix's fire (I heard thats extremely hard to play but my dad says its easy), which I have been dying to play in a band.

He wants to play in a band, so Im like, OK.
We were gona have practice last saturday but he never called/showed up and blamed it on me.

I told a friend that all the bands I were in kinda sucked.

He heard this and then an argument began. He blamed it on me. I admitted to saying it and he continued to get pissed until I said lets practice and he said ok. So we are practicing this saturday.

WELL, TODAY I learned from a friend that he is writing drum tabs for me to play. As I remember I TAUGHT him to play guitar tabs.

I can read music pretty well including tabs. I really realy dont know why he is doing this, but I think it is to proove that (as Im sure he is gonna say this) "Lets see if your as good as you think you are" and that I "am the weaker link" or something...

What should I do? Tell him to **** off? I need advice, please.

Also I had a plan to ask my dad (who is a fairly good guitar player/bass player) to get three tabs, hard, easy and kinda medium. Then, depending on how hard the tabs he gives me are, I give to him.

Advice please. Thank you,
Jake

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609

Hendrix tends to lean on the harder side, provided you can solo like Jimi.

Blowing off a practice without excusing one's self is absolutely unnacceptable. It just wastes the time of the person who was blown off, and is a real sign of disrespect, because blown-off-ee made time specifically for the blow-off-er.

I would recommend you not get in a lil tabbing war. I would also recommend you take the high ground in this matter and not let it get into a bickering war. If he wishes to attempt to write drum tabs out (which btw, I've found it to be easier to write drum parts out with staff notation that tabs), accept them, look through them, and play them. If you have a better idea for the tune, though, play it! It prolly will only help you look better.

In life, you'll prolly run into trolls like this, but don't let it get to ya too much. As for this possible test of superiority/inferiority he might be planning, well I have a lil Berklee Anecdote from my jazz teacher:
There are a number of groups which the faculty form from students known as "project bands". The purpose of these is to allow students to hear their compositions played. There happened to be this one saxophonist who was really good, but would ALWAY play the music he received EXACTLY as it was written. Left an eigth note out in one measure? He'd play the entire thing an eigth note ahead and just say "That's what you gave me!" instead of trying to help it work out like the composer meant it to. Then, when other people would get gigs and he didn't, he would go around saying "Man, why's he gettin that gig? I've got FAR more skill than that guy!"
And my teacher always wanted to say :
"Because you're an a**hole!"

Being a decent person with at least the base amount of respect, I think, can be just as valuble as knowing all the scales and rhythms out there.

I'd say go for the practice, and let us know what happens. I'm curious.

[This message has been edited by Saurencaerthai (edited January 30, 2003).]

DoWn SiStem · Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2003 2:28 pm Post subject: Young Drummer Needs Advice

Well unfortunetly I have the flu and had the flu and had to cancel the practice. I asked him about it, however, and he basically denied it.

:-/

Anyways, If I did have the practice I probabaly would have accepted the tabs and played them the best I could, and I appreciate the advice,
Ty sauren.

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609