|
Hot Tip # 003 :
Protect your Hearing!
When I began my
career in New York in the early 1970's, the style of the day was loud music. That hasn't changed. Whenever I go into a club
the music is usually loud, very loud, extremely loud or super loud.
I'm around highly
amplified sound at least 50% of my waking hours, whether it be playing in my band Scarlet X, going to see my fabulous students
play shows or teaching drums.
I always wear
ear protection to save my ears from the wear-and-tear of loud sounds. Ear damage occurs over a period of time, not overnight
- so you may not be aware that the fine hairs in your ear canal may be wearing down through continuous exposure to loud volumes.
This can lead to tinititus ( continuous high-pitched ringing in your ears that you have no control over), or a partial loss
of hearing or major loss of hearing.
Bottom line -
take good care of your hearing when you play drums, go to see a loud band or concert. I use EAR foam ear plugs. Easy to carry
on my keychain. Handy to use anytime. This type of ear device will reduce the high pitched sounds most injurious to hearing
by 27 - 32 decibels. Don't wait until you're "older" to protect your hearing.
Hot
Tip # 2 : Carting your own equipment again?
Is your band often too busy before
a show carting their own gear? Do you have anxiety about getting all your equipment to the show? Setting it up in time? Tearing
it down and loading out?
You need a roadie/tech person today! Do you think only famous people
have that luxury? Wouldn’t it be great to get reliable help for the gig? Someone who’s there just for you?
You can get help on a regular basis by asking for it in advance. Is
there someone you know that always asks if they can
help, but they don’t know what to do? Ask them if they’d like to learn to drum tech – i.e. help you with
your set up and tear down and loading of equipment on a regular basis. Maybe you have some fans that often come to your show.
Perhaps you can train 2 or 3 of your fans to tech you at your shows. Ask them to come to where your drums are set up.
Show them how they can help – i.e. setting up the drum kit with you and taking it apart the way you like it and place
equipment into cases, etc. Offer dinner, drink and/or a stipend (small fee) for their trouble. As the band gets better shows,
maybe even more revenue coming in, you can compensate them a bit better as time
goes on. Teach a few people “the ropes” over a period of time so you can always find help when you need it. Learning
how to ask for help is a big part of being a professional musician. Give it a try!
Hot Tip #
001 : Playing on someone else’s kit for the show?
Do you have a
show or a rehearsal coming up where you will be playing someone else’s drum kit? Does this make you nervous?
Try these hints.
Bring your own kick pedal, cymbals and seat. The most
unnerving aspect to playing some else’s drumset is often the height of your seat. Sometimes if you're playing after
a taller player – their seat may not sit low enough. Be sure to bring your own seat (throne) if you are very specific
about how high or low you like to be seated.
Another aspect to playing someone else’s kit is positioning of equipment. There may not be enough time
to get all the set positioned just right. Don’t fidget before you go on stage trying to get every aspect of the kit
suited to you. Spend time on the most important configurations, i.e. highhat, snare, bass drum and seat. Once these are in
place, adjust as you go. Most sets have a little breathing time between some songs. Use this time wisely
and adjust your equipment – the toms, ride and crash cymbals and stands to your taste. Try this real
tip and see if it doesn’t lessen your anxiety on stage.
|
