Keith Augeri has done hundreds of gigs and sessions in just about any scenario that you could imagine. His column is based on his experiences as a seasoned drummer. These experiences will help guitarists to understand the drummer's role. The Drum Throne will be published on a bi-weekly basis.
The art of subbing – either finding a good sub, how to be prepared if you get the call to sub, or how to help when you are faced with using a sub.
Here’s the situation – you have been gigging for a while now, the band’s starting to click, a couple of venues you actually enjoy playing are asking you back.. then, you find out that the drummer in your band will be out of commission for (you fill in the correct number of weeks, or maybe months)!
He (or she) might have a replacement, or perhaps you or another member has a line on someone that can possible cover the gig – how can the band best get this player “up to speed” on the material? Whether it’s originals or covers, the first thing should be to get a copy of the music to the person.
Here are a couple of things to consider – when putting the compilation of tunes together:
1) Think about the song order & try to replicate the set or show list.
It doesn’t matter at first, but I’ve found that once I have learned the material, if I have a chance to re-make a practice CD with the tunes in the order they appear during a performance, I can start thinking about how to connect the tunes, either via by clicking off them or moving directly into them from the previous tune – I can practice this & hear the tunes back to back. I can also make notes to myself to dial in the correct tempos, & to begin each of them in a way that moves the show along.
2) At rehearsals – once it’s been established that everyone knows the tune & the form, try to spend some of the band’s time with beginnings & endings of the tune, before moving on to the next song on the list.
I have found that these are the spots where it will be most evident that all of you have not been playing together for any length of time. The more successful time the band has starting & stopping together, the easier the shows will be, & the more relaxed everyone will be, & the greater the potential for success.
3. Encourage the new person, if he/she is inclined, to utilize some form of cheat sheet or “roadmap”.
If the drummer is not used to reading music, little 5’ x 7’ cards that break down the tunes – (verse, chorus, verse, or ABA, with a notation of the BPM – or beats per minute setting on a metronome) can be helpful, as well as certain melodic lines that change or anticipate the chord change or new section.
Any time that you can point these out, or look at the drummer & give a signal while performing, to conduct & forecast the impending change, it
will facilitate the new person’s part in the song. The group is then playing the songs together. These efforts should pay off; the sub will gain confidence, & the band can then be able to relax some, & really hit the tunes & give them the right treatment.
If at all possible recording rehearsals can also be a useful aid in diagnosing various aspects of the set-list, or of how specific tunes “go wrong” or “went right”. Any number of these ideas can be used to help the band when it is in a “rehearsally-challenged” situation – who knows when you might need to incorporate these skills.
You’ll find gigging easier if you can incorporate and familiarize yourself with these devices.
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