The performing drummer’s guide

Hello drum community!

For the past 6 months months I have been very busy. I’ve been doing lots of things with my band – releasing our debut album, recording, touring, and playing live radio sessions. I wanted to share some of those experiences.

In this special edition of our blog, Elephant Drums teacher Dan Peranic gives an insight into life as a gigging drummer. He gives us some handy tips about the practical and technical issues that can come up and how to deal with them.

Touring

No matter how well you think you’re ready nothing can fully prepare you for ‘the road’. Long driving, junk food, (Ok not me, I eat in farmhouse shops with the over-60’s).

Expect the unexpected. Why? Every venue has their own standards, their own staff and the most important – their own sound crew.

So if you’re not in the luxury position of touring with a grand entourage of personal assistants, here are a couple of things to be aware of.

On Stage

Don’t expect to get an amazing sound every night! It’s almost inevitable that at some gigs you’ll be in a situation where you can’t hear a thing. Sometimes everything can be set up perfectly in soundcheck and then when it comes to the performance it seems as if the sound engineer has completely flipped out. Whether it’s the effect of extra bodies in the room (the audience) or because the sound engineer didn’t recall your settings properly, it can throw you off.

Every stage reacts differently to your weight. The feel is not the same if the drum kit is on a drum riser or on the firm floor. When on the riser you might find yourself battling with the kit a bit more to get the notes out how you want. There is simply less bounce from the kit. I’d say the feel is a bit like being on a bouncy castle. Make sure you give yourself 20 minutes of relaxing on your own before you hit the stage. Personally I find that really important.

Kit share on tour

Don’t expect somebody will take care of their instruments as you do yours. Even if you usually play a £4000 Gretch kit, when somebody puts you in front of a £400 kit you still have to be as good as if you were on a higher-spec kit. This is not the time to get picky! No matter what equipment you are confronted with you will have to perform to you full potential. The audience won’t accept any excuse. They’ve paid to come and see you and they don’t really care if you’ve lost your hi-hat clutch. Plus your band mates will have a go at you.

Confident performance comes with playing live as much as possible. Simply – you need to deliver 100% every night. Whatever happens along the way, don’t panic. Panic will make you sound worse and make everyone around you stressed out which is one of the worst things you need when on the road.

You just have to learn to relax and enjoy no matter what comes your way.

Radio recordings

Radio sessions are special. I love them. It’s almost like a live gig but you are allowed to do couple of takes. Every band member is in their separate booths so I’d say it feels like a live studio gig. And the fact that your audience is not in front but on the other side of the airwaves it makes it a really special experience.

Sound- wise, top London radio stations have great in-house people and amazing equipment so you’re in for a treat. Make sure your playing is top notch as well and ensuring that you have a good monitor mix is essential.
p.s. arrive on time!

Studio recordings

They’re similar to radio but this is where your craft really becomes most audible. Getting that right feel and the sweet spot of every groove is essential.

Plenty of people nowadays let ‘Logic/Pro Tools’ do all the work but don’t kid yourself as you will be in a live situation sooner on later and people will expect the same standard of performance. Listen to the click track but use it as guideline rather than simply ‘locking in’. Play around with it and listen to what feel really suits the song, not just you – the drummer.

Make sure you are comfortable with what you’re playing and that you have a good monitor mix. I must stress how important the monitor mix is. Without it you won’t be able to lock in nor get the sweet spot of the song. Even if takes an hour looking for it – do it! Don’t start recording until you are happy with what you are hearing.

Make sure that the drum kit is nicely tuned and have plenty of spares and check that everything is working order. Most important – Enjoy it!

Feel free to post a comment below. Please share your experiences or ask any questions.

Cheers,

Dan

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