
fat_fleet
Swollen Member
Of course you would expect Greg to say all songs need drums, he is, after all, a drummer.
i thought he's a multi-instrumentalist?
Of course you would expect Greg to say all songs need drums, he is, after all, a drummer.
That happens to me all the time on a smaller scale. I write my own drums to go with my music, while I'm tracking and mixing. If I'm not happy with samples, I send the track to a drummer for his take. Usually it's very, very different than what I started with, sometimes it's so different that I can't stand it and have to revert.I'd love to do an experiment along these lines: write/record a song, without drums. then give it to 4 different drummers (perhaps who each specialize in a different genre?) and have them all record their take on the tune. I'd love to see how different people approach the same material with different ideas to make it all work.
Yeah it's always interesting when you hear different drummers' takes on songs,
You know, 98% of the time, if I start playing the part of the song on guitar or bass and the drummer starts playing along, it won't be what I've envisaged. In fact, it'll usually be way off. In the old days, I used to, in the spirit of fairness, go with it and try to adjust to what the drummer had come up with.Usually it's very, very different than what I started with, sometimes it's so different that I can't stand it and have to revert.
Now, I will direct the person playing the drums on the kind of rhythm and feel and where to put a few accents. Once they've got that, they can have all the freedom they need/desire.
In my paid work though, the songwriter is king.
How important to you are the drums ? Are they an integral part of the songs you come up with ? Are you thinking of drum patterns and rhythms as you write ? Or do you go for a ‘feel’ and leave it to the drummer to interpret what you’re trying to communicate ?
And with the availability of drum machines, rhythm tracks, samples, loops and the like, those that programme their drums, how important are the drums to your works ? Do you try to think like a drummer when programming ? Or do they simply provide beat and a time reference ?
I remember them well with songs like "Sunshine day". They were called Afro rock in their day but they never really took off after the initial novelty wore off. There used to be this TV series that was on when I was about 11 called "Seven little Australians" which my sisters, brother and I jokingly renamed "Seven little Osibisas" !and groups like Osibisa,
I think alot of people start off writing songs that way. I certainly did.I'd write the words to somebody else's music.
Even when there is big success and big money rolling in that's the case. By 1981, the Police were huge but Sting was coming to the studio with his songs pretty much already fully realized and Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland sensed a shift in the dynamics of the band. They felt that the music was no longer a band effort and that their suggestions were basically ignored because Sting was coming up with strong songs that people liked.Yeah that's the problem with bands, unless there's a degree of success or money coming in, the "backing" musicians (drummer, bassist, rhythm guitar) are not so content to be advised on what to play.
Even when there is big success and big money rolling in that's the case. By 1981, the Police were huge but Sting was coming to the studio with his songs pretty much already fully realized and Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland sensed a shift in the dynamics of the band. They felt that the music was no longer a band effort and that their suggestions were basically ignored because Sting was coming up with strong songs that people liked.
It's an age old dilema. A real difficult one that, having been on both sides of the coin, I can see from both points. When someone has a song, I can immediately see all kinds of possibilities and many a time, those ideas get rejected or thrown out. Sometimes, the writer was definitely right ! But not always.When you have players of the quality of those two in the band though, they don't want to be sidemen. I guess with my original statement I meant it more in reference to less-skilled players.
Well put!I'm a benevolent dictator and the sands of time are running out for me.