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Posted: **Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:57 pm**

Hello everybody! I play a standing three drum set-up in my church band. My bongos are a couple of inches proud between the quinto and tumba. My chime rack, and table holding sticks, cabasa clave's, tambourines, rainsticks, shakers triangles, etc is to my right. A small set of concert bells goes on my left.

Here's my dilemma...I play seated at home with my quinto centered, tumba right, and conga left. I am really getting into traditional latin and afro/cuban rhythym patterns, and love playing seated. At church, the band director wants me to play deep bass tones on the first beat of every measure, and additional bass notes similar to drumkit patterns to reinforce our drummer. He wants alot of bass. This has caused me to move my tumba and conga rearward of my quinto to allow easy bass tones with left and right hands simultaneously, while still playing complex patterns. The problem with this is the inability to play the patterns I practice at home, since they contain far less bass, and would be awkward with the quinto forward like that. Also, I feel like I'm duplicating what the drummer is, or should be doing. I am a team player, but I feel like the potential of my playing has been locked in a box I'd like to break out of. Our drummer, however, rarely practices at home (very bad deal, that one). So, I understand why the director has put me into this "reinforcing" role. Have any of you every been in this position? How did you handle it? This is a volunteer band...so feelings play a role, and money is not any incentive. Any suggestions are appreciated. I am already considering a second band to cut loose in.

God bless!

-Ron

Posted: **Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:59 pm**

Get yourself a kick drum?

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2006 2:51 am**

is your bass patterns at the same timing as the set drummers? If so thats the sort of thing I do in my church group I still play with the tumba to the right I put the conga in middle and quinto to left, I place them close and tight, I frequently use the tumba as my bass drum and dont have a problem reaching for it. I played standing for a while at first then decided I wanted to try playing seated, So I asked the director if I could try it because I felt it would be more comfortible and I would have more control, he bought that and now I play seated all the time :-)

try it , might work for ya.........

like I mentioned in another post to you, get you some latin jazz music on cd and hand a few out, ask the members in your band to give learning that a try, they may like the idea and learn to do some with you on the side , or after services etc.

Edited By Bataboom on 1138544801

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2006 8:05 am**

Hello Bongoron !

We all know - musical director is responsible at the end.
You must be proud to play a role of reinforcement the drums.
It is obviously, that the band leader trust you (timing, etc...)

But in most other cases - your space ussually lies between drummers snare (and/or rim shot) and bass guitar (and bass drum of course!) Do not step on their toes (sometimes we want to do this - play unisono slaps and drum snare - it`s the matter of arrangement with your brother on drums). Anyway - you must sneak in and "stretch" the rhythm as possible you can. So - just go and listen yourself, play tones of DIFFERENT music and play along.

We - percussionists are some kind of decorateurs in large bands (partly joke, partly true ! - C. Santana said that)
Decorating different spaces and places can be very though work. Rules, patterns - helps, but imagination helps much better.

That`s my opinion (and experience)

Nice, groovy day to all ! Igor

:;):

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2006 10:49 pm**

Dear B,
It's a tricky deal sometimes with musical directors.

I have been in many similar situations. At times MDs will have an idea in their mind about what they want and they can get stuck on that idea – even to the detriment of the music.

How I have handled it in the past is this: if I have truly believed that I can make a better contribution to the music as a whole than what the MD has suggested to play, I'll suggest something different and demonstrate it. If they don't go for it, I'll play EXACTLY what they originally suggested. I find it's about 50/50. However, to do this you must have a good working relationship with the MD and also their perception of you and your musical knowledge and experience must be good.

Some years ago, I learned a great lesson from my very first mentor/teacher, one of Australia's top percussionists, Ray Periera. He would say that instead of the percussionists always having to just 'fit in' with the rest of the band, and becoming almost an afterthought, it can work the other way too. The percussionist (if they have the musical knowledge) can be the initiator, the innovator, suggesting rhythms and influencing what the other musicians play. He was very into raising the standard of percussionists and how they are perceived in musical situations.
Of course, it's not always possible to do this.

best regards
Pavlo

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:02 pm**

All goo inputs! Thanks. I'm going to do all that a little at a time. After all, there's no hurry...and I have no intentions of giving up on the band. I found a mixer laying around the back of the church, so I can use more mikes! If I mike the tumba underneath and mix it in myself, I can get that big thump with one drum and it won't monopolize my left hand, making my patterns so tough. I found the mixer today, so I'm pretty excited about that!

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:40 pm**

Get yourself a kick drum?

I love it !! :laugh: :p

Better yet ... have the director give you the trap players kick drum since he's not using it! :laugh:

Peace my friends!

Cap'nQ

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:52 pm**

captainquinto wrote:
Get yourself a kick drum?

I love it !! :laugh: :p

Better yet ... have the director give you the trap players kick drum since he's not using it! :laugh:

Peace my friends!

Cap'nQ

LOL wOoT! WoOT!

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2006 2:59 pm**

Igor, thanks for that! Puts it in perspective. I believe I have the essence of that, and need to be patient and diligent on the technical side. I do practice, study what I can afford, and understand the importance...reminding myself of the art and imagination is important too.

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:21 pm**

Get a djembe, way more bass, easier to project the kind of sound it looks like he wants.
PC

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2006 7:55 pm**

pcastag wrote:Get a djembe, way more bass, easier to project the kind of sound it looks like he wants.
PC

Not sure that djembe has more bass. I just tested and their more or less equal. But in all cases the bass sound comes from the bottom of the drum and should be miked there.

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three drum set-up, seated vs. standing