visioncrys Says Thank You King

Submitted On: Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 - 11:48 AM

King thank you so much for this topic ! It has been very very enjoyable to read :) Thank you to everyone that shared !!
Kyle
aka
Vision

cowboyplayindrummer Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 - 1:44 PM

I've always lived by the adage "I meant to do that". I remember that 94.38% of my audience isn't musically inclined and isn't paying that close of attention in real time to any errors I or the band make. So I always smile really big and keep on grooving! I'm also fortunate that if I drop a stick, I can play one-handed if need be ;)

DecompProject Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Aug 6, 2009 - 2:38 PM

I have a horror story for ya all. This show I was playing live, and it was a pretty large show too, so obviously I was a little worried, I set my kit up. We begin to play the first song. The middle of the song has a long stretch of double bass in it so while I am playing I notice my bass drum sneaking away from my pedals. I was thinking "Ok maybe it won't be so bad", so I continue to play. Ok, now eventually my bass drum sneaks so far away that I'm pretty much not hitting my bass drum at all. So at this point I have to stop in the middle of the song, there is no faking this one! point to this story, no matter what show you play make sure you tighten your pedals around the rim all the way before you begin playing lol

dmhdrums Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Monday, Aug 3, 2009 - 1:42 PM

Another fun story (luckily this didn't happen to me) My HS Marching band was @ our biggest contest of the year and the drumline was at the front sideline doing the drum break. One (of 2) tenor players drops a stick on the first measure of the tenor feature doing spiders. He didn't have a stickbag thus no spares. The stick hits one of the field judges in the leg, and he bends doen and picks it up and hands it to the tenor player.

Or... the next year same drumline was at a different contest. The drumline came forward to the pit and took off out drums to play a taiko drum feature. Well, it was hot and our hat straps get VERY elastic when it's hot. One of the freshmen snare players (I'm embarassed to have him in my section) hits his plume on his taiko drum when he bends down to pick up his snare again, which combined with the elastic chin strap pulls his hat off and it falls on the field. He doesn't pick it up, and marches the rest of the show with no hat, which is the right thing to do, but still embarassing.

- - D - - Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Wednesday, Jul 29, 2009 - 2:08 PM

lol " dont turn around and look at me" i love that =)

dmhdrums Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 11:25 AM

I'm gonna have to say my worst mistake was when I subbed for a friend in a church service. I hadn't been able to rehearse at ALL, but they had real charts and I'm a jazz drummer so sightreading was no problem. This was and will be the only time I go to that church...
It was a big church (1000 people or so) they had electronic drums and I had in-ears. The pianist was running the click since I was the sub. So we play the opening 2 songs, and I nailed everything, even these crazy offbeat hits. Then the pastor gets up to do announcements (i think) and she turns the click off. So the pastors mic is not in my monitor, and I wasn't really paying attention to him. Well now the pianist turns the click back on and I come in after 4 like we were supposed to.... well she was just checking the tempo and I was the only person that started and look like an idiot...

darthmonkey113 Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Tuesday, Jul 7, 2009 - 7:15 PM

one time during a song, the stick split partially with about two measures and the trash can ending still left, so I rotated the stick so it would last, and it broke on my final crash out. I was one lucky guy that night.

UShark Dave Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 8:14 AM

One time I had a song on my set list in the wrong spot. It was a song that began with me clicking in the whole band at once. We all had to start on a dime, but I was playing a different song. A few of our songs start like that so the rest of the guys were ready to do the song that was on their set list. Can you imagine the mess that ensued as we started playing two different songs?! It lasted not even two seconds and we all stopped. The guitarist explained what happened and we all had a laugh, including the crowd. I don't think they held it against us.

CompulsiveDrummer Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 9:57 PM

I totally agree, my percussion teacher at my school loves me because i dont freak out when i screw up, in fact, the last concert we did, he tuned the timpani for the song Pinnacle which had the tuning for Bb,C, and F, but when we started the F was way off it sounded more like a D and so i had to quickly tune it without anyone noticing while i was playing, after the concert he told me that he did it on purpose to see how i would react, he told me that i recovered very well and didn't panic.

WarGoddess Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 - 2:43 AM

Thanks for this topic, it was most enjoyable to read! And thank you all for sharing. I don't play drums so I won't share any of my screw ups here.  ;D

King Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Monday, Sep 1, 2008 - 12:55 PM

Amen to that brother.

fruddog Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Saturday, Aug 30, 2008 - 4:09 PM

Good point. I'm glad you brought up guitar players. They botch more lines per gig than a decent drummer ever will, anyway. So there! (I'm not bitter).

King Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Monday, Aug 25, 2008 - 10:54 AM

It's funny to see the different reactions from the crowd depending on who screws up,especially guitar players. Usually a drummers mistake comes from a miss-hit or a dropped stick. For the most part we can kinda play it off cause we have the luxury of hiding behind our drums. I think it's hilarious to hear a guitar player completely botch an intro or guitar solo....especially cause they were the ones who wrote it. The same goes for the lead singer. If you can't hit the note don't sing the note. It wasn't like someone else wrote the song or melody and was like " Sing it just like this". YOU wrote the part, YOU change it...and stop screwing it up for everybody else. Plus we're already facing them and the crowd anyway so it's alright for us to stare  :o

fruddog Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Saturday, Aug 23, 2008 - 3:42 PM

  My best "fake it" was when I had finally convinced the group I was with to give me a drum solo during a song. I was filled with nerves and glee at the same time as the singer said "ladies and gentelmen ...CLAYTON ON DRUMS!" I played four notes and dropped a stick. Luckly our guitar player saw it and retrieved the stick while I did kind of an 'Iorn Butterfly' thing with bass drum and ride. The audience never would have known if the darn bass player hadn't turnd around and erupted in laughter!
  I agree, if you drop a stick or botch a measure or two, you need to go into kind of a Zen moment so you don't over-correct. And most importantly tell your band mates "SHUT UP AND DON'T TURN AROUND"!

drumhead101541 Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Friday, Aug 22, 2008 - 9:44 AM

Yeah, sometimes I catch myself drifting off a bit when I'm playing something really simple, then I just totally for some reason mix up the beat with another beat in my head. Luckily I have never done this live.  :)

rushdrummer13 Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Aug 21, 2008 - 4:58 PM

I was playing with the school jazz band and I had this complicated fill that I screwed up a little on and I got off beat and feeling embarrassed, I kept screwing up trying to get back on beat. After like 5 measures of screwing up, I had to stop for like 3 beats to get back on. It was horrible. My band director was giving me dirty looks. Afterwards congratulating me for doing great the rest of the show, treating it like a little screw up.

King Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008 - 12:59 PM

I was playing a show with my old band Biogenic and during one of the songs the guitar player and singer start moshing and he knocks the singer into my drumkit by accident. Damn near knocked my whole kit over but I THINK I was able to recover before anyone noticed. I just flipped out when I saw my whole rack come tilting back at me!

drumhead101541 Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 - 9:10 AM

Wow that's gotta suck, but we all learn from stuff like that.

WraithDagger Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 - 5:16 PM

ok my greatest one is on tape... I was playing with the punk rock band (classic rock drummer in a punk band... for once the drummer was the "straight guy") we were kicking on this cover that we had "punked" and I lost BOTH sticks!!! well I only had one pair (rookie mistake) so I had to flip my brushes to finish the song!!!

King Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 - 6:01 PM

Great stories guys,classic! Here is one of mine.
It was my first band and we were covering "Inside Out" by Anthrax. In the middle of the song there is a break where the snare plays 16th notes(I think) before the guitar solo kicks in. So I spaced out, forgot where we were and ended the song there while everyone else kept playing. I'm going off playing all these CRAZY finale fills and the rest of the guys all turn around gave me a look I STILL can't describe to this day. Then afterwards they felt the need to apologize to the audience OVER THE PA saying " The !^@#$*& drummer dosen't know the song. Needless to say we broke up soon after. But I learned my lesson and it has NEVER happened since. Embarrassment can be a great teacher and motivator.

Dave Heim Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Friday, Jul 11, 2008 - 5:27 PM

[quote author=smoggrocks link=topic=88.msg307#msg307 date=1215810872]
. . .the other time was caught on video for posterity. i totally spaced on a change and played the second part totally wrong--or at least, very out of sequence with the band. very train-wrecky. luckily i didn't hit anything too hard. it was very embarassing. my friend later told me he thought we were launching into some 'avant' part. . .[/quote]

Sounds like a Spinal Tap moment. . .

Derek: Jazz odyssey!
David: We're not going about to do a free-form jazz, uh, exploration in front of a festival crowd!  :)

smoggrocks Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Friday, Jul 11, 2008 - 5:14 PM

i've had 3 major blunders--one funny, the other 2, not so funny.

the first was like joe77's--except it was at an indoor venue. there was a space between the back wall and back of the riser i was on. i got kinda amped up during a song and was kinda jumping on my throne, which started slipping...until i slipped clear off the riser. it was pretty funny.

the other time was caught on video for posterity. i totally spaced on a change and played the second part totally wrong--or at least, very out of sequence with the band. very train-wrecky. luckily i didn't hit anything too hard. it was very embarassing. my friend later told me he thought we were launching into some 'avant' part.

the worst was when i absolutely froze. deer-in-the-headlights kinda thing. i dunno if it was fatique, fear, a brainfart or 3 white russians, but i totally stopped playing. just like that. poof. no play. my guitarist looked at me like i had 3 heads. i got back in soon enough, but it was a very audible stop. you can NEVER stop!

Dave Heim Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Friday, Jul 11, 2008 - 2:15 PM

My best 'fake it' happened during an outdoor concert-in-the-park gig a few years ago.  I had neglected to tighten the bass drum beater in place and it slid down - way down - during the intro of a song.  I tried to reach down and tighten it, but couldn't get it done.  The pedal was a double pedal so I ended up playing bass drum with my left foot on the slave pedal for the duration of the song.

My next favorite 'fake it' was when I popped a snare cord on my Supra at the end of a song.  I didn't have a spare snare, nor did I have snare cord (I've since remedied both of those issues!), so I had the singer stall while I hacked off a piece of shoelace from my shoe.  I swapped it into place and went through the night with it.

Joe77 Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Friday, Jul 11, 2008 - 1:52 PM

Worst screw up?  I was playing on a flatbed semi-trailer (needless to say not the best for an arrangement) and was really grooving and bounced my throne (and myself) off the back of the "stage", taking my snare and floor tom with me.  Yep, pretty much wrecked that song, but luckily the trailer was in grass and nothing was hurt but my ego.  Not to worry though, the lead guitarist did the same thing a few gigs later on a smaller trailer.

Best "fake it"?  I only had one set of sticks and I dropped one about half way through Simple Man.  I finished the song by channeling Rick Allen, and even the rest of the band didn't realize what had happened.

Dave Heim Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Jul 10, 2008 - 2:57 PM

I brought the wrong hardware case to a gig.  I sometimes use a rack for this particular set, I sometimes use tripod stands depending on the stage/venue.  One hardware case has stands and bases, the other case has just the hardware poles & arms - no tripod bases.  This gig was too small for the rack and required the bases.  But I digress. . .

I opened up the cases and did a double-take, followed by those cartoon eyes that spring out of your head.  You know the ones.  I looked at my watch, then looked at the stage, then looked at the case, then looked at my watch again.  I thought about using duct tape, wire, chewing gum - anything - to come up with some way to MacGyver the hardware I had into something that might work.

I realized I had no choice.  I had to rush back home (18 miles), grab the right one and get back to the venue (18 miles)to finish setting up.  I made it with 10 minutes to spare.

The moral:

1. Double check your inventory when you load your vehicle (especially if you have two cases that are similar, but contain very different things!).

2. Always arrive for the gig EARLY.

drumfreak Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Jul 10, 2008 - 12:12 PM

Haha good advice all around. I do catch myself chasing after a stick once it's left my grip despite the fact I have a stick holder with plenty more!  I guess you have to train yourself to just let it go and grab another one, then find that ONE and get back on it.

DON'T LOOK BACK AT ME! haha, I love it Damian.

drumhead101541 Says Re: How To Screw Up Like A Pro

Submitted On: Thursday, Jul 10, 2008 - 11:59 AM

I haven't had any huge noticeable mistakes. I do occasionally have the mistake of dropping the stick, but fumbling with the stick in hope to get it back in my hand. This is bad because people are up there looking at you trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing up there, and by the time I may have gotten the stick back, I would have most likely lost time haha.