Long story short; I've been jamming with a guitarist/singer that used to have a band years ago, has a good bit of gear in his basement (amps, boards, drums) and just wanted to do some informal jams with me on drums. I was hesitant to join him since I only started drumming after buying my son his first set in February. I've learned some stuff from the Realistic Rock book, but a few weeks later I took the plunge.
I suggested at the last session that we should record our playing, so this way I can listen to my drumming over and over again, see where I need improvement, what I could do differently, etc.
Well this weekend we met and he had a recorder (mini-disc) setup. We warmed up and did one rehearsal, and then he turned on the recorder and taped the whole session, talking and all. We did 3 Cult songs (some a few times) and then did informal jamming, where he'd start a tune on guitar and I'd find whatever beats/fills/patterns would fit. I experimented with whatever came to mind and hoped I'd find something that would work. I also had to be quick on my feet because he'd change the song and go in a different direction, so following and anticipating made me work...
It was strange to hear the playback later. I know what I was feeling and thinking during those songs, but to hear the starkness of just a guitar, vocals and really LOUD drums was weird.
The first thing that struck me is how good we sound. I can hear a few goof ups and misses, but overall I'm not half bad. But words like 'overdoing it' and 'too many fills' kept coming to mind. I was glad I could maintain a consistent groove on some songs and didn't flub too many times.
Quite an experience and we're hooking up again to do some obscure Black Sabbath tunes and hone 2 of our jam songs that have some potential. I let one friend hear parts of the CD yesterday and she flipped out, to the average listener it sounds great. I forget that to me there's so much I need to still learn and drumming is just a part-time hobby.
I'd recommend it to anyone that's been toying with the idea of recording their playing; it's quite an eye opener.