The Drum Solo

The drum solo is the one thing that almost every drummer wants to perform whenever he or she plays a gig. It’s not about being vain or even about saying that your're better than another drummer. It's about saying "Hey, look at what I can do" because even a lot of the non-music folks know how hard it is to play drums and get to the level that you're at.

I just read the article about buying drum gear and one of the most important things that stood out to me was that we spend way more than any other musician in the band on gear. It's really true but there is a lot more to it than that. I have known a lot of guitar players that have bought guitars and within just a few months were playing really hard riffs (hard to me at least because I cant play). But I can sit almost anyone down behind a drum set that has never even picked up a pair of sticks before and in a few months have them playing one really easy song out of tempo. I think that is where the drum solo comes into play where you say "look at me and what I can do." As I am finding out now, it's really difficult to sit down and construct a drum solo from scratch. You might be saying "Well, hasn’t he ever played them in the past?" Yes, I have but I usually just shoot from the hip and just play what I think should come next. However, when you are going into a competition, you can't go in unprepared because there's a chance that what you are playing won't fit together as well as you might think that it does (prior recordings of myself messing around taught me that). But where to begin is the first question and where do I want to end is the next. What tempo I use and whether or not I should speed up or slow down at some point and tricks I want to show case in the solo as something that I am really good at (i.e. Tom work, snare work or just a combo of everything) are important factors of a solo. I have been working for almost 3 weeks now trying to come up with something and I have compiled about 8 solos but only 1 is probaly good enough to perhaps impress the judges. So I guess I have to keep working on what I've got and improve on it. So far this is what I have come up with as a formula for constructing a solo and I hope it helps everyone out there reading this.

1. Start simple
If you start big you have to remember that you have to end even bigger so don’t go overboard.

2. Foot work on pedals
Tease the audience (or judges) with some footwork.

3. Ride cymbal/Hi Hat
Show off some skills moving between the two and try to make it a nice fluid motion (in other words, make the transition work)

4. It’s all in the hands
This is the buildup to your finale so show what you have worked so hard on with those rudiments and try moving around the kit between the snare and the toms. Try throwing some bass out there on accents.

5. Finish it
You want to go out with a bang so give everything you've got but don’t get sloppy. It's really easy to get sucked into the moment in all your glory and mess things up. That’s the last thing you want to do at the end.

Of course you can do it any way you want but I am just trying to give guidance to those who need it or want it. I’m not asking you to agree with me. My guide is only to help you out. The solo that I am working on at the moment can only be 3 minutes but if you are going to play a lengthy solo, you're going to need to work things out in whatever order.

Other things that I have found over the years when I have played solos with bands on stage is that you shouldn't go into some crazy solo right after you just got through playing a really heavy song or a song that requires a lot of energy to play. This is because unless you are in really good shape (which I hate to say but a lot of drummers aren’t) you are going to get tired about half way through it and you will start to mess up. Maybe it won't happen the first time but it will happen at some point or another. So try and go into the solo after a slow song or medium paced song and I swear the crowed will still love it.

My last tip on solos is to WARM UP. I don’t mean right before you are going to play the solo in a show (obviously) but before the show even starts. Stretch your arms, fingers, and wrists out really well too and it will help you play better and cleaner. Don’t drink alcohol because it will hurt your playing style at some point.

Well I hope that everyone has found this helpful and I hope that someday I will get to hear some great solos out of all of you. Go out and show them just how good you really are.

Hudson Music Neil Peart: Anatomy of a Drum Solo (2-DVD Set)