The Weather outside is Frightful.....

For just over a year now, I have been playing as part of a Brazilian samba band called Rhythm Wave as one of the Repinque players. This year Rhythm Wave were asked to play a set as part of Perths Christmas lights switch on parade. When playing gigs with Rhythm Wave I'm used to having two other much  more experienced Repinque players playing alongside me. However at this particular gig I was the only Repinque player that could make the gig so I was forced to play the part on my own for the first time. This made me incredibly nervous as I usually don't cope very well when put on the spot especially when it comes to my drumming. If it were up to me i wouldn't of played the gig because I'm not fully confident playing the part on my own and I'm terrified of playing something wrong. However, I play one of the lead parts within the band and there were twenty other members of the band relying on me playing, whether I wanted to play or not. When aspiring to become a session musician, its important to be able to adapt to any situation and play under pressure. In this situation I had to play a solo part to a large audience even though I felt very uncomfortable doing so. However I actually pulled it off and in the end up the gig went very well and I actually enjoyed myself. I messed up a lot of the part but in the end I realised that the main thing was that I didn't stop playing and kept going and always looked to the band leader for help, to which I always got help when required. But I think the best part of being brave and going solo for once was getting the positive feedback from everyone afterwards, it made the experience all worth while.
Heres a clip from the gig...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13OOg3OFIdI&list=FLL3xWrPzuxZ1irXEmN43IWg&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Rolling on a River....

As an aspiring session drummer, I came to the conclusion in my mind that I should take part in as many projects outwith my own year at Perth college in order to gain as much experience as possible with playing with lots of different people as I could. It turned out that the musicians in the year below me were a drummer down and I volunteered to step in and help them out. I saw this as an opportunity to not only work with new people, but to repeat classes I had already completed in first year without the pressure of being evaluated, I felt that I would be able to gain other experiences that I wouldn't normally achieve in my own year group. Over the course of the past 6 weeks ive been working closely with a group of musicians helping them form a set list for their assessment gigs. After a couple of rehearsals with the group it soon became apparent that they needed a leadership role within the group as I noticed they had no sense of direction as to what they wanted to do for their gigs and couldn't agree on very much. I felt I could relate a lot to the groups situation due to my own personal experience so I began offering my advice to them which they seemed to really appreciate. So as well as filling in as their drummer, I became their sort of advisor and peace keeper. Also, working with the HNC's meant that I was able to put in a lot of creative input since the group wanted my help, I hadn't had the opportunity to do this before as I have always been in a band that has stronger personalities.After performing an assessment gig I learned that I am capable of a lot more musically than I originally thought. This gave me a confidence boost both emotionally and physically in terms of my playing. I also learned that if required, I could take the role as leader of a small group successfully which is a required skill when becoming a session musician. 

Meeting Alan Dale

Last week was the first of our Hn2 gigs, they went quite well I was happy with my performance. However as per usual, I managed to burst one of my knuckles on a cymbal from hitting it too hard and getting far too carried away but managed to handle it professionally and not let it affect my performance which is an important factor in becoming a session musician. If you let anything external affect your performance whilst playing on a track or a gig, this could then jeopardise your reputation and you may not be asked back again and may also not be recommended for other session work.


A few days after the gigs, a drummer named Alan Dale visited the college to host a drum clinic. This clinic was open to anyone interested in becoming a session musician but was mainly aimed at the drummers. Alan has made a successful career in session work and is currently drumming for the Dirty Dancing musical tour and is going on to drum for the Ghost musical tour next year. 
Watching Alan's clinic really inspired me into thinking about what I really want to do with my drumming as a career. Dirty Dancing is one of my favourite films/ musicals and I have always loved the music from it, but it has never occurred to me that I could work as a drummer for the broadway shows. As soon as Alan began talking about his job and what he does it became clear in my head that my aim is to become a broadway drummer.
I was fortunate enough after the clinic to be introduced to Alan himself and ended up chatting to him for over an hour, he was really interested top know how inspired I was by his presentation and how much i aspired to doing what hes doing,  Alan then asked me if I would like to join him in the pits at one of is upcoming broadway shows so I can get an insight into what it would be like to actually drum at a broadway show, meet some people and just get some experience. He then took my number and e-mail so that we can keep in touch and I can ask him any questions, he also wanted me to send him drum material that I work on throughout the year so that he can keep track of my progress and give me advice.
Meeting Alan and getting his details was a massive deal for me and I was really excited about what this could mean for the future. Alan is a well known and well respected session musician in the music industry, so by making contact with him and by him showing an interest in what I do, he could be my link into the music industry if I work hard and keep in contact with him. Networking is an extremely important factor when becoming a session musician and I feel the contact I made with Alan Dale was one of the most important contacts I have made to date.  

First gig of Hn2

As part of the Hnd course we are all placed in bands and expected to have a set of several songs prepared my a certain date ready to perform. At Hnd level we are expected to have certain songs prepared to a certain standard of quality so as bands we have all been working really hard to tighten up every note and beat in every song. The band I am working with for the gig which is happening tomorrow, have a total of seven songs prepared for the gig. Each of the songs have our own twist of them apart from one Beatles song which is being played exactly as the original record as requested by our lecturer.

To prepare for the gig, the band as a whole have taken time outside of college to have extra practices and discussions to make sure everything is ready and that we are all prepared and know what is happening at the gig. I have also taken the time to increase the time i practice behind the kit every day specializing in rudiments such as doubles and five-stroke rolls which i am using within the performance. By being prepared for a gig, this all helps towards increasing confidence and eliminating nerves, which will narrow the chances of mistakes happening.

Im really looking forward to tomorrows gig and am confident that it will be a success, fingers crossed it isnt a clumsy day for Claire :)