I did my best to get the grooves and feels the way they were on the recordings. It was my goal to make these young students as comfortable as possible. For some of them, this was their first time on stage. I made sure to have my metronome with me for the gig as well as the rehearsal. The instructor had the tempos indicated on every tune. Some tempos were not the tempo on the recording, so I had to make sure to keep that in mind as I learned the songs. I didn’t want to become too comfortable with only one tempo.

At the gig, I would get the music ready for the next song and set the metronome at the marked tempo. I would listen to it as one group moved off the stage and the next group moved into position. Sometimes, this would take a bit of time. Every set-up was different and took some re-adjusting for the sound engineer. It was like he had to work with seventeen different bands in the space of two hours! I used that time to get the next tune in my head. I would look over the music and tap on my leg to the click of my metronome. By the time the group was ready, I was well into the groove!

The sound engineer set a delay on some tunes based on a tap-tempo feature of his effects unit. He would do this at the beginning of the tune and then check it a few times. He actually commented that the delay was still in time near the end of every song. That was a nice comment and it felt good. I didn’t play to my metronome, and yet, because I practice with a click I was able to keep the tempo very consistent for the students. My hope is that this helped them relax and simply have a great time!

If it takes me 90 minutes to get to the venue, then I end up leaving my house around 6:30pm so that I can arrive by 8:00pm. This means I need to have drums in the car, enough gas, etc. before that. If I need to stop along the way for gas or food, then I allow the extra time for this. Quite often, I change clothes before driving and this takes a few minutes as well. I build this time into my schedule. So, it’s possible that I’ll start getting ready to go around 6:00pm for a 9:00pm “hit” (start time).

We’ll play the gig and have big fun. After that, I need to pack up, get paid and then get back on the road. If the gig ends at 1:00am, then I hope to be on my way by 1:30am and back home by 3:00am. (That’s nine hours from door-to-door!) It doesn’t always go this smoothly, but that’s my goal. Sometimes, the gig goes later than planned for various reasons. The one thing I try to do is to pack my drums up immediately after playing. I don’t take time to hang out until after the drums are in their cases. I do this for a few reasons, but mainly because sometimes I know that my day has been long and my energy will be needed for the drive home. I want the drums all ready to go sooner, rather than later. If my energy is good, I can then decide to stick around a bit later. If not, I get the drums in the car and get going.

I’m not in hurry when driving. I know how long it should take unless I hit some unexpected weather. This happened just last night. I was coming home and hit blizzard-like snow conditions on April 15. OK, so I live in Denver and this can happen, but it took me by surprise. Part of my drive home was at 25-30 miles per hour, instead of 75mph! I was thankful for a reliable car and for my patience. This was a drive home that will be remembered!

Here’s one big thing that I’ve heard many drummers struggle with on the bandstand: playing at the right tempo. (In this case, the “right” tempo means what has already been established without the drums.) I have found that when another player (quite often the guitarist) starts the tune by simply playing, then it’s up to me to find their groove and fit into that when I start playing. I cannot stress how important it is to get good at this. I soon as I hear where the time is and how it’s being phrased, I do a few things that help me:

First, I tap my hi-hat foot and/or my entire leg without making any sound. (This actually takes some practice.) This is done with the pulse (usually the quarter note) or, in some cases, the eighth note. The style of the tune and the tempo help determine this. I find that the sooner I do this, the better. I want to have something physical in motion before I make my entrance. This motion continues once I start playing, although now it’s usually heard.

Secondly, I’ll probably start moving my hands/arms to supplement the physical motion of my leg. I’ll tap my sticks on my pant legs — again without making much sound. My hands are already playing and syncing with the guitarist’s rhythms. By the time I start playing the drums, I’m at the right feel and tempo. I’m actually playing what I’m going to be playing (or at least something very close). My tempo and feel should be matching what’s happening, even before I play. It’s made a big difference and I’ve gotten nice comments about this very thing. Try it and let me know!

• What makes it special?
• How is the drummer getting that particular snare sound?
• What is it about this particular groove that just makes people want to dance?

I seek out videos, but I also really like using just my ears — it seems to make my hearing more acute when I’m with other musicians. I want to be able to get the feel that I heard earlier when I’m playing that tune, or even something similar. The more it’s already in my ears, then the better my chances. OK, time to go practice!

One great thing about the pad is that it gives the ability to clearly hear any unevenness in the stickings. When playing and practicing on a snare drum, the snares themselves tend to hide certain things like that. If my stick height is uneven and also when I’m leading with my left hand, I can really hear the difference on the pad. The great thing is, is that I can also fix it if I can hear it. That’s key.

I’m going to integrate the practice pad into my regular practice schedule. I will still enjoy playing and practicing on the drum kit, but the pad has found its way back into my routine.