Imagine a person gives you a hug, in the first instant they can’t really be bothered with it and are simply giving you a hug out of formality. Now take the exact same situation and imagine the person giving you that hug invested some emotion into it...the exact same hug no less! but a difference in intention...of course you’d enjoy the second one more wouldn’t you?
Believe it or not emotion, intent and feeling are all perceived by the people listening to you play, these things are what give music it’s feeling, but it’s something that is often times overlooked or ignored. I’ve heard this for myself at gigs and when overhearing some drummers at rehearsal studios; the drummer is playing the notes of the song or beat...it’s all technically correct but that’s as far as it goes, there’s no feeling to what they’re doing.
“Feel” is one of those transient and somewhat vague terms that is often hard to express in words, but when heard is instantly recognisable. For a lot of drummers it is considered the holy grail, and for them to be told they have feel is second only to being told they’ve won the lottery. It’s something I never appreciated myself until a couple of years ago; I was always concerned with the technical aspects of my drumming and always looking for the next beat or fill I could add to my bag.
Playing music should always be about the emotion of the song, so next time you’re rehearsing or playing a gig, think to yourself “what is this song trying to convey?”. Approaching not only the technical aspects of your parts but also thinking about the way you play the notes and the spaces between the notes and how they affect the song is just as important. When you start to get your head around this you’ll find that your playing/parts will blend with the rest of the band and become part of the song rather than something you play on top of the song.
Remember this; just because people don’t notice you it doesn’t always mean it’s a bad thing. After all the audience have come to hear the music and the songs, not any one member of the band in particular. People listen to music because there is an emotional draw or connection to be gained, if you can play with feel and become part of the song more people will connect with what you and your band are doing and that connection is absolutely priceless!
Hope everyone is well,
Casey x
Believe it or not emotion, intent and feeling are all perceived by the people listening to you play, these things are what give music it’s feeling, but it’s something that is often times overlooked or ignored. I’ve heard this for myself at gigs and when overhearing some drummers at rehearsal studios; the drummer is playing the notes of the song or beat...it’s all technically correct but that’s as far as it goes, there’s no feeling to what they’re doing.
“Feel” is one of those transient and somewhat vague terms that is often hard to express in words, but when heard is instantly recognisable. For a lot of drummers it is considered the holy grail, and for them to be told they have feel is second only to being told they’ve won the lottery. It’s something I never appreciated myself until a couple of years ago; I was always concerned with the technical aspects of my drumming and always looking for the next beat or fill I could add to my bag.
Playing music should always be about the emotion of the song, so next time you’re rehearsing or playing a gig, think to yourself “what is this song trying to convey?”. Approaching not only the technical aspects of your parts but also thinking about the way you play the notes and the spaces between the notes and how they affect the song is just as important. When you start to get your head around this you’ll find that your playing/parts will blend with the rest of the band and become part of the song rather than something you play on top of the song.
Remember this; just because people don’t notice you it doesn’t always mean it’s a bad thing. After all the audience have come to hear the music and the songs, not any one member of the band in particular. People listen to music because there is an emotional draw or connection to be gained, if you can play with feel and become part of the song more people will connect with what you and your band are doing and that connection is absolutely priceless!
Hope everyone is well,
Casey x
Interesting post, its true that sometimes you shouldn't aim to be noticed. In fact, thats true a lot of times, and I think it is what will generally get you more gigs. If you stay in the background, groove hard, and make the band sound good... thats what they're looking for!
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