Dropping A Drumstick While Performing

[Soulstation1]

A friend's son plays the drums in the school's jazz band

During a concert last night he dropped the drum stick on the floor

Poor guy, he was very upset

Any similar stories?

[papsrus]

When I was in ninth grade, playing trombone in the freshman band at school (a school with something of a rep in the music department), we got up on stage to play our tune and ... ... within about a minute the band fell completely out of sync. There was no rescuing the situation. We just soldiered on sounding like some avant guard experiment in marching band music with the music teacher waving his baton frantically. The look of exasperation on his face was priceless.

Disappointed, but no big deal. We all kind of laughed it off afterward. Although whatever thirst I might have had for public performance seems to have disappeared at that exact moment. I left the stage for the last time, never to return.

Edited April 29, 2009 by papsrus

[Free For All]

I often see drummers at all levels drop sticks. No biggie, it happens- a result of playing with a relaxed grip (which is a good thing). Most drummers just keep replacements close by.

Sitting in big bands as I have much of my life (often right next to the drummer) I've been hit by flying sticks and broken stick shrapnel many times. Occupational hazard.

I've also learned how to fix a hi-hat that's come apart during a performance, and caught tipping cymbal stands with my foot.

[Soulstation1]

My only musical experience

Trying to play the trumpet in grade school

Horrible is too nice of a description

My sister was better on it than me and she played the clarinet

I do not have the ear to tell the difference from one note to another

People ask me all the time if i play any instrument and i tell them my trumpet story

My sister plays the bass, guitar, flute and piano

She got all the musical skillz

Edited April 29, 2009 by Soulstation1

[Soulstation1]

Also

I saw the Rev Al Green about 3 years ago

When he came out on the stage his zipper was down and then he turned around on stage and zipped it up!!

[BillF]

At a gig I went to a couple of years ago by the New Jazz Couriers, their leader, drummer Martin Drew (formerly of the Oscar Peterson Trio), recalled how Basie's drummer Sonny Payne threw sticks in the air while playing and sometimes failed to catch them on the way down! I remember him throwing sticks when I saw the "Atomic" Basie band in the autumn of 1958, but on that occasion he never dropped them!

[Alexander]

Two things spring to mind:

One is the advice Bird is said to have given to Miles when Miles first joined his band: "When you make a mistake, do it again. And then do it again. People will think you MEANT to play it that way."

The other is one of the principles we study in improv theatre: Celebrate failure. We fuck up ALL the time in improv. It's the nature of the beast. When you're making stuff up as you go, you're bound to fall flat once in a while. When that happens, OWN it! Not only will the audience understand, they LOVE it! They absolutely eat it up when performers make mistakes and don't flinch. It's part of what makes a pro a pro!

Think of an acrobat in a circus: Let's say she's doing a triple somersault in the air. She does the somersaults, but when she goes to grab her partner's hand, she misses and falls to the net. Does she climb to her feet cursing and muttering? No! She throws her arms up in the air and does her bow, just as if she had nailed it. And the audience goes WILD. Probably moreso than if she had made it!

Mistakes remind the audience of two things: One, we (the performers) are human too. Two, this isn't TV. We are all only here, in this moment, ONCE. Tomorrow night, something else will happen. It's an important thing to remember!

[jeffcrom]

A little off topic, perhaps, but this thread reminded me that a couple of years ago I saw the great New Orleans drummer Shannon Powell at Preservation Hall. He was late, and sat down at the drumset, cymbal bag and sticks under his arm, just as the trumpet player counted off the first tune ("Over in the Gloryland"). He played the first two choruses with only his feet while he set up his cymbals. It sounded great and swung like hell.

[B. Clugston]

Happens all the time. I saw Klaus Kugel drop a stick while playing with the Ganelin Trio last weekend. The smart drummers always have another close at hand.

[Chuck Nessa]

Not to mention Han Bennink.

[clifford_thornton]

I think he drops the drums.

[clifford_thornton]

Shortly before Malachi passed, I saw him perform solo bass. He was going at it arco, and dropped his bow. Took a moment to collect himself, then picked it up off the stage and went back into it. He - and the audience - seemed rather surprised.

[Chuck Nessa]

I think he drops the drums.

I've seen him throw a fist full of sticks on the stage - as well as anything else he could get his hands on.

[DukeCity]

I love those drum fills that Mel Lewis used to do; sounded like he was just dumping out his stick bag all over the drumset!

[Rooster_Ties]

Happens all the time...

Nick Mason Loses His Drumstick (5 seconds after where I've got this Youtube link cued up to)

[David Ayers]

Fried chicken and music don't mix. Get your priorities right.

Pints on stage are the big no-no, in my experience of uh some years ago. Ends up making things slippery underfoot and makes the cables a little unpleasant to handle afterwards. Oh and then if you put your set sheet on the floor - don't get me started.

Yeah I had a hard life.

[dave9199]

What I hate more is hitting yourself with a drumstick while playing. I get so pissed because:

1. I wasn't expecting it

2. It fucking hurts

Just have to play through the pain.

Edited May 3, 2009 by dave9199

[Swinging Swede]

Nick Mason Loses His Drumstick (5 seconds after where I've got this Youtube link cued up to)

I didn't know that one can make a link that starts a certain time into a YouTube video. Very cool, I will have to remember that trick.

[Dave James]

Sticks have also been known to break. It's always a good idea to have a few extras within reach. When I played in groups in high school and college, I had a gizmo that attached to the cymbal stand for storing extra sticks as well as brushes and mallets. That made it pretty easy to grab a stick if you dropped one or broke one.

Up over and out.

[Chuck Nessa]

Gotta say when I first noticed the topic I thought it might be about eating chicken.

I've seen trombone players do that.

[Free For All]

Gotta say when I first noticed the topic I thought it might be about eating chicken.

I've seen trombone players do that.

I only eat during the rests. Which means I usually have plenty of time.

Regarding chicken, why do you think they call it a "bucket" mute?

Edit: Also, the five second rule is always in effect.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Free For All

[.:.impossible]

I like the chicken humor. Maybe because I ate three grilled drumsticks tonight, though nothing compared to the glazed carrots I made.

The most memorable story that I can think of, tangential to this topic anyway, happened a few weeks ago at the newly reopened Robinson Theatre in Richmond, VA. Pinson Chanselle did not drop his drumstick. His entire kit fell over. Steven Bernstein was calling for more and more and more and the kit just gave in. I got a few decent photos of the whole thing, including Rei Alvarez lying on the stage, trying to reset the kit while Pinson kept on.

Great show, and I heard two cuts from the new album on Wednesday night. MOTHRA.

[captainwrong]

What I hate more is hitting yourself with a drumstick while playing. I get so pissed because:

1. I wasn't expecting it

2. It fucking hurts

Just have to play through the pain.

Even more than that, thought that's bad too, I seem to bust knuckles on the rims. My main snare is an old Radio King with a heavy straight hoop and let me tell you, cracking your knuckles on that sucker really hurts.

[Rooster_Ties]

This guy doesn't seem to have any problems...