Thoughts on Playing Drum Solos

Thoughts on Playing Drum Solos

When I first started playing the drums, I used to think of playing solos as my time to shine, so I would throw in every lick I knew indiscriminately and with no thought to how everything sounded together. This would usually happen when there was a drum set in the room and someone would say, "You play the drums, right? Play something." The end result was usually less than stellar. Here are some tips that have helped me over the years with playing drum solos.

First of all, this may seem obvious but plan out your solos in advance. Have something worked out ahead of time. Even if you plan to improvise your solos on the spot, the more you practice coming up with something, the better you'll get at it.

Think of your solo like a song. It has a form and one part leads to another. It helps to write out the different parts so you can see how your solo progresses. And just like songwriters write more than one song, you don't have to have only one solo. You can have one that is melodic and another that is bombastic, etc. This will help with the urge to play everything you know in one solo.

I also highly recommend you record yourself. That way you can let your creativity flow without editing yourself as you play. Sometimes what you actually play sounds different than what you thought you played.

With all of this in mind, here are some specific things you can work into your solos. This is not a definitive list but feel free to use these ideas if they sound good to you.

BEATS AND FILLS

A good way to get started is to play an interesting beat for a certain amount of measures and then play different fills for a certain amount of measures. For example, play a beat for three measures and play a fill for the fourth. Keep repeating that pattern while you work up your solo and then change to playing the beat for two measures and fill for two measures. Then play the beat for one measure and fill for three measures.

CALL AND RESPONSE

Play a rhythmic figure on a part of your kit and try to answer what you played on a different part of the kit with a different rhythmic figure. Think of two drummers trading licks and emulate that by yourself on different parts of the kit.

ORCHESTRATION.

You can get some good ideas in general by moving what you're playing to different parts of the kit. For example, play a two-handed 16th note beat with one hand on the ride cymbal and the other on the hi hat. You can also get some interesting tribal patterns by playing the same two handed 16th note beat and moving your hands to your toms. Experiment with alternate stickings to make the beat more melodic. Besides changing the phrasing to other drums, you can also modulate the time (for example, play your phrase in 3/4 instead of 4/4) or change tempos for a portion of the solo.

OSTINATOS

An ostinato is a repeating rhythmic phrase. You can play an ostinato (like a bossa nova or a clave rhythm) with your feet while you solo with your hands. In essence you are accompanying your solo with the ostinato.

POLYRHYTHMS, CROSSOVERS, RUDIMENTS, AND PITCH BENDS

These can definitely add some spice to your solos. Polyrhythms are when you play two different rhythms at the same time. This can add a sense of tension to parts of your solo.

Crossovers are simply when you play a figure where one hand crosses over the other. This can add a big visual appeal.

Pitch bends are when you push down on a drum with one stick while striking it with the other. The more pressure you apply with the stick, the high in pitch it will be when you strike it. This can give you timpani like sound.

And you can orchestrate the 40 drum rudiments around the kit to come up with some really interesting and impressive ideas.

DYNAMICS

One of the most important things a solo can have is dynamics. Make sure the different sections of your solo vary dynamically. If everything is loud or if everything is soft, the solo will lose people's interests.

MISCELLANEOUS

If your solo is part of a song, make the solo fit the style that you're playing. You can actually sing the melody of the song to yourself and play the phrasing. If possible, you can have other band members join you by playing percussion or just accompany you with their instruments during your solo. You may want to get the audience involved in some way. Get them to clap along or get them to respond to a figure you just played.

WATCH AND LEARN

Another great source for ideas is to watch and listen to great drummers. Watch drum videos and go see great drummers play live. Take what you like and experiment with it to make it your own.

I hope these suggestions help you to work out your masterpiece so you'll have something great when someone says, "You play the drums. Play something." and more importantly so that you'll have something to contribute to a show when you are asked to play a solo.

Thoughts on Playing Drum Solos