basset52
Senior Member
Went to a pub last night with my wife. I chatted with with one of the house band members during their first set break. During the discussion I related how I was a drummer but hadn't played live for 40 years, got back into it 2 years ago when I retired and now jam with a few old buddies. A set later he comes and invites me to join them on stage !!! ( I am twice their age - I'm 64 )Despite having to change my underwear I gave it a go.Fortunately their regular drummer was about my height i.e. 5'7" and not 6'5"!They kindly asked me what I could play so I played it safe and said Creedence, ACDC, songs like that. They asked if could I play some blues and I said I could. I had a ball and despite me not being anywhere near as good as their regular I did OK. What did I learn? 1. Musicians ( these anyway) are helpful, supportive and encouraging of others to have a go. 2. Play with commonsense and use the wisdom often repeated on this forum i.e. play "with"the song and the other musicians. Don't tread all over the vocals and others doing their bit i.e. guitar solos 3. Play within yourself. 4. Occasional mistakes are mostly not noticed or cared about by anyone but yourself ( I managed to drop a stick and had to play with one hand whilst I retrieved it - nobody looked!)5. Don't overstay the welcome in circumstances like these. After 30 mins I said thank you to all the band members and said I should hand the sticks back to the regular guy. 6. Nothing, but nothing beats playing live with others in front of an appreciative audience. I think I'm still on a high and its one sleep and 12 hours later!
Cheers
Cheers