Drum Solo

[MadX]

Greetings !!

I am a drummer in our church band .. really enjoy it !!
I have however been asked to perform a drum solo ..
now I am not too sure about anyone else out there, but I must admit that short of a few rolls etc. at the beginning/end of a song, I have never performed a solo specifically.

Does anyone have any pointers as to where to start ?
Do I incorporate some of the beats I currently use in songs ?
I am not too sure where to start ..  :-?

[Smelly_granny]

Ill pass this to Pasha. I know the basic idea of a solo (play melodicly for a space of time), but i havnt played enough of them to be able to give you any tips on it.

give it some time and you'll get a reply from the best person possible, A master of the solo....

[PASHA]

Wow.... "best person possible".... "master of the solo".... common, you are making me shy!

Ok to the subject ->

How to play a drum solo? How to paint a picture? How to wright a novel? Does that sound familiar?

Questions like that are impossible to answer in a strait forward and laconic matter. (at least for me)
Drum solo as any solo by definition is: "a thing done by one person unaccompanied" so basically anything you will do can be considered as a solo!
Don't be scared not every solo have to be difficult to perform or to be a masterpiece...
Personally I would start with picking a drum "pattern", something simple and catchy, now try to advance it with some interesting rolls or fills in between, try different things and check what sounds best with your composition, continue practicing your "advanced pattern" until you will understand that you've got a short, but solid and interesting composition, than I would try to build ideas around it, as to how else the pattern can be played, (try different techniques and or accents) what sounds interesting before and after it itc.
The reason for doing that last part is perhaps you would need an intro and maybe an outro to your composition. Finally try to seamlessly go thru the entire composition starting from the intro and going to the end of it. Practice till its ready.
At this point you may want to advance your composition even farther by bringing in some faster or melodic or maybe both faster and melodic pieces to it....
Well that "recipe" if I may call it that should get you started.
Good Lack with your project and keep us posted of your results!

[PASHA]

I forgot, - check the multimedia section, listen to the solos, that may bring you some farther ideas.

[Smelly_granny]

Wow.... "best person possible".... "master of the solo".... common, you are making me shy!

i speak the truth well, from what ive heard anyway.

and speaking of solos, when do you think you could get some of your solo's up in multimedia? When you first had them up i could never play them. Im quite eager to hear what you can do with that huge kit!

[MadX]

Well, just a short note to say thanks !!

I did the Solo .. everyone seemed to enjoy it ...  
It wasn't all that fancy, mainly 16th notes on the hi-hat & fills .. With the odd timbaal stroke .
All worked out though ...

  

[Smelly_granny]

Did you like it?

I like solos that make you tap your foot along, and have a solid groove. Thats why any solo i do is like that, because i really enjoy playing it. I sometimes see solos as outbursts from the performer. A selected space where the drummer is aloud to break slightly away from the song to do something that he/she really enjoys. Obviously that wont apply to everything, otherwise Lars Ulrich would never be trusted to play a slow waltz. Im not sure he is trusted to do that acctully!  

[PASHA]

Lars Ulrich would (edit) be trusted to play a slow waltz.

That could actually be interesting! At least I would take a listen to that phenomenal action!

[CBdrummer696]

try hitting the bass drum in between hitting just toms or just cymbals. The faster you can do this, the better

[drum_wizard]

Get creative, move around on the set alot.... theirs nothing really thats "wrong" in drumming...

[piratemunkees]

PRACTICE my friend!!!!!
The three most important rules to drum solo's......

PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE

Spend every moment you can working on short solo's.
Then when you feel confident enough, start combining them.
Before you know it you will have solo's that will even blow your own mind.

Good Luck!!!!!

[The_Masked_Avenger]

try hitting the bass drum in between hitting just toms or just cymbals. The faster you can do this, the better

True .. this is what I here in alot of drum solos and also what i do .. alot ! once you master that , practice your showmenship (spell?) it makes the crowd go wild if you throw in a stick-spin or two .. once you can get 1 bass drum beat between hitting the toms and floor tom and snare , try getting two beats inbetween .. it will give you a different sound ..

My usual drum solo consists of :

An intro beat on the toms
Then I work the beat into a huge fill using the stuff I said above
Then usually I work the solo into the next song my band plays
And the guitar comes in .. And you keep the show goinG