[LAU] Resonance

[david]

Ken Restivo wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 03, 2008 at 10:25:42PM -1000, david wrote:
>> Folderol wrote:
>> 
>>>> A few months ago, my drummer was watching me lovingly and idly
>>>> turning knobs on my synth, for no really good reason, while we
>>>> were waiting for the bass player to set up or tune up, and
>>>> remarked, "Hmm. I'll bet all you synth guys really like
>>>> breasts, don't you?"
>>>> 
>>>> This one does, anyway.
>>>> 
>>>> -ken
>>> :)
>>> 
>>> Mind you I always thought there was something a bit dodgy about 
>>> drummers and bass players. Notice how often they seem to be away
>>> in a world of their own :)
>> I think drummers are in a permanent trance state brought on by 
>> repetitive motions and sounds.
> 
> I have noticed that the drummer is *always* the funniest guy in the
> band. By far.
> 
> That's because humor is.... timing. Hard to beat the drummer for
> hitting the punchline at exactly the right moment.
> 
> Plus, they tend to be quiet too. So when they do speak up it has a
> certain effect.

Hmmm, I've worked with four different drummers. Only one of them was
quiet - and he wasn't a very funny guy. The other three were 
chatterboxes but weren't particularly funny guys, either.

The funniest guy I've worked with was a rhythm guitarist. He'd quietly 
tell a joke as he was leaving after rehearsal or a show - and a few 
minutes later, it would finally penetrate and we'd be ROTFL.

>> Don't know about bassists - perhaps its brought on by the
>> physiological effects of loud low-frequency sounds on brain
>> tissues.
> 
> The best bass players-- real bass players, not guitar players who got
> demoted-- I've worked with are intensely kinesthetic. They always
> seem to have the best feel for the music of anyone in the band. I've
> found that, in rehearsals and writing/arranging/recording sessions,
> if what you're playing is making the bass player happy, then the
> audience will be happy with it too.

I know the bassist in my church band makes a real big difference when 
he's there. He's got a fantastic sense of rhythm and beat. If we're 
trying a song with a complex rhythm or beat, he's always the first one 
to get it. And (on at least one of the songs) he's the only guy who's 
really got it - when he misses a service and we're doing that song, 
we're just all over the place trying to get the rhythm straight.

He's a pretty good guitarist, too, but prefers bass.

-- 
David
gnome at hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community