Rules a musician/drummer should live by

[yesdannysback]

"Never miss a downbeat!"

My elementary school band teacher told us that this was one of the most important rules a musician could ever learn and yesterday I broke that rule. :-[
One of the gigs I play is for an all girl high school dance/competition show choir and the last competition of the school year was yesterday. Without going into too much detail, it was the 2nd song, and I was right next to the director/pianist, but do to the fact that I had lights right in my face the entire first song, when the lights changed for the next song, all I could see were spots 8) Lucky for me the song has a cadence style intro so I came in on the next measure with the bass, (he missed the downbeat as well) and continued ;)

Does anyone else have any specific rules they were taught as golden in relation to playing music?

[Paicey]

Ringo said dont play a fill when their is someone singing. Ya know, i still think about that. Other than that, LISTEN.....LISTEN.....LISTEN.....

[KEW]

I second the above rules.  Heres another one.  Never sneak into a song.  When you come in, come in with confidence.  Its better to make a loud mistake than to cautiously start playing.

[Louis Russell]

I don't remember where I found these but they have been stored on my computer for years.

Musicians rules
1.  Shut up, seriously...dont chat with someone on the mic, talk after the show. They came to hear music not you. However, it helps to at least let them know the name of your band.
2.  Tune your guitar before you get on stage and don't do it again. If it falls out of tune during a 30 minute set there is something wrong with your guitar. However if for some reason you need to tune, do it muted... almost all tuners have this function, it's there for a reason... and do it during a break in a song or quickly in between...
3.  No matter how good you are no one wants to hear more than 30-40 minutes of solo. You aren't that interesting.  No matter what you mom/girlfriend says.
4.  Sooo, you have merch for sale. If they haven't bought it yet... they really aren't going to. Don't beg.
5.  If more than one band is playing; set up quick, play, get your gear off the stage. No, really. Wrap your cables later.
6.  Write a set list, think about it... try to make it flow and build. Write it down and give one to each of your band mates. "What's next?" is something they don't wanna hear.
7.   No silence between songs… if you're not playing a song (with a break for applause), make noise or talk (shudder) but see rules #1&3. And please please please don't say you screwed up that last song, no one noticed.
8.  They know you have a myspace page, seriously… No ones busting out pens to write it down. If you need people to know (and think they care), give them something to leave with. And please don't ever say www!
9.  Singers, Listen to me:  Learn how to use a microphone. Repeat after me, quiet = close, loud = far… near…………. FAR! Near…….. FAR! Trust me.
10.  Singers with mic in hand: Don't cup the ball of the mic, it makes you louder, makes it sound like crap and makes it feedback. You don't look any cooler. I did see that issue of Metal Edge magazine you got that pose from though… I bet that soundguy was pissed.
11.  Don't ask the crowd if you sound ok.  The soundman knows his job.  If you sound like crap it's probably because your amp is so loud he can't mix you properly. C'mon rock dog… turn down so he  can make you sound good. Also, the full stack isn't really necessary anymore there are great combo amps now.
12. It's really not necessary to do a full sound check when you are playing in a small room. The soundman knows the room and will have a good mix in about 20 seconds, trust me, he has done this before. Oh yeah, turn down.
13. Turn your amp down to the lowest possible volume you can whilst maintaining your tone. If you are loud the soundman can't mix the band properly and you'll sound like crap. Oh and why did you lug that HUGE cabinet out here if you want to go direct? It is funny watching you lug it around though.
14.  If you're setup, don't play except for when your level is being set. We're not at Guitar Center. We're all very impressed. And for Gods sake, don't play along to the music. Seriously, it makes you look like an ass.
15.  The super fast sound check is to set the LEVEL of your instrument, we know the mics are on and work. Hit the drums like you mean it and don't turn your amp up later. See these big boxy things on the ceiling and that thing with all the knobs  in front? That's a PA, let the soundman use it. You'll be glad he did.
16.  Do you REALLY need to hear yourself that loud in the monitors?  You need your vocal onstage louder than the mains?  C'mon… Oh wait, that's right, that amp is so loud you can't hear your vocal over it… I forgot. Don't worry though, no one else can hear you over it either. Yeah, see those people waaaaaay back there (that didn't leave when you started playing) huddled the very back of the room holding their ears.

[Chris Whitten]

I've got to say I'm anti rules that are so general, however those all make really good sense..........except the one about the guitar being broken if it goes out of tune within 30 minutes.

[James Walker]

2.  Tune your guitar before you get on stage and don't do it again. If it falls out of tune during a 30 minute set there is something wrong with your guitar. However if for some reason you need to tune, do it muted... almost all tuners have this function, it's there for a reason... and do it during a break in a song or quickly in between...

I agree with Chris' take on that one.

However...on the other side of the coin:

Louis, you would have LOVED the guy I saw at a local club a few years back.  Singer/songwriter/guitarist, solo act, folk/acoustic music, had two guitars on the gig and a guitar tech off to the side.  Between every song, it was the same routine:  the tech had just tuned one of the guitars.  They switched instruments.  Prior to performing the next song, the singer tuned the "new" guitar with his (the singer's) own electronic tuner - the one the tech had JUST TUNED moments before.  Meanwhile, the tech was now feverishly tuning the guitar used on the last song, with HIS own electronic tuner.

This continued throughout the entire set - each time, the singer taking ten to twenty seconds to check the tuning of the guitar that his tech had just tuned.  As far as I could tell, there were no non-standard tunings in use for any of the songs.  Just lots of tuning.  (We won't get into the fact that both guitars sounded exactly the same to me - and if that's the case, the point of switching is...??) 

Maybe the humidity or temperature was different where the tech was sitting - all of six feet away?   ::)

[Chris Whitten]

(We won't get into the fact that both guitars sounded exactly the same to me - and if that's the case, the point of switching is...??) 

To have a perfectly in-tune guitar for every song.
It's quite normal for top players to change guitar every song, even if it's just for the tuning.
What isn't normal is double checking the tuning, as you rightly pointed out.
This artist must be very fussy about their tuning, or they were using a guitar tech they didn't trust.

[Phil Bowman]

Louis, that is brilliant.  as part of the quick sound check, i would emphasise:  especially do not be noodling while the house sound man is trying to set-up microphones around you.

`& would not rule out the chance that it is a fresh tech-to-musician relationship.  i know a guitar-tech for Neil Diamond worked one show with ample sound check for Tonic and felt like he had been fed to the wolves.

[TheBeachBoy]

6.  Write a set list, think about it... try to make it flow and build. Write it down and give one to each of your band mates. "What's next?" is something they don't wanna hear.

Sadly, we (I) would write out a set list for everyone, and the singer would still ask what we should play next.  I'd yell out the next song on the list, he'd say he didn't feel like that one.  Meanwhile, silence, or worse, the guitarist fiddling with his guitar to make sure everyone knew he was a guitar god.

[TheBeachBoy]

To have a perfectly in-tune guitar for every song.
It's quite normal for top players to change guitar every song, even if it's just for the tuning.
What isn't normal is double checking the tuning, as you rightly pointed out.
This artist must be very fussy about their tuning, or they were using a guitar tech they didn't trust.

If he didn't trust the tech, I don't understand why he didn't find someone he did trust.  Crazy guitarists! :)

[Chris Whitten]

Good techs can be hard to find.

[Dave Heim]

Here's a rule:

Even though the title of this post implies the contrary: if you're a drummer, you're also a musician!  :)

[Mark Counts]

Here's a rule:

Even though the title of this post implies the contrary: if you're a drummer, you're also a musician!  :)

Amen Dave,
I love Louis's rules so much I may print this out.  As far as guitar tuning,
I have played a gig in the past 3 months where my guitar player had two guitars on stage but he always has his number one.  It kept going out of tune, everysong.  Really made us sound bad as a whole.  Turned out, the neck was twisted and had a slight bow.  We video taped it and the smart thing to do would have been to switch guitars after the first two songs but he just kept retuning.  After sitting down and watching the video he agreed that he should have switched.  As far as the comment made about not playing fills during the vocals.  I sing the vocals and if the music calls for a fill to enhance the vocals or a lead guitar part, I play the fill.
I really depends on what the music calls for. ;)
                             Nutty

[Louis Russell]

As far as the comment made about not playing fills during the vocals.  I sing the vocals and if the music calls for a fill to enhance the vocals or a lead guitar part, I play the fill.
I really depends on what the music calls for. ;)

That's the way it should be.  There are exceptions to every general rule.  I am not sure but I think those rules go back to 1976 or 1977 when I was on the road with Marty Martin. 

[Chris Whitten]

As far as the comment made about not playing fills during the vocals.  I sing the vocals and if the music calls for a fill to enhance the vocals or a lead guitar part, I play the fill.

Yes.
I've read that Ringo quote before, but I actually think he broke that rule quite a few times.

[Mark Counts]

Yes.
I've read that Ringo quote before, but I actually think he broke that rule quite a few times.

I think he broke that rule also. I have been playing some Beatles lately and I have a new respect for Ringo as a drummer. Been Doing Get Back and My Guitar Gently Weeps and Back In The USSR, they are very fun and Singing with Ringo's beat has challenged me. Someone probably watched the Beatles and wrote all those rules.
                   Nutty

[George]

How about this:

1. Don't look out on the audience if you're not confident or you don't know the songs that you're doing well enough, watch the bassist instead, he's your best helper.
2. But if you dare to look out, just see those happy faces in front of the stage, they will turn you on and make you play better.
3. If you have passed point 2 (above), always look out and make eye contact with people that you can see even with the spotlight in your face, as nothing is more disappointing for the audience than when musicians turn in and play only for themselves on the stage.

[yesdannysback]

Here's a rule:

Even though the title of this post implies the contrary: if you're a drummer, you're also a musician!  :)

???
Actually Dave the thread title implies that if you are not a drummer but still a musician, 
(example: guitarist, pianist, etc) feel free to share any rules pertaining to your instrument/studies as well.  ;D ...just thought that would be a really really really long title so I typed out the 13 pesos version...

[Riddim]

Give the music what it needs - no more, no less.  And give it the best you can. 

Do your homework at home.

Minimize noodling. 

The bandstand is, or should be, IMHO, a sacred place.  Respect what you do,  the folks you do it with, and those who make it possible for you to do this.