10 HUGE Mistakes Drummers Make At Gigs | Drum Beats Online

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Alright friends, what are some other classic mistakes drummers make at gigs? Or better yet, tell us your best gig story! Get The Working Drummer Roadmap for FREE: bit.ly/WDRoadmap

[@Mariusperian1]

Hi

[@charlienassar2404]

A mistake I see a bunch of people make all the time is that people don't bring drum thrones (by a bunch of people i mean me, i do this.)

[@joshjamesrobson135]

The mistake I sometimes make is not spending enough time adjusting the house kit properly to my height and reach. Then half way through the set I end up catching the sticks on the rims while doing fast fills.

[@mushroomflyer6312]

#1 Making the next band wait while you break down your entire kit. PS: Pro-tip for extra sticks on the bass drum: Place them tips first in the small gap between a lug screw and the shell. You should have just enough space to sneak two in there just far enough so they'll stay. They're upright & primed for you to grab one, and they also won't roll off.

[@feanor22]

To me the two worst ones is playing drunk and especially not warming up before going onstage.

[@alskyfajardo7361]

MISSED MISTAKE: NOT HAVING A CARPET or anything to keep your bass drum and or hi hat from sliding

[@Bushleague-ks7vu]

Made that mistake at my first gig

[@SAHBfan]

Good one. A mistake I keep making, over and over again. I think I have some sort of mental block or something. My practice space has a carpet... so it isn't part of the usual kit I carry .

[@dgrimm3771]

I've used my car floor mats in the past. Not perfect but works... sorta.

[@JloBroOFFICIAL]

Made this mistake

[@wsantalitz7785]

Tied my bass drum to my throne couple of times there was no carpet.

[@lodougherty]

Here is my gig story for you: So, I've only been playing drums for 5 years (played guitar/bass for 15-20). I play in a couple of bands now, but a few years back my first show as a drummer, I am super stoked to play this first show. Thought I had all my ducks in a row. I had just gotten this new 8x14 snare. Used, but in great shape. Still had the factory head and everything. I even joked about how boss this snare was. During the set, about the 5th song in, the snare head exploded. (factory tama head) and left me just sitting there wondering what I was going to do. I even managed to get through the song with a giant rip in the head. Luckily, the drummer from the headlining band was kind enough to give me his and I finished out the set, but it totally derailed my momentum and the the night for me, even though people said we did a great job handling it and sounded good. *sigh* - Good memories. Ha!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Haha I’ve totally been there dude! I learned the hard way that it’s always important to have a spare snare/head. It can definitely be tough to get back into the groove after that happens!

[@localmusiclover605]

Quality comment

[@BIGBOUTYAH]

When I buy a snare the first thing I do is replace the heads especially if it's a factory head as they don't tend to last long especially with high tuning. I bought a brand new Pearl FTAL1480 and a Pearl B1330 recently which came with remo heads.

[@TheWitchOvAgnesi]

LOL NEVER trust a stock head. From anyone.

[@BumpNrun69]

That would be one of my biggest concern, right along with the beater going through the kick drum skin. Would hate to go through a show playing the low tom as the bass drum. Always good to bring a back-up for both of them drums/set-ups, just in case.

[@JeffRandallDrumming]

Dude, I’m so guilty of missing out on #10 and it’s arguably the most important one. Love the list!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

I hear you man! It’s one that can be easily missed for sure.

[@DavidGigoDrums]

@@DrumBeatsOnline But what if you have wife, family or cats!?

[@cMckone93]

curse my introversion...

[@savodestruct]

This is the one I have the most trouble with. Being both the drummer and the equipment manager/loadmaster can really make me want to start getting things going so we can hit the road later. I also have severe social anxiety and being in the actual crowd is hard for me in general. Maybe if we start making more money and can afford roadies one day, it’ll be a little easier.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

I'm actually a singer/guitarist, but I still find these videos helpful because so many thinks crossover into just "being a musician" in general. I can attest to the fact that the day of the gig, mainly before the show, I'm stressed out and not really that pleasant to be around because of stress, nerves, and that focus that you're talking about. I sort of get into my own world and want to be left alone, which is tough because this industry is built around meeting and being nice and genuine to people so that's a tough balance. I was the same way when I raced motocross, on race day before the races or, I was just wanted to be left alone, and my dad was the same way when he raced Sprint Cars. At the race, the people who actually care, are stressed out and focused almost exactly like backstage before a gig.

[@Elboy522]

how about this? 1. Hitting the cymbals too hard. 2. Hitting the cymbals too hard. 3. Playing the drums like you were in a large venue

[@joandrumz3176]

Ya, I think you mean me😂 But here's the thing, I just fucking love the energy and putting on a great show and I play in a metalcore-ish band and we're pretty fresh and like a local thing, so we're playing little venues and I'm super happy with that. But my playing style probably doesn't quite match that ooof

[@GirlWithnail]

Miking your entire kit in a tiny venue.

[@jmaximum555]

Getting used to play with a click track live has huge benefits depending on the kind of show you want to put on. You know the exact lenght of Your set; you can add intros and samplings over your music; you can sync a full light show and/or video projections to your songs without any extra crew (light guy, vj, etc); and so on.

[@JP-tr6yu]

The funniest mistake I made was forgetting my cymbals! I play a VERY large kit (2 kicks, 4 rack toms, 2 floor toms, 2 snares) and in the rush to get to the gig, I managed to leave my cymbal case at home! Luckily there was time to go back and pick it up but it was a crisis narrowly averted...

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Haha oh no!!!

[@JP-tr6yu]

It was only after that that I started to realise why you play a 3 piece kit.... however I could NEVER do that!

[@seancase1543]

Ah I can relate. Did that at my last show, so embarrassing....

[@TheWitchOvAgnesi]

@@JP-tr6yu Me neither bro! Play that big kit! I assume you use all of it during a show, but just as important, it's awesome for the fans to see monster kits every once in awhile. It's part of the entertainment. Play that man's kit!

[@jefffish4953]

I played in a band where no cymbals were required.The amount of times the sound guy would say 'can we start with the hi hat' much to the mirth of everyone! Little things,

[@BiRDiEHere]

Missing the cymbals while playing live with your band

[@Underthejrose]

I miss the bell sometimes and get so tight

[@BiRDiEHere]

@@Underthejrose Yeah

[@Netopast]

Just do the Lars

[@aiferapple1246]

I actually missed a cymbal once and launched a stick into the audience at full velocity ..... eek!

[@rowifi]

I tapped the singer on the back with a stick and magically undid her bra..

[@joren4700]

Great video! Some extra things I always keep in mind: - basically get a spare for all the things with the highest chance of breaking: heads, in-ears, laptop. - always check if all the hardware is tight enough. - be professional at the soundcheck and only make the necessary sound to tune and to get ready. - it sounds silly, but try working on your face expressions a bit more. In the beginning I had no expression at all due to my concentration. - make a list of all the stuff necessary for your drumkit. when your band grows, your drumkit+luggage is growing with you. If u got a list of things u need (including the small things), u are making sure not to miss anything before heading to the gig. - and don't drink too much during the break, lol.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

This is a killer list of things!! I agree with these 100%

[@diekrassegabelhd8205]

Dont Drink to much is the most Important One for me. Because when you forgot a Tom ore something like that, its bad but if you have to go to Toilet you get a HUUUGE Problem

[@Bearclaw-Arkoudas]

Facial expressions are really important ! I once played a gig ( I think 3rd or 4th of mine) and whenever I made a mistake I felt like everyone knew but when I went offstage and had a chat with people in the audience they told me that they didn't understand my mistakes due to the sound but rather because of my facial expressions !

[@wsantalitz7785]

Make a jerking facial expression so audience would think its an awesome trick that just happened.

[@MigMart75]

"- be professional at the soundcheck and only make the necessary sound to tune."

[@christschinwon]

I've got another one which involves carrying a drum key. First song of my first ever gig after about 30 seconds the beater fell out of the bass pedal. I remember using the floor tom to extenuate the bass drum notes but there was a quiet section in the middle. I scrambled down on hands & knees & fixed it just in time for when the chorus kicked back in. From then I've always checked the beater is tight!

[@larryalexander900]

You forgot: Having too many beers before the gig. Or is that just me?

[@jasperjenkins7729]

I swear that was gonna be one of the tips too. Lol.... Drummers are usually the drunkard of the band. Unfortunately.

[@shahfacekillah]

I dunno about that. I find it's usually the vocalist or bassist. I never drink before the set. Not even one drink. After the set it's game on!!

[@mayolicious69]

Not possible to have too many drinks before the gig if you are the drummer

[@SAHBfan]

@@mayolicious69 I drive home after the gig - every one of my gigs I'm completely sober, all night. It helps, I play better - but the car is the real reason.

[@chopperking007]

3 beers then a can of coke before you go on...nerves gone but focussed...

[@slyfoxx2973]

#11 (and this goes for the everybody) Don't noodle between songs!

[@aiferapple1246]

Noodle?

[@slyfoxx2973]

@@aiferapple1246 Noodle: Verb...To create extraneous noise on one's instrument not directly related to the performance. ie...running scales, playing fills.

[@aiferapple1246]

@@slyfoxx2973 Awesome!! I'm going to make that into a band T-shirt!! LOL

[@user-go3jv8rw7i]

Sly Foxx yeppp major fuck up

[@blksheepramirez]

Watching this video 3 hours before playing in front of a small crowd of 60 so thank you for this, it’s very much appreciated!

[@RobDdrummer]

Great video! I totally agree on all the points! I would add one important thing especially if you're playing big shows where you hit hard and go crazy (like you mentioned) or if it's a fast power gig (f.i. some punk, rock, heavy metal concert). DON'T FORGET TO DRINK ENOUGH WATER and/or bring it on stage. I was playing a summer tour with this popular Croatian rock band and we had a lot of big concerts and played a lot of festivals so I got used to the stage crew bringing water bottles and set them up next to the drum. Then on one concert there were none and it was insanely hot and I was in the middle of the concert thirsty, tired (from all the gigs) and melting from the inside out. First my hands started cramping, then I started feeling dizzy and I almost collapsed on the last song. Luckily the lead singer saw that I wasn't feeling well (even though I tried to act normally) so she asked the audience to finish the song with and she sang along with them while I went backstage and literally put my head in the shower. Of course, there was a 3 songs encore so this short pause in which I managed to cool off and drink some water helped to end the concert without collapsing. Since then, I always bring my own water bottle, just in case. 😂

[@matpidrums7006]

Gig story: I've been playing on a cheap electronic kit for a while now, and it works fine on headphones or if I'm recording audio. However, I learned the hard way that edrums are bad for gigs. My band got a gig at a venue without a house kit, so i had to bring my kit. It sounded so bad; my hi-hat would sometimes false trigger or just not rigger at all, and the sound of wood hitting hard rubber wasn't very pleasing either. Also, our keyboardist is terrible at communication and doesn't really get how chords work so that made it so much worse to the point where the drums actually sounded okay. And yeah :)

[@TronciM]

Do you feature in a band fail montage video?

[@matpidrums7006]

Tronci nope

[@classixdrummer]

I played for years in all sorts of live settings using a Yamaha DT Express three set up. Never had any issues. Like anything else, if you rely on cheap stuff you are going to be disappointed. It does warrant saying that this particular kit has aged out and I would never rely on it in a live setting now.

[@Riftmazefee1]

Great tips! I just wanna comment on your 2nd tip about using a metronome live. I've been playing drums a long time, and I'm 100% fine using a metronome anywhere (live, studio), however, I don't think you should 'rely' on a metronome on stage (live; at a gig) unless you have backing tracks or pre-recorded samples (e.g., samples from your band's studio recording) that you want the audience to hear. If you're just using the metronome alone by itself, my advice is to NOT play with a click on stage. The reason being, is that if you become too dependent on a click track, when you actually play without it, you are going to have a hard time keeping in time! So, practice with a click track for sure, and use it live as a count-in only as you also suggested, and use a it live if you have pre-recorded samples/etc., but try not to become too dependent on it! Trust me! I fell into that trap and now I don't use a click live as much anymore, and my drumming is better! The main reason, as Trey Anastasio (singer / guitarist for the band, Phish) said, "Music is all about ENERGY", and I find that when you play to a click, you lose some of that energy! Trust your drumming and play with ENERGY!

[@leoehgartner]

I totally agree with you. It happened the same to me on a stream live KZbin and it was awful feeling. I had to leave the click on the first song because the band was only guided with me hearing the click. If the click can be heard the whole band that is much better to play the whole. Otherwise, just use it as count and tempo for the next song and rely on what you practiced and feeling of the energy of the day.

[@panoskarelas437]

Thanks for the tips man! I think the one that will help me a lot is metronome tip. I find it really hard to play with a click in my band. That's because many times someone skips off and I am trying to get him back in the rythm. I know everyone says to me 'stay! He should follow you' but is not that simple when you are playing on stage. So I used your tip yesterday and listened the click before each song and at least it helped me to focus better on the actual speed of the song. 👍

[@lz-tech]

My gig story: At my first gig i had only a few minutes to put my snare, cymbals and pedal onto the backline kit. I have two crashes in the exact same size but at the gig i could only find one crash in my bag. I thought I forgot the other one so I just screwed it on ... but stupidly both just stuck perfectly on top of each other and i did not recognize this during setup. That moment when you hit the crash the first time and you can not hear a sound! Fortunately I managed to unscrew the top crash during the first song with one hand, while the second hand still played the snare.

[@waltmueller8850]

Many thanks Gabe for what you're offering drummers today! Great guidance. Really appreciate your time, effort & honesty!! I mediate & use laughing exercise to release endorphins & breath work to keep my energy up & calm the nerves before a gig! Positive self talk for good attitude keeping my mind right! My montra has worked very well, every time it's been used! Keeps me focused & ready to jam! Again, thanks for all your doing & for being real!!!

[@ChristianPaulson-Music]

I teach indoor percussion and what I've noticed from my young students is ALL OF THESE THINGS! I was fortunate to be able to play with my band director's jazz quintet through high school and college. I give ALL the credit to my being a GIG-READY musician to him. I find myself teaching though many of these issues. Great list.

[@mikeskenne]

Great list! My list consists of some of these, but these are my must-haves. Proper tools: in addition to drum key. Like, having a tool for every piece of hardware. In this day and age you can purchase all-in-one multi-tools that are gig savers. Backup snare and heads - batter and reso; Gaffer tape; Carpet; earplugs; towel; backup shirt for after you've played; and one of the most important things. After you've played the set. Even if it's the worst set you've ever played and the band sucked as well, keep a level head and be gracious. There's gonna be that one or so audience member that thought it was the best show they've ever seen. Say, 'Thank You' and "Thanks for coming out to see us and please come see us again." Don't let your emotions spoil someone's perception. Cheers and thanks for a good video.

[@raymondmaccarty]

Great info bro! Thank you for this. A few minutes just helped me out so much already. Keep up the good work.

[@Parlora]

First gig I played with my new band was with a bad house kit. About two bars in the bass beater punched straight through the head, cymbals falling off etc. Good job I had the experience from my previous band to not panic and just go with it. I used to get really bad stage fright, glad that's behind me now.

[@bigkickleo]

2 HUGE mistakes I see even experienced drummers make are: 1) Not watching/ noticing the other musicians. I once watched (and winced) as the bandleader was trying to get the drummers attention for an entire song!! It's important to be "tuned in" to the group and be on the same page. 2) Not LISTENING to the vocalist or the other musicians. Just like paying attention with your eyes, you should also pay attention with your ears. You don't want to miss any opportunities to be in sync with a vocal cue or a guitar cue, for example, the vocalist wants to break down the song for crowd participation, or the guitar player pots down or changes patches and now it's a more mellow section than the typical arrangement. Performing live in a group should always be a synergistic collaboration! 👊🏼

[@psycoticreaction9135]

So true!!! I am a bass player and have played with both types: Drummer who always looks down, or Drummer who has his head up and looking around! Guess which drummer gets more gigs!!!!!!!!!!

[@TeslaNick2]

I make mistakes on every gig. Most of the time, my band don't even notice, let alone the audience. If I'm nervous, I tone down my playing to the basics and leave out the tricky bits. If I'm not in the zone, I won't set myself up to fail. Number six is a big issue for me that I need to work on. Networking is the bit I love. I love to feel part of the "scene" and you never know who you're going to make friends with. After all, you can guarantee you've got one thing in common. We supported and Australian band called "Smoking Martha" the other night and the band was awesome and I've got a place to sofa surf if I ever find myself over in Oz.

[@jordankozelka9000]

Check and make sure all your hardware is tight! There is nothing worse than kicking off a set with two songs back-to-back only to have a cymbal start to droop or a floor tom leg collapse halfway through the first song. Once the train has left the station there's no turning back so you just gotta do the best you can until you get a chance to fix it when there's a break in the set. Also: plan a break in the set a song or two in. Especially if you're playing in a new venue or you're relying on the venue for the monitors/mix. You don't want to get stuck in a tough spot where you've got an awful mix, and no way to signal the sound guy until you get a break 3-4 songs in. If you can't hear then you may be off and the audience will notice, if the first song out of the gate sounds rough you could lose the crowd.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

These are some super great thoughts dude! I've had way too many hardware malfunctions to count. Planning a break in the set up top is an awesome idea. You know what's up!

[@TheWitchOvAgnesi]

In addition to the hardware, make sure you hit everything once. I inadvertently left my secondary snare off (had been buzzing during the prior band's set so I threw it off - long story). Start of our set was a song beginning with gravity blast on that snare. Real noob mistake (plus we had an idiot sound man who glossed over everything too quickly). Sounded like crap. Anyway, something always needs tweaking, I don't care what memory locks you have or what rack system or stands you use. Something will always be off.

[@Tiegen.Reibin]

I used to get so nervous and screw up all my transition fills or speed up a couple bpm or to the point where I’d fuck up solos but now I just try my best don’t get nervous and now I’m performing some rush songs this Friday!

[@brandandrums873]

Yo Gabe I am a drummer myself and I was just wondering what that metronome app you have is called

[@arthurpasquier6311]

Frozen Ape Tempo :)

[@timharrison2076]

I play songs that switch from 4/4 to 6/8 and back again with odd stabs and breaks, so a click isn't really an option. We like the elasticity and freedom of not being slaves to the click. It requires a lot of practice but gets you to concentrate and play as a unit. Good video with some great advice nonetheless.

[@KingBlonde]

You can use a click with changing time signatures lol it's called a tempo map. Not using a click is valid though, that's just not a valid reason.

[@timharrison2076]

@@KingBlonde That is true, although I feel that things like that tend to be more trouble than they're worth, just my opinion. After all, we are humans, not robots.

[@SAHBfan]

@@timharrison2076 I always play with a metronome. I don't always follow it... but the rest of the band doesn't know that! They think: "The drummer has a click, his time *must* be correct!" and they try hard to follow me. It works - the band stays tighter and the other musicians try hard not to pull or drag. It works for me, in my current band and a few others I've played with - not saying it would work for every situation, but it does have a big psychological advantage in some cases.

[@dgrimm3771]

You can always set it to not mark "1" (or whatever) and just use it as a general tempo guide. If you go a little nuts at one point, you know where to come back to and can adjust over a few measures. Not ideal, but...

[@divided1729]

SAHBfan what a great idea, I'm definitely going to try that one 😃

[@DruMax08]

1:04 use moises and it automatically makes a clicktrack, because the speed changes in some songs, you can just turn the music down and the clicktrack up

[@shahfacekillah]

I think it's good to make sure all your hardware is functioning properly before the gig. My very first gig as a drummer, the beater from my kick pedal flew off on the first song. Since then, I make sure all lugs are tightened properly before setting up and getting ready to play.

[@redrum567]

I had a drum throne completely sink to the lowest setting on the first opening kick of my first bar scene gig.

[@2ndAveScents]

What did you do? Were you able to fix it? Did you start bringing a spare to gigs? lol

[@lukecarodrums]

Daniel Gregson was it a DW air lift?

[@2ndAveScents]

ig: lukecaro.drums idk brah I wasn’t there

[@lukecarodrums]

Daniel Gregson i meant to reply to red ruM’s comment haha

[@ScottShireman]

Just had to say that kit you have is KILLER! One big regret I have is I had the chance to purchase an AYOTTE kit in the copper sparkle finish with wood hoops years ago and I passed! Oh and I appreciate the video too! Agree on all points! I've done most of these over the past 40 years of gigging!

[@morganread-drumcovers]

Really useful advice, thank you. I’ve actually got a gig coming up this month so I’ll sure to take all this into account 😁🤟

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Heck yeah Morgan!!

[@nathanblackman1063]

On Saturday. I was playing a gig for a half hour same 3 song medley before i had to go join the orchestra and play trombone. While im settinng up a franken kit mostly with my stuff I was putting my new hi hat clutch onto the hi hat stand and it wouldn't fit. I go and get another hi hat stand and didn't bring its clutch the first time. i tried the original's own. and it didn't fit. so i ran back inside and grabbed the proper clutch. Then because the pan players decided to use the whole tent i had to shift about 2 feet to the right. The batter head had a small rip in it. And it took half hour to make it sound decent. I was using a random kick drum, my snare stand my cymbal stand and my cymbals. So the setup was hi hat snare kick and one crash. Doing fills was pretty interesting to say the least.Then after, I had to run back inside with the stand before the audience was seated just to be professional .That night even though I played well (I mean i was the source of energy because everyone else was dead), I learnt that you should practice being able to play with a minimalist setup. I mean once you master that yoou will shred just about any 5 or 7 piece kit. p.s to get the other clutch i had to run up three flights of stairs. The after we played i had to pack everything up and put it in the "green room" Just so"p e o p l e" wouldn't steal my stuff. I started plaing at 7:00, The orchestra didn't finish until 11:30........... Then this week i gotta study for finals and jury... fun times.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Haha dang man that’s nuts! That’s awesome that you came out on top though! Thanks for sharing your crazy experience!!

[@ALFREDsurfer08]

Another one that can be added is freaking out if you get off the click live (and you WILL get off it sometimes when you're inexperienced and the adrenaline is pumping during that big fill up to the last chorus) and audibly correct it too quickly making a "skip" or a "glitch" in the groove that both kills the vibe and is noticeable to the audience. If you can get comfortable hearing the click on different parts of the subdivision you will be able to make much smaller corrections in your timing and gradually bring it back, often without anyone knowing what went wrong! This only counts for situations where the drummer is the only one hearing the click and there are no backing tracks, though. But it's a good skill to have.

[@SeanLaMontagne]

Funny story, first drum solo I ever had at a concert, got maybe half a measure in before I over hyped myself and flung my right stick 8 feet in the air. It was a small stage so everyone saw, and I could hear some folks laugh. (Nightmare scenario, right?) But I, thankfully, had a few spare sticks sitting on my Bass drum and was able to grab a back up and finish the song without any other hiccups.

[@VendettaAustralia]

11. At a club gig where you are not sharing a kit : Have your kit already set up off the side of the stage ready to go. Cymbals on stands, toms on racks etc. This way it only takes 5 mins to set up and remove the kit from the stage before you pack down. Makes change overs so much faster...

[@Devon523]

I used to be married to the click man, I felt naked without it and was almost afraid to play without it. Then I started studying some classic drummers like John Bonham and saw how his tempo fluctuations actually breathed life into some of the grooves, and how the feel got choked out of it when you quantized his grooves (Rick Beato video) so now I’m more of the mindset that there are times to use a click and times to go without and it’s okay to have small micro fluctuations as long as you are mostly solid and not running off the rails.

[@dereckkami8200]

Idk if someone already said this but also help out your band mates. Keep a spare pack of strings, some batteries, xlr cables, qtr inch cables and other nessesities on hand just incase. Be prepared for your bandmates as well. Always come in clutch haha

[@mikejames-drummerreginacan1386]

Great video....spot on.....the metronome suggestion is vital......Thanks Gabe.

[@imconfused9004]

dude right on the money. didn't realize i needed to match the energy level of the band and the song i play. thanks!

[@imconfused9004]

stoic is my default.

[@Direitistaconservador]

Thanks. 4 your words they really are going to. Help. Me on my 2nd gigg in the 15th December!!! Thanks

[@diegocastillo-olivares4992]

i am a beginner drummer and i find these videos super helpful to become better

[@NickMcGowan]

Also, have a backup snare ready to go. Most often the head that breaks is.. you guessed it - the snare! And you can't really continue a show without one.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

I've played with 6 different drummers pretty regularly throughout the last 10 or so years, (I'm a singer/guitarist) and they've never fully broken a snare head at a gig. I have seen though one of them bust through the top ply, but if that's the case you can usually finish the show (or get to a point where you can change it) before the 2nd ply totally gives out on you. I have seen, however, a kick pedal break on 2 different occasions. So the only real spare items we keep in the trailer for the drums is a spare snare head and a kick head, and a spare kick pedal just in case.

[@georgemickel6608]

Here's a bit of advice on how to minimize major tempo accelerations/decelerations...get hip and sing the grooves, lead parts and lyrics in rehearsals. Your breathing will change, especially when you're body is adjusting. Fror click tracks, try an inexpensive and easy to program drum machine.. program a percussion part instead of the typical 'ding doink doink doink' or play between the quarter, eight and sixteenth notes (like a boundary of space instead of trying to nail the pulse). Advice from a drummer that literally couldn't keep time to save his life back in the 80's. Great channel, liked & subbed! G

[@rammstein1985234]

You should check out the Vic Firth marching stick bag. I have one mounted to my snare. That way sticks are in the middle and you won't have to reach far. I stole that from Thomas Lang. Great video btw. Thank you for making it.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

I’ll check that out for sure!! My pleasure!

[@canturgan]

Or you could make a quiver with a few sticks in it.

[@jefffish4953]

Gig story. We flew to Holland to do a gig and was told they had a house kit. It turned out to be more like Scrapheap challenge! Took me four hours to get anything to resemble something playable,the others just went down the pub,gits!

[@peruna555]

For QnA or another video: When is the right time to go network with other bands? I myself play a lot of gigs but i still have no idea when to introduse and how to present myself.

[@peruna555]

And great list btw! Im guilty of overplaying but the others i can handle :D

[@bigblueamusementproductions]

A mistake I made was at a School of Rock gig in Cincinnati where I forgot my earbuds. Luckily they had monitors behind the kit so I could hear just fine

[@Jellybean199611]

My funny gig story: A little over two years ago, I played a show with my old alt-metal band, Inori, at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI (full set is actually on my channel). During the intro of the first song, the shaft of the main bass drum pedal broke because I was going so hard. Had to go through the rest of the song with just my slave pedal and then ask for another drummer's beater. Rest of the set went pretty well, though!

[@lukeafranklin]

im 13 and Touring is literally my dream job and just playing in general. i took a lot of mental notes through those 10 tips and will be sure to apply all of them in the future. Thx Gabe👌🏼

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

You've got this Luke!

[@lukeafranklin]

thx AGAIN Gabe

[@ozzihunt8520]

I’m 14 and have done many festivals and loads of gigs, I would say, get yourself out there, I’m going to Italy on a tour because people new me.

[@garryraines2028]

Great list! Any drummer that has gigged very much can relate to these do's and don'ts. Thanks

[@lovely8434]

My biggest mistake was playing gigs to quietly because I tried not to mess anyone up and I guess everyone was to embarrassed to ask me to play louder until my friend told me I was playing way to soft. Another thing that helped me out a lot was playing at a church I grew up in churches and I play every Wednesday and Sunday and it really does help you improve your drumming.

[@dylansharp3086]

Been here years mate, this channel is still going strong i fucking love it

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

That's so awesome to hear Dylan! You are awesome!

[@comearroz1995]

I’ve learnt all of these things with experience. I remember that on the second gig I had, the guitarist played shit his solo and my stick flew some meters from the drum set, there was no carpet so the kick was running and the throne was very short that my leg was trembling. Terrible gig, I left the stage very angry before the song finishes. Great video men, greetings from Peru.

[@dareyes3366]

Great video, Gabe. Youre such a great person and I think these tips are just excellent overall advice to any drummer/musician!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@jethronobi8426]

I've been drumming for while now and one simple trick to remember the tempo is by internalizing the melody of a song. So,maybe just hum a chorus before starting the song. You'll hear if your rushing or dragging. Also, not playing with a click at the gig helped me to listen more to my fellow bandmates.

[@columbo6661666]

1 - If you don't have a drum key may as well not have drum sticks. I keep one on a carabiner on the back belt loop of my jeans so I've got one covering my ass and all I have to do is reach to mine to cover my own. 2 - My band has sections where it's just guitars and we'd all need in ear monitors. We just play small clubs so no big deal plus our style is fast and loose \m/ The reference click is very helpful though, I've found myself still going at the previous song's tempo at times. I do warm up to a click which is also part of my mental prep as we segway into... 3 - I warm up at a slow tempo to wake my mind up to pay close attention to it. 8th notes at 120bpm is a lovely way to start your hands off I find. But 16th notes at 60bpm makes your mind count more as you're only hearing half your usual 120bpm clicks. It's all useless if you don't count out it loud though. Your friends will laugh at you, but you can laugh at them when they suck and you don't. I know I do ; ) 4 - Literally the last show I played I lost my cool after some mishaps. Got there to find the kit offered for the night had half as many toms as I was lead to believe. Grabbed some paper, a pen and starting rewriting my fills. They're nothing insane, but when you make your fills based around a tonal change that matches the music, it's hard to change. I was going in to our set annoyed, hardware issues, half way in we throw out Cowboys From Hell and right on the first crash catch my right beater pops out! (A year earlier this happened at a gig, same song... It's a curse) That section Vinnie uses both the hi hat pedal and kick, all I had was my left foot. This sudden change of feet threw me off. My hi hat wasn't closed for the verse so that sounded bad. The kick was fine there but the double kick part after wasn't pretty. I salvaged the bridge by doing more of a punk style as its on a down beat. The chorus was really the only part that worked. We got cut short and so now last song. The lack of Tom, he's a cool guy, and tom drums, my big matches the solo drum fill was cringe worthy, it was the final straw. I literally smashed through the last of the song. Once done I started throwing my cymbals to the ground like frisbees to pack up and leave. Now this is important, our show was over but the crowd was wathing and could tell I was pissed, that's bad stage presence. That's 9 though we're at 5! 5 - Had the sun cooking me alive at a show and my sticks are flying cause of the orgy of sweat in my hands. (Same fest following year we played in our underwear) I had back ups ready but I couldn't get my dropped ones back between songs because they were gone. Luckily a guy got them for me eventually. Not having extra sticks ready will make you squeeze harder cause you're paranoid you'll drop it. The guitars can stop, the bass can stop, but if you stop the beat you stop the song. Two feet and a hand can make a lot of sound while the other is reaching for a stick. A dominate left hand helps. 6 - So when my memoirs done you can read all about this nightmare. A song flows capturing your emotions and moves and groves you, goes up and down, and everywhere inbetween. When you put an album together you aim to do the same thing. Unless you don't care. Your live show is the same and between songs is where the audience decides if you're idiots or not. Those are the people you see outside waiting for the next band to start, they think you're idiots. I got my rebelous singer to follow planned out things between songs. Suddenly he was a whole other person. He had become a rockstar. His banter was captivating, funny and edgey. He gave the songs wild intros and we killed! We even did a thing where we threw out shout outs for the other bands playing, they all loved it and suddenly started treating us like legit musicians and wanted to play more shows with us. Which is where networking is crucial! That's 10 though 7 - I've never had too many problems being too loud or quiet but I've seen it. 8 - We kicked this problem out of the band. 9 - Congratulations you're a product! You have to give the people a reason to come back and invest in you. You'll never get that money fyi. It's been spent on cigarettes because they're standing outside waiting for the next band. I've seen big name bands play incredible sets, but then never go back because the live show is on par with listening to the album at home. I saw Jönsi once, no clue who he was, most visually captivating show I've ever been to. Bought the album the next day and people buying albums because you do a great live show gets you more shows and maybe some of that money. Or if people drink heavily while you're on. Chili Peppers were meant to be a one song, one time band. Keides went nuts, the crowd loved it, the owner wanted them back and basically made them become a band. Guys awesome for one song... world famous. 11 - This is only here to stress the importance of not skipping 10. 10 - Literally every show has been from a band at the last who we chatted with. I'm not a big fan of networking, you're basically selling yourself. People want to know if you can pull a crowd and they'll gauge it by your Facebook likes, so literally a network of friends is crucial. You'll start getting friend requests from random people but you've got mutual friends who you've gigged with and their picture is them at a venue you've played. You're networking. Invite them to your page. They'll have one that you can like too. Now the promoter is looking at your page going, 'oh all these other bands I've had out know these new guys, I'll book them'. Make that promoter happy and you'll have someone to turn to when you want another gig. This is where networking can be you're enemy. I worked at a large scale concert venue. I've seen side stage guest amateur bands act like the headliner. The one guy dealing with the small stage doesn't have time for their crap as he's only there because someone has to be to mix them. By the end of the day they've contacted the people who they work with and say how your band is more hassle than it's worth. Then they tell two friends and they'll tell two friends and so on and so on. Now your network is more a web that's holding you down. It's sad that it's just not word of mouth about who's awesome live anymore but music has been changing longer than you'd think. It's going to keep changing. So if you want to rock you got to play the game. Keep in mind the 9 other problems can be captured, recorded and talked about. If you got 1-9 tight your network will look good. Assuming you're a solo drummer. But as a whole band it will just go over better. Good video I've seen and dealt with these problems more than I can remember. Don't let them ruin your show. Biggest bands were in the right place at the right time. You won't know when or where that is, so be ready, you don't want to miss taking over the world.

[@coiLz0r911]

Nr. 3 is so hard. Good stuff all around. Love your attitude.

[@JulioLopez-wh3oh]

Here's my gig story. One of my first gigs ever was out of state, about a 3 hour car drive, and when we were packing up we were all pretty stoked we were playing out of state that everyone was rushing to load up. Everyone double checked with everyone that we had everything packed up and we dead sure we did. Come to find out our bassist who took my cymbal bag with him when he was loading his gear forgot it on the side of the garage and forgot about it. Granted I should've known to double check myself but like I said we were all pretty stoked lol. In a complete panic I didn't know what to do cause we were the opening act and I had all my cymbals 3 hours away. Luckily the headliners were cool and thought it was funny and let me use their set. I definitely triple check everything myself now though. Rookie stuff man haha

[@lukoshey79]

I played a New Year's gig one time where, right in the middle of the first song, the kick drum pedal exploded.. I looked down to see bits of steel and spring shredded. What can I do, after screaming at the tech guys and toward the bass player, the music was way too loud to explain my predicament. Gradually they all look round to see what's going on, only to see me riding the floor Tom, driving the song the only way I figured possible. The whole time I'm gesturing to everyone that's there's a problem at my feet but no one came to my aid, later we laughed, when they said, Ohhhh, we thought you were just playing weird. Lesson learned, never stop, play on, drive it home, sweat it out, laugh later.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

100% right. And if you have a major catastrophe like that, if you tell the audience and laugh it off with a dumb joke like, "Mike was back there on the drums rockin too hard he blew up his pedal!" The crowd will usually give you quite a bit of leeway if you keep them in the loop and show that you're human, since after all they came to your show, so they're on your team!

[@Underdog_Drums]

Man, this is all really great advice. When a band is 100% opposed to me using a click. In my case you're right, my adrenaline is flowing big time, especially the first few tunes

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

So glad you connected with it!

[@bryand.toromorales3031]

I remember this one time I was playing with my group, but we had someone else on the keyboard so our lead singer could move freely. So what happened was that half way in the song after finishing a fill a stick flew off my hand and nearly hit the keyboard guy that was to my left in the face 😂. If he would have stayed still I would have gotten him😂

[@דוראלון-ו4נ]

What is the name of your click app? I saw you have the name of the songs and that the bpm is fit to the songs.

[@BRxNER]

דור אלון “It should be called “Tempo

[@ian74747]

Read the description lol

[@KENTEKELLER]

Every drummer should keep an extra set of guitar strings in case the guitar player breaks one. An extra battery for the bass player's active axe doesn't hurt either. Oh, and have an extra kick pedal. They only break when you don't have a spare. I played the second half of a gig a few years ago with some rubber bands instead of the broken spring. I laugh about it now, but it took years.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Dang you are an awesome band mate!

[@TheWitchOvAgnesi]

I have a huge set (melodic drummer) and have tons to worry about when climbing and setting up on stage. Yet one band I *used* to play in... every single show I had to babysit one or both of the guitarist. They'd forget a strap (yes, a strap) or wouldn't have spare strings or batteries. Or they would need a wrench or some tool... What a bunch of retards they were. I got out of that project damn quick.

[@KENTEKELLER]

@@DrumBeatsOnline We all need to look out for the less fortunate. :)

[@SAHBfan]

Yep, I learned years ago - the hard way - always carry spare batteries. I don't need a battery, but the guitarists and bass player have active instruments and the singer has active 'in ears' - plus a battery in the condenser mic. The number of gigs where the bass or guitar or the bloody singer's in ear monitors have packed up half way through a set 😡

[@dgrimm3771]

I actually started bringing my Strat (I play guitar too) b/c my guitarist tended to break so many strings. One is one thing, but when you have to change 3-4 a night, that adds up. He ended up with like 4 guitars at the side by the time the band packed it in!

[@BobSchoepenjr]

Drummer says to another drummer: “ I never break or loose a stick”. The other guy: “ how many gigs did you play recent year?” First drummer says :” Euh none”.....

[@jhonthedrummer]

this is the first video that I see from this channel and I love it buddy!!! the best wishes!!! I hit notifications and instagram too!! those advices for gigs are great!!!

[@aiferapple1246]

Make a checklist to go over to remember everything before leaving for the gig then have a second checklist for pre-gig set up reminders. Even including things like 'Tell band about a new start you've worked out for the 3rd song' or 'Don't forget to put drinks near me during the performance' - There can be all sorts of weird and wonderful things on that list but it's important to forget nothing!! There's nothing worse when playing a song and your brain is going over how the hell you're going to get past the cow bell bit in 30 seconds time when you forgot to set up the cow bell!

[@MarkInflictedDrums]

One time we forgot to talk about transitions before our first gig, and with 30 min tillstage time, we jus went over it and winged it and somhow ut jus worked out very goood

[@DolkkarToyznstuff]

Excellent list! Thanks for taking the time to share this.

[@DakotaHDrums]

nice vid man subscribed!

[@nialldowling658]

What size sticks do you use

[@madjom]

Hi, Gabe. Don't know if you saw this thing, i find it really helpful when it comes to placing spare sticks for my left hand (in your case it will be your right hand=). It's called stageworks the rimma stick holder. Thanks for the video. All the best to you, mate!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

I don’t think I’ve heard of that! I’ll have to check it out!

[@williewhite7037]

That was very interesting and enlightening. Thank you.

[@sourcefor]

Good Advice Brotha!!! Those drums sound Killer!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Thanks friend!

[@SayKyleNotCow]

I shifted to bass in my last band, so I always had a spare drum key in my bass case for my drummer. It saved us more than once. Give a spare to one of your string bros.

[@sambrantdrums9622]

Bring cymbal sleeves! I don't really gig anywhere ( cuz I'm 16) but I play at my church pretty much every other Sunday, I cracked one of their crash cymbals on the bell near the hole and I think it was because there were no cymbal sleeves on the stand. I promise i wasn't hitting to hard, haha. I put my own cymbal sleeves on their stands now.

[@jennycrisostomo3290]

Well said Gabe, You made your point very well..

[@lucasprice1483]

What was the app for the click track you showed?

[@adrianmacias9668]

Great video! I really like your videos, keep it up! Well, one mistake I made was back in 2002. It was my first time playing the troubadour in Hollywood, opening for Avenged Sevenfold. Huge show and it was also my first gig where I had someone helping me. Well I didn't double check my kit. I was at the gig and realised my helper didn't bring my hi-hat clutch! Totally my fault I should have checked. The Rev (drummer of AX7) was kind enough and totally cool letting me use his clutch. Totally embarrassing to be that guy. Needless to say I never made that mistake again. Till this day I have 3-4 clutches on me at all times plus other spare parts just in case. Always double check or triple check that all of your gear is with you!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Dang dude! Opening up for them must have been amazing!! Yeah that’s definitely one that has to be remembered for sure!!

[@edwarddossantos9089]

Excellent list.👍

[@MusicStudioLive]

Great stuff GABE!

[@richeichelberg2179]

I can relate to this so well. Back in 1992 I was playing my 2nd gig at a packed club, @ 250-300 people, and I was pretty nervous. 2 songs in I make my first mistake. I start to dwell on that and wind up making a 2nd mistake. 2 songs later I have a stick drop. I grab another stick, play 1 note on my ride cymbal and drop that stick as well. After that song I heard someone in the crowd yell " kill the drummer" lol. People still loved our set and were giving us high-fives afterwards. To this day that was my worst show ever.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Ugh man I can relate to that feeling so much. It’s THE WORST!!

[@brentkappler8100]

At one gig I broke a BD head and did not have a spare. Ever since that moment, I always brought along a spare head for every drum I had.

[@jonathanceballos583]

Great vid man as always! Didn’t expect the 10th mistake, but it’s one many don’t realize.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Thanks dude!! I agree!

[@waltmueller8850]

So many things have happened! Missed hitting crash cymbal, YEP!!! Remote h-hat falling off rack, right on me, in middle of a song, losing sound on in-ear monitors to cymbal falling cuz boom arm needed tightening! Bass drum sliding away all during songs! Etc. Too funny, life just happens & was told to remember to JUST KEEP PLAYING, no matter what!!! Audience never even knew!

[@garysmith3173]

Don’t rush when setting your kit up. I’ve done this and suffered the embarrassment of a kick drum leg collapse. Oh the shame!!😢

[@Strellock]

Gabe's mantra before a show: :D "Got the pecs of a wild beast, smile that blinds, eyebrows of the god of war, chops that melt reinforced concrete, sticks that are making poetry on the most wretched of drums; screw it, I'm so ready I'm not even gonna play today". Guys, we're canceling the show, I'm too prepared! ... Love you dude, couldn't help myself! :D Thanks for the video! Oh and 1 useful tip: songs you're starting/ drum only intros, know them extra well.

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Haha I might need to steal that one!!

[@Strellock]

:D

[@eubanpereira.8395]

Great video man.. Good things to keep in mind.!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

🙏🙏

[@jonassoderstrom4880]

At one gig we were playing so close to the bathroom door that when i dropped my stick it flew (like a helicopter blade) into the bathroom.

[@albert5202002]

Excellent tips!! Learned a lot!

[@gavinnutting1003]

Is there a way to be able to only hear the people on stage with in ear monitors? My church is setting up a drum set and I want to be able to hear the instruments and vocals as well. I will be put in a drum cage. What can I do to be able to hear the vocals and the instruments?

[@alandanielw]

Great footage, great intro, good tips brother_ keep it coming!

[@sparrovski]

I love the one about marking on the set list where the singer guirarist or bass player should talk to the crowd. I have played in bands where they introduce every song or tell a joke that no one can hear. It drives me nuts!!! I have also had guitarists stop me using click for start tempo. A full click would have been hard. He dropped beats. Too busy listening to himself but forgetting where he was.

[@RichRawDawgdrums]

Agree wholeheartedly with #6 & 7!!

[@einfachmarcel8522]

Gabe, I love your Videos, in the momentan I try to master double basse and I still in trouble with it. This Video was helpfull because I'm in a Band for one year but we are still try to build up something and so this tips will help me shure in the future. Thanks for this Videos ,sry for my band english and good luck in the future with your band! ~Marcel from austria🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Heck yes Marcel!!

[@therolandstreet]

So true dude. Keep up the amazing work!

[@DrumBeatsOnline]

Thanks bro!

[@joesantamaria5874]

1. Failure to memorize/master/internalize the arrangement of every tune in the set. Preparation is key, and if you’re not sure of at least the structure and tempo of every tune, all else is lost.