Question & Answer —
The Roles of a Drummer in a Band…
Q — What can you compare responsibilities of a drummer relative to other professional fields?
A — In baseball, the catcher, in basketball, the point guard, in football, the quarterback or Mike linebacker. In transportation, an air traffic controller or a 4-intersection traffic officer during rush hour. In food, the executive chef at a five-star restaurant.
Q — How are the responsibilities of a drummer unlike other members of the band?
A — The drummer needs to know a fair amount about every other band member’s playbook and how they all fit in to the musical mosaic or puzzle. The drummer also needs to understand the arrangement and how the individual sections of the composition flow from one to another.
A strong drummer is like a real-time arranger or composer, denoting the ebb and flow of the music, and helping to punctuate the dynamic expression of the music. The drummer has to act like a spy, not only editing their own performance, but continuously peaking in on all the other musicians.
Q — What is the drummer’s responsibility to the song or composition?
A — The goal is to carry out the vision of the band or composer or songwriter in a way that the listener or observer can comprehend and enjoy. That means a drummer should make choices regarding groove, dynamics, punctuation, and transitions to help convey the best version of the song possible.
The drummer sometimes needs to show restraint and follow instructions. Although the temptation may be to play for other drummers and to satisfy his/her individual needs, that may be a recipe for failure. Consider the less is more approach, leaving space for the other instruments to add their fingerprint to a piece. A great drummer sometimes is the one who allows others to shine.
We can’t always assume that the part a drummer executes is something that they chose. Sometimes the finished result of a performance or recording is a reflection of what the band leader or composer recommended or requested.
Kind Words…
“Steve, I was in awe that with so little rehearsal with the dancers that your percussion performance added so much. the timing of each section seemed to come from your soul — and it was as if you added the ground from which we grew.” — Mari K.
“Steve La Porta is a heck of a fine drummer and helped me out a lot when I moved back to the Bay Area in 1997. At that time Steve was then manager at Drum World in San Francisco. Tony Williams had taught a very select groups of students at that store before he died the year before. When I arrived, Steve set me up in that same studio and I had some very positive experiences with some fine Bay Area drummers as students. By the way, Steve is also an excellent hand drum percussionist.” — Pete M.
“Steve, as a consummate pro, you had your stuff prepared. And when the situation changed, you adapted, while expressing empathy all around. Proud to be in the band with you.” — Benito C.
Performing with the Jamie Clark band at the Sausalito Seahorse