SKF NOTE: I don’t know Brian Tichy, neither am I familiar with his drumming. But his advice here is spot on for drumset players in all kinds of bands. I will have to give Mr. Tichy a listen.
GlideMagazine.com
DRUMMER BRIAN TICHY (INTERVIEW)
November 24, 2014 by Leslie Michele Derrough
Q. What do you think is the most important thing a drummer can do for a band?
There really is only one most important thing and it’s keeping good solid time, and solid doesn’t mean you have to hit everything and smash it as hard as you can and all that. It just means no matter what you’re doing up there, whatever it takes to make that band sound right and groove right and drive the band correctly, the way the band should be….
And I don’t want a drummer to change it up too much. But the main thing is the groove and the timing. And the first and foremost thing you can teach a drummer is the importance of consistency. Every time you hit that bass drum, every time you hit the snare, every time you hit a cymbal, it’s got to sound like one instrument. You can’t sound like a drum, a cymbal, a this, a that. It’s got to sound like a drum set and once you can keep that thing sounding powerful in the band with confidence in your capability, then they’re not worried, they’re not turning around looking at you, and that makes the band play better, makes the guitar player not worry about anything else. That’s the main job of the drummer. You hit the damn drums, you keep it in time and you make everybody feel good about it (laughs).
Scott K Fish 