The Importance Of… Not Isolating Your Drummer

By Mike Chin on May 20, 2009 in Featured, The Importance of...

The collegiate a cappella world is one of great complexity. Amidst all that there is to take in, The Importance Of… highlights what is truly important, and elements of a cappella that may otherwise be overlooked.

In this edition, we look at the importance of… not isolating your drummer.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a group take the stage in an arc or rows or staggered formation. There’s a soloist standing up front. And then—well, then there’s that other girl off to the side, mic in hand, independent from the rest of the formation. As the song goes on, the physical space between her and the rest of the group only becomes more pronounced, and her spastic motion only draws more eyes to her.

On a rare occasion, the vocal percussionist is legitimately a featured part of a song, and having this group member stand aside from the others makes sense to highlight that fact. In most cases, though, the percussion is just another piece of the puzzle. You don’t isolate your sopranos or your basses. Such distinctions are just visually distracting, and ultimately don’t add a thing to the visual presentation. While a drummer may not be able to do all of the choreography, or might have a bit more motion than the rest of the group on a ballad, the fact remains that these differences are less significant distractions than having the drummer stand apart altogether. Maybe this a pet peeve, but I find it important enough for a brief rant. Don’t isolate your drummer.

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3 Comment(s)

  1. Meh, this can be all on personal taste. It also depends on how many members are in the group. If its a small college group with like 8 members or less, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.

    I was a vocal percussionist for a group and I isolated myself. Why? Well first, choreo was EXTREMELY hard to do. To do any choreography while beatboxing (especially with no mic, but still needing to project) requires a lot of energy! Additionally, choreo can throw the beat off if there is a lot of movement. I end up kinda grooving on my own, and it usually turns out okay.

    It’s extremely important for a VP-er to move though. It keeps the beat on, and it helps maintain overall energy. I’d call this post “not isolating your drummer, if you have a large group”. It can be distracting at times, when it just seems there one person hanging out on his own.

    I also need a lot of room to move my arms, hands, body, legs, feet, because I VP with my whole body, the way it should be (imitating professionals that is)

    <3Kaje

    Kaje | May 23, 2009 | Reply

  2. curiously, your last post (heartless medley video) the vp was kinda off to the side doing his own thing. Is that what drove this post?

    Kaje | May 23, 2009 | Reply

  3. I feel that the difference between having the drummer move as part of the group or remaining relatively stationary and separate, in large part creates the visual difference between a “show choir” and a “band”. I certainly don’t mean to imply that one is better than the other– only that they are different. The OP seems to favor the “show choir” look and that is a valid preference- especially in the world of collegiate a cappella. However, I look at this from the perspective of a drummer in a “band”. I mean, I am the VP for my group- but I fulfill the on-stage role of a drummer.

    1) A traditional drummer *can’t* move around the stage doing choreo. If you’ve ever seen Naturally 7, Warren (their VP) does a significant portion of the show sitting in a chair! Being visually different is a way of properly focusing attention on the different parts being performed.

    2) The drummer needs to focus on the music more than anyone else in the group. They are responsible for creating the groove that the rest of the group sings/moves to– and this is a much more important function than merely looking like everyone else. As a drummer, I’m focused on: the timing and groove of the group (collectively and *individually*), the tempo (is it locked in? is the group drifting and do I need to do something different to get them back in the groove?), the group’s dynamics and how I can enhance them, and, finally, being entertaining to watch. There’s not much room in my mind left to focus on dance moves or moving around on-stage. (insert familiar joke about a drummer’s lack of mental power)
    ________________

    Another read through the article and I was struck that Mike seems to be specifically referring to groups standing in a traditional choral formation. I would agree that, if that was the case, a drummer standing off to the side would be a distraction. However, I would also put that fairly low on the list of things to be changed at that point. =) Again, personal preference.

    KBowen | May 25, 2009 | Reply

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