Check out the track I recorded recently!

[willyz]

The singer is the one writing the music, calling the shots, and asking for certain parts to be played a certain way- not me.

I'd much rather please the songwriter, paid or not, than a bunch of drummers online that rarely share their own playing. The only reason why I'm still involved in the project is because Laura is very talented, has a great voice, and a ton of potential- regardless of my views on the music and the other players.

That's it for me, fellas. Cheers.

[Julián Fernández]

I'd much rather please the songwriter, paid or not, than a bunch of drummers online that rarely share their own playing..

Wrong attitude imo. You asked for advice and when people didn´t tell how great your playing was you act like that...
Ego can be a bad adviser. People were polite and spent time giving you some feedback (Hey, it was you that posted for a "a bunch of drummers online that rarely share their own playing"), you should be thankful, not pissed...

[willyz]

...I'm not pissed at all, mate!

Feedback has been great and thought provoking, believe me. But I'd still rather walk out with the songwriter being happy!

[Julián Fernández]

I hear you man. You´re right about it... It´s all good, I wish you luck the gig!

[JerryOnDrums]

It's funny how guys will tear apart random dudes on Youtube but when someone from here actually asks for critique no one wants to say anything.
It's bad. The whole concept is wrong. She's different and the BAND isn't. I'm not blaming you as a drummer and I'm definitely not saying I can do better. I'm saying whoever is in charge of the overall vibe of the music doesn't get it.
As far as the drums go - I think you sound like a funk drummer trying to bash out a rock groove and failing. It sounds like you're forcing ideas you want to play into a song that doesn't need it. There are little timing issues all over the place, your backbeat isn't consistent and your internal dynamics are off. It sounds kinda wimpy and out of time.

Harsh as it may be, this post is spot-on. If you get a better recording of this Willy, do post it up though. Most often, rough mixes don't do a whole lot of justice.

[chris perra]

With a bit of editing.. And a mix with more than 1 mono guitar and bass with vocal. That song will be killer...
That to me is obviously a rough mix of an unfinished project...

Your only mistake here Willy is to post something that's not finished to the pickiest group of drummers you can find on the net.. If we can find something wrong with Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman, and a million other drummers we can find something wrong with your playing too haha...

Mixed properly and with a bit of editing on your drum part and the rest of the band.. The same amount that many studio guys get.. you're drum part will be great..
Lots of cool stuff going on.. Just terribly mixed so you can't hear it..

I'm sure in the end it will be killer... more guitars, some backgrounds and a mix that showcases the band more as a whole rather than a mono mix with a Celine Dion vocal mix will do it justice..

[Matthijs Ament]

'good' & 'bad' ...compared to what? This band is obviously in a different league than the band backing Sting. Being a drum teacher I always try to provide honest feedback that will encourage students/fellow musicians to improve. It's a fine line between crushing someone and shaving of raw edges. Besides, I dig it when people try something different than the most obvious thing. And that is what Willyz did IMHO. Whether it was the best thing to do or not. Maybe the harsh treatment is the reason why folks don't post stuff often. I'm not shure if that is all that great. Especially on this board where there is so much great insight and talent. my 2 cents

[bstocky]

Random thoughts -

Would you take diet advice from a fat nutritionist? Just because they're fat doesn't mean they don't know how you're supposed to eat. Do I need to be a professional quarterback to know that Jay Cutler has terrible body language? Can Simon Cowell sing?

Let's say I'm the worst drummer ever, maybe I don't even play the drums. I still know what a good drum track is when I hear it. There's no excuse for any studio recording to be out of time nowadays. Everything is recorded to a click onto a computer. You click a button and BOOM! your playing is quantized. Now maybe this demo wasn't recorded like that. Mistake number one.

Next - where is Steve and Rodge? Did they pm you their thoughts on the track? Do you think they didn't notice this thread? They'll nitpick the greatest drummers on the planet but where are they now? Steve walked out on Marco Minnemann but he'll tell you good job? That's lame. If guys are going to tear Marco, Portnoy, Lang and random Youtube guys apart they should say what they honestly think about the members of this site. Especially when people post stuff asking for criticism. Especially YOU. You want to be a professional musician. If you want to play rock/pop music you have to develop a strong, consistent backbeat.

I haven't posted my playing because I'm lazy, not because I'm worried about taking a beating. I never said I was better than you (I'm not btw) or anyone else. You asked what we thought and I told you my honest opinion, she's good, everything else is bad.

[Julián Fernández]

I disagree about making a mistake on not quantizing the drums... Why asking for feedback on a track quantized and drumagog-eg (I made that word up, sorry. Ja!).
Last year I did a sub for student of mine (who just recorded his first album with his band) and to me it was quite shocking hearing something that I knew those guys couldn´t reproduce live. Everything was over quantized to the point of perfection, every fucking note was tuned and to the grid. It was a punk rock thing and I know that the way that style sounds nowadays, but still. Quantazing should be something that producer should take in consideration, not musicians.

[Paul Marangoni]

Holy fucking shit bstocky! Are you serious? First of all NOT everything is recorded onto a computer and most definitely NOT everything is digitally corrected. Second, just because you don't like something doesn't make it "bad". Willy posted a track that is not the kind of thing I would ever listen to, and it wasn't recorded well, but that doesn't mean I need to shit all over it. And I don't recall anyone "tearing apart" Marco, Portnoy or Lang. People may say they don't like what they played on something, but that's about it. You've come into this post a number of times reiterating the same thing over and over. It's obvious you don't like the track or the playing. But now you're pissed off that more people haven't chimed in to bash it as well.

I definitely wouldn't take criticism from anyone I didn't respect as a player. I'm my own worst critic anyway. And I wouldn't take nutritional advice from someone who was malnourished.