Originally Posted By: Planobilly
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There are many good reasons for band members to play several instruments. <...>


Billy

Most definitely.

You don't really understand an instrument, until you learn how to play it.

Once you do, you know that instrument's place (or its job, if you will) and how it should fit with the rest of the band. That also lets you know how best to interact with it while playing your preferred instrument.

My primary instrument is saxophone/wind synthesizer, my secondary is vocals. I can double on flute, drums, guitar, bass, and some keyboards, but I wouldn't audition for a gig playing these as my primary. However, I did play bass as my main for a while, when nobody was hiring sax players, including a gig for Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon.

I find that my time on drums, guitar, bass, and keyboards immensely helps my sax/windsynth playing. The opposite is also true, knowing how play sax/windsynth helps me play the other instruments better.

Many musicians have no idea of what the drummer is doing. They don't know the difference between a single stroke roll or a double stroke roll or the difference between a flam, paradiddle, ratamacue or any of the others.

In addition, The drummer also sets the groove. He/she is king of the recording section, and all other instruments need to fall into the groove and either sync with it or complement it.

For that reason, when I make backing tracks for my duo, or styles for Band-in-a-Box, I start by recording a drum part. It might be just the basic beat, and I might add the rolls, fills and other parts later, but without the groove, the band isn't tight.

It's also the reason I don't like to substitute 'real drums' with my MIDI styles. My bass and drum parts are synced together to the microsecond. No two grooves are exactly the same. So subbing another drum part with a different groove just makes for a sloppy, non-cohesive sounding rhythm section.

Knowing multiple instruments also enhances my listening to music experience.

You probably know how when you listen to a great player playing something really cool on your primary instrument, it gives you a little thrill. "Man! That was great!"

Since I know how to play drums, I can hear someone like Bernard Purdie or Ginger Baker do something cool and really appreciate it.

Same for the bass playing of John Paul Jones, James Jamerson or Paul McCartney.

Or the guitar playing of Jeff Beck or Jim Hall.

Or the vocals of Mark Murphy or Aretha Franklin.

And so on.

There is so much wonderful music, both old and young out there, that there is more than a lifetime of thrills.

Notes ♫

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
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