Chrisso's Sound Palette, Rehearsal Thoughts and Fitness Regime.

[Chris Whitten]

For anyone who doesn't know, The World Party are basically one man; Karl Wallinger.
Karl has an amazing studio in central London. He owns an incredible, vintage Cadac recording console (1970's), which was originally installed at Wessex Studios in London and saw use on a thousand important and historic recordings (including some of the best The Clash recordings).
Karl is a bit of a workaholic-nightbird, he more or less lives at his studio and ends up writing, recording and playing all the instruments on his albums. Perhaps that's why he's only released five CD's in twenty years.  :(
He's not a bad drummer, but I think drums tend to garner less importance in his mind as he puts a track together. He has a typical non-drummer's style; light playing, somewhat loose/sloppy, although 100% for the song.
His favourite drummer is probably Ringo.
In the past though he's often used drum machines and occasionally proper drummers like myself.
So............I'm bearing all that in mind when approaching the material and deciding what gear to use.
I guess I enjoy learning from non-drummers, also experimenting and growing as a drummer myself.
So I'm not going to impose my style on Karl or The World Party songs. I will, where I see fit, attempt to modify and modernise some of his drum parts and I guess it's impossible for me to play anything without sounding like Chris Whitten anyway.
I'm hoping to achieve a broad palette of sounds. I plan to use two snare drums, swapping them as guitarists often change guitars between songs. One snare will be fat and thuddy (a Craviotto Limited Edition, 7 x 14" Birdseye Maple) and the other, snappy, cracky and contemporary (a 5 x 14" N&C Classic solid maple). I'll use Evans PC Rev Dot on both, with light to moderate, donut-ring style damping. I also plan to play rimshots (mostly) and centre head style on the snares for various songs.
I've gone out on a weirdo limb and ordered a 'new, old stock' Noble & Cooley Horizon Series kit. Sizes: 8 x 10", 9 x 12", 10 x 14" and 14 x 16" toms, all hanging (mounted), all single sided. I guess I'm just bored with the 'nice' sound of double headed toms. The bass drum is going to be 16 x 24" (double headed).
A 24" bass drum isn't generally my 'go to' size, but I do end up playing a 24 quite a lot, and as I already own two N&C 22" bass drums, I thought I'd go big this time.
Regarding the 'concert toms', I love the classic drum sounds of the 60's and 70's. I've wanted to experiment along those lines for a long time, and as Karl's material leans towards that sound anyway, I saw this as an ideal time to take the plunge. No one mention Phil Collins!  >:(
It is a leap in the dark for me. I'm getting the drum set on the afternoon of the first show!!!!
So it could all be a big mistake and a disaster. ???
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.
I'm using all DW hardware by the way.
Heads and cymbals: I think my ideas might change and develop over the rehearsal period. I'll be using Evans heads and Zildjian cymbals. I already have an idea of what I want to try, but I'll report back later on how that works out.
Karl being Karl, I ended up buying all the World Party albums to learn the songs.
Again, he's a typical front man, he emailed a list of over 40 songs he thought he might want to play.
I loaded them all on my iPod and overtime slimmed the selection down to 35 songs (by cutting out songs that don't feature drums or songs I'm hoping to persuade him not to play).
My current tack is to listen to the songs, often on a 1 1/2 hour walk I've been doing, without paying too much attention to the drumming particulars. I thought it might be more useful to assimilate the World Party vibe, rather than sit straight down to work out the drum parts and arrangements.
First rehearsal in London is still two weeks away. I have a 23+ hour flight and at least a few solo nights in hotels during which to make a few notes on the details of Karl's song selection.
I plan to note exact tempos, some arrangement particulars, as well as which snare drum approach would best suit.
With regards to the rehearsals themselves.......
Karl can be indisciplined. I think he dislikes rehearsing too. In addition, he loves spontanaeity and the edgy feeling you get from not really knowing what comes next. I'm a bit concerned, as I can see a scenario where I'll get to the first show on August 9th, not really knowing the material properly, or what Karl might throw at me mid gig.
Of course, the audience doesn't know that, so I could end up looking like a real chump.
Right now all I can do is walk into first rehearsals with a good basic grounding in his body of work.
Unfortunately, I have no clue as to the live arrangements, extended outro's, intro and endings the band has worked up over the years. I'm the only 'new boy'. The rest of the band have been with Karl for at least 5 -10 years. Half of them are on the road with him now, touring a kind of unplugged show around America in advance of the full band tour.
More to come.........

  :)

[byronand]

I really appreciate your taking the time to share all of these details about working at this level!

I think your idea to assimilate the World Party vibe, rather than getting into specific drum parts at this point is right on.

I shuddered slightly when I read that the rest of the band has been together for 5 to 10 years, and you're the only new player -- I'd be totally intimidated!

But then I thought they will all probably really enjoy a fresh new feel! My guess is that it will be easy for you to lock-in with players who know the material cold; and it will be fun for them to hear the CW groove!  :)

[Chris Whitten]

To be honest, I was regularly in much more pressure situations in my 1980's heyday.
I've known Karl for 23 years. The music is very straightforward, the arrangements (at least on his albums) are pretty simple. If I sound horrible at the rehearsals......and we all agree that I'm holding the band back, I'll happily choose the exit.
This gig isn't going to make or break my career.
That isn't to say I'm not treating it with respect and looking forward to the adventures and challenges ahead.
I would be intimidated if I didn't know anyone involved, didn't know the material and the tour was longer and receiving much more critical analysis. World Party fans are just happy to see the return of the band. I don't think Karl has toured for well over 5 years.

[felix]

That's awesome you are sharing with us Chrisso. 

Perfectly perfect set choice

[jb78]

I love hearing this stuff - please keep it coming.

And I think your decision to do one-headed toms is FANTASTIC. 

[Chris Whitten]

Yeah, you don't have to play 'em.  ;)

[Tony]

A glimpse into this pre-tour process is as valuable as a lesson in any technique clinic.  Thanks for posting, its really great of you to take time to share your routines and thoughts on this level of preperation. 

Ironically enough, I'm listening to your playing on the Dire Straits live album.  I just finished importing it to my IPod, because I wanted to convince my cover band to add "Romeo and Juliet", which happens to be one of my wife's favorite songs.  The bonus was I had no idea that was the record you appeared on!

[Chris Whitten]

Tricky song to play 'Romeo & Juliet'.

I guess I should say, all my plans and preperations could change dramatically once I start rehearsals.
I have no idea what the band are like in live performance, or what they expect from me.
During rehearsals I'm 'borrowing' some of Karl's drums. Typically they are fairly beat up with years old heads.
I think he only uses two toms, so I'll be playing songs imagining what I will do differentlywith the four tom set up I have waiting in Vancouver.
Like I say, my biggest fear is that the band will spend most of two weeks making cups of tea, laughing and joking and making cell phone calls. I've been there before!
:-\

[byronand]

Cups of tea, laughing and joking sounds like a nice way to start a World Party!  :)

Regarding your earlier comment about pressure situations: I can barely imagine auditioning for Paul McCartney (Yikes!), then getting the gig and doing the tour. That must've been huge pressure, huh? It must've been amazing!

Back to World Party... I'd be interested to know... are you writing-out any of the breaks or changes, intros or endings? Or are you memorizing everything?

[Chris Whitten]

A few words on the topic of health.

Until 1987 I mostly played 'alt/rock' with bands like The Waterboys and Julian Cope.
Their live shows were often limited to one hour or just over.
When I rehearsed for the McCartney tour, we worked up a set of 2 to 2.5 hours in length.
I had no idea of the shows intensity until we played the first time (Oslo, September 1989).
Macca gave it his all. I was mucho impressed at his commitment and automatically followed suit.
During the first week of the 10 month tour you could have scraped me off the floor at the end of every show.
It continued in the same vein and I had to learn how to pace myself through the two and a half hours.
On top of that, Paul had a love for jamming at soundcheck. Soundchecks often dragged on for a couple of hours.
If I seemed like I was slacking, I would get the death stare. In addition, if there was any human-being in the vacinity (like arena security, cleaners, popcorn salespeople) Paul, being the ultimate showman, turned a soundcheck in to performance itself. So I quickly found myself regularly performing 2 x two hour shows a night. Sometimes my drumtech was compelled to change drumheads between soundcheck and gig! Crazy.  ::)
Jumping ahead to Dire Straits, a similar pattern emerged. Knopfler didn't particularly care for soundchecks, but the 2.5 hour show was a serious physical workout. For example, the most often played encore (Telegraph Rd) usually lasted 15 minutes with extended guitar solo's etc.
A final consideration......
This level of band (Macca/Straits) are surrounded by senior industry figures. The concert promoters were the A list, used to scheduling Olympic opening ceremonies, Live Aid, Pavarotti concerts and Stones tours. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Alan Jackson, Paul Simon, Jack Nicholson would be hanging round the dressing rooms backstage.
I don't seek to drop names, but I'm saying you don't want to become the weak link on an event of that nature.
Staying fit and healthy quickly became a necessity, as well as a reality.
I was aware tickets for McCartney shows were changing hands for $2000+ too.
If you have a steaming hangover, a raging temperature, or have just fallen off a mountain bike and smashed your face in, the show must go on.
Keyboard player Wix picked up food poisoning during one McCartney US leg. He performed on stage for a week with a bucket to one side of his rig. He was throwing up (and worse) several times during the show and had to have a saline drip connected one night due to extreme dehydration.
So, like I said earlier on The Cafe, partying is a luxury, not a given.
I expect things to be much more relaxed on the World Party tour. I'm assuming a much shorter show, possibly back to the one hour norm. The only VIP's I expect to see are Drummer Cafe VIP's. ;)
My only worry is the bus accommodation. I've only done a bus tour once before and probably managed a few hours sleep a night. I was younger then too, these days my body requires a longer recovery time.
I suffered a back twinge a few months ago. The prescribed treatment was lots of physiotherapy and lots of mobility.
So I took to walking the coastal path near my home. It takes about 1.5 hours and is very relaxing and rejuvenating.
I watch the surfers and have seen pods of dolphins playing in the breaks.
As mentioned before, I also use it as World Party research time.
So to sum up.
For a musician like myself who plays in a fully commited style, I prescribe an athletes lifestyle.
I can't do anything about the travelling hours, late nights, occasional personal injury, or infection from colds and influenza. All I can do is try to protect myself and prepare for the inevitable break down with lots of rest, healthy diet and fluid intake in the form of H2O.
Incidentally, I've never had an alcohol issue, never taken drugs and only smoked second-hand style.
Finally to two drumming health issues.
My hearing started to deteriorate during the Dire Straits tour.
The sound levels were extreme, mostly out of my control and it was in the days before the internet (and information) and before useable ear protection systems.
After doing plenty of research recently (thanks Cafe members), I've opted for Etymotic -20db Musicians Earplugs.
One company I contacted recommended In-Ear Monitors, but given my slight ear damage and tinnitus, I just couldn't accept putting a live-sound monitoring system right in my ear.
I have no idea how I will cope with these 'ear defenders'. I know several respected musicians who cope very well, but I can only hope the transition from normal ears to -20db ears will be smooth and uneventful.
I used to suffer horrendous blisters on McCartney and Straits.
I've rarely played over the last few years and I have no practice space of my own. Result: my hands are as soft as a baby's bottom.  ;) ;D
I have a two week rehearsal period to put some toughness back into them, but I fully expect to be suffering again, at least over the first half of the tour. Again, the presumed shorter nature of the setlist might help me avoid the worst.
CW  :)

[Chris Whitten]

I can barely imagine auditioning for Paul McCartney (Yikes!), then getting the gig and doing the tour. That must've been huge pressure, huh?

They weren't really audtions as such. Also, McCartney aides played their cards close to their chest. There was no mention of an album, certainly no talk of touring for many months after I first played with Paul.
In fact, Paul would not commit to the concept of touring until several months after the album we recorded was completed.
Regarding the 'auditions', I was phoned out of the blue and asked if I wanted to 'jam' with McCartney one afternoon.
Macca's stated aim was to break free of recording schedules and well known session musicians and just have fun playing his favourite songs - all 1950's and 60's Rock n Roll (Elvis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly etc).
Over the course of summer 1987, his management scheduled many 'jams' utilising combinations of younger or unsung musicians from all levels of the UK scene.
My proudest moment was ultimately realising I was the only musician selected to join Paul for his next album. Hamish Stuart (ex Average White Band) was eventually invited over from Los Angeles to complete the trio, and the three of us spent a year making Paul's 'Flowers In The Dirt' record.

Back to World Party... I'd be interested to know... are you writing-out any of the breaks or changes, intros or endings? Or are you memorizing everything?

It's been more than ten years since I sat down to learn any artists songbook. My favoured approach was always to learn by ear, as it's scary to be too reliant on notes, especially with a limited rehearsal period.
Historically, I've not been too bad at quickly digesting drum parts and arrangement details. The difficult part for me is linking those pieces of information to a song title. Very often in rehearsal I have to ask for a clue as to how the intro goes for example, then all the other pieces of the jigsaw slip in to place.
The nightmare scenario is glancing down at the set list on a real gig and thinking 'so how does Ship Of Fools start again?'.   :-[
Unfortunately, unless you feel confident at the end of the rehearsal period, there is no way of knowing if your mind will go blank, until you are actually in the pressure situation.
Tours on the level of McCartney and Dire Straits, include a production period (adding the actual stage, PA and lights), plus often the odd 'warm up' gig at smaller venues, giving you plenty of opportunity to get through any screw ups that might occur when the heat is on.

[Todd Norris]

FANTASTIC thread Chris!  Thanks so much for sharing all of this "behind the scenes" stuff that most of us amateurs just can't fathom.  Keep it coming! 

[JeepnDrummer]

Historically, I've not been too bad at quickly digesting drum parts and arrangement details. The difficult part for me is linking those pieces of information to a song title. Very often in rehearsal I have to ask for a clue as to how the intro goes for example, then all the other pieces of the jigsaw slip in to place.

Funny, I approach it the same way and completely relate to that "difficult part."  Over the past 12 years I've had to learn a gazillion new songs--nothing too complicated mind you--but we never played 95% of them enough for me to remember the song based on the title.  And I have had a few of those blank moments....rather embarrassing.  :-[

[Dead Trooper]

Another version of the song title problem is when you're writing and arranging the material with the band, and the songs are referred to as "the slow one", etc. I never learned the proper names for any of my band's songs, to the point I don't use the setlists, as it becomes the guessing game ("is this song the slow one?").

Great threat, BTW, keep the awesome info coming man. Super interesting stuff.

[byronand]

Thanks again for all of the background comments; it's really interesting!

I happen to have every Beatle record in both CDs, as well as the original vinyl LPs. But I own only TWO McCartney CDs: Paul's first post-Beatle recording "McCartney" and the CD "Flowers In The Dirt" -- the drumming on that record will sound great a hundred years from now! Nice goin'!

I've also suffered a back "twinge"/strain... that can REALLY hurt, and last for weeks! If possible, you might want to carry a cold gel ice pack; just keep it in the freezer and ice-down any inflammation... reusable indefinitely, and no wet, messy ice packs!

I applaud your willingness to do a long, x-country bus tour. It's not easy to give-up the comforts of home. Hopefully the shows and the sights along the way will make it worthwhile, and a memorable Summer.  :)

[KevinD]

Chris,

I echo other's sentiments in that I find this a fascinating inside look into how the real pros do things.

Thank you for sharing!

I hope to see you on 9/9

Kevin

[Chris Whitten]

OK guys, I spent my last day of freedom.......in hospital.
Yesterday I was burning CD's and I used my teeth to remove the plastic wrapper on a box of blanks. I had a piece of plastic in my mouth for only a couple of seconds before I hiccuped and felt it shoot to the back of my throat.
I wasn't choking or anything, so I slept on it, but this morning my throat felt weird so off to ER we went.
I had lots of scopes and cameras shoved down my throat. The end result after 9 hours? They couldn't find anything.
The last doctor I saw, said there was a scratch from the plastic shard which is probably what I was feeling.
So, I've just packed my bags in a panic, I'm now sending a few emails, then off to bed. My flight departs at 11am tomorrow morning.
At this point there'll be a pause in my diary.
I'll try to pick up once I find my bearings in London.
I'll also try to update this diary once the rehearsal process starts and continue through the tour.
See y'all soon.  :) :) :) 8)

[felix]

Sorry about your hospital drama- I hate those places.

I am sooooooo jealous, London- then a long tour with a new N&C set?  Man, you got it made.

An inspiration to us day job walking dead.  Safe journeys, hope to say hi in Cleveland.

Peace.
W.H.

[Chris Whitten]

See you at the home of the Hall Of Fame.  8)

[Dave Heim]

And lets try not to visit too many hospitals while on tour!