I could’ve used a different drum kit sound for the different songs, as it sounds good for Pachamama, but having that drum kit for pop songs sounds a bit jarring. I was having trouble with the hi-hat on the electric kit, as it was temperamental and only worked when I hit it at certain angles, this made me use the hi-hat less than normal, and why sometimes when I am hitting it, you can’t hear it.
Pachamama went quite well, it showcases me being able to use the push while playing and shows how I re-arranged the track to make it my own. However, the intro is still a bit too long, it would sound better if it ended after one full chord progression instead of more. I went wrong the transition between the last build-up and chorus, I fixed it and got back into the song. However, it was noticeable to the audience and sounds a little bit unprofessional. The last main bit is quite poor, I struggle to keep up with the song and the fills aren’t very good. I also never played the part where the instrumental and drums cut out for 2 bars, that was a very good section and due to how I arranged it on the day, it didn’t make the cut.
Stronger went quite well, the breakdown in the second verse was a good change and fit really well. The chorus is still very weak on the drumming side of it, I couldn’t think of anything that fits better but it isn’t very interesting. The change between the different hi hats could’ve been smoother, but overall it is improved. My kick drum pattern isn’t very good in this performance, there aren’t enough variations on it to make it interesting. I changed the ending to what I wanted it to be. I am still slightly going out of time though in parts of this song. This could’ve been a lot better if I changed the drum kit sound and used drum triggering, and made my own arrangement as the song is very long for a solo performance, I cut it off early however, it would’ve been better to be able to trigger the ending so it looks and sounds more professional. However, I didn’t make any mistakes and it was a good enough performance.
Treasure went quite well, the fills do need improving as there weren’t very many of them and none of them were really that interesting. I also made the verse and chorus sound very similar as the kick and snare patterns are very similar. The hi-hat is different though between the two parts. The breakdown was quite mediocre on the drums, the snare didn’t fit that part at all and I could’ve done something much more interesting. This is probably the weakest of the three, it is the least interesting to watch as a performance. With a different drum kit sound and more work on the fills, this could’ve been a lot better, but no mistakes make it a good enough performance.
I didn’t look or interact with the audience at all either when I was playing or inbetween songs. All I did was name the next song and say hello or goodbye. This is something to work on as it will make me a better performer and keeps the audience more engaged.