The Right Percussionist
OK, sometimes a great acoustic arrangement can be found with little practice, but usually this isn’t the case. Most bands can’t pull off spontaneity if they are working out of their comfort zone. (Jazz musicians and jam bands practice improvising!)
Drummers who only play a kit shouldn’t assume playing other percussion items is easy, either. Without practice of technique, those bongos can become monotonous at best, awfully distracting at worst.
The skill of taking a full song and stripping it down to a great acoustic performance often lies in the percussionist. For example, Ari Hest is on tour with only a drummer, Doug Youl, and these performances are amazing! A whole new canvas comes to live when Yoel plays a kit and percussion with his hands. I saw them live at the Ark last month and left inspired to the possibilities of videos.
Check out some videos of their 2011 tour:
Video 2: Sunset Over Hope Street
