how do i 'jam' with a drummer?

[BrandonBass]

ive been playin for 6months, im alrite...can play most of the muse stuff and new rhcp stuff but i still suck at improvising on the spot

so there i was jamming with this travis barker influenced guy whacking away at his drums. how i do i join in the fun? i dont know what specific notes to play to that specific beat

any tips?

[chaosMK]

When at a loss, I just match up with the kick drum on a low note and start from there. I usually have a ton of my own music that I can slip into.

If you have a few cool riffs or groovy bass lines, show up with those prepared and see if he can work off of it.

[RareBear]

Just start ripping and see if he follows you. If he doesn't, I guess you'll have to follow him in which case I recommend the first line of the above poster's advice. If the chemistry grows, you'll both give and take cues when you've beaten a groove all you can.

[BrandonBass]

oh thanks for the tip. but the problem with this drummer is he doesnt use alot of bassdrum he keeps hitting the snares and tinky tinky thing. more like a drum solo, how do i blend in to that?

[Neb Maro]

Tell him to start using his kick a bit more so you can lock in or ask him to follow you and stop being a dork?

[chaosMK]

I was checking out some of Travis Barker's stuff at drummerworld.com There isnt really much you can do when he's going all out on the snare. That's more like solo material.

If that's all your drummer does, it's like trying to play with a guitarist who all he does is shred. In which case, you need to teach him how to jam.

[Baryonyx]

Yeah, tell this drummer to get real. The best drummers keep the beat while they do the fancy stuff. If you need to sacrifice the beat of the music to add your ornamentation, you're failing.

To jam with him, as has been said, if you can't count the beat in your head to improvise over, play one note and syncrhonise it with the kick drum. Find out if it's a 4th, an 8th or whatever. For a basic jam, if it's just you and since you've only been playing 6 months, I'd maybe suggest not getting bogged down in time signtatures, rather feeling what works musically over the beat. In time, you'll develop a natural feel for what patterns will fit the beat, so to speak.

But don't stop there. If all you did was play in-sync with the kick drum, it'd be a pretty boring jam. Maybe try playing 8th notes over a quater note drum pattern for a real rock feel. Try some 16th note triplets, and when you can make them work with your drummer, start mixing notes around and be creative. Also, don't be afraid to slap. If you need a guide, try matching your thumb with the bass drum beat and and pop when he hits the snare. Alternatively, you could try a popping pattern that matches the hi-hat. That can get some really funky beats going!

All in all, I'd adivse you to ask him to slow down and play a more simple, solid beat. At 6th months you're not expected to be improvising like Jaco or Hellborg, so take it slow and have fun!

[playibanez]

whenever my drummer sees me starting to play along with him. he keeps a steady straight beat and then does fills every once and a while. and as do i so its not just a boring bass line.

so if you want to play with him. just hollar "yo keep a straight beat and lets jam a little" and if all he wants to do is solo style stuff...then i dont know what to tell you. but most of the time the kick and snare are very easy to follow.

[user101]

get a new drummer. That's what anyone would do to a guitarist who shreds through the whole song or a bassist who just keeps playing fills. So how's a drummer different?

[jsbass]

Meh, Drums are just oversized metranomes anyway

[user101]

Originally Posted by jsbass

Meh, Drums are just oversized metranomes anyway

hahaha . You're lucky this is a bassist forum!

[Joeymarshmallow]

My best friend is a drummer and I jam with him a lot, I'd say just come with some basslines made, and get him to play along with those. Then once you both have a feel for the beat and the style, start spicing things up, not necesarilly big long solos, but just start adding on to the bassline to keep it interesting. The nice thing about jamming with a drummer is that you can switch up chord progression and it won't really effect him, just make sure to keep on beat and you'll be alright.

[tZer]

now, now, now... don't try to force any other musician to do anything. In jazz, the beat is in the cymbals, so you can't say, "Tell him to use his bass drum more" just to make it easier on you.

Originally Posted by Joeymarshmallow

...Then once you both have a feel for the beat and the style, start spicing things up, not necesarilly big long solos, but just start adding on to the bassline to keep it interesting.

^^ As he said ^^
My recommendation is start very simple. Close your eyes, listen and find the "heart" of what he is doing, groove-wise. If he is all about the snare and cymbals, pay attention to the patterns he is establishing - look for consistency in how he is "tinking" on his snare.

Start to rock back and forth, physically, to find the timing. Once you have the timing and an idea of what sort of patterns the drummer is laying out, start to add some lines.

Drop a root note on every 1 (down beat) - do that for a while until you are sure you know where 1 is. That will also clue the drummer in to the fact that you are trying to sync up. He should accomodate you. You are a team - so it is in his interest to try to lock with you too.

Then when you are sure you know where 1 is, begin to evolve your line. Start adding 5ths - Octaves - in a rhythmic patter that reflects his groove (that tinky snare thing).

When you have successfully found 1 and can work some simply rhythmic phrases between the 1's - begin to evolve your lines to include more phrasing. Start to "say something". Make your phrases extend to 2 bars - the to 4. Make sure they come around and repeat, so everyone else can hear where you are going.

That is a simple plan, but it works everytime. As you get better at that your improve and phrases will get more interesting and challenging and pretty soon you will have drummer dying to jam with you because what you do makes so much sense!

The key is not trying to say everything in the first 4 bars. Let your idea grow in steady, sensible steps. Don't feel compelled to "show off" right away. You should only try to show off when you are sure you have something to say. Simply throwing a flurry of notes out there for the sake of being cool is for chumps. You are far better off locking in, making small, but sensible choices that work rhythmically with your durmmer.

[user101]

Definitely +1

now that's good advice.