Pace Setting for Sweet Emotion

Haysoochreesto · #1 04-08-2010, 10:13 AM

My ex-drummer and I played together pretty well but there were tempo issues on a couple of songs that we never got resolved.

One in particular was Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith. In every version that I've heard the opening bass line has a languid pace and then when the verse kicks in, the dynamic changes and the song speeds up--to my ear anyway. To me, it seems that the drummer should be the one to set the pace for that song after the intro, not the bass player.

What I ended up doing was hauling ass through the intro and it never sounded or felt right to me.

Thoughts?

rocknrollbandit · #2 04-08-2010, 10:17 AM

it does speed up for the verse, your drummer should have played it the right way

JimmyM · #3 04-08-2010, 11:07 AM

no, it doesn't speed up for the verse. at least not noticeably. what happens is the intensity of the playing changes from the intro to the verses, but the speed stays pretty much the same. and the bass sets the pace for the speed, not the drums. listen to it again. if it speeds up at all, it's very slight.

Double Agent · #4 04-08-2010, 11:45 AM

I agree with JimmyM.

I've played this song a million times on bass. The important thing to remember is not to confuse tempo with style. The style is loose and languid, as you say, but the tempo is fairly consistent throughout. Very little variation, if any.

When setting the tempo for any song, I try to sing a little of the either the verse or chorus in my head to get the feel right. This usually works pretty well, and it has worked great for me with this song. You could lean on the drummer to set the pace, but the band is stronger when everyone has a good sense of tempo. It is something that can definitely be learned with a little practice.

jdwinva · #5 04-08-2010, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

no, it doesn't speed up for the verse. at least not noticeably. what happens is the intensity of the playing changes from the intro to the verses, but the speed stays pretty much the same. and the bass sets the pace for the speed, not the drums. listen to it again. if it speeds up at all, it's very slight.

Jimmy is right! You just need to get the tempo in your head. Also, if the bass starts and then the drums come in you might be able to set the tempo better.

Haysoochreesto · #6 04-09-2010, 12:05 PM

Thanks... then what to do about the problem of the song sounding "slow"; not just to the drummer, but the rest of the band as well? I went back and played along with a metronome and the song. I'm really pleased with the way I play it, the way it sounds, as well as the pace.

Any faster and no matter what I do those high notes really "ping"--I don't know how else to put it. I've used a defretter and soft compression, along with my flanger and still, playing at the speed they wanted me to for that song just sounds like crap.

The new band wants to do that song too. I was never really happy with my playing on it and wanted clarification on what the issues might be. So if the speed complaint comes up I'll break out the song and the metronome for them so that it'll be more clear.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out; any other advice is appreciated.

groove pump · #7 04-09-2010, 01:06 PM

The thing that keeps the tempo of that riff under control for me is making sure that with those high notes, the G and A--A, I need to leave enough of a rest before that second A to keep it groovin'. Maybe a dotted eighth (not sure) instead of just a quick little pause or letting the note keep ringing. If that second A feels just a little behind the beat, the riff seems a lot nicer, even if I'm playing it with a little quicker tempo.