Is it my totally my job to be the freakin metronome?

Back'N'Black · #1 01-04-2010, 06:45 PM

I'm in my first band, the drummer drifts a lot if I dont play constant 8ths. If I play a quarter or some part of a third he drifts instantly. He has been playing less then a year... He likes my cab up next to him. Dude I have been serious about bass a few monthes. Is it my job to keep him in time? I know I am being a little picky from years of working on stuff with a drum machine but.... I thought the drummer was the time keeper. I thought I was supposed to lock into him, no, he locks into me.

pasta4lnch · #2 01-04-2010, 06:47 PM

It sucks playing w/ a drummer who cant keep time! I've been spoiled in one of the bands I'm in to play w/ a drummer that can be eating a sandwich, talking and texting while playing and keep awesome time . . .

goldenglory18 · #3 01-04-2010, 06:48 PM

he is a new drummer....that's fairly common.

either give him some time, or find a new drummer to play with. there is no shame in that.....

HogieWan · #4 01-04-2010, 06:50 PM

bassists should always control tempo - drummers control dynamics

AgIdoc · #5 01-04-2010, 06:51 PM

yer right, he is wrong.

while a bassist's SECONDARY job is providing a beat, his/her PRIMARY job is to usually provide the low note of the chord.

the drummer, however, has UNO job: the rhythm.

AgIdoc · #6 01-04-2010, 06:54 PM

huh, i see there are opposing views here (Hogie). hey! i might be wrong! i admit that was just my opinion...not based in musical training or anything.

i know this: our drummer INCESSANTLY speeds up. incessantly, and he doesnt know he's doing it...and despite me trying to literally drag him into keeping the same beat: he cant. praise teams are difficult like that sometimes

Ozonbass · #7 01-04-2010, 06:54 PM

They need more of those "Everybody follows the bass player" bumper stickers in the TB store.

Back'N'Black · #8 01-04-2010, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldenglory18

he is a new drummer....that's fairly common.

either give him some time, or find a new drummer to play with. there is no shame in that.....

I'm a new bass player!!! I like him so I guess I'll put up with it for a while and suggest a metronome earpiece. Its driving me nuts though. Everythings perfect as long as I'm doing eighths. I guess in this band I'm totally responsible for staying in time.

unbridled · #9 01-04-2010, 06:56 PM

If he knows it's a problem too, you might try running that drum machine through the PA or your rig at the next couple rehearsals. Just set it so it gives you a good beat with an emphasis on the 1.

standupright · #10 01-04-2010, 06:56 PM

It's everyone's job to keep the tempo.

BassZilla5 · #11 01-04-2010, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Back'N'Black

I'm in my first band, ... Is it my job to keep him in time? ... I thought the drummer was the time keeper. I thought I was supposed to lock into him, no, he locks into me.

The two of you are a team - your'e the rhythm section. It's both of your job... That said, I have played with experienced drummers that can't keep time with a watch. But you guys are new, so give him a chance. Tell him he needs to practice with a metrodome and maybe even take some time for just the two of you to practice without the rest of the band to work on your chops.

bassybeenz · #12 01-04-2010, 07:04 PM

my personal opinion is that the music should breathe, to me part of that means minute slow down, speed up in sections for effect, but if he is just plain losing track of the beat and falling out of meter, maybe try being abit simpler for a month of solid jamming untill he gets a little more confident with holding down the rhythm on his own, it almsot sounds like hes waiting for you to provide the beat.

Mooch · #13 01-04-2010, 07:05 PM

In my experience drummers while no one is perfect some drummers just can't hear themselves and everything else at the same time. I guess by hear I mean listen and then figure out their place in songs.

I have been around drummers too that are to busy trying to do fills and cymbol dynamics to just keep a root beat going. If he has trouble just being simple and playing a simple beat I would look elsewhere.

Oh ya I don't think this post belongs in the "bass" section.

Mooch

Back'N'Black · #14 01-04-2010, 07:06 PM

I put up a thread recently about Enter Sandman and Speedsolve was kind enough to post a link for the bass master off of that, by Jason Newsted. I gotta tell you Jason is sloppy. It works but he is in no way shape or form the time keeper. Jason is all over the place.

David1234 · #15 01-04-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HogieWan

bassists should always control tempo - drummers control dynamics

Not really ... I think this only really applies in swing and a few other jazz forms, not at all in pop, where you simply can't keep somebody's 8th notes in time when you're playing a 2 bar rest or a sustaining a 1-bar-long note.

In various popular music styles (rock, pop, funk, gospel etc) everybody's job to keep good time, but the responsibility mostly lies with the drummer. IMO the bassist is the drummer's deputy timekeeper and they're meant to be so locked in that everyone else can follow them.

So to the OP - you and your drummer need to talk about this, and even practise keeping time together. It's important, so you might as well make up some exercises like play a bar of 8ths while he plays nothing and the next bar he plays 8ths and you play nothing, and see what happens to the tempo. Then try doing the same thing but with a metronome playing half notes, try and stay in time.

Invest in each other - it's worth it.

tdogg · #16 01-04-2010, 07:13 PM

is keeping time the bass players job? depends on the music. but normally i would say that the bass player and the drummer share the timekeeping responsibilites 50/50.
+1 to getting him to practice with a metronome
+1 to having some bassplayer/drummer quality time
+1 to moving this thread to the appropriate section

father of fires · #17 01-04-2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HogieWan

bassists should always control tempo - drummers control dynamics

Amen.

I was once told that the bassist keeps time and the drummer makes it swing. I don't believe this is how it has to be all the time but, a lot of my style is based on that philosophy.

You should be able to play with the time and feel without your drummer getting lost. You can still keep time while playing with space.

CharlieDog · #18 01-04-2010, 07:13 PM

Is this that band that prides itself on being super loud?

Billnc · #19 01-04-2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by standupright

It's everyone's job to keep the tempo.

This.^

I was at a drum clinic (sometimes I try to figure out how thos guys think) and the guy giving the clinic asked who was the rythm section. I answered "The entire band" If a beat is agreed on everyone will be on it, singers, soloists and everyone else needs to be locked in rythmically or it's not happening. It can be Rolling Stones loose or Tower of Power tight, but everyone has to agree.

jpfbass · #20 01-04-2010, 07:18 PM

The drummer is the time keeper no matter what. I thought that was universally recognized, considering drums are a solely rhythmic instrument, meaning they can't play melodic ideas at all. Bass, obviously, is a melodic instrument, so the bassist should be the timekeeper. I've always thought of it like bass is in the middle of the spectrum in most music. The guitar is at one end because guitarists almost always provide the melody to the sound. Drums are at the other end, providing rhythm and keeping time. However, bass is in the middle of the spectrum because it is playing a little bit of melody (it has to in order to harmonize the guitar), but at the same time it's keeping time by playing a line that is easily countable.

EDIT: Clearly there are a ton of exceptions to this. Some one like Neil Pert can play melodies on the drums, while people like Micheal Manring are playing solely melodic music on the bass. Same goes for different genres of music.