Help Me: Obnoxious Drummer

lo-end · #1 02-23-2006, 01:47 PM

We have a drummer who always plays as loud as he possibly can and it's really starting to piss me off. We ask him every time not to play so loud but he does it anyway. It's like he has no control over his dynamics, he just hits the drums as hard as possible. I play an 300 watt all-tube Ampeg SVT through an 8x10 and I turn it up until it distorts and I actually have a hard time hearing myself. He wanted to play today but I stopped playing and walked out of the room after 2 or 3 minutes cause he started playing ridiculously hard and it was hurting my ears. I don't know what to do, I always tell him to not play so loud but he does anyway.

**Vorago** · #2 02-23-2006, 01:48 PM

Gather the rest of the band and tell him he's a problem and he will be fired if he doesn't start making changes.

Hollow Man · #3 02-23-2006, 01:50 PM

Try sitting the other band members down, explain your feelings, and see if there's a concensus. If everyone tends to agree that it's too much, approach the drummer as a group and tell him that it's becoming a problem, and without being harsh or judgmental, request that he take extra care to not get too carried away.

If that doesn't work, you might have to decide if you fit with this group, or if the drummer fits with you all.

lo-end · #4 02-23-2006, 01:52 PM

Weve done that before, it's me and a guitarist that play with him. And it's not just me and this other guy that have told him that he plays too loud... it's everyone hes played with. He has no desire to play at any volume other than as loud as possible

Hollow Man · #5 02-23-2006, 01:56 PM

Then maybe you should cease playing with him. If it's not going to get any better, than either you have to learn to deal, or find someone else.

lo-end · #6 02-23-2006, 02:02 PM

Alright, I just left him a message saying "Look, I am not going to play with you anymore until you learn to control the volume of your playing."

msquared · #7 02-23-2006, 02:07 PM

Playing drums at a reasonable volume is a skill, just like playing bass with your fingers instead of a pick. Just because the guy is bashing the heck out of his kit doesn't absolutely mean he's obnoxious, although there are plenty of obnoxious drummers who refuse to learn dynamic control. If you've never played drums (and just sitting down and bashing stuff for two minutes doesn't count) then it's probably hard to understand since dynamic control on a bass is really easy. But it is a skill problem more often than it is an personal problem, regardless of what the drummer says or his attitude indicates.

The best thing you could do is to turn down. And I mean everyone. The guitars, you, the vocals, your accordian player, your flute player. Everyone. If he can't hear anyone he'll have to play softer or he won't be playing to anything.

bob r · #8 02-23-2006, 02:15 PM

We had an obnoxiously loud drummer in my last band, all the talkin in the world would'nt correct his volume. We finally had all we could take and collectively fired him, even though I have to say he was a great tallent except for the vol. issue.

lo-end · #9 02-23-2006, 02:19 PM

Actually I'm a better drummer than he is and I find it fairly easy to control my dynamics. He even plays on my personal drum set. I was kinda pissed off because he decided to take apart my double bass pedal because he "didn't like it." I asked him to put it back the way it was but he still hasn't.

Also, I play fingerstyle and with a pick and I consider it a "skill" to do both. There are a lot of picking techniques that lots of take practice to learn such as sweep picking and alternate picking and string skipping.

mike phillips · #10 02-23-2006, 02:34 PM

i feel uncordinated when i try to play with a pick.

Thunderbird91 · #11 02-24-2006, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lo-end

Actually I'm a better drummer than he is and I find it fairly easy to control my dynamics. He even plays on my personal drum set. I was kinda pissed off because he decided to take apart my double bass pedal because he "didn't like it." I asked him to put it back the way it was but he still hasn't.

Wow! I am going through the same thing now. I have a drum set, bass + amp and i am getting a guitar + amp so my house is primo for band practice. He is a nice kids but apparently my pearl double pedal isn't "springy" enough. He insists on bringing his own every practice. *sigh*

**cheezewiz** · #12 02-24-2006, 12:33 PM

Hand chop to the throat. It's the only solution.

buzzbass · #13 02-24-2006, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lo-end

Weve done that before, it's me and a guitarist that play with him. And it's not just me and this other guy that have told him that he plays too loud... it's everyone hes played with. He has no desire to play at any volume other than as loud as possible

In that case, punch him in the junk and send him on his way.

JimK · #14 02-24-2006, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

Hand chop to the throat. It's the only solution.

...or put a chart in front of him.
Works for loud guitarists.

txbasschik · #15 02-24-2006, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msquared

The best thing you could do is to turn down. And I mean everyone. The guitars, you, the vocals, your accordian player, your flute player. Everyone. If he can't hear anyone he'll have to play softer or he won't be playing to anything.

Excellent advice! Have everyone turn down, and make the drummer have to listen hard, and play softer.

I like hard-hitting drummers. Too much soft, spishy-spishy, finessed stuff annoys me. That being said...even when playing loud, you have to have some dynamics. "Loudest" is no good when its like that all the time. If the band can't hear itself, then the audience is only hearing drums, too, and that's no bueno.

Cherie

AaronS · #16 02-24-2006, 01:11 PM

I think you have the wrong rig. You obviously need an active bass > SVP-CL > Crest CA9 > two Schroeder 310212s.

This is the turning lemons into lemonade approach... a reason for more gear. I'm sure Tom Bowlus could give you some similar advice.

Philbiker · #17 02-24-2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimK

...or put a chart in front of him.
Works for loud guitarists.

LOL!!!!

whitedk57 · #18 02-24-2006, 03:50 PM

When the drummer goes to the bathroom, take a tom or snare or hi-hat and hide it. Leave a ransom note that reads "Play softer or the ... get's it!".

Disco_Gee · #19 02-24-2006, 04:01 PM

Fire him.

lo-end · #20 02-24-2006, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Schiff

I think you have the wrong rig. You obviously need an active bass > SVP-CL > Crest CA9 > two Schroeder 310212s.

This is the turning lemons into lemonade approach... a reason for more gear. I'm sure Tom Bowlus could give you some similar advice.

I like my 6550 power tubes just fine, thank you.