Drummer Problems.

[Marc Piane]

Standards.

You are right about time and I was playing time but not more (and probably less) than if a drummer was there. The important thing is, in a drummerless setting, being aware of when you need to strictly hammer time and when you can imply time. For example the piano player that night was doing a good amount of metric modulation and polyrhythm stuff. Often the effectiveness of that stuff has to do with the rub against straight time.

As I said before, the job of keeping time ultimately falls on the bass. If things need to be held together it is the bass' job. Hopefully the bass doesn't have to make up for the rhythm problems of the other players though.

[Eli_Upright12]

Originally Posted by fingers

Standards.

You are right about time and I was playing time but not more (and probably less) than if a drummer was there. The important thing is, in a drummerless setting, being aware of when you need to strictly hammer time and when you can imply time. For example the piano player that night was doing a good amount of metric modulation and polyrhythm stuff. Often the effectiveness of that stuff has to do with the rub against straight time.

As I said before, the job of keeping time ultimately falls on the bass. If things need to be held together it is the bass' job. Hopefully the bass doesn't have to make up for the rhythm problems of the other players though.

That's cool, I guess it helps if you have the drummer you can do more rhythmic variations. Like at our last gig we played MR.PC and our piano player was doing a sort of out there McCoy Tyner-esque solo. And I was doing half note triplets to do the 2 vs 3 feel. This only worked cuz the drummer was beating straight time.

[Marc Piane]

Originally Posted by Eli_Upright12

Like at our last gig we played MR.PC and our piano player was doing a sort of out there McCoy Tyner-esque solo. And I was doing half note triplets to do the 2 vs 3 feel. This only worked cuz the drummer was beating straight time.

I just depends on the situation. Abandoning time can be really cool too as long as it is still moving forward and everyone is on the same page with when to come back accurately. You're right though that many rhythmic variations don't have the same effect if there isn't straight time to rub against. They can still be effective though, just in a different way.

Listen to Jean Michel Pilc. I think his groups are the best I've heard at doing all kinds of crazy stuff with time but with an amazing ability to move as a unit both with and against eachother.

[Eli_Upright12]

Ok to some up this story, more or less the drummer never really wanted to be part of the group, but the trumpet player egged him on and he decided to join. (with out anyone but the trumpeters consent) But being the good guy he is the drummer talked with us and left gracefully and convince the trumpet player to stay. Now are new problem is getting rehearsals in because said trumpeter values classical rehearsals and his personal practice time over anything else. We're think of just rehearsing on our own and telling him if he wants to join us he can learn the music and join us when he can "find time". Its not a good compromise, but this way we could always just play with out him if we don't think he's putting in the effort.

[Marc Piane]

I think it is funny how we make all kinds of concessions for horns but the rhythms sections has to be present and on time for every rehearsal or we get flamed.

[Eli_Upright12]

I like to think it shows where the most important instruments are. It sucks because the piano player and I sort of more our schedules to fit rehearsal instead of the other way around. I took off work on the days of our rehearsals, then I find out that the trumpet player objects to those days.