What do I do here?

[jamersonhopeful]

Fire them. Duh. Don't reply with that unless you give some compelling reasons.

Here's the situation:

We have had songs that were asked to be learned by everyone. We gave them CD's, helped with any chords/breaks they didn't understand, and rehearse if they have questions.

3 of us know our stuff, and have almost literally never been corrected by each other or the other 3.

The other 3 say that they're "close enough", or that they need us to literally write sheet music so that they can follow along with the CD. (Literally write sheet music) Or that they need more time. (it's been over a month already)

We can't get rid of them mostly because we would be set backwards as a band due to having to try someone out, then have them learn the stuff. It takes forever to find anyone to just try out, so it would be like another month. I like the guitar player, too, and I think he can improve but just doesn't see it yet.

How can I show that they're really slow and not a good fit for this band, or need to "step it up" more than they are?

I've already stated that we should be a lot farther along than we are, but it just gets blown off as "oh you just don't like them" and "you need to address your own faults before attacking others," etc. etc.

I do like the guitar guy and think he just needs a little motivation, but the drummer just isn't pulling his load at all. Recording practice doesn't work because they all say "See, we sound great!"

Any tips on how to show the lacking ones and the whole band that we need to be farther along?

[SteveC]

Sorry, but you need new people.

You can't make someone practice or want it more. They are doing all they feel they need/want to. If you want more, you need to find people who are willing to give on your level.

[kevteop]

People are like that. Half the people do the work, and the other half tag along for the ride and get away with it. Your band is totally normal.

[Slater]

Originally Posted by jamersonhopeful

We can't get rid of them mostly because we would be set backwards as a band due to having to try someone out, then have them learn the stuff.

What's the difference if they're not learning the material anyway?

Originally Posted by jamersonhopeful

It takes forever to find anyone to just try out, so it would be like another month.

Not a whole month!

IMO, you'll be further along in the long-run if you find some people that are more on the "same page" as you...

[topper]

Happiness in these situations comes from lowered expectations.

You'll kill yourself (and the band) trying to push these guys. You could fire them and hire new guys and chances are you'll run into exactly the same thing.

If they feel the performance is "good enough", you need to decide whether you can accept that too. If not, the solution is not to try and push them or make them see they suck (they probably don't) but to move on yourself.

No band or person is perfect. You have to decide if on balance you're happier in the band or out of it.

[gismo]

Finding new people, especially the right ones, can be a frustrating venture.

Recently, we had to find a new drummer and it took less than a month. We considered ourselves lucky; he's coming along nicely.

The lead guitarist, vocalist, and myself have decided to keep moving forward with learning new songs.
There is one particular person in our band who has been falling behind and it's become really bothersome.
We figure, he'll bury himself. If he can't keep up, he'll either shape up or kick himself out of the band. Keep moving forward with the ones that you work well with.

[1954bassman]

Every band personel line-up brings its own set of situations. My main band right now doesn't have your problem, and the talent level puts me squarely at the bottom. We know our songs - very tight. If we have a problem, its boredrum with our set list, and finding time to practice with everybody there. We just lost our dobro player, and I think he mainly quit because he was tired of our songs.

To clarify, you will most likely always have a 'thorn in the flesh' in some aspect of your group - just try to decide if you can brush off this 'problem' and live with it.

Mark

[palm grease]

whats your rush?
originals? assuming so...did you write them in a month? or have you been working out kinks for years?
what do the songs have to do with the artistry of your new band mates?


nothing worse then working with a project and having that one guy crying about "why doesnt everybody want to play my music???"

if these were my tunes i'd want guys taking as long as they want in order to find their voice in the tune and a result that will please the entire project and a crowd to boot.

maybe your songs suck?
maybe your guys suck?
how much did Warner Bros. give you?

whats the rush? where ya goin? are your fingers gonna fall off?


and lastly...how much are you paying your artists to learn your music?

i dont mean to sound harsh...but you dont seem like the kind of guy i'd like to write with... on the other hand, a cover band might be more your thing... instant gratification and all...

sorry to harsh the mellow!

[wingnut]

If they truely want to improve, or if you really want to keep them, you're going to have to have little practice sessions that are one on one. This way they can see the problems and try to fix them without being "put on the spot" in front of other members. You may even find that the other three hear something totally different than you do. Once in a past band we had a guitar that kept hitting a "C" during a particular passage. It was driving us nuts! So I went to his house the next day to help him out. He played the CD so we could play along with it to point out where the "C" didn't belong. You guessed it, the "C" was there! For some reason the stereo in the practice room either didn't project it clear enough, or as it was playing everyone was always playing too and we just flat missed it (probably the latter) but what an eye opener!

[scottbass]

A while ago there was a band that was one of the five most popular bands in their country. Not in their city, in their country. Even so, they thought their drummer was holding them back and they did something about it. They didn't try to motivate him, they replaced him with another drummer who was solid but less flashy. The new drummer always put in the extra effort to keep up with the other guys, all of whom were considered by most everyone to be more talented musicians than the drummer.

I agree with the other opinions expressed here. You have three choices:

(1) Leave the band. Find a new band or go solo.

(2) Agree with the high-achievers to get rid of the low-achievers. You may get lucky and find high-achieving replacements for them right away, or it may take several cycles.

(3) Accept things the way they are and quit trying to motivate those who can not be motivated.

Me and Ringo vote for (2). YMMV

[mattsk42]

Sounds a lot like my band. I would go with 2 if you can. Although, I don't have any specific tips on HOW to do this, maybe someone else can help?

[stretch80]

I want to disagree with one aspect of what many folks have been saying: It is possible to help someone improve, and to get motivated on a better track, if they are ready to hear it. It's also possible that nothing you can do will motivate someone else.

It sounds like you think you might be able to help your guitarist. I say give it a shot -- working with him independently so it's not a band thing -- help him see how good he can be, and if the two of you click, and he wants to go there, then you've got another high-achiever. If not, you'll know it's not going to happen.

Now that I've said that, what I aim for myself is to play with good musicians who have their own thing, and not try to control things too much. It may not be exactly what I would do on my own, but hey, it might be better, too. That works if you've got good players.