• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Any tips on how to be ok with bad drummer?

#82
HamOnTheCob said:
I'm not asking how to make the drummer better, how to replace him, how to tell him he's not good enough, or any of that.
Click to expand...


I just noticed you said you didn't want advice on how to make him better, just how to stay sane with the problem.

And then I gave all this advice about how to make him better.

If you want to just learn to cope with it, try the following:

1. Do some thought control where every time he does something that disturbs your peace, you replace that thought with the size of the crowds, how everyone is committed, and how nothing is perfect.

2. Reflect on your upcoming gig schedule and CD that is selling well, and how most local bands never get to the same level you guys are at.

3. Find some kind of fun way of getting the musical quality you need, perhaps by calling some other cats to come over and just play. Even music greats do that now and then.

I play with two people who are NOT at the top of the scene in our town. The drummer can't solo well, the piano player plays so sparsely sometimes our best songs don't sound right (I can think of one song that really gets me..it's my best composition but it sounds the worst because she doesn't have the right feel under it). But I get along well with them, and they are willing to go out and do non-profit work, support my volunteer activities, and play my original music. Further, if I throw corporate level work at them, we get good reviews, notwithstanding the deficiencies I see.

So, I look at the whole, not just the pieces. I have to say, this band, with these budding musicians is my favorite one right now because of all the other non-musical factors. Granted, there is some good musical stuff, and the musicians tend to want to be together, practice when we have a gig, and bring their own written music to the band. And they follow me without much question, taking whatever pay or gigs I throw their way.

Look at the whole, not the individual pieces.

I wouldn't abandon helping the guy become a better musician though. That way you can stay in the band without all this mental discipline above.
 
  • Like
Reactions: catcauphonic, Roxbororob, tekhedd and 2 others
#83
Just my 2 cents: it sounds like you are asking "how to do a good omelette with bad eggs?" you just can't, and nobody is going to benefit from that. Playing with a (technically) good drummer will help you. If he does not practice, you clearly don't have the same goals, so better moving away towards who is on your same wavelength.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HamOnTheCob
#85
There is a difference between someone who is willing to learn and takes the time to practice and someone who just skates by on whatever nominal skills they have and isn't open to change. Only an "old dog" that is willing to learn new tricks can be taught. Judging by op's post, this dog isn't willing to learn. I may be wrong, but life is too short and there are other opportunities out there that don't require OP to commit his time and effort to teach a grown man to do something he should be doing on his own. He doesn't need to feel morally obligated to get this guy to see the light, though it's certainly his choice to do so.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pcake and HamOnTheCob
#86
Fishheadjoe said:
Try recording your rehearsals and getting together as a band, no instruments (a few beers) and listening to yourselves. Tap the beat whole the songs play and point out any tempo changes etc in real time. The drummer will recognize the errors and so will the rest of the band. I would then ask the whole band what they suggest can be done to make improvements. Offer to help in any way you can, it will be up to each member to step up to the plate.
I would also get an iPad and mount it right in front of the drummers face. Have it flash tempo right at him. He'll either step up to the plate or not at which time, the band will have to make a decision.
Fishheadjoe
Click to expand...

This is not a bad idea either. Also, there are cheap metronomes with tap sync functions. You can tap along to the tempo at the beginning of the song and the metronome will take it from there. Any changes will be evident as the song goes on during playback.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HamOnTheCob
#87
I played with a drummer who was fine as long as he stuck to a straight 4/4 beat but as soon as he went into a fill he sped up unpredictably or even worse cut the fill short. I never knew when he was going to come out.

It drove me insane and I got into the habit of missing the 1 and coming in on the 2. My thinking was that it was better for one of us to be wrong than both.

When he hit the woodshed he did get better and at one stage he was (all too briefly) almost acceptable but then found a new partner and all home practice was of a different sort. Things were not helped by the fact we also had another guitarist (#2) who never did solo practice.

Guitarist #1 and I joined an ex pro drummer in a side project which rapidly became our main band and we were soon gigging regularly.

I called time on the old band when the drummer wanted us to play at his wedding. We hadn't played together for months and I was enjoying the new band way too much to go back to bad timing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HamOnTheCob
#88
I had to play with a bad drummer after getting off the road from playing with absolute pros. It sucked. What I did was made him play to a click. He hated me for 2 months, but now years later, he still comes up and thanks me for making him do it. He became a substantially better player.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HamOnTheCob
#91
I auditioned for a band with a drummer like that (he was also was the BL) and I ran away as fast as I could. Life is too short to play through gigs all stressed out waiting for the next gut cringing clam on every song.
 
#92
npbassman said:
I auditioned for a band with a drummer like that (he was also was the BL) and I ran away as fast as I could. Life is too short to play through gigs all stressed out waiting for the next gut cringing clam on every song.
Click to expand...

but what about the fact the band, for all its weaknesses, is highly successful? Does that figure into the equation at all? And it seems the bad drummer has a lot to do with it. Just curious how you or others would respond to that. The OP is not unhappy with the band as a whole, just this part of the drummers' playing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: catcauphonic and Roxbororob
#93
Fabio_MIJ said:
Just my 2 cents: it sounds like you are asking "how to do a good omelette with bad eggs?" you just can't, and nobody is going to benefit from that.
Click to expand...

But the bad omelletes are selling like good hotcakes...

I'm going to +1 everyone suggesting to take time and jam with just the drummer every week.
Just tell him you enjoy jamming with him and you want to hone your chops with a human instead of a drum machine.
Plus it will be great for the band to have an even more well oiled rhythm section.

It will be good for you both.

He gets a few more hours of practice he needs and you get a better feel of his odd timing.
You might even learn to love playing with him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Roxbororob
#94
The Beatles played well enough to build a local following in western England and Hamburg, Germany, and to get a recording contract with Parlaphone--all with Pete Best, who was promptly fired and replaced with Ringo. We all know what happened next.

Look--at this point it seems unlikely he's going to change his ways. Why should he? He's built a band that seems on an upward trajectory doing exactly what he's been doing. You certainly aren't going to change your attitude toward playing--and why should you?

So either the drummer gets fired, or your quit the band.
 
#96
I played with less than-stellar-drummers too, and I look upon it this way:

Everyone in a band is equally responsible for building the groove , keeping the tempo, and so forth, not just the drummer. And not everyone is equally good at it, like with anything else in life and work. While my drummer wasn't too good, (which he'd be the first one to admit), he was great at other things: a wonderful dude to be around, kept everyone in the band from being miserable on the road, and also did a fabulous job handling the books. In all these qualities he far outshone me, and I was so glad he covered for me there. So I was happy to return the favor and cover for him musically. The band did great, money was good, it worked.

It is still possible and perfectly OK for me to be anguished, or deeply dissatisfied musically. But that is on me, not on him or anyone else I play with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jables and catcauphonic
#100
Yango said:
Yep. Drugs too. Powerful ones.
Click to expand...

This was my first thought too, because it's funny, but I hate listening to bad music, no matter how drunk or stoned I might get.

I know the kind of drummer we're talking about here, they're quite common apparently. Tempos are not solid, and they tend to be more random last set, after the drummer takes a walk to the car. :) The groove is sometimes not present or simply wrong for the song, and no amount of pushing will fix the tempo.

My stated goal as a musician is to play music that I would want to listen to. When this can not be accomplished, I try to declare it a loss and cut emotional ties with the performance, look for other things to do. In other words, become apathetic. I try several things; sometimes they help a little I guess:

Rule 1: Always wear ear plugs even if you're not sure you'll need them, because you'll hate yourself later if you damaged your hearing over a mediocre set.

Go with the flow: focus on locking with the drummer's groove and tempo, even though it's wrong or awful and occasionally missing beats on the fills. Don't try to fix the tempo or feel, just make it work with the drummer. Sometimes this works, sometimes it turns tracks into a dirge, or runaway train. But at least the bass and drums are locked in. :)

Do everything not-musical: People watch, practice dance moves and poses, work on perfecting your tone. If the music is imperfect, let it be what it is and work on the rest of the package.

Sadly, your situation can not be fixed without violating my zero-drama-zero-tolerance rule. Perhaps it's time to bail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matthew Fisher and HamOnTheCob

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back