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Band rehearsal with a metronome?

#23
Metronome is a useful tool in this situation.

Some drummers even use a form of metronome on stage.

Only musicians are going to get judgmental and snarky. Audiences won't notice the metronome if it's done right, but they will notice the consistent and appropriate tempos (if that's the goal). Choose carefully who you're trying to impress and entertain.
 
#24
Our drummer uses in ears with a metronome every practice. We don't hear it, but he's always running it. We use it live because we play to backing tracks and effects. He's straight pro. Was drum line captain in college, and is one of those drummers that does drills with his practice pad before he goes to sleep. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a rarity that he's ever off. And live it works awesome as well. Keeps him from going ahead of the beat from adrenaline, and his in ears help separate himself from our sound. He can't really tell if we're off or not due to the in ears, but it doesn't matter. He's so pro that he knows you're going to realize that YOU'RE wrong and he's the one leading. As a bassist, it's great. I can totally be separated from my guitarists and never even hear them as long as I've got my drummer in my monitor, or as long as I can turn around and see his hands and feet.
 
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#25
Sometimes a time problem perversely results from listening -- the drummer hears a singer or guitar player's cadence in a phrase and (maybe unconsciously) follows to keep the band together.

The key position is the bass. If you can feel your drummer slowing down or speeding up, you can guide him back to the groove by playing on the front or back of the beat. But he has to be listening to you and responding. This is a skill you have to build as a team. Once you and the drummer are locking, everyone else hears the time better and knows more quickly when they're walking away from it.
 
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#26
Milo Spleen said:
Yes, but any fluctuation is confusing, and we all fluctuate occasionally.
Click to expand...

Most people will push or pull a bit occasionally, and sometimes even intentionally for the entire tune or section, but the drummer should be significantly louder than the click in your ears; the only time you're really hearing the click is if the drummer drops out in a certain section and the click becomes the timekeeper, otherwise the click gets buried underneath kick and snare.

Unless, as I said, they can't really play to a click.
 
#28
abarson said:
We have a new drummer with great chops and a compatible personality, and he's working hard to come up to speed with the material we've worked out over the years. We all think he's a keeper.

Most of the time he creates a good pocket and we're set, but there are certain songs that he consistently begins to speed up somewhere midway. We stop and restart but it happens again. He gets frustrated because he doesn't notice picking it up.

Does anyone's full band rehearse with a metronome in such situations, and has it helped? Are drummers offended by even suggesting this for practice?
Click to expand...

Of course any band with any sense will use a metronome for timing issues.
 
#29
Played with a group at church for several years. The setting was not large enough to handle real drums, so the drummer was on electronics. He had problems with speeding up, particularly when coming out of fills. One night we had him run the click out of his drums and through the PA. The guitars didn't have a problem following, but he totally stressed to the point he couldn't play. We had him turn it off after seeing how down he was from being completely lost. Great guy, but his drumming was based on emotion and adrenaline. He would be a good drummer today, if he had overcome his timing problems, but it just isn't in him. That being said, I'd still play with him, knowing that I'll be reeling in a fish all night.
 
#30
Sometimes we used to rehearse with a metronome that could be heard by anyone, then we started rehearsing with just the drummer hearing the click.
Never had problems with drummers... actually most of them asked to use a click themselves. The only one who was pissed off at this request was also the worst...
 
#32
albertus said:
hard to say without hearing the rehearsal, but timekeeping is a matter of all the band. maybe your puhsing him and you don't notice. the use of a metronome will help a lot, but don't say it's his problem. assume that may be a band problem and things should be fine and no feelings will be hurt.
Click to expand...

When there's problem with timing folks usually look at the drummer... instead of a mirror.

It's just as much my job as a bassist to keep time as the drummer's. If I lay down a solid foundation it's hard to run away from. Same goes for me pulling things back when I hear acceleration. Things as simple as making eye contact or nodding your head in tempo can address that. If just the two of you get in sync the problem is usually solved. If the drummer has issues coming out of fills in time that's easy to work on. You can vamp on a groove with a fill at the end of each cycle, work with simpler fills first until they can be executed cleanly and advance from there.

The idea that you just change drummers... wow. That's a last resort, not first.
 
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#37
abarson said:
We have a new drummer with great chops and a compatible personality, and he's working hard to come up to speed with the material we've worked out over the years. We all think he's a keeper.

Most of the time he creates a good pocket and we're set, but there are certain songs that he consistently begins to speed up somewhere midway. We stop and restart but it happens again. He gets frustrated because he doesn't notice picking it up.

Does anyone's full band rehearse with a metronome in such situations, and has it helped? Are drummers offended by even suggesting this for practice?
Click to expand...
if you and him are truly locked in (i'm, of course, assuming you're the bass player) than you should be able to manually slow him down.
 
#38
in my opinion if the drummer considers himself a pro. Or a know it all , Most likely he'll take offence to sujesting he uses a metronome !

if he's accepting the fact that he has a timing issue & is willing to put his pride aside for the sake of progressing with Band & is a down to earth type of guy ..
he probably wont take offence to it!

How ever in my experienced playing Bass along a some drummers using a click track sometimes its not the same! You'll probably fix one issue but mite create another one, like a groove /feel issue!
 

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