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Hey Drummer (A Rant)
- Thread starter fishdude101101
- Start date
I'll pile on!
And please stop with the unnecessary double kick drum fills, that you can't even pull off, in songs that don't have them! It sounds like someone kicking an empty appliance box down a flight of stairs, only not as in time.
I once played with a drummer who was an insufferable Dave Weckl fan boy and would not shut up about it. Insisted that he was every bit as good as he had studied everything the guy did. We were playing a show where our opening act was a 50's style acapella group. We decided to bring them out at the end of our set to do a couple of songs with us, one of which was Rockin' Robin. Mr. I Know Everything about drums could not find a suitable beat to save his life. One of our horn players eventually kicked him off of his own kit and finished the song, much to everyone's relief, including the drummer. After a couple "I'm sure that would have stumped even Dave Weckl" jabs, we didn't hear much about him after that.
And please stop with the unnecessary double kick drum fills, that you can't even pull off, in songs that don't have them! It sounds like someone kicking an empty appliance box down a flight of stairs, only not as in time.
I once played with a drummer who was an insufferable Dave Weckl fan boy and would not shut up about it. Insisted that he was every bit as good as he had studied everything the guy did. We were playing a show where our opening act was a 50's style acapella group. We decided to bring them out at the end of our set to do a couple of songs with us, one of which was Rockin' Robin. Mr. I Know Everything about drums could not find a suitable beat to save his life. One of our horn players eventually kicked him off of his own kit and finished the song, much to everyone's relief, including the drummer. After a couple "I'm sure that would have stumped even Dave Weckl" jabs, we didn't hear much about him after that.
LOL
Hey bass player. You’re not Vic Wooten, stop trying to play every song like it’s an extended solo. Just hit the damn root on the damn one. Please stay below the 12th fret at all times, oh and nice quiver, I’m sure that $5k exotic wood 6 string fretless will be handy when muddling through a stones cover. two compressors, 3 preamps and a HPF oh my! Oh and stop looking over a me every time YOU drop a beat or start to drag in the bridge.
I've had more issues (personally) with guitarists than drummers, but I've heard/seen plenty from afar. Last group I was in had a great guitarist and flaky drummer though. That drummer sounds like quite the tool, though.
I guess I should count my lucky stars. All 3 drummers I play with are total professionals and I cannot relate to what the OP is describing. But, I already knew how great I've got it. It's one of the aspects of playing live I am most grateful for.
BS, it is objectively true that drummers overplay more than any other member of a band. In the all the gigs I played, shows I've mixed, and shows I've watched, I've seen way more overplaying on from drummers than any other instrument, by far.
Drummers are more locked into physical routines and "licks" than any other instrument and most of them need to deprogram themselves or be deprogramed by exposure to good drumming to become "good". btw, Danny Carey is pretty musical and not just about showing off chops. Dumb drummer may be. The drummer Should be the smartest guy on stage.
These guys are perhaps the worst. I had a friend in a Dead tribute band once and I mixed one of their gigs as a one-off. He asked me what I think and I told him, that while they did their thing well, it wasn't for me. His reply? "oh you must like tight bands"
True, but I'll add that in the band nobody is playing things note-for-note, but we try to have the songs resemble the recorded versions. Drummer doesn't not. He Danny Carey's everything.
Not with this guy. Instant butthurt.
some shirley do!
is that a 'high calling'? asking for a friend.
could be an IQ point issue. does he say "duh" a lot? by any chance, does he slobber on himself? asking for a different friend.
seriously, @fishdude101101, why not tell the cat to stop what he's doing?tell him what to play (e.g., "a simple groove") and move on.
good luck!
Why? Well, we've tried. Instant butthurt. Sits back there and plays a straight beat with a childish look on his face. Frankly the only reason he's still around is that its a small town drummers are not plentiful.
These guys usually make fun of anything that isn't over the top drumming but can't play a triplet-based shuffle.
Look, I'm far from the world's best bass player. But I've never had anyone ask me to change what I was playing, not get offered a spot on audition, or get booted from a band. So there's that.
No Danny Carey is great. Now I'm not a Tool fan, but I respect him. Here's the thing though, when he plays more basic stuff he doesn't overplay. Imagine that.
But his disciples are something else.
They always are, throughout history! One guy who was a good influence was Joe Morello from the Dave Brubeck band.
1-2-3-4 is sufficient.
Our genious drummer says that "counting songs off is embarrassing and very amateur"
Yet I hear the biggest acts in the world do it. And many that don't use in-ear-prompts.
If he does count it off it goes "2-3-4" because you know, he's really showing everyone something with that.
They guys whole motive for anything to show how prominently alpha he is. Just a total tool bag.
FullumMusic
Commercial User
- Oct 13, 2022
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As someone who was a Tool fan for a long time, i gotta say, Tool fans kinda ruined Tool for me. 
And before the Tool fans here get defensive, don't pretend like you don't know exactly which Tool fans i'm talking about. 
I don't understand why musicians who are bored playing the music they're playing continue to play it. Find a band you enjoy or suck it up, be professional, and play the song properly like it's your job to do, because it is.
It always trips over-playing musicians up when you ask them in all earnestness why they're playing what they're playing in the context of the song as a whole. Like, "With respect to this song we're playing, what is your goal with what you're playing on Chorus?" The number of blank stares i get from musicians who have no idea what the question even means. Like, "there needs to be a reason for what we play? I always just played whatever the hell i wanted to regardless of what the song needs!"
So many drummers seem to just repeat patterns rather than make beats-as-musical-statements in conversation with the song. (I mean, i could say the same thing about 85% of guitarists and bassists i hear too, especially when i hear the same recycled-pentatonic-riffs-as-solos, but we're talking about drummers right now.)
I think bassists and drummers who don't enjoy dancing, or don't dance, often have a hard time understanding why overplaying ruins tunes for listeners. Gotta listen with your bottom half, not your top half.
And before the Tool fans here get defensive, don't pretend like you don't know exactly which Tool fans i'm talking about. I don't understand why musicians who are bored playing the music they're playing continue to play it. Find a band you enjoy or suck it up, be professional, and play the song properly like it's your job to do, because it is.
It always trips over-playing musicians up when you ask them in all earnestness why they're playing what they're playing in the context of the song as a whole. Like, "With respect to this song we're playing, what is your goal with what you're playing on Chorus?" The number of blank stares i get from musicians who have no idea what the question even means. Like, "there needs to be a reason for what we play? I always just played whatever the hell i wanted to regardless of what the song needs!"
So many drummers seem to just repeat patterns rather than make beats-as-musical-statements in conversation with the song. (I mean, i could say the same thing about 85% of guitarists and bassists i hear too, especially when i hear the same recycled-pentatonic-riffs-as-solos, but we're talking about drummers right now.)
I think bassists and drummers who don't enjoy dancing, or don't dance, often have a hard time understanding why overplaying ruins tunes for listeners. Gotta listen with your bottom half, not your top half.
FullumMusic
Commercial User
- Oct 13, 2022
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- Audio/Music software developer, contracted with a company you've heard of and deving my own stuff.
Hence the obsession with playing like Danny Carey at the expense of the song & music. Heyo!
It’s a “get ready, I’ma fixin’ to count to 4”. I passed preschool. I can keep up, I know exactly what the 3rd and 4th numbers are after 2. Just count 4. Or better yet, 1. Or make eye contact.
When your drummer counts 1-2-1-2-3-4
Your audience assumes you would otherwise have difficulty with the math.
The couple of danceability mentions are spot on.
Had a few days recording recently with a great drummer who had a tendency to get a bit Careyesque in the wrong places and the producer handled it incredibly well. Spoke in a whole different language to our Danny and encouraged him to 'drive' the songs with the beat, to give a song 'big bones' so the rest of us can add to it...amazing results just from saying 'play the f*cking song' in a way that pumped Danny's ego rather than hurt anyones feels.
Had a few days recording recently with a great drummer who had a tendency to get a bit Careyesque in the wrong places and the producer handled it incredibly well. Spoke in a whole different language to our Danny and encouraged him to 'drive' the songs with the beat, to give a song 'big bones' so the rest of us can add to it...amazing results just from saying 'play the f*cking song' in a way that pumped Danny's ego rather than hurt anyones feels.
