How do you approach members that overplay

[blubass]

I'll preface this with a few things. This is a band that plays originals. The parts are open to interpretation from the individual members.

99% of the music is radio rock. The band was formed with the intention of recording an album and touring. It should be radio accessible (as agreed upon).

The lead guitarist and drummer both understand the direction of the band and play the parts with ease, but they never seem satisfied and are always adding something. Maybe a triplet here or there, accelerated strumming or palm-muting, or a measure of double kick where it really isn't appropriate.

Yesterday the drummer texts us, "I've been thinking of a drum fill to spice 'The Girls Got Me' up a little. Its in the middle of the double kick part. Once I get back, I'm going to test it out and hopefully have time to record it".

For me, this is the point to have a band meeting and reassess the goals and priorities of the band, as well as reaffirm what style of music we are playing.

We all have a metal background and it seems two of them have a pension to make every track as heavy as we'll collectively let them get away with.

I know how I'm going to handle it, but how would you guys approach this situation?

 

[pcake]

most likely i'd end up leaving the band, as people who are continually adding embellishments tend to ruin a song but in my personal experience also don't want to hear from anyone that those extras are overpowering the songs. been there several times, always tried to calmly, nicely address the issue with very poor results. have friends who have been there, as well - some people are more interested in adding and changing than it making each song sound its best. if it was a band i was very attached to, i'd get a producer or someone to critique the music. assuming he agreed with my assessment that the songs were too busy with extra bits of business, it would be up to the other band members how they chose to deal with it.

 

[hondo4life]

Get someone to produce your album and see how much embellishment your guys can get away with.

 

[Runnerman]

Tell them and be open about it. Most people in my experience will listen. Several times I have been told myself that less would be more in a passage and I'm glad that I listened and even gladder that we had a relationship where they could feel open and tell me. It's all in how you communicate it.

 

[Biggbass]

The parts are open to interpretation from the individual members.


Other than control issues, I'm not seeing any big problem. Sometimes it take a while to
iron out a part and experimentation is part of the process.

 

[lfmn16]

I'd fire the drummer and rage quit!

Seriously, there are two options - put up with it, or talk to them. I've actually simplified many of the baselines in the band I'm in. I thought their previous bass player was too busy and the songs just didn't breathe. The band loves the changes. Not every band gets that music needs to breathe and that if you don't have some simple parts, the complex parts don't really stand out; it just becomes a wall of noise.

 

[RoadRanger]

... and that is why they fired Pete and hired Ringo. But nobody wants that kind of "sell out" success, right?

 

[RoadRanger]

Oh, and one on my drummers (a younger guy, originals project) needed toning down so we took his double kick pedal away - and took his high-hat adjustment screw away for a while so that it stayed closed. A couple months later he really came through in the studio .

 

[blubass]

The parts are open to interpretation from the individual members.


Other than control issues, I'm not seeing any big problem. Sometimes it take a while to
iron out a part and experimentation is part of the process.

The problem is somewhere within playing enough for the music, or adding excessively out of being bored that the part being played is "too easy".

Blast beats can be placed in a blues song, along with chugging palm muting and pinch harmonics. Especially one being written and open to interpretation. Is it acceptable?

Thanks for the replies so far, It's nice to see a different perspective on this. I'm still ironing out details on how to go about this.

The producer comments are pretty clever, the drummer in particular had this issue in another band, he and the producer butt heads pretty bad. So much so, in fact, the producer called one of the other band members and said more or less, " I don't mind recording your demo, but I don't have a lot of time so I don't want to argue over drum parts"

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

... and that is why they fired Pete and hired Ringo. But nobody wants that kind of "sell out" success, right?

They fired Pete because George Martin said he couldn't keep a beat and if they wanted to record, they need to replace him. So, in reality, you could say George, Paul, and John were all sell outs.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

The problem is somewhere within playing enough for the music, or adding excessively out of being bored that the part being played is "too easy".

Blast beats can be placed in a blues song, along with chugging palm muting and pinch harmonics. Especially one being written and open to interpretation. Is it acceptable?

Thanks for the replies so far, It's nice to see a different perspective on this. I'm still ironing out details on how to go about this.

The producer comments are pretty clever, the drummer in particular had this issue in another band, he and the producer butted heads pretty bad. So much so, in fact, the producer called one of the other band members and said more or less, " I don't mind recording your demo, but I don't have a lot of time so I don't want to argue over drum parts"

Then get a producer and tell the drummer to do it like the producer wants it without argument or pack your kit and find another band.

 

[bikeplate]

Find new ones that don't

 

[RoadRanger]

OTOH I've had to slap myself on occasion when I find I'm getting boored and overplaying .

 

[obimark]

Is this primarily a "recording" project? If so, how many records have you sold? Will record sales go down from this overplaying or will you lose your management deal?

 

[electracoyote]

I believe that all bands, cover or original, benefit from one individual having the responsibilities and authority of a Music Director. If that's too formal for the uber-sensitive corporate title haters, dispatch with the title and formality, but put someone in charge nonetheless.

There is often one person in the band (or close to the band, such as a producer) who has an idea of what version of the final product would sound best. Trusting this individual, and their instincts, can keep parts from being over- OR under-played. An "arrangement," and an "arranger," are not of the devil, and lack of a designated arranger/MD to whom the others acquiesce often devolves into endless debate, a huge waste of time and emotion, and (the worst part) a sub-standard product largely due to egos and stubbornness.

Virtually every great band who tracked great music that I've ever heard had someone helping shape the output and making big decisions about the overall arrangement.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't. I used to but it falls on deaf ears.

 

[Callused Finger]

Just record a lot and play back often. Can't tell you how many times I thought something would sound "good" only to play it back and immediately trash the idea.

 

[two fingers]

Get someone to produce your album and see how much embellishment your guys can get away with.

This.

 

[DavC]

just 'showing off' for the sake of showing off , is fine for youtube demos ... but band members have specific jobs and just showing off / wanking away , is Not one of them .. !

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Suggest they start going to "Notes Anonymous" meetings, where they'll get support for playing fewer of them.

(Something Miles Davis used to say about musicians who overplayed.)