I am in a 'band' with a good friend on guitar, me on bass and my twin brother on drums. IMO I think he can keep rhythm tighter than anything and is going fine. However, my guitarist/friend is convinced he should play as fast as the drummer from Dragonforce. He also thinks that every solo should be played as fast as he possibly can, which really annoys me, as it usually results in him going horribly off time. He also does that by switching riffs without warning in the middle of songs, leaving the drummer and I fumbling around looking for the beat and when to join in. Have you got any ideas on how to help?
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How to convince a guitarist...?
- Thread starter CauliColin
- Start date
Stay friends, not bandmates. Tell him you and your brother's musical interest are different then his and the band between you three simply won't work. If he doesn't understand, then he's a douche and only concerned with himself; thus you're better off without him in your life.
How to convince a guitarist?
Get him a can of hair spray and a small mirror. Drag those items towards the edge of a cliff.
Get him a can of hair spray and a small mirror. Drag those items towards the edge of a cliff.
Record the session, and let him hear it. Talk to him about the problem. Explain that once you three can get it tight at a slow pace, THEN he can double-time the parts he wants - as long as he can fit into the established rhythm!
This is totally off topic and I have no apologies:
You are one lucky fellah to be able to play music with your twin. I miss that so much as my brother is in Atlanta and we haven't played in a band for ten years.
Thank God every day for it!
Oh and do the recording idea...
You are one lucky fellah to be able to play music with your twin. I miss that so much as my brother is in Atlanta and we haven't played in a band for ten years.
Thank God every day for it!
Oh and do the recording idea...
Thanks guys!
Ps unlucky. We have a friend who just moved Australia (we live in England) and he was like a brother. Not a musician but he was a great guy. Lucky we can Skype and FaceTime. I also cannot stress just how versatile my brother is.
Ps unlucky. We have a friend who just moved Australia (we live in England) and he was like a brother. Not a musician but he was a great guy. Lucky we can Skype and FaceTime. I also cannot stress just how versatile my brother is.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1854090707588&oid=173865072649680&comments
A link to one of our recent songs. We are all quite bad. The guitarist and I have been playing for around 9 months. Enjoy (or not) the lyrics aren't lyrics. Just impressions of our grouchy school bus driver.
A link to one of our recent songs. We are all quite bad. The guitarist and I have been playing for around 9 months. Enjoy (or not) the lyrics aren't lyrics. Just impressions of our grouchy school bus driver.
Dynamics anyone?
I've known several folks with the fast is better thing (including me 20 years ago). The thing is it's not really impressive and wont make a statement if you do ANYTHING all of the time. Whether its funky slap bass grooves, or two handed tapping and whammy bar tricks, it doesn't matter. What if you're going fast all of the time, and then one day you decide we need a fast tune. What then? You're already maxed out. Going from 200bpm to 250bpm has zero impact. Going from 75 bpm to 250bpm is a slap in the face and a punch in the gut all at the same time.
This same theory applies to volume as well, and most if not all guitarists go through this too. "I have to be loud to get my sound". Ok there is some truth to that, but it is heavily outweighed by the B.S. You only be loud enough to be heard with acoustic drums. Notice I said "with" not "over". The loudest thing should be the vocals regardless of genre, because that's what people relate to.
The question you have to ask is; is it a band or is it "WATCH ME DO THIS KILLER RIFF!"? If you friend the guitarist is just wanting to show off, a big mirror and some colored lightbulbs should be enough to make him happy. However, if he is interested in being in a band, he needs to grow up a bit as a musician.
BTW - I grew up listening to metal and Yngwie Malmstein was my god back in '84, but I have grown up a bit. I still listen to metal, and Yngwie, but there is more to life and a good show.
I've known several folks with the fast is better thing (including me 20 years ago). The thing is it's not really impressive and wont make a statement if you do ANYTHING all of the time. Whether its funky slap bass grooves, or two handed tapping and whammy bar tricks, it doesn't matter. What if you're going fast all of the time, and then one day you decide we need a fast tune. What then? You're already maxed out. Going from 200bpm to 250bpm has zero impact. Going from 75 bpm to 250bpm is a slap in the face and a punch in the gut all at the same time.
This same theory applies to volume as well, and most if not all guitarists go through this too. "I have to be loud to get my sound". Ok there is some truth to that, but it is heavily outweighed by the B.S. You only be loud enough to be heard with acoustic drums. Notice I said "with" not "over". The loudest thing should be the vocals regardless of genre, because that's what people relate to.
The question you have to ask is; is it a band or is it "WATCH ME DO THIS KILLER RIFF!"? If you friend the guitarist is just wanting to show off, a big mirror and some colored lightbulbs should be enough to make him happy. However, if he is interested in being in a band, he needs to grow up a bit as a musician.
BTW - I grew up listening to metal and Yngwie Malmstein was my god back in '84, but I have grown up a bit. I still listen to metal, and Yngwie, but there is more to life and a good show.
Raymeous said:
My friend isn't like that. He let's everyone play equally. If anything, I am the control freak (in a small way), but I get frustrated when he suddenly goes off rhythm into this crappy solo where he 'shreds' whilst climbing up the fretboard.
Make him listen to Dave Gilmour. If that doesn't make him see the light, then he's a lost cause.
Seriously, though. If you guys want to be a legit band, you might have to part ways with him. If you're doing it for fun, you'll just have to accept his "style". You might be able to convince him to change his ways with some persistent nudges, but don't expect immediate results.
Seriously, though. If you guys want to be a legit band, you might have to part ways with him. If you're doing it for fun, you'll just have to accept his "style". You might be able to convince him to change his ways with some persistent nudges, but don't expect immediate results.
