Anyone who has done this or seen it done, please tell me how it happened.
The drummer in my band is technically very good, has a great skill set for pop/rock.
However, he doesn't hear the music, and frequently speeds the tempo up to what I consider ridiculous speeds.
It's to the point where I hear the other musicians and vocalists having to alter their delivery because the tempo is so fast. For example, there is a nice bass solo in the middle of "Slow Ride (Foghat, long studio version). I really like the way it was recorded, very funky, and I can fairly nail it. Until the tempo goes into warp drive. That's when I have to improvise, and I'm not comfortable with the way it feels or sounds. I'd rather do a faithful cover of the original.
I sometimes hear our guitarist over-playing, and I used to think he was just showing off, but now I realize he too is frustrated and just blowing off steam.
Even without wrecking the solos or other players parts, it still sounds really bad to me and I'm sure some of our audience.
We have brought this up and discussed it at rehearsal. The lead singer said that she sometimes feels rushed, and we (drummer included) agreed to work on it.
I thought things were getting better, but at the last gig, we still rushed several songs. After one tune, I looked over at the drummer and (low enough so only he could hear me) said, "We were flying through that song." To which he responded, "Enjoy the flight!"
That little tidbit of sarcasm spoke volumes to me.
I really don't want to quit this band, the guitar player and lead singer are great, we have good P.A. support and no shortage of good gigs. The drummer is well-liked by the lead singer and owner of the P.A., so I don't think firing him is an option.
Have you ever seen anyone employ a method of talking a drummer out of that tendancy to rush through songs at 90 mph? Because I've spoke my mind already and it's almost to the point where I start looking elsewhere.
The drummer in my band is technically very good, has a great skill set for pop/rock.
However, he doesn't hear the music, and frequently speeds the tempo up to what I consider ridiculous speeds.
It's to the point where I hear the other musicians and vocalists having to alter their delivery because the tempo is so fast. For example, there is a nice bass solo in the middle of "Slow Ride (Foghat, long studio version). I really like the way it was recorded, very funky, and I can fairly nail it. Until the tempo goes into warp drive. That's when I have to improvise, and I'm not comfortable with the way it feels or sounds. I'd rather do a faithful cover of the original.
I sometimes hear our guitarist over-playing, and I used to think he was just showing off, but now I realize he too is frustrated and just blowing off steam.
Even without wrecking the solos or other players parts, it still sounds really bad to me and I'm sure some of our audience.
We have brought this up and discussed it at rehearsal. The lead singer said that she sometimes feels rushed, and we (drummer included) agreed to work on it.
I thought things were getting better, but at the last gig, we still rushed several songs. After one tune, I looked over at the drummer and (low enough so only he could hear me) said, "We were flying through that song." To which he responded, "Enjoy the flight!"
That little tidbit of sarcasm spoke volumes to me.
I really don't want to quit this band, the guitar player and lead singer are great, we have good P.A. support and no shortage of good gigs. The drummer is well-liked by the lead singer and owner of the P.A., so I don't think firing him is an option.
Have you ever seen anyone employ a method of talking a drummer out of that tendancy to rush through songs at 90 mph? Because I've spoke my mind already and it's almost to the point where I start looking elsewhere.
