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keeping time when drummer throws an awkward fill

#67
This may sound harsh, but as a bassist it's your job to be there to support the rest of the band even if it means throwing the drummer to the lions. (That must be where the bass face originally came from.) There has to be some reliable reference point and if there is a rhythm guitarist or keys in the mix make sure they stick with you. Better for the drummer to look foolish for a moment than for the tune to become a train wreck. If there are three instruments playing together, fine. If there are two playing together and another is off, that player stands out. If you have three instruments playing simultaneously but not together it's either jazz or a train wreck. (There aren't any train wrecks in jazz.) Hope this helps.
 
#68
AndyPanda said:
I don't know if this a fatal flaw and I'll never be able to be a bassist or is there some tricks you guys can suggest to help hold time when the drummer does something odd.

Just for fun, I looped that section and I found that practicing over just that awkward bit that trips me up is helpful. But if I have this much trouble when I know it's coming ... how am I going to handle a real drummer when the band is counting on me to hold it all together?
Click to expand...

When the drummer is launching into something stupid, it's your choice.

Lock in and come back on the 'new' 1 along with the drummer: The Rhythm Section has altered the song. Everybody join in or be out.
This is what I'd do in most live situations.

Stay on the beat and play the 'real' 1: Teach that drummer a lesson, because now it becomes apparent that
there is something wrong in the rhythm section.
When bass and drums are off, it is bad. Like real bad. For the whole band and the audience. There is no elegant way to come back.
This is what I'd do during rehearsal.


A drummer has one job. That one job is staying on the beat. When you rush the fill, go home and practice with a click until you can't play it wrong.
When you play with a band, play fills you don't rush.
Wanna try something above your ability? Do so in the quiet comfort of your home.
Don't waste the time of others. When everybody plays one lick they can't handle once in every song, that song is a train wreck.
 
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#69
Keeping the time internally your self, is the right answer, but that only works if the drummer has reliable tempo during his Fills. There seems to be a natural inclination to speed up during slow fills, and slow down during fast fills. When this happens, you won’t always arrive on one together. And all you can do in this case is adjust quickly to realign yourselves.
 
#70
AndyPanda said:
. . . . I'm wondering about how I will hold down the roll of a bassist in a band if a drummer does some awkward fill that trips me up. And wondering how you seasoned bassist handle keeping time like that.
Click to expand...

If the drummer can trip you up they can trip up a "seasoned player" too. Everyone screws up sometime. As long as they get it right next time don't worry.

IMO the more you play the better you get, the better you get the more it goes right. Playing in a band is 100% the greatest feeling, so smile in the good bits, work on the bad bits and enjoy the ride.
 

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