An old(er) school quartz metronome with the little red LED in "silent" mode, I have a Whittner one that I love since it sounds really nice and warm too, and a list of tempos written on the set list. Have the drummer discreetly look at the 'nome, get the tempo, and then kick some booty.
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Setting Tempos
- Thread starter LowNloud1
- Start date
- Jun 11, 2012
- 711
- 1,100
- Disclosures
- I am a hobbyist making stone picks that I sell but mostly give away. They made me do this anyways.
- Jun 11, 2012
- 711
- 1,100
- Disclosures
- I am a hobbyist making stone picks that I sell but mostly give away. They made me do this anyways.
Talked with the other guys last night and I'll suggest we restart bad tempos. Emphasis at practice will be to work on tempos and find a way.
It's why I asked for help here. This forum has been invaluable with helping me new ideas for band challenges. Thanks!
- Jun 11, 2012
- 711
- 1,100
- Disclosures
- I am a hobbyist making stone picks that I sell but mostly give away. They made me do this anyways.
I will raise that point. He has a iPhone. Thanks!
Record a rehearsal, provide no guidance so he picks the tempos himself. Then show him his tempos in comparison to the correct tempos. He still may not be willing to fix it, but at least he won't be able to credibly deny it. Getting a drummer to admit they have poor timing is almost impossible.
I played with a drummer that denied using a click track in the studio for an album (yes it was that long ago) they released before I joined. The light man later told me that they used a click track on every single song.
- Jun 11, 2012
- 711
- 1,100
- Disclosures
- I am a hobbyist making stone picks that I sell but mostly give away. They made me do this anyways.
Record a rehearsal, provide no guidance so he picks the tempos himself. Then show him his tempos in comparison to the correct tempos. He still may not be willing to fix it, but at least he won't be able to credibly deny it. Getting a drummer to admit they have poor timing is almost impossible.
I played with a drummer that denied using a click track in the studio for an album (yes it was that long ago) they released before I joined. The light man later told me that they used a click track on every single song.
Thanks. I do record every rehearsal and send out every track. He's not listening though. Thankfully, the rest of us do and it helps those that do.
Two things I dislike:
The drummer clicking or counting himself in when he starts the song solo. What's the point? Magoo.
The drummer clicking in a song to which he does not play the intro. If it's another instrument starting the song, that player is responsible for setting the tempo. If the drummer counts it off and keeps time during the intro, (1) It implies the player doing the intro has no tempo/timing skills, (2) There exists potential for the drummer to get the tempo wrong, and (3) It is often distracting.
Tempo issues are tricky. We talk about it all the time in my bands.
The drummer clicking or counting himself in when he starts the song solo. What's the point? Magoo.
The drummer clicking in a song to which he does not play the intro. If it's another instrument starting the song, that player is responsible for setting the tempo. If the drummer counts it off and keeps time during the intro, (1) It implies the player doing the intro has no tempo/timing skills, (2) There exists potential for the drummer to get the tempo wrong, and (3) It is often distracting.
Tempo issues are tricky. We talk about it all the time in my bands.
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i agree 100% with Metronome for getting the correct Tempo ... using it during rehearsal while learning the songs will help greatly ...
the drummer really needs to get those different Tempos in his head ... ! that is really part of his job as time keeper ... !
everyone should agree on said Tempo ... then get it locked in ...
the drummer really needs to get those different Tempos in his head ... ! that is really part of his job as time keeper ... !
everyone should agree on said Tempo ... then get it locked in ...
The person setting the tempo needs to internalize the beat. They got to LISTEN and learn to groove with it, without playing their instrument. If they haven't internalized the music then they are just banging through their parts. It is true of any instrument.
When I practice a song (at home, where it is supposed to be done) I will stop playing and just listen a few times: once for the groove and tempo while internally connecting to it, and other plays I will listen to the bass line for how it connects and lines up with that tempo, and another time to make mental notes of the arrangement.
I feel your pain about the drummer. Been there, and refuse to go there again. The band is ONLY as good as the drummer's ability to sit in the pocket (I don't even consider his chops).
When I practice a song (at home, where it is supposed to be done) I will stop playing and just listen a few times: once for the groove and tempo while internally connecting to it, and other plays I will listen to the bass line for how it connects and lines up with that tempo, and another time to make mental notes of the arrangement.
I feel your pain about the drummer. Been there, and refuse to go there again. The band is ONLY as good as the drummer's ability to sit in the pocket (I don't even consider his chops).
I know a lot of bass players sometimes try to push or pull a drummer to a tempo when it's off. Don't do this. It sounds damn awful, and feels awful for the whole rest of the band. It's better to just stop and make some dumb joke like "Whoooa, Johnny Tom Toms musta had too much valium/crystal meth with his Wheaties this AM!!!" start over, get your groove on, and not subject everyone to that idiotic push pull of bad sound making.
If the drummer is in denial, record yourselves then play back next to the original. Then denial won't just be a river in England.
If the drummer is in denial, record yourselves then play back next to the original. Then denial won't just be a river in England.
Amen.
I worked with a bass player who pushed the tempo on nearly every song. We had a drummer who was very tempo-conscious, almost always nailed it, and was a human clock. He wouldn't budge, and the bass player always sounded ahead of the beat, like they were playing about 100 yards apart. It was miserable.
Then there was the bass player who, especially when tipsy, would get almost a whole measure ahead before he'd wake up and slow down to join the rest of us. That was beyond miserable, it was downright embarrassing.
Where did you see it stores songs? I couldn't find that and that would be a really good thing to have.
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buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Since we're a "hobby" band made up of friends, I'm pretty much stuck with our drummer who is also the only 420 member of the band. Besides not getting tempo's right, we often have to remind him how the drum intros go! Once he starts playing, his meter is pretty steady. We don't let him start all the songs. Since all four of us in the band sing lead vocals, (and always in rotation) whomever is singing lead on the song is responsible for setting the tempo. This eliminates the bitching by the "singer" as to the song being too fast or too slow. As for the bassist pushing a slow tempo, I do this. But I have to do it so often they recognize it and go with me!
