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Stuck in a rut due to Drummer

what would you do?

  • Total voters
    95
#25
I like the quartet of musician "retention" -- counsel, warn, suspend, fire.

If you haven't warned him yet, warn him that he's jeopardizing his position in the band unless he meets certain goals in his playing. Make sure you're specific and give a specific timeline or goal. The fact that he's not using his lessons to improve the band is disconcerting.

You could warn the guy, and if he doesn't step up, do this -- let him know any time he books a gig for the band, he can play it, but you're moving on with a different drummer as the first call drummer in this band.
 
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#26
I agree with bward - give him a warning and a deadline. Hardly anyone ever steps up to an ultimatum, but it's the right thing to do to warn him rather than fire him out of the blue. Assuming he doesn't step up and you fire him, it sounds like you or your frontman can lay drum tracks to get the EP done. Then hire competent subs for gigs until you can find a permanent replacement.

I'm actually not too surprised that a non-practicing amateur can't reproduce a part he did once in a moment's inspiration. There was one time in school when we were playing intramural football, someone threw a long hail-mary pass and I made this big diving catch. Everyone thought I was a brilliant athlete and I was top pick for about a week after that. Then it became apparent that I actually suck at football. The catch was pure luck, not skill, and I never recreated it or anything like it afterwards.
 
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#27
Dave W said:
Doesn't sound too promising. I don't understand how he can no longer play his parts to he presumably wrote.
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I compare writing songs and playing an instrument to being a mechanic and being a race car driver. They are two different skill sets. Not that a person can't do both, but it is rare to be GOOD at both.
 
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#28
Robroy said:
I compare writing songs and playing an instrument to being a mechanic and being a race car driver. They are two different skill sets. Not that a person can't do both, but it is rare to be GOOD at both.
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I guess, but most of the players I've played with didn't seem to have a problem playing their own parts. If they did they wouldn't be in the band anymore because you can always find someone who can play them correctly.
 
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#30
All this stuff about the bike, his family, etc is not directly relevant, so don't let any of that cloud the issue. Not being able to play parts he once could, not practicing, not doing what he's suppoded to be doing with his teacher, all sounds like he doesn't want to be in the band anymore. Since he's a friend , maybe he doesn't want to quit and jeopadize your friendship, so he's doing this weird passive agressive stuff to force you to make the move or to make the band implode. Have a heart-to-heart and find out how he really feels about the band. Let him know it's OK for him to bow out and you'll still be friends. If he still want to be a part of the band, then warn him to get his s### together or he won't be.
 
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#31
Dave W said:
I guess, but most of the players I've played with didn't seem to have a problem playing their own parts. If they did they wouldn't be in the band anymore because you can always find someone who can play them correctly.
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I'm with you. But I'm not talking "weekend warrior" race car driver or "fix up your honda" mechanic. I"m talking HIGH skill level - Race car mechanic and Le'mans driver. There is LOTS of mediocre music and a lot of "not bad" musicians. Few can do both "well".
 
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#36
Savage_Dreams said:
is that a legitimate issue with him? and if so, how freakin loud would you have to play for a drummer not to hear himself in rehearsal?
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37 years and I have NEVER heard of a drummer not being able to hear themselves! I have heard everyone else in a band say this due to the drummer, but never the drummer saying this. I think this should be included in the list of cliche excuses, right next to "the dog ate my homework" and "my car wouldn't start." Seriously, you really need to ask yourselves, how complex are these parts? When you figure out that they are not complex, just too complex for him, all you need to do is to show him the door. You know that old adage, "life is too short to play with bad drummers..."
 
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#37
My last band dissolved after the drummer slowly got worse for about a year, causing the band to cut songs we previously did well and giving up on dozens of songs we wanted to do but the drummer could not. He was also a stand up great guy that the others wanted to accommodate... This led to loss of at least one high profile gig and a few more lessor gigs. I had complained for the entire year but got nowhere. Last October I got the call from the guitarist that HE was quitting. (This was the drummers greatest supporter...) So my advice; If you want to hang on it will cost you in relationships with venue owners (and band members...) and you will stagnate in your own playing by being held back by the weak link. IMO you should cut the cord now and start getting the next band going NOW. The sooner the better. I am rehearsing in a new band and will be gigging again at many of the old clubs I played in with the last band. It took about a month to find them and we are at 5 weeks of rehearsal and gigging 3/14/15 (2 weeks from now). I am sorry I didn't go last year when I saw the writing on the wall. I was being lazy and just hanging on for fear I would be not playing for a long time. Now I am in a more accomplished band performing challenging music again. Bad bands can be replaced. Believe in yourself and keep going forward even if it means side stepping your existing situation...
 
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#38
Zodion said:
the drummer was making mistakes and a couple of our songs he can't play well anymore, as if he got worse ... he doesn't make the parts very interesting
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First, paragraphs are your friends. They make it much easier to read a long post.

Second, you have two issues here. First, the guy makes too many mistakes and second, he doesn't make the parts interesting. It's unlikely you'll fix both of these problems without a lot of effort on his part. If he's not willing to put in the effort, save yourself a lot of time and aggravation and replace him.
 
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#40
Been there, done that. He may be your friend but if his personal life is wrecking your band's music and especially your recording, it's time to cut ties. He may kill it on stage but it doesn't make a lick of difference because he's impeded the recording process. Which in turn could have cost you guys a ton of money if you hadn't pulled the plug on the studio time. No time to re-train, no time for foot dragging, just hire someone else.
 
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