• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Stuck in a rut due to Drummer

what would you do?

  • Total voters
    95
#41
I've been lucky for the most part with drummers, with only one exception in a original band...

in high school I started playing with a guitarist a grade younger than me and his neighbor played drums, long story short he sucked and claimed he needed beer to play!! Fortunately I knew a awesome drummer who was the guitarists' same age!!

I had to convince the guitarist that we needed this other guy despite their longstanding friendship...

in the end(about 16 years later), guitarist with my recommended drummer are still playing in the same band, former drummer is cool with everyone and I moved on to paying gigs, so everyone is happy!!

it might or might not take awhile to find some badass to replace him, but id rather have no drummer than a bad or mediocre one.... Stick with the other guys if you believe in your group and its music!!!

what I learned:the sooner you tell your drummer and/or replace him, the better, kinda like a bandage, simple as that!!

edit: there is no place nowadays for Lars Ulrich style mediocrity in metal, get some guy who'll push the band to greatness
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#42
hintz said:
it might or might not take awhile to find some badass to replace him, but id rather have no drummer than a bad or mediocre one.... Stick with the other guys if you believe in your group and its music!!!

what I learned:the sooner you tell your drummer and/or replace him, the better, kinda like a bandage, simple as that!!
Click to expand...


The old saying bears repeating here:

"It takes a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all."

Shane
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion and hintz
#43
If the friendship is solid it will eventually recover. If anyone can be taken for a ride through a band, it's definitely not the drummer.

Here's a question to ponder: If you were to replace him, what do you think he would do with his drumming? Would he step it up to avoid a similar fate next time (perhaps with you down the road at some point), or would he sell his kit and give it up?

It sounds to me like he isn't prioritizing his playing at all, and if that's the case he's a lost cause for now.

It's so much better when you find someone who already has playing as a top priority and you just can't force that.

There is the friendship angle, but you gotta ask yourself if letting resentments fester would be worse than hitting the reset button and setting everyone free.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#44
I have had my share of issues with drummers.

My gut is if you are now recording you have time and money invested so try to make it work to keep the momentum going. But if it can't work then you know what to do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#46
Shanebo said:
The old saying bears repeating here:

"It takes a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all."

Shane
Click to expand...

I've never heard that saying, but I believe life is much too short to waste on bad drummers.....and by bad or mediocre I mean guys who can't groove, meter sucks or they attempt and fail to play above their skill level....

lets be realistic, some people don't have it but like the idea of being a musician, and therefore won't put the time in to improve...

and they don't have to be Neil peart to be great either!!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Jools4001, Zodion and Shanebo
#48
Hi I'm new here, I got asked to play in a band from a guitar player that gives lessons from the store where I was taking lessons. He had two different drummers that were really good. I'm not sure why they even wanted me. Eventually they left with other things and a new much younger drummer came and I couldn't even tell what he was doing. I kind of had to change my playing around and with the other two drummers I didn't have too.I decided to leave and now have no one to play with, so now I just concentrate on reading and transcribing jazz lines. Something I never thought I would be into,but I love it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#49
steve f said:
If someone doesn't feel like practicing much and isn't able to play pieces he was playing in the recent past, the two things that come to mind are drugs and alcohol. It may or may not be an issue but it's worth thinking about.
Click to expand...
Could be lots of other reasons. Family/legal/personal issue he hasn't mentioned, fading of interest in playing, new girlfriend/boyfriend (I'm not judging) absorbing time. etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#50
Its rough when a drummer or any other member of a band reaches the peak of their ability. If he doesn't pick up the slack after a group meeting talking to him, it's time for him to go. It's best to have a meeting first and everyone let him know what they think before kicking him out on the street. We have been going through this with a rhythm player. In our case it seemed to have worked, at least for now. A couple of more practices should tell rather he took our talk to heart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#51
Zodion said:
My band was supposed to be recording the E.P. and we got a couple tracks drum and bass only but the drummer was making mistakes and a couple of our songs he can't play well anymore, as if he got worse. So we decided to hold and go to practice mode but he is messing up there too! He claims he can't hear himself and to his credit when we miced him before he was a little better but he doesn't make the parts very interesting and when going over technique our front man plays better than him and hasn't played drums in years!:rollno: Then come to realize his cymbals are angled so his hits are weak and some are way too far away, where he got his knowledge of set up I don't know (I play drums too though a little rusty cause I've dedicated my time to bass for the last two years). He can't practice at home because of his job and he can only do drum pad work at home but still hardly does. Even hooked him up with a drum teacher and instead of going over the songs and learning what he needs they are doing things unrelated to what we need. We asked for half songs and half technique which they still have yet to do and the drummer has been holding us up this whole time. It's reached a head lately because our front man has been through this before and the idea of a three piece is to eliminate problems but that's not the case and he's sick of it. We haven't written anything new besides some riffs because we can't even get our own songs down:banghead:. On top of that our sound man isn't able to make it so we don't know what's going on with that and I'm frustrated because I want to write new things and play but I can't now :sour: and I want to expand our sound and I've put in the time for practice but others aren't :mad:. He can tell us everything about his job (which is weekends) and about tanks or any trivial thing but lacks at drums. I've been told I never shut up about bass but this guy hardly talks about drumming. Thing is that he is my friend but Idk what to do. He is 20 and already bought a 16000 dollar motorcycle, still paying it off, doesn't even have his license yet. :rollno:
Click to expand...
Sounds like you've got your mind already made up that the problems are your drummer's fault, but to me it seems like there are a number of different issues.

I suggest you decide if this is a business project, a fun project, or a friends project. If it's a business project then have a band meeting, discuss all issues, agree to appropriate solutions, put a time frame on getting them resolved, and move forward. Careful here, the agreed upon solution may be to ditch the whiny bass player! If it's a fun project, then your idea of fun and their's (or his) may be in different places, and maybe someone would be happier in another setting. If it's a friends project, then enjoy this for what it is and start something more serious on the side.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zodion
#53
It sucks having to fire a friend...I've had to do it in bands and in real jobs, and it isn't easy. The best you can do is be honest about it, especially since you say he basically sees it coming. Something in his life is screwing with his ability to play, and he needs to get that mess sorted until he can be of any use to a band.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OOD
#58
Zodion said:
Even hooked him up with a drum teacher and instead of going over the songs and learning what he needs they are doing things unrelated to what we need.
Click to expand...

Well that actually makes perfect sense because what your drummer needs is NOT to learn a couple licks and parts of his songs a little better; what he needs to to learn all the fundamentals that he is clearly horribly deficient on.

Of course, why you'd bother putting up with a "drummer" who doesn't have is fundamentals down is beyond me.
 
#60
friendlybass said:
At your age (our age really! I'm only a little older) this is a lot of musicians. If I'm in a project I enjoy it and take the good and the bad in stride but my focus is always on mastering my craft. I play in churches and di some sub work but immaturity, a lack of drive to practice, lack of experience and more often than I like skill, all have been part of the band experience for me, especially in heavier rock situations.
Short term it sucks but you aren't doing yourself or the drummer any favors by holding on to him, he's a friend so it helps and hurts as far as drama but its for the best.
Long term hunt down old experienced musicians, you dont have to join a band but just soak up their stories and tricks of the trade, they're the ones with the time put in and have the secret weapons that are tried and true not just trendy.
Good luck with the project we've all been there!
Click to expand...
There's nothing wrong with young people! I'm 19 years old and I've never met anyone as serious about there practice as me! Young people can be just as dedicated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Heathen and Zodion

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back