The science of pulling back a speeding drummer

[pepj]

Another thing. I work on playing a part solo and making it sit well and feel good to my ears and style. If bass and drums can't do this solo'd you are at least going to struggle when playing together. Maybe one can mask the other but this added bonus of working well solo is that your recorded parts do not need a lot of 'fixing' so you save time..and money..there.

 

[Akami]

Band 101: follow the singer.

The singer should always be followed and drummers who think otherwise are sabotaging the band. Set the groove that the singer can deliver the goods at and not what pace just happens to be fun for the drummer.

 

[rickwebb]

Usually turning around and bellowing in my best Drill Instructor impression, " SLOW THE HECK DOWN!!"
i cleaned it up but i'm sure you get the gist...

 

[bassicmike]

Slowing down a drummer doesn't work for me. I might try to speed him up, but as has been mentioned, once the drummer and bassist are not locked on tempo, everything sounds like crap.

We make a conscious effort to document the bpm of everything we play, using rehearsal as our lab for figuring out what's right. Then the drummer notes that number, and has it programmed into a metronome, which is part of his rig. He's constantly monitoring our speed so we don't speed up or slow down. And he's clicking us in at the correct speed.

 

[BassGuyFL]

This is very true, and it applies to others in the band too, not just the drummer. Was talking with a trumpet player last night and he was implying that it was a lot easier to play fast because it means he doesn’t have to worry about feel and groove, he can just blast through his parts and his solo. That seems ridiculous to me, I don’t see the point of playing anything without groove or feel, regardless of what the bpm is. The differences in how people perceive what ‘playing music’ actually means never ceases to amaze me.

I found the people that don’t have to keep the time, don’t. People like horn players play “on top“ of the band rather than play along with the band. I hardly had any of my old horn player in my mix just because his time floated all over the place and it was a distraction.

 

[turf3]

I don't know if you'd call it "science" but rumor has it that the Jelly Roll Morton method is effective:

Lay a big shiny pistol on the piano and say "now play it RIGHT, you M.F.!"

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Here is a very simple solution to that "PROBLEM:"
(P.S. I've incorporated it three decades ago in with my band/s.)

 

[turf3]

Here is a very simple solution to that "PROBLEM:"
(P.S. I've incorporated it three decades ago in with my band/s.)

Ewwwwww. "Tag!" "Instrumental!"

 

[Pocket Dave]

Slowing down a drummer doesn't work for me. I might try to speed him up, but as has been mentioned, once the drummer and bassist are not locked on tempo, everything sounds like crap.
.

Slowing it down once you're out of the gate has never worked for me either. Once committed, too fast either is destiny or you stop the song and start again.

Drummer started Billy Cobham's "Stratus" too fast at a gig about a month ago. Guitar player/leader leaned in and kept it going. All I could do was hang on for dear life.

OTOH, drummers with wandering meter, a bigger issue for me hosting a weekly jam, is an easier process to deal with; I become the click track. It's not fun, but it gets us through the few tunes until the next drummer comes up.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Ewwwwww. "Tag!" "Instrumental!"

You don't need those "warnings" like Verse, Chorus, etc., just the click, and all those "complaints" like, "The drummer is rushing or the bass player is too slow, or the keyboard player can't stay on time," etc... are gone.