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The unicorn

wcnewby

wcnewby

Guest
Feb 23, 2012
275
28
St. Germain Wisconsin
#1
our band plays country western songs with a rock influence... music to make people dance. We lost our original drummer because he got burned out from working every weekend. The next drummer lived a long way from the rest of the group, he eventually got tired of all the driving. The drummer we have now believes that jazz has a strong enough beat to get people dancing in spite of how people no longer dance at our gigs... which are far fewer because the places we worked are hiring bands that get people dancing. He refuses somplay a simple driving beat and his stupidly complicated fills leave me in the weeds way more often than I can tolerate. I actively hate the way he plays “can’t you see” one of my favorite songs... makes me want to hang up my bass and walk off the stage. The problem is that he has been playing drums for longer than I’ve been playing bass and to him that means I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s that jazz attitude you see where the jazz player believes the world should educate themselves so they can appreciate the skill it takes to play jazz. Sadly, his experience doesn’t show him that he’s playing the wrong genre and making it very difficult for me to lock up with his kick... because his kick is mainly there for decoration. The other guys like that he has more experience than our last drummer and don’t suffer the same trouble I have... because they don’t have to try and lock it up with him. He keeps suggesting I learn how to drop notes in “the cracks” which I hate... I want to play music people can dance to... I don’t like jazz and I don’t want to play it. So this is a rant....

Thanks. Off to my day job.
 
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#4
youre-hired1.jpg
 
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#7
wcnewby said:
our band plays country western songs with a rock influence... music to make people dance. We lost our original drummer because he got burned out from working every weekend. The next drummer lived a long way from the rest of the group, he eventually got tired of all the driving. The drummer we have now believes that jazz has a strong enough beat to get people dancing in spite of how people no longer dance at our gigs... which are far fewer because the places we worked are hiring bands that get people dancing. He refuses somplay a simple driving beat and his stupidly complicated fills leave me in the weeds way more often than I can tolerate. I actively hate the way he plays “can’t you see” one of my favorite songs... makes me want to hang up my bass and walk off the stage. The problem is that he has been playing drums for longer than I’ve been playing bass and to him that means I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s that jazz attitude you see where the jazz player believes the world should educate themselves so they can appreciate the skill it takes to play jazz. Sadly, his experience doesn’t show him that he’s playing the wrong genre and making it very difficult for me to lock up with his kick... because his kick is mainly there for decoration. The other guys like that he has more experience than our last drummer and don’t suffer the same trouble I have... because they don’t have to try and lock it up with him. He keeps suggesting I learn how to drop notes in “the cracks” which I hate... I want to play music people can dance to... I don’t like jazz and I don’t want to play it. So this is a rant....

Thanks. Off to my day job.
Click to expand...

I've experienced this before. Well known jazz drummer.. Everyone thinks he's the bee's knees. Get together with him and practically impossible to jam with. Playing in the groove became something to joke about.
No thanks. Good luck with that solo drumming career.
 
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#13
Mister Boh said:
Nothing I hate more than a drummer that overplays. I played with a guy who just couldn't help himself.
Click to expand...

You can replace "drummer" with "musician". Any guy that doesn't understand context and overplay is a pain. It doesn't matter if it is the drummer, bass player, keybaord player, singer or if he plays thee triangle. When you don't understand the context of what are you playing (as a band) and do "cool stufff" out of place... well, doesn't matter how technically brilliant you are, you are not good for the job
 
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#14
You noted that the other guys in the band have no problem with his playing. Maybe ... the one you need to fire is the bass player. If this band has become something you dread, but everyone else is fine with it, it may be time for you to move on. I've fired myself from a couple of bands for this reason. If you're the only one unhappy, you will end up being the problem to everyone else.
 
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#18
Tippy tappy jazzy cymbal bell rim shot rolly polly fancy-fill show-off drummers ruin pop music.

If you are targeting rooms where you are hired to lay down rock-solid simple four-on-the-floor dance beats, drummers like that are the kiss of death. This guy is a boat anchor; with him giving clinics your band will never even come close to reaching your potential in that (very competitive) market.

Someone would be walking, him or me.

And once again, we see that experience minus common sense is meaningless. Boy, that burns me up when a musician thinks his poops don't stink because he has time behind the kit and a diploma. I'd trade ten of those guys for one with street smarts.
 
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