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What’s the best way to deal with a drummer who plays too slow?

#263
Me being a drummer before bass player, I'm not entirely in love with all the cracks :) but I guess I get it.

Just know that for every drummer with a tempo challenge, there are 5 bass players with the disease. :)

I won't get specific, to protect my mates, but - if you think bass players are immune to these challenges, I have some excellent lunar property for sale I'd like to discuss with you.
 
#264
SBassman said:
Me being a drummer before bass player, I'm not entirely in love with all the cracks :) but I guess I get it.

Just know that for every drummer with a tempo challenge, there are 5 bass players with the disease. :)

I won't get specific, to protect my mates, but - if you think bass players are immune to these challenges, I have some excellent lunar property for sale I'd like to discuss with you.
Click to expand...

Think about it. At least most drummers study with tempo part of the equation, and recognize the responsibility.
Bass players - at least half of them don't have a clue that They are also part of that equation. Actually, the Truth that Most don't know is - Every Band Member Shares in this Responsibility. But the fact that this thread exists demonstrates that most don't understand that.

Statistically, the reality is - there are Far More tempo challenged bass players on the planet than tempo challenged drummers on the planet. Just by the nature of who studies what and who recognizes the responsibility for what.

I have been playing for a lifetime. I can't tell you how many tempo and time challenged guitarists and bass players I have had to co exist with. It completely sucks the life out of the music.

That is all. Thank you. :)
 
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#265
SBassman said:
Me being a drummer before bass player, I'm not entirely in love with all the cracks :) but I guess I get it.

Just know that for every drummer with a tempo challenge, there are 5 bass players with the disease. :)

I won't get specific, to protect my mates, but - if you think bass players are immune to these challenges, I have some excellent lunar property for sale I'd like to discuss with you.
Click to expand...
Come on' bro, we love our drummers but you know as a drummer and a bass player that the rhythm section has to be tight and the drummer is the one that dictates the time. You know that the bassist and the drummer have to work as one and the drummer counts off the songs. We bassists depend on you to start the song in the correct tempo because you can't change tempo once you start the song. And besides the drummer isn't really a musician(LOL).
 
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#266
mark harison said:
Come on' bro, we love our drummers but you know as a drummer and a bass player that the rhythm section has to be tight and the drummer is the one that dictates the time. You know that the bassist and the drummer have to work as one and the drummer counts off the songs. We bassists depend on you to start the song in the correct tempo because you can't change tempo once you start the song. And besides the drummer isn't really a musician(LOL).
Click to expand...

Hysterical. :)

Pretty uninformed. And hysterical. :)
 
#267
SBassman said:
Think about it. At least most drummers study with tempo part of the equation, and recognize the responsibility.
Bass players - at least half of them don't have a clue that They are also part of that equation. Actually, the Truth that Most don't know is - Every Band Member Shares in this Responsibility. But the fact that this thread exists demonstrates that most don't understand that.

Statistically, the reality is - there are Far More tempo challenged bass players on the planet than tempo challenged drummers on the planet. Just by the nature of who studies what and who recognizes the responsibility for what.

I have been playing for a lifetime. I can't tell you how many tempo and time challenged guitarists and bass players I have had to co exist with.

That is all. Thank you. :)
Click to expand...
I've never known a drummer that actually studied to be a drummer, but again You are the one that sets the tempo, and if your timing is correct there is nothing any of your other band mates can say, and we have to play to you.
 
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#268
You haven't played with a good drummer yet.

And what book states the drummer counts it? I have been in a bazillion bands over 50 years of playing. Sometimes I counted, sometimes someone else counted.

Everyone needs to put on big boy pants about this tempo thing. Anyone in the band can count it.
 
#271
SBassman said:
You haven't played with a good drummer yet.

And what book states the drummer counts it? I have been in a bazillion bands over 50 years of playing. Sometimes I counted, sometimes someone else counted.

Everyone needs to put on big boy pants about this tempo thing. Anyone in the band can count it.
Click to expand...
Well I would say as a bass player if someone else other than the drummer counts off the song that would be incorrect. WE all loved hearing Mac counting off Beatle tunes but it really should be the drummer. And I'm not speaking for myself. I've played with some awesome drummers and have never had that problem once I've gotten used to working with them. But I always let them count off the tune.
 
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#274
Rumor has it that Miles Davis and the (greatest drummer on Earth imo) Tony Williams hated each other. Once, Miles threw a cymbal at Tony. I was told this by a professor at Berkee College of Music 40 years ago and also he said it helped fuel some of the greatest music in history. So if you want your drummer to play right, a cymbal would be a good choice, he’ll probably have an extra stowed in his cymbal bag. This has the added effect of noise terror when the cymbal crashes on the floor or wall or his Tom toms or whatever!! He will speed up then jk Maybe if he can get it together you’d have an amazing band (best case scenario) Worst would be nothing changes, it seems!
 
#275
upgroove9 said:
Rumor has it that Miles Davis and the (greatest drummer on Earth imo) Tony Williams hated each other. Once, Miles threw a cymbal at Tony. I was told this by a professor at Berkee College of Music 40 years ago and also he said it helped fuel some of the greatest music in history. So if you want your drummer to play right, a cymbal would be a good choice, he’ll probably have an extra stowed in his cymbal bag. This has the added effect of noise terror when the cymbal crashes on the floor or wall or his Tom toms or whatever!! He will speed up then jk Maybe if he can get it together you’d have an amazing band (best case scenario) Worst would be nothing changes, it seems!
Click to expand...
Well you'd have to take his cymbal away from him to be able to throw it at him, but that ain't good. Drummers and bassists have to be able to deal with each other.
 
#276
Pete Berger said:
We’re a cover band and our drummer plays some songs way too slow, like 15-20 bpm slow. And a few too fast by the same margin. The guitar player or myself will say something like that was too slow or you need to pick it up a little. We’ll play it again and it’s still at least 10 bpm slow. Then I’ll say that was better but it’s still slow and he gets offended, and says it doesn’t really matter that much as long a we’re all on the same page or he’ll hand me the sticks as if to say, don’t tell me how to play drums. One time I suggested we play the songs in question with a metronome playing through the PA and he gets all offended and says I’m not playing with a metronome. As the bass player I practice all of our songs with a bass backing track of the original song, so I’m intimately familiar with the pace of particular songs and it’s absolutely torturous playing these song 15-20 bpm slower than I usually play them. It’s just hard having to play at this slower pace and it feels like it just sucks the energy of whatever song we’re doing. He’s a good drummer and he plays the songs accurately except for the pace. What can we do to get him to play at the right speed?
Click to expand...
 
#279
SBassman said:
Me being a drummer before bass player, I'm not entirely in love with all the cracks :) but I guess I get it.

Just know that for every drummer with a tempo challenge, there are 5 bass players with the disease. :)

I won't get specific, to protect my mates, but - if you think bass players are immune to these challenges, I have some excellent lunar property for sale I'd like to discuss with you.
Click to expand...

Most musicians seem to overestimate their ability to keep time.
 
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#280
upgroove9 said:
Rumor has it that Miles Davis and the (greatest drummer on Earth imo) Tony Williams hated each other. Once, Miles threw a cymbal at Tony. I was told this by a professor at Berkee College of Music 40 years ago and also he said it helped fuel some of the greatest music in history. So if you want your drummer to play right, a cymbal would be a good choice, he’ll probably have an extra stowed in his cymbal bag. This has the added effect of noise terror when the cymbal crashes on the floor or wall or his Tom toms or whatever!! He will speed up then jk Maybe if he can get it together you’d have an amazing band (best case scenario) Worst would be nothing changes, it seems!
Click to expand...

Hmm the version I've heard of this was Papa Jo Jones and Charlie Parker, and the cymbal was thrown on the ground (rather than at the person as described in whiplash) by Jones.

Getting Jazz Right in the Movies
 
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