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

[WillyW]

 

[Mark Ambler]

Oh, I can TOTALLY agree with that, too! That said, the type of band you're referring to is comprised of musicians that gel well with each other (either instantly, or over time). The click takes the guesswork out... and again... you can have a band that plays to a click and still has a very natural sound/feel to them - just that they have the click as their common anchor (...and the best of them might sound like they're not playing to a click, because they don't sound sterile in doing so!). Bands that can do this without a click... TOTALLY awesome.

Cheers!

Sometimes there's no avoiding a click; playing has to be perfectly in sync with a video, etc.
I saw the Zappa 'Hologram' concert, and that had to be done with a click. Brilliant musicians, etc, and a great gig, but the music didn't 'breathe. No one naturally plays 120bpm perfectly without a click, not even Steve Gadd, (but he's pretty close, I would bet). I'm not talking about speeding up or slowing down, just a slight imperceptible fluctuation.

 

[Glen Thomas]

If it's a mature drumer who has played for some time I dont think there is a fix. And if even after discussing it there is still no improvement, it's time to look at other options. It's really is a pet hate of mine when the instant a song starts, you know right away it's the wrong tempo and you spend the rest of the next four minutes fuming!!!

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Ramming Speed......

 

[Kilgore777]

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?

Is he consistently slow or does he slow the songs down? If he slows the songs down.... maybe you should look for another drummer. If he is consistently slow, suggest to him using and electronic metronome just to start the songs at the right (agreed on) tempo. Do your best to be diplomatic in the discussion.

I hope things work our for the band! I think that most drummers are more likely to speed things up.....

 

[Mark Ambler]

Sounds like he's playing songs a little slow because he hasn't got the chops to play them at normal speed.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Eddie your post made my day. Oh gawd.

I have found the whip works well...
As long as the chains stay tight ...... or they move......LOL

 

[dkelley]

Long thread, won't read it all, I'm sure this has been said, but my own experience (ALL this is IMHO from personal experience):

- I far prefer a drummer with consistent tempo than one who changes tempo without being aware of it through a song.... and it's sometimes a good challenge to be able to make the song groove and sound great slightly slower than you'd like... so try to enjoy it when it happens

- For the songs in question, someone else must count it in at the correct tempo as agreed upon by the band. Tempo is not the drummer's choosing unless they are geniuses at recalling tempo (which many pros are). Tempo should be a democratic decision - you all have to play at this tempo, not just the drummer.

- MANY pros also have a tiny metronome sitting there before each song to tell them the starting tempo, which they have written down in their setlist. It's a skill to be proud of, checking tempos quickly with metronome without interfering with starting the next song quickly at a gig.... not something for a drummer to be embarrassed of.

- If the drummer won't listen to opinion on tempos in front of others, take them aside and have a serious discussion without the others even being aware of it, to resolve the issue and come up with a solution (hopefully something like my previous points so it's no longer in the drummer's control for those songs, since the issue will continue to be a problem otherwise).

 

[DavC]

my Rule of Thumb ...

whoever is singing the song = picks the key , the arrangement and tempo ..!!

so whoever is singing should have a metronome , or tempo click ready for setting the tempo ...

don't like the rules , or can't deal with it = move on

if this plan isn't followed at a gig - you're fired

 

[Hambone70]

Surely tempo is one of the most basic of drumming skills. But like any skill, it requires a certain amount of training and practice, and some pick it up quicker than others. If the drummer (or anyone else for that matter) isn’t grown-up enough to take constructive criticism, one of us has to head for the door.

 

[nilorius]

Buy him a new metranome.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

Thank you for your advise. I actually have many recordings of us playing and that’s how I confirmed just how slow he was playing on some songs. I thought maybe I was crazy or being just too nit picky. So one day after practice, I played back our recordings and tapped the tempo of what we were playing on an app that tells you what bpm your taps are. I confirmed I was not crazy. 15-20 too slow. I did relay my findings at the next practice when he played the same songs slow as ever, but didn’t actually demonstrate with the recordings and metronome. His response was, “it doesn’t really matter that much”. + or - 5, it doesn’t, but 15-20 it does. I suppose I’ll have to sit down and show him one on one, so he can hear it in black and white lol, but I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be receptive and won’t even let me finish.

There's no ego more fragile than a "musician's" ego! drummers aren't "musicians", but are trained to believe their job in the band is to be the time keeper, so when that comes into question, drummers get offended(hurt)! like your telling them they're a terrible drummer! their whole world is based on them being able to keep a "steady" beat! It's like the guitarist telling you "your out of tune or playing the wrong line". I don't understand drummers not being able to take constructive criticism! I 've experienced a few who've gotten upset when told they were speeding up or dragging. at one gig the drummer kept speeding up, the LG ask him to slow down,and he proceeded to play the rest of the set very slow! at the break, he complained "nobody tells me how to play!". granted the LG wasn't the best guy in the band. sooo, thats the last time I saw or played with that drummer. I even had sticks thrown at me, during a set (he made it look like "it slipped"). If they can't take a little critism they gotta go!

 

[RTL]

Just give him some cocaine.

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?

 

[zubrycky]

In this case, I would adjust my playing to that particular drummer.

 

[Mark Ambler]

There's no ego more fragile than a "musician's" ego! drummers aren't "musicians", but are trained to believe their job in the band is to be the time keeper, so when that comes into question, drummers get offended(hurt)! like your telling them they're a terrible drummer! their whole world is based on them being able to keep a "steady" beat! It's like the guitarist telling you "your out of tune or playing the wrong line". I don't understand drummers not being able to take constructive criticism! I 've experienced a few who've gotten upset when told they were speeding up or dragging. at one gig the drummer kept speeding up, the LG ask him to slow down,and he proceeded to play the rest of the set very slow! at the break, he complained "nobody tells me how to play!". granted the LG wasn't the best guy in the band. sooo, thats the last time I saw or played with that drummer. I even had sticks thrown at me, during a set (he made it look like "it slipped"). If they can't take a little critism they gotta go!

Is this a joke?

 

[LeSonyr]

Switch to Grateful Dead covers.

Sorry, has this been said? I didn't have time to read the whole thread.

 

[InhumanResource]

Thank you for your feedback. I will try that. He does keep a solid pace, if he starts slow it stays slow and the same for fast.

Maybe you should count the songs in to set the tempo where you need it?

 

[LBS-bass]

Is this a joke?

Yeah, I'm not going to be the one to break it to Steve Gadd or Dave Garibaldi or Antonio Sanchez that they aren't actually musicians.

 

[rockinbilly]

In our band, our drummer uses a metronome to set tompo at a mutually agreed upon tempo unless the next song is segwayed ! I do realize that most bands, in the excitement of the gig, tend to want to play songs faster, but if you listen to a recording of your performance afterward, most times you'll realize that the original tempo is where the best groove is ! By using a metronome, the controversy is eliminated !!!!

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

The bast way to deal w/that w/ out offending he drummer: "hey man, is sounds like we're dragging a little bit.. We tend to play a little slower than we should, can you help us keeping the time steady?"