Tell him to play simple, first. Just lay it down solid and reinforce the music. Tell him to listen to Ringo, Charlie Watts, Mick Fleetwood - drummers whose forte is a rock solid beat. And there is no shame is playing a simple 4/4 boom whack throughout a song.
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What should I do about this band / drummer?
- Thread starter CaptainGreen
- Start date
Drummer with bad timing is like trying to ride a horse with a loose saddle.
I am in pretty much the same situation. A band that wants me/sounds good/ would do well live.. But the drummer ( long time friend) is terrible. I'll have to find something else. ( We have talked till were blue) It's just too frustrating ! Lots of good advice here.
You are not a counselor, find another drummer or another opportunity. It will probably all balance out in the end. Play and enjoy.
I wish you all the best (and then some). A drummer like that can make a bass player seriously neurotic in very short order.
If the drummer doesn't swing and with dynamics, then the band won't either.
If the drummer doesn't swing and with dynamics, then the band won't either.
If they aren’t, that’s a huge red flag.
It sounds like you just hired the drummer that my band just let go a few weeks ago, but I know it’s not, because they guy we let go could NOT take any critique without taking it personally and getting defensive. If you can work with him, AND he has the physical ability to play the licks, there’s still hope, but it will probably take some time. As this time passes, some of the other band members will probably notice where the fault lies, but I’d have to advise that you all don’t gang up on the guy at once. Constructive criticism as a medicine has to be given in small doses.
I played with this guy. Same deal. Sped up and slowed down with the measure. It was horrible. BUT, I had just picked up the bass again so I used it as an opportunity to work on some bass chops and actually learn the damn notes. The BL wanted to play at his birthday gig in a few months so I soldiered on. Every moment in rehearsal I was staring at the basement ceiling just getting through the simplest bass line while this guy destroyed the beat. After the birthday party I bailed.
He was the nicest guy but no clue how much work he needed to do.
Think about what you want from the situation and reassess. I would never have gigged for money with this guy because I was too worried about a meltdown on stage. That's more stressful than it needs to be.
Good luck.
He was the nicest guy but no clue how much work he needed to do.
Think about what you want from the situation and reassess. I would never have gigged for money with this guy because I was too worried about a meltdown on stage. That's more stressful than it needs to be.
Good luck.
This is the kind of thing that I don't know how it works in reality. If you're terrible at something and don't know it, watching someone good at it (unaided) won't help. Listening to your own recordings won't help either. You have to know what to listen or look for.
And then you have to spend five to ten more years getting good at it.
It's crazy how many similarities I can draw from the OP to the situation I'm in...:
Cool group of people, all of us like the music (70s rock stuff), rehearsals at drummers house, drummer has significant timing/transitions/fills issues but has only been learning for about 2-3 yrs, gentle mentions make so much of a difference...
I certainly have no advice for the OP, but I plan to read through all the suggestions already posted.
Best of luck with your situation
Cool group of people, all of us like the music (70s rock stuff), rehearsals at drummers house, drummer has significant timing/transitions/fills issues but has only been learning for about 2-3 yrs, gentle mentions make so much of a difference...
I certainly have no advice for the OP, but I plan to read through all the suggestions already posted.
Best of luck with your situation
I'm just grasping at straws here, trying to offer something that may be of use. The last drummer I worked with was a robo-drummer that kept really good time but was boring. The band before that the drummer left so little impression that I have absolutely no memory of him, but I do recall that the band, especially the vocalists, looked to me for time and tempo even though I was the least experienced in the band (and apparently I've been good with time and tempo even as far back as high school). The band before that the drummer had six floating tom-toms which he wore out on every song. Only thing is, playing across all those tom-toms made him speed up and the rest of the band had no choice but to follow.
In this century all my work has been with what basically is a contra-dance band, and I AM the time and tempo, and I play LOUD.
For the OP, given that the drummer basically is providing infrastructure for the band and it's basically his band, if he cannot get things together your best choice would be to leave, especially if one of your goals is regular gigs.
Haven’t read all the posts yet; apologies is this repeats someone else’s post...but it’s been mentioned that some one-on-one time might help the guy, and it’s been mentioned that some recorded practices might too.
If these two things could combine into sort of a “groove workshop” kind of thing, which would be recorded and listened back to, it might actually be fun. And if presented as “letting us get right together independent of band practice,” it might come off as less threatening to the guy than recording a full practice and everyone scrutinizing him.
No idea if the OP has time or inclination for such a thing; many probably would not. But I know there have been many times over the years where my guitar playing, and later bass playing, benefited from getting together with one member and working on something together. It helped my listening and some song and riff ideas often came out of those sessions. Approached with some interest and enthusiasm, that could be pretty fulfilling for some people.
If these two things could combine into sort of a “groove workshop” kind of thing, which would be recorded and listened back to, it might actually be fun. And if presented as “letting us get right together independent of band practice,” it might come off as less threatening to the guy than recording a full practice and everyone scrutinizing him.
No idea if the OP has time or inclination for such a thing; many probably would not. But I know there have been many times over the years where my guitar playing, and later bass playing, benefited from getting together with one member and working on something together. It helped my listening and some song and riff ideas often came out of those sessions. Approached with some interest and enthusiasm, that could be pretty fulfilling for some people.
As for the earplugs I don’t believe so but he probably should. I mean he’s not playing caveman loud or anything but the only mode he plays is *STRONG AUTHORITATIVE THWACK* & when we’re playing some laid-back Fleetwood Mac or something it gets very grating & odd sounding. As far as the kit, he says he’s working on getting a second kit. So the only one currently is in the practice space, but I’m not sure how often he goes up there solo to practice, I’ll try to get some more info on that because I agree without someone practicing on their own time, it’s a waste of everyone else’s time. I’m not there to practice and learn instruments, I’m there to rehearse. At least that’s what I thought.
The tip about recording everything *sans* drums is a great idea. Then he can have a backing track to practice to.
A lot of good advice already. Only thing I might differ on is if you like and click with some of the other people in the band and don't have any other options at the moment I might not immediately bail. A lot of people on here have years of experience and connections with other experienced musicians to draw on. Early on you don't have that.
Sometimes what comes out of a situation like this is connections that lead somewhere or turn into something else. It might be worth seeing what happens at least for a little while. Who knows, they may end up firing the drummer or the band might splinter and you end up hooking up with some of them for a new project.
Sometimes what comes out of a situation like this is connections that lead somewhere or turn into something else. It might be worth seeing what happens at least for a little while. Who knows, they may end up firing the drummer or the band might splinter and you end up hooking up with some of them for a new project.
If it were me, as gracefully and professionally as possible, I'd get the hell out, or ask to be replaced at their soonest convenience. An 'off' drummer kills everything. You can't have a rhythm section if the drummer has no rhythm.
I think if you like the rest of the band bide your time and become indispensable yourself. Become the most valuable member of the band. Eventually you will be able to call the shots. It works for me every time. I always end up running the project within 6 months and you can too!
