Drummers Nightmare!!

I'm in a band...don't particularly like the music...have some tempo and arrangement issues. I just try to make it the best I can and roll with the punches. Get the Bass player on your side and you can steer the bus from time to time

Here's my advice:

For the songs you start, have the band dictate the tempo they want. Write it down. Play it that tempo.

For the songs other people start- gtr, piano, follow them on the gig. In rehearsal, make a note of the tempos of these songs and then practice them on your own time to get used to playing them at that tempo.

Even though you're just trying to get started on the right foot, and maybe trying to bring the band to "the next level", my experience (thrice)is that this won't work. If they're time is bad now, it will always be bad...and you won't be able to change that just by being a great drummer with great time. Get used to it. You can't teach an old dog new tricks...any attempt to do it will make you look like a control freak, (if you don't look like one already)

As long as you know what to expect, you won't be disappointed.

Play the songs at the tempo they want to play them. It's that simple. If you keep having these feelings for their way of doing it, then you will be out a gig. BTW, just because you post here doesn't mean that they don't know how you feel. They probably already do. Music has a way of communicating emotions non verbally.
Chill out, play the gig their way. Maybe if you are with them a while, and learn new songs, then you can count those off.

If you don't NEED this gig, I would walk. It's one thing to play songs at inappropriate tempos, but it's another thing entirely to be adjusting tempos several times during the same song. That kind of stuff will screw up your playing for a long time.

Some good responses, so no need to elaborate w any of my experiences [let you guys handle it] ;c)...as I think I've experienced every thing you guys have mentioned...I was chuckling to myself at EVERY situation Andy listed... [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] ;c)

One sit I'll never forget - I worked w a self-taught but nevertheless quite talented frontman [gtrst/voc/dancer/sequencer/& some kybds] back in the early 90s...he wanted to cover the DLRoth tune "Goin' Crazy" [Vai, Sheehan, GBiss]...he started the tune [2 bar gtr riff] by ear & did not know where the one was in the riff [the riff started on the & of the 1]. It trained wrecked every time at rehearsal...I tried to give them a 5 quarters count in ["1, 2, 3, 4, 1-"]...he almost wanted to fistfight because I tried to tell him where the 1 was...so that we could all start the tune TOGETHER & IN TIME...know whut a mean?! [The PURPOSE of music / time]...def pride factor, there...so, aft countless tries, he ditches the tune.

It's hilarious when a group hires a drummer, then certain members or everyone wants to deny the drummer HIS [or her] JOB by wanting to control the tempo themselves...the reason they hired them in the FIRST place...oh, brother...enough already... [img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img]

I know...everyone is a closet drummer, & thinks it's a walk in the park...no off, but sometimes the only thing worse than having to play w a drummer, is having to play w other instrumentalists! [or vocalists, too!]... [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I hope those tempo-nazi's [who really have no reason to be] read these [unless, of course, they have a great concept of time themselves. You know who you are! You're a joy to play with, & diamonds in the ruff!] ;cP

Some obviously good advice by you folks in here. Plan out the tempos & COUNT-INS w the entire band in advance is a good start...but it IS often a delicate procedure sometimes when joining a new, pre-existing outfit, isn't it.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 04, 2005 02:03 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>

i would suggest the gradual approach. play the songs at there tempo in the beginning, and over time (weeks/months) slowly rein in the tempo closer and closer to where it should be. the band seems 'shell shocked' by your intsant 'real tempo fix'. thats too much of a change for them 'overnight'.
my 2 cents

I had to deal with this with a cover band I played in as well. They had a few good drummers in the past who didn't play the tunes note for note, didn't play them in the tempos from the original recordings, but had great feel. Unfortunately, when I heard them with one of their "feel" drummers, they had the tune slowed down so much that I thought it lost its groove. When I started playing with them, I got the tempos from all of the recordings and started the tunes with my click as my reference. They had trouble with this and I just stated to them, "Look, if it was a hit at this tempo, would it be wrong to keep it there?" They adjusted to it reluctantly, and I recorded one of our gigs to see how everything was going. The keyboard player (the one guy in the band who was actually good, but a raging alcoholic who never practiced or learned lyrics) stated that one of the tunes we played was too fast, faster than the recording. I had my mini-disc recorder and the cd with the original tune on it and put them up against each other in my car with him sitting in and listening. Same tempo. He shut up about tempos after that. The best night I had with them was with my click and some really huge sticks so they could hear me. My time never wavered from when I started the song, and everything grooved for a change. They tried to speed up or slow down songs (sometimes 2 diff. people in the band wanting to do each in one song!), but I didn't move.

I eventually quit that band because they only played about one or two gigs every 2 months, and they never practiced until the week of the gig. They spent the whole practice re-teaching everyone the songs. What a waste of time. Plus, the leader was really verbally abusive about everyone in the band's groove, especially me. He thought he had more "soul & groove" than the rest of us, and said that, "yeah, we're all white, trying to play some of these disco and groove songs, and that we need to listen to the songs and try to learn feel. That band really F'd up my feel for a while and I had to try like hell to get it back.

Good luck with it! If you have any other bands in your area that are doing the same thing and have it down, show your current band what they are doing vs. what your band is doing and you would like to get this band just as tight.

I think that they would all like to play in a good band, hopefully they'll want to be great!

Mike

I had the same problem with a band I subbed in for 6 months.

The fact is you're not going to tell them anything.

I just took in my handy dr. beat and told them to start off the song. Once I tapped in their tempo, I stopped them and asked them if they thought the tempo I had tapped was right. Once they said yes, I plugged the Dr. Beat into the PA, and we played.

The were falling all over themselves left and right. After that one song, they finally said, "whoa, I guess our tempo is bad!"

The idea here is to let them discover it themselves, cause these guys I was with were sure that they were fine until the had a metronome tell them otherwise. It all turned around then, and they even asked me to be their full time drummer, but I declined.

Same here. I quit all of the "toxic" groups I was playing with and I've never played better...(after getting my"feel" back).

It really is true you can get to the point where you don't know "which way is up" when they start telling you to slow down and speed up at the same time. Practicing has been very therapeutic for me.

Back to you- sorry...

Wow, I'm so glad you all shared your experiences with me. I don't feel so 'Alone'. You all have given me great advice.

I have used a few tools and some of your advice to make everyone comfortable. I have been able to get everyone to agree to let me count off the marjority of songs and I have proven to them in rehearsal this will work well. Except for a few songs that are started by guitar or keyboards (You can call me Al, for instance).

Secondly, on the tempo issue, I decided to follow the instructions of the leader who is (cringe and Ouch!) a female singer who says she knows what the crowd wants to dance to. The guys feel comfortable with these speeds as they have been performing this way for three years, so far be it for me to shake things up.

Tonight is my debut with this band playing in a huge club that usually has 200-300 people on the dance floor. I'm very excited, but also very confident in my abilities and preparation. I've got backup bass drum and snare heads, my gig bag is set with tools, string, springs, etc. I've got my drum rug ready as well as water, towel, extra sticks (6 new pairs), etc.

I've also decided to try to play a little ahead in the pocket tonight. So not really accelerating the tempo of these songs, but hopefully give the sensation of hearing the beat a little before the slot time.

Wish me luck and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Regards All
Al