steve-bbb Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) [b][url="http://starcasm.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TheMadDrummer2.jpg"] [/url][/b] Edited December 16, 2012 by steve-bbb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerstodge Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1355596641' post='1900458'] I feel your pain. I bet my drummer is worse than your drummer. [/quote]I've got 2 drummers that are worse than both yours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 ...to be fair, I used to be a drummer. And I was worse than all your bad drummer put together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) [quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1355655860' post='1900915'] Is she any good at knitting?[/quote] I reckon she'd pull the wool over your eyes. ...I'll get me cardi. [color=#ffffff].[/color] Edited December 16, 2012 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I played in an indie covers band in which our first drummer invariably pushed the tempo the whole time. Also his understanding of anticipation (say, a quarter- half-beat 'push' into the next bar) was that this marked the start of the next bar, meaning some 4/4 bars ended up being 7/8 or 15/16. When I pointed out that this was wrong (we are talking US punk here, not King Crimson), his response was to claim that was just a technicality! He eventually improved to the point of just being 'stiff' in his playing feel. After 3 years of this, the guitarist and I managed to piss him off and he left. Hooray! It was a revelation to then play with a decent drummer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I played with a drummer for 10years and struggled to get gigs. Mates would book us because we were cheap. We did about a gig a month and rarely got call backs. I really struggled to play in time, missed chord changes, played wrong notes. Tunes that I could play in my sleep at home but at practices and gigs just couldn't get it together. Was beginning to think it was me, apart from the odd complaint about 5 beat bars and speeding up through songs, the rest of the band were oblivious to his overplaying and double bass drum pedal stamping over all the bass lines. About 4 years ago I did a bunch of dep gigs for various different bands which reminded me that it wasn't me. I left the band shortly after and am now free to play something other than root notes to hold the tempo straight and fit with his clumsy bass drum and fills. I heard a recording recently - no change and still struggling for repeat gigs. It's worth looking around for bands to jam with or dep for. It's enlightening, even an average drummer will lift your game. It's like chess or squash, you only get better by playing a better opponent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 You have to have minimum standards and aim to beat them by some distance. If helps no one to carry someone who can't play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1355655316' post='1900904'] Yep - Nina Hagen [/quote] aaah, i thought the eye was painted on her hand ! cool pic ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyquipment Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='Jon B' timestamp='1355593109' post='1900372'] if the drummer sucks, then you all suck, no matter how good the rest of you actually are, sad but true [/quote] agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) Bottom line... I don't enjoy playing gigs anymore. I just get stressed out... which makes things even worse. Something has to give. A drummer I used to play with (great drummer but mental - even for a drummer) texted me after the gig - "sorry mate, but that's the worst I've ever heard". Depressing Edited December 16, 2012 by thepurpleblob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Seems that many of us have the same issues. I've played with some fantastic drummers and some proper duffers too. Trying to hold it together when the tempo is drifting about and the flashy fills always come back in on the wrong beat can play havoc with your own confidence. I play with a drummer at present who slows down during songs and I feel as if I'm trying to drag him along to stop it from grinding to a halt. Drives me nuts! It is a wonnderful feeling to play with a really tight and competent drummer though, especially when either he or you can mess about with the beat and have a rock solid point of reference to come back to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin8708 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Our current drummer , ( Graham , you are a Godsend ) plays keyboards and sings as well. He is a bloody good drummer who really lifts the band , he also listens to the bass and the guitar and will frequently make suggestions for us to try different timings or arrangements . ( can you imagine that , a drummer telling a guitarist how to play ? ) but he really knows his stuff. Fully agree that cr@p drummer = cr@p band . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 I can't even quite put my finger on it. It's things like this - there's a song I start and then the rest of the band comes in. It doesn't matter how much I say, "please try to listen to the tempo I'm playing at", the drums come crashing in half as fast again. Makes me want to put the bass down and walk out. On top of that there's no enthusiasm - moan, moan, moan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 The path is clear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) Well you have the option of going with the flow. One gig I lost my temper (unprofessional and I really shouldn't have done it). Rather than holding the tempo back, I just went with him. The song got faster and faster and by the last chorus the singer couldn't even breathe, let alone sing. She ripped into the drummer after the gig. Far be it for me to suggest such underhand tactics, a few songs played that will expose him pretty quickly to the rest of the band. You're currently covering up his shortcomings. Edited December 16, 2012 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1355685068' post='1901383']...the drums come crashing in half as fast again...On top of that there's no enthusiasm - moan, moan, moan [/quote] Good evening, thepurpleblob (or may I call you Purple..?)... If it's really this bad, then I would suggest that your options are rather limited. Life is too short; there must be other bands in the Glasgow area that could use your skills (yes, as modest as you declare yourself, you have at least a pair of ears, it seems, which is the essential element for a musician...), or 'drum up' the partners required to start your own group. Difficult, sometimes, but certainly more rewarding than the situations you're describing. Knitting can be a frustration, too, of course. Best of luck, whatever your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnFitzgerald Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 If you recognise all of this and the rest of them don't then I'm afraid you're far too good to stay there. Bands work best when the members are approaching being equals. Your band doesn't sound at all like that. As I said up the thread, you're not a million miles down the road from me being in Carluke and there are plenty of bands in this area looking for decent players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) [quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1355685068' post='1901383'] ...It doesn't matter how much I say, "please try to listen to the tempo I'm playing at", the drums come crashing in half as fast again.[/quote] I once played with a drummer who would do a count in at one tempo, then start playing at a completely different tempo... every time! It felt good to get out of that situation. [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1355685610' post='1901392']...You're currently covering up his shortcomings.[/quote] True, I'm afraid. As suggested, you should follow him out of the window and see what everyone says then. A good bass player and drummer will make each other look great and are the bedrock of any half decent band - but you are carrying him, and therefore the rest of the band, too. This is an unbalanced and unsustainable situation - IMHO! Edited December 16, 2012 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='JohnFitzgerald' timestamp='1355688405' post='1901429'] If you recognise all of this and the rest of them don't then I'm afraid you're far too good to stay there. Bands work best when the members are approaching being equals. Your band doesn't sound at all like that. As I said up the thread, you're not a million miles down the road from me being in Carluke and there are plenty of bands in this area looking for decent players. [/quote] Well... if you hear of anything I'm pushing 50 and have no ambition beyond enjoying myself and getting (hopefully) an bit better with people I get along with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1355690569' post='1901460'] ... True, I'm afraid. As suggested, you should follow him out of the window and see what everyone says then. A good bass player and drummer will make each other look great and are the bedrock of any half decent band - but you are carrying him, and therefore the rest of the band, too. This is an unbalanced and unsustainable situation - IMHO! [/quote] Contrary to popular belief, it is not the drummers job to keep time. It is everyone's. If one member of the band can't keep time you're all shot. It's worrying that your guitarist hasn't noticed although not unusual. In one of the bands I play with now the guitarist's timing is terrible which impacts all of us, if the soloist drifts you really have to support them and if people are dancing then you're shot as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnFitzgerald Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) [quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1355691497' post='1901486'] Well... if you hear of anything I'm pushing 50 and have no ambition beyond enjoying myself and getting (hopefully) an bit better with people I get along with. [/quote] Go onto that Feckbook thing, find AM Rehearsals in Cumbernauld. They're regularly posting ads for bass players wanted. I'll see if I can make the necessary link. If it helps, I'm not exactly difficult to find on there. Nothing wrong with pushing 50. In all 3 of my bands, everyone is best described as "trans 50" to varying degrees, but that's certainly the mean age across all of the bands. Edited December 17, 2012 by JohnFitzgerald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Gotcha.... you're from the Skullery. Twa Corbies stalwarts I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnFitzgerald Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 That'll be the pub band yes. Also play with a Prog band called Comedy Of Errors and have an acoustic project on the go too which goes under the dubious name of Shrink Freud. Yes, The Skulls have played in The Corbies many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarebear68 Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 [quote name='Jon B' timestamp='1355593109' post='1900372'] if the drummer sucks, then you all suck, no matter how good the rest of you actually are, sad but true [/quote] Totally agree - I spent the first 6 months with the band I'm in now trying to lock in with a drummer who changed tempo half a dozen times in a song - that's if he ever got to the end of them without stopping because he'd got it totally wrong! I think we'd learnt less than 6 songs in 6 months. Luckily he decided that being in a band wasn't for him - we found another drummer and got a dozen songs down in less than a month! In my experience a great drummer can make even a bad band sound decent - a bad drummer can make great musicians sound awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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