Stub Mandrel Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Had to play Black Man Ray the other day, a total dirge if started too slow and so little bass you can't push it faster. Luckily we had a drummer who doesn't know the song but I primed him 'keep up the tempo' and we buzzed along 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 10 minutes ago, gary mac said: Dave can you let me know the name of the app? Cheers. I’ll check with the drummer and let you know, Gary. Andy still getting over excited from time to time 😁 Try and keep him off the Red Bulls if you can 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 15 minutes ago, gary mac said: Dave can you let me know the name of the app? Cheers. It’s Live BPM for both android and iPhone 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 11 hours ago, AndyTravis said: Our drummer runs an earpiece for certain tunes, others we allow variance but usually sit around the same. we record all rehearsals and discuss tempos, if somethings off we use the click at the next rehearsal. but our guy is very good and in rehearsal will stop or change/signal if it’s not right. Its about to be firmed up though as he’s going to be triggering samples which will require timings to be good. I tried using a vibrato pedal for Boulevarde of Broken Dreams; everyone impressed by the sound, but if the drummer drifted there wasn't a way to get it back in synch. I tried using a delay instead, re-triggering at each bar, but it faded too fast and didn't sound any better than playing staccato, which what I ended up doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 4 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: I tried using a vibrato pedal for Boulevarde of Broken Dreams; everyone impressed by the sound, but if the drummer drifted there wasn't a way to get it back in synch. I tried using a delay instead, re-triggering at each bar, but it faded too fast and didn't sound any better than playing staccato, which what I ended up doing. My guy is perfect to a click but on certain tracks it’s nice to build or have a bit of ebb/flow in time. Don’t want to sound robotic. Guitarist has some lovely delays but taps in if needed. the tremolo/vibrato stuff works well when planned out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 My worst experience regards timing was when the drummer counted and then proceeded to play Moon River in 4/4. We had ‘learned’ it specifically for the couple’s wedding anniversary for their ‘first dance’! I’ve never seen anyone waltz in 4/4 before or since. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 3 minutes ago, TimR said: We had ‘learned’ it specifically for the couple’s wedding anniversary for their ‘first dance’! I’ve never seen anyone waltz in 4/4 before or since. I've practiced with a bass player on drums who counted in 1 2 3 4 but then proceeded to play (correctly) in 3/4! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 4 hours ago, Skinnyman said: It’s Live BPM for both android and iPhone 👍thanks Dave. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 5 hours ago, Bluewine said: Last Saturday night I was ready to rip into House A Rocking and the bands starts at half the tempo. Absolutely nothing we or I could do. I've mentioned to the BL. Ah, the JJ Cale version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossHetherington Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Go all Whiplash on them and scream that's not my tempo and throw a chair at the drummer.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 13 hours ago, Skinnyman said: It’s Live BPM for both android and iPhone That's what a drummer I play with uses. Doesn't fix starting at the wrong tempo, just helps you maintain the tempo you started at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 25 minutes ago, chris_b said: That's what a drummer I play with uses. Doesn't fix starting at the wrong tempo, just helps you maintain the tempo you started at. True - but at least the drummer knows what he's playing and gives him a chance to start bringing the tempo back to where it should be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlin Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 14 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: I've practiced with a bass player on drums who counted in 1 2 3 4 but then proceeded to play (correctly) in 3/4! There's a lot of interest in hybrid time signatures at present fashions, eh? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingsta Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 We get the singer to cough really loudly and switch to the right tempo straight after. A bit like trying to cover up when you know you're going to fart. It's particularly effective for the infamous wedding first dance, which are invariable slow numbers that get started way too fast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 I remember years back we used to do Two Princes by the Spin Doctors, if we happened to play it just slightly faster, the vocalist couldn’t get the words out fast enough to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlin Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 oof, imagine if someone headed off a bit quick on 'one week' by the BNL? I don't know why so many humans find this so hard. Last time I was in the studio the drums were done in single takes. Dunno how I'm so good at it tbh. Anyone need a drummer who's not rubbish? unimaginative, like. But not rubbish. The only thing I can't do is accurately predict when the electric toothbrush wants me to change quadrants before it buzzes IF I'm playing rock music whilst cleaning my teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoulderpet Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 I would just try and match the tempo as long as it's not physically impossible then why worry yourself to much about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 2 hours ago, steantval said: I remember years back we used to do Two Princes by the Spin Doctors, if we happened to play it just slightly faster, the vocalist couldn’t get the words out fast enough to fit. We have been known to do this on purpose 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 (edited) On 01/11/2019 at 09:44, TimR said: Without a doubt. I spent 10 years in a band with a drummer who tried to play everything too fast. It was hard work holding the tempo down. One gig was so bad that I gave up and went with the flow. By the end of the song the singer was glaring at him as she couldn’t sing any of the words. It wasn’t until I did a few dep gigs that I found out how proper musicians play. I left the band pretty soon after. Although I played a dep gig last month where the drummer was speeding up in a lot of songs towards the end of the gig. I put that down to his age and getting tired as he’s normally spot on and it was fine in the first half. One problem is where a drummer isn’t really aware of the parts the other members of the band have to play/sing, and the feel of those parts (e.g. in the example above the singer not being able to fit the words in). The more au fait the drummer is with the music/singing, not just their drum part, the more chance you’ve got. Too many drummers IME just think about playing the drums, rather than playing the song, and it doesn’t seem to occur to them that playing the wrong tempo can make other people’s parts difficult or unworkable. Edited November 6, 2019 by 4000 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 I’m lucky enough to have a very good drummer in my current band. Regardless of who starts a song, he always insists on giving a count-in first. We also sometimes record rehearsals and he’ll self-critique - comments like ‘I was a few BPM faster than the record on that one’ etc. I’ve also played with some terrible drummers too, so this is definitely appreciated! George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Depends how good a drummer you have, because they are the one that needs to adjust. The best one I've played with from that perspective, we knew each other well enough to trust the other if one of us felt that the song needed speeding up or slowing down, just based on feel, or sometimes because a guitarist has got the tempo wrong when playing the intro. We'd lock eyes, maybe shout "faster" or "slower" and then drive each other towards the right speed - I could certainly vary my playing to change the tempo, although that's maybe because he was good at picking up the subtleties of what i was doing. No point just changing speed without taking the drummer with you, as you're the one that the audience thinks has got it wrong If nobody else had followed you then they get the hard stare at the end of the song so that everybody knows it was them that made a mistake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 The ouitgoing drummer in one of my bands has had issues with starting both too quickly and too slow on a couple of different songs and it's hard work pulling them into the correct tempo once you are running. It's one of the things I will be keeping an ear out for when we start auditioning prospective new one this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 1 minute ago, KevB said: The ouitgoing drummer in one of my bands has had issues with starting both too quickly and too slow on a couple of different songs and it's hard work pulling them into the correct tempo once you are running. It's one of the things I will be keeping an ear out for when we start auditioning prospective new one this weekend. Can you count these songs in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 6 hours ago, geoham said: I’m lucky enough to have a very good drummer in my current band. Regardless of who starts a song, he always insists on giving a count-in first. We also sometimes record rehearsals and he’ll self-critique - comments like ‘I was a few BPM faster than the record on that one’ etc. I’ve also played with some terrible drummers too, so this is definitely appreciated! George This is ideal. The two drummers I mainly play with carry a metronome (there are apps that do the job, as others point out). They check the correct tempo before the start and give us two bars count (always two - never one) with the sticks. Works every time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Live click track is the only solution. Sadly most drummers' weak suit is tempo - a byproduct of the Youtube generation where drum solos are more valuable than feel and time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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