Drummers who keep changing the beat during the song

[walt 2012]

Guys ,

 

My drummer is a salt of the earth top lad but .......he has this habit of changing the beat through out the songs . Randomly , half way through a groove etc , like start hitting the kick drum on the off etc .

now we play a lot of dance tracks in our set  and the bass line is crucial and the crowd love a kick drum on the 1 as it’s easy to feel and dance to.

how do I  explain to him that he needs to stop doing this IMMEDIATELY without hurting his feelings .?

If we were doing little pub gigs I would’nt give a stinky poo but we do fairly high end functions and it’s ruining the show .

pappers delight in 6/8 is ridiculous 

 

cheers 

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by walt 2012

[songofthewind]

I often wonder if drummers do that because they think they sound boring, and want to seem skilful. Sorta like guitarists and, who knows, maybe even bass players sometimes.

I know that I sometimes feel that I’m just playing boring repetitive crap, and stick in some pops or something, and o& course it falls apart. Other times, when I am feeling confident and in the groove, it works a treat.

 

[gjones]

I occasionally play with a excellent young drummer, who keeps on playing triplets on the hi hat, during solos, in songs with a simple 4/4 beat (think  of a ZZ top grinder with the drummer playing triplets, it just doesn't work). It adds absolutely nothing to the song and I have no idea why he does it, other than to show other drummers in the audience that he can. I would normally accuse a drummer like that of being unprofessional but he is a pro drummer who is trying to make a name for himself as a session guy in Nashville

Another drummer I play with, loves to invert the beat (as your drummer does too). He does it as a laugh to p*ss me off...............and it works.

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by gjones

[gjones]

42 minutes ago, songofthewind said:

I often wonder if drummers do that because they think they sound boring, and want to seem skilful. Sorta like guitarists and, who knows, maybe even bass players sometimes.

I know that I sometimes feel that I’m just playing boring repetitive crap, and stick in some pops or something, and o& course it falls apart. Other times, when I am feeling confident and in the groove, it works a treat.

 

It took me a while to realise, that bass players (and this is true of drummers too) are supporting musicians. We're there to make the song and soloists sound good, not to take the centre stage ourselves. We're there to provide the groove.

Edited August 4, 2018 by gjones

[songofthewind]

True dat. But that envelope filter has got to be used sometime, right?

[Linus27]

1 hour ago, walt 2012 said:

Guys ,

 

My drummer is a salt of the earth top lad but .......he has this habit of changing the beat through out the songs . Randomly , half way through a groove etc , like start hitting the kick drum on the off etc .

now we play a lot of dance tracks in our set  and the bass line is crucial and the crowd love a kick drum on the 1 as it’s easy to feel and dance to.

how do I  explain to him that he needs to stop doing this IMMEDIATELY without hurting his feelings .?

If we were doing little pub gigs I would’nt give a stinky poo but we do fairly high end functions and it’s ruining the show .

pappers delight in 6/8 is ridiculous 

 

cheers 

 

I am in exactly the same boat. I play 50s and 60s rock and roll with some Motown, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Beach Boys etc. so very distinct bass lines and our drummer literally makes the drums up or changes them every gig. Its so bloody annoying. I even said to two of the band last night it's like playing with the Maiah Carey of drums, rather than voice w*%&k*^g over a song, he's drum w*%$k*^g over everything. So he doesn't play the right drums, makes them up, forgets where he is in a song and then blames it on everyone else saying the singer sung it wrong, the guitarist played it wrong or the Bass line is wrong. He's always late as well.

[chris_b]

1 hour ago, walt 2012 said:

how do I  explain to him that he needs to stop doing this IMMEDIATELY without hurting his feelings .?

Hurt his feelings. Tell him to stop or he's fired.

[mybass]

..not only but also........I think the latest drum double kick drum 6/8 'paraletic parradumble' exercise that said drummer has practised relentlessly has to show its face on a gig otherwise said drummer will feel they haven't shown it off enough and to hell with what the song is about!

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by mybass

[paul_5]

1 hour ago, Linus27 said:

I am in exactly the same boat. I play 50s and 60s rock and roll with some Motown, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Beach Boys etc. so very distinct bass lines and our drummer literally makes the drums up or changes them every gig. Its so bloody annoying. I even said to two of the band last night it's like playing with the Maiah Carey of drums, rather than voice w*%&k*^g over a song, he's drum w*%$k*^g over everything. So he doesn't play the right drums, makes them up, forgets where he is in a song and then blames it on everyone else saying the singer sung it wrong, the guitarist played it wrong or the Bass line is wrong. He's always late as well.

Sound like you’re looking for another drummer. I would be.

[Guest]

When I was a pro I never worked with a drummer who wasn’t absolutely sympathetic to the song. No “real” pro would ever get away with such nonsense. In any proper professional situation the first incidence of overplaying might result in some short words  - don’t do that again, second time would be pack up and off you go. Same with playing in between sessions or songs in rehearsal (i.e. won’t shut up). There are loads of fantastic musicians to choose from in professional circles and a bad reputation travels faster than a fart in an astronaut suit.

[uk_lefty]

4 hours ago, chris_b said:

Hurt his feelings. Tell him to stop or he's fired.

We have a similar system in our band. We are all friends but if someone is doing something irritating, like a guitarist widdling a bit of the next song before we play it on a gig then a word is had. I've played bits that haven't worked and been told "better the first way you did it" and then you know, do it again and everyone will be seriously p!ssed off. A disapproving look is not enough, it needs to be said.

[P-ZARN]

Tell him to listen to Charlie Watts

[JBP]

6 hours ago, chris_b said:

Hurt his feelings. Tell him to stop or he's fired.

^^This^^ harsh but true,

If these are paid gigs its got to be sorted out.

[Oopsdabassist]

6 hours ago, mybass said:

..not only but also........I think the latest drum double kick drum 6/8 'paraletic parradumble' exercise that said drummer has practised relentlessly has to show its face on a gig otherwise said drummer will feel they haven't shown it off enough and to hell with what the song is about!

 

A bit like this?  thankfully he only did it the once lol!!!

[discreet]

Every day I thank God I'm currently in a band with a truly great pro drummer who has perfect timing, can tune his drums, sounds fantastic AND can do what he does quietly when necessary. He's a nice chap, too.

Apologies if this is annoying. But I've played with my share of crap drummers over the years. I deserve this!

[chris_b]

16 hours ago, Oopsdabassist said:

A bit like this?  thankfully he only did it the once lol!!!

I liked that. 1cwt of King Edwards over the kit. In time in the right place. Double bass drum pedal. Sounded good to me.

[bazzbass]

he's not really a drummer, he is pretending to be one. Fire him.

I BET you anything he started as a guitarist

[Oopsdabassist]

50 minutes ago, chris_b said:

I liked that. 1cwt of King Edwards over the kit. In time in the right place. Double bass drum pedal. Sounded good to me.

I'll pass that on, he'll be well chuffed!!

[discreet]

30 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

I BET you anything he started as a guitarist.

I bet he did, too. So many failed musicians take up drums - because how hard can it be? It's just hitting stuff, right..?

Like those bass guitar reviews that begin: 'I'm really a guitarist, but...'

Next!

[bazzbass]

I never thought Penthouse forum letters were real. Until last night when my............

[Muzz]

Overplaying drummers...it's usually deps trying to show how great they are. It's the same with any musicians who aren't actually as good as they think they are, Over-widdling guitards are almost par for the course, over-widdling bassists are deeply annoying, but overplaying drummers can wreck a song more thoroughly than all the above.

[discreet]

16 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

I never thought Penthouse forum letters were real. Until last night when my...

...Pomeranian stuck its nose through the garden bench and licked my grundle.

[musicbassman]

10 minutes ago, discreet said:

I never thought Penthouse forum letters were real. Until last night when my...

 

11 minutes ago, discreet said:

..Pomeranian stuck its nose through the garden bench and licked my grundle.

I wouldn't have minded, but I'd heard so much about Muzz's and discreet's apres-gig parties, and I'd been expecting so much more.

[mart3442]

On 04/08/2018 at 11:26, chris_b said:

Hurt his feelings. Tell him to stop or he's fired.

Absolutely, its play for the song, not yourself.......

[skankdelvar]

4 hours ago, bazzbass said:

I never thought Penthouse forum letters were real. Until last night when my............

4 hours ago, discreet said:

...Pomeranian stuck its nose through the garden bench and licked my grundle.

4 hours ago, musicbassman said:

I wouldn't have minded, but I'd heard so much about Muzz's and discreet's apres-gig parties, and I'd been expecting so much more.

My heart was in my mouth as I sidled into the crowded room wearing nothing more than a smear of lipstick, a tri-lobal posing pouch and a pair of shiny, patent leather dance pumps.