The Steel Guitar Forum

As the song progresses the drummer gets faster and faster. The singer complains that the song got so fast she could hardly spit out the words.
The drummer quickly says: "The steel guitar kicked it off too fast"-- thinking that clears him of any blame.
The steel player then kicks off another song at half of the normal speed, thinking it will gain a lot speed. The steel player is wrong again, blamed by the singer for kicking off the song too slow.
I think I have a solution for the drummer and the woman singer. The steel player asks for the drums to start the rhythm--steel player then plays the intro--then singer starts singing.
If the song gets so fast the singer can't spit out the words, who set the tempo---it wasn't the steel player!

A very good drummer should set the time by clicking the sticks together. I've only worked with one drummer that set the tempo and he wasted no time between songs. He also couldn't be moved once it was set. Rare.
Yes, tell the drummer to count it off. If he won't, tell the singer to count it off. If she won't, it's a lost cause. It's time for a new drummer.

The bass is an essential part of the rhythm section. I played double bass in a band with the same problem. Our solution was the simplify the bass part, use a monitor for the drummer and all went well.

Our drummer is very good, but there are a couple of slow numbers where he tends to go slightly too fast, so that I don't have time to phrase my parts as I would wish. So I count off those numbers, and he's fine with that

Easy fix
As a singer-songwriter artist I refuse to work with a drummer that doesn't use a 'click'
For those that don't know what that is it's so the drummer can keep the same tempo on that particular song every time.
Example, one of my songs is at 138 bpm
for a dancing crowd, even 135 makes the song drag and 142 rushes it to the point I can't phrase correctly.
My drummer has each tempo programmed into the set list and after one song it goes right to the next, he counts it off and it goes smoothly.
I worked with a few drummers or should I say drum kit owners that were there only to get drunk or pick up girls. This one guy mixed his drinks with Red Bull and after about 3 songs he kept speeding up to the point we had to let him go after that gig.

"drum kit owners"

I suspect that sometimes they're borrowed.

I've played bass a fair bit and I've been blessed with decent drummers that settle quickly into the right groove. And it's not just in popular music that rhythm is the prime element - in the classical world, Stravinsky said that when he was composing he would have the tempo of a new piece in his head first, before he wrote any actual music.

Drummer quote: "The click is dragging!".

The late Claude Pepper was a time machine. We were once in a studio getting drum sounds as he played to a click. Some smart aleck took the click out of his phones for about 30 seconds. When he put it back in Claude was right on the money.

Bass players (like me) just loved him.

Some drummers don't let that pesky click hold them back...

Don't get me started!

Even if the steel player kicks off the tune, the drummer should count it in, either verbally, with stick clicks, or closed high hat clicks.
It is everyone’s job in the band to keep time, but part of the drummer’s job is setting the initial pace. Jeez...that’s drums 101.

It takes a very, very good drummer to be better than no drummer at all.

Remember the first musical ethic:

"Do no harm!"

My band is using a drum machine, and our bass player is a genius at programming it. One of our major gigs is for a dance club. They love it and compliment us on it. Tempo is constant, just what a dancer wants. Here is Missoula, there is a definite shortage of good country drummers. The several we have auditioned just plain SUCK!!!! No, they are not better than "No drummer at all".

I find that flinging your bar upside the head of a speeding drummer will cure the problem, well until he regains consciousness.

What I find to be the mongo-funnest/saddest/sigh-y aspect is, if you've got decent musicians, all you need is to have the click AVAILABLE! You don't have to turn it on, lo-and-behold just the threat of it is enough to knock people offa their mood swings enough to fix any blatent... umm (?!?) horrors? I must "ummm + ???" because, I have a whole lot more problems with a live band that is WILLFULLY (somehow?!?) INCAPABLE of speeding up and slowing down than with a band that at least TRIES to do so, even if they goof it up a bit. Why would you want to play live music in front of live people like that?

Just got back from an incident-free rehearsal. One number was dragging a bit, so somebody suggested going a bit quicker and the drummer said "okay" and went a bit quicker. Otherwise nothing to report. Sorry to be so smug when others are suffering

I’ve had people that I recorded try to tell me that the electronic drummer was speeding. Maybe the drummer isn’t the problem. Electronic drummers do not speed.

Charlie Hansen wrote:I’ve had people that I recorded try to tell me that the electronic drummer was speeding. Maybe the drummer isn’t the problem. Electronic drummers do not speed.

Vern Gosdin:

"Son,that drum machine is dragging!"

"Vern,it's a machine-it can't rush or drag."

"Son,I've been doing this 36 years-I believe I know if a drum machine is dragging!"

SH

So great, Steve.

Richard Sinkler wrote:My band is using a drum machine, and our bass player is a genius at programming it. One of our major gigs is for a dance club. They love it and compliment us on it. Tempo is constant, just what a dancer wants. Here is Missoula, there is a definite shortage of good country drummers. The several we have auditioned just plain SUCK!!!! No, they are not better than "No drummer at all".

I find that flinging your bar upside the head of a speeding drummer will cure the problem, well until he regains consciousness.

I had a drummer sitting close to me and he started poking me in the ribs with his drum stick. I threaten to do just like you recommend. It stopped him.

Two weeks notice! (or less)

Of course, there are some drummers that can't keep time. And of course, there are some musicians of all sorts that can't keep time.

But the usual "speeding" problem for me is that some drummers simply don't want to, or cannot bring themselves to, play a slow song slowly. If they start the tune, they start way too fast. Or sometimes, someone besides the drummer will start a tune - e.g., a capella vocal, a specific guitar/bass riff, whatever - and they try to force the band to chase them to bring things up to a tempo that they like.

Worked with an otherwise excellent drummer who insisted on treating, let's say a blues shuffle, like a fast bebop tune, pushing the crap out of it. And while taking a solo, he would go with any accent or hard syncopation move the soloist made instead of providing a steady groove. He had chops galore, but drove me and others nuts.

To me, a good drummer has reasonable chops, but most importantly, plays the bag, whatever that bag is.

Dave Mudgett wrote: ...while taking a solo, he would go with any accent or hard syncopation move the soloist made instead of providing a steady groove.

Ughhh... I've experienced that with a couple of drummers.

So I guess it's settled. It's all the drummer's fault.

Not quite...

Charlie Hansen wrote:I’ve had people .... try to tell me ....

People are the problem

Dave Mudgett wrote:Worked with an otherwise excellent drummer who insisted on treating, let's say a blues shuffle, like a fast bebop tune, pushing the crap out of it. And while taking a solo, he would go with any accent or hard syncopation move the soloist made instead of providing a steady groove. He had chops galore, but drove me and others nuts.

Yeah, steel or guitar or fiddle break means drum solo time too, right? Sucks all the dynamics and timing out your brilliant lead... I played with that guy. I didn’t think he was “otherwise excellent” though.

Dynamics?

I'm playing as loud as I can...