Note to all aspiring drummers.

[EddieV]

I know an individual that likes to make drum covers on Youtube. I know him pretty well, and I'm 99% certain he's not a member of any forum here or anywhere else. He's made several videos of covers over the last year alone, and of course talks the talk when it comes to being a drummer. (big talk). His Facebook feed is littered with pictures of him playing and he looks like he really is the real deal.

I'll admit, his drum covers are decent, after all he's spent a lot of money on gear, has good recording equipment, computer skills and as mentioned, makes decent drum covers.

(I will not divulge his youtube name).

Problem is this: I've seen him and heard him play LIVE, as he frequents some of the jam sessions I've been a house drummer for.

DUDE CAN NOT MAINTAIN A STEADY TEMPO.

If it's a fast song...the BPM tempo will increase 40% by the end of the song. They simply take off with in the first minute of the song.

If it's a medium tempo or slower - he will drag it down to a crawl. (Go forbid he play a shuffle).

He blames the fact that he can't get into a band on "The Music Scene" here in town. How all these musicians around town are wack-jobs, how the whole city is against anyone that wants to put a band together. Yadda yadda yadda.


What he doesn't understand is :

IF YOU ARE NOT PRACTICING, EFFORTING AND DEVELOPING YOUR DRUMMING SKILLS TO A METRONOME (not "with" ...but "to") AND CAN'T MAINTAIN A STEADY TEMPO BY YOURSELF OR WITH A GROUP, YOU ARE USELESS AS A DRUMMER!

USELESS!


U-S-E-L-E-S-S-!


So...before you spend all your money on a kit, nice cymbals, T-shirts and jackets with Sabian or Zildjian logos. Buy a freeking $25 metronome and make love to it.

Learn how to develop your timing.....(not just follow a click, but BE the click). Work at it. Make it your NUMBER ONE priority.




Get it ?
Got it?


Good!


(END RANT)

[8beat]

I wonder if he knows that he has tempo problems.

[drummer]

It's like great singers that can't sing on pitch. They're so close but not quite there yet.

[SpazApproved]

Feel better now? lol

You're in Phoenix. Is it a young kid? I know a youtube star drummer based out of Phoenix. Only one I can think of.

[rickthedrummer]

If this guy's timing increases by 40% on up tempo songs and drags badly on slower tempo songs, he needs more than a 'nome.

40% on a song that starts at 90BPM brings it to 126BPM. Someone will definitely notice that.

Probably 3%-5% would fall into the "norm". Any more than that and one might consider the tuba.

[kristydani]

A good point well made! As a beginner drummer myself this is also something I need to be practicing. As an alternative, would you recommend practicing timing by playing a simple beat along to different songs that are at varying tempos? I often do this and I think my ability to maintain rhythm has improved a lot.

[Icetech]

sounds like someone got beat out for a drumming job and had to vent

hell.. the guy is out there doing it at least. makes him better than me.. i can keep time but never plan to leave the basement.. it's warm and no people.. i like it

P.S. is his youtube name CrappyCooper? and he puts lights all over his stuff and sets it on fire? Just a guess...

[dangermoney]

Yep, time, feel, and pocket ...

You know you're on the right track when a band member turns to you and says "You're easy to play with" ...

[EddieV]

sounds like someone got beat out for a drumming job and had to vent

Ummm. Not at all.

I've been working my current drumming gig for close to 9 years, playing 3/5 nights a week and I also have 30 students. Before that I was just as busy working with many groups and situations.

I'm perfectly happy and content.


As mentioned ..this person doesn't play with anyone. When he does...it's very short lived. But he blames it on everyone and everything else. Never his drumming.


Rickthedrummer. I don't get my calculator out when he's playing and calibrate it with the metronome. Trust me when I say he speeds up....A LOT. (I figured someone wold beat me up on that...shoulda known)


It's not Luke H or Crappy Cooper.


I've spoken to the kid....but he's too busy acting cool - he acts like he doesn't need advice from anyone. But other jammers, many who are good musicians in working bands don't want to play with him because of his tempo issues.


Oh well.....I guess he can stick to his youtube videos.

[rickthedrummer]

"Rickthedrummer. I don't get my calculator out when he's playing and calibrate it with the metronome. Trust me when I say he speeds up....A LOT. (I figured someone wold beat me up on that...shoulda known)"



I wasn't trying to bust you. I knew you only threw that 40% out there to give us a idea how far off this guy could be.

Any drummer that could get 40% off in their timing would be beat to death by the bass player.

[wired]

I met an interesting fella the other day..He was selling some zildjian quick beat hi hats and I bought them and man I'm glad I did..but I asked him if he played in a band or anythng and he told me that he felt that he wasn't a good enough drummer to be in a band..The gentleman was in his 50s but yeah he makes money on the side flipping drum gear and man did he have the cymbals, Old ludwig kits.

But yeah I respect that answer..I felt the same way when I tried out for the church gig..I'm just not there yet. Being able to just keep a beat isn't enough. We all know that to be really good there are a lot of things to master about drums and playing in time is the main thing.

Another thing I know from playing with drummers is if you play like I do, Too simple not creative enough. You then handicap the band trying to put the same beats on songs or not knowing the "right" beats to go on songs. Maybe a song has a Latin feel ect.. and it makes it hard for singers to phrase their parts.

It's a real pleasure jamming with a drummer that's a master of staying in the pocket and putting the right grooves on a song.

[Kevaruka]

My metronome is in my head. Only place it has ever been & never let me down yet.

[wired]

I think it was Rick the Drummer that said that he liked to use his dog's tail as a metronome.
the tempo may vary but he just rolls with it...ha!

[jgziegler]

You don't even need to pay for a metronome, i have two free ones on my phone!

You can learn by teaching others and making videos, but if you can't recognise your own limitations, well that's not good. For one of our songs, I was speeding up which really made it hard for the singer, so what did I do, simplify my part so I play less and focus more on the timing. Of course, it makes the song less interesting for me, but whatever, I don't really like the song enough that I want to spend time working on it on my own (I'd rather improve other aspects of my playing) so I'll just focus on the most important thing for a drummer: timing.

BTW as a drummer, if you can't get a gig, its about your playing, not the scene. There aren't so many of us out there (unlike guitarists).

[jedi]

Back in the mid 80's I had a house gig ,we played 6 nights a week with Mondays off . A guy use to come in every night and he would want to sing . He was a good singer but he also fancied himself a drummer , wasn't very good at that . The band leader would let him sing but not play drums . One night he came in and told me he was going to take my gig ! He gets in the band leaders face and tells him he could cut the gig better than me and that he wanted to be in the band . Lou , the band leader , turns to me and says "let him play one song" . Lou counts off the song and right away the guys playing it way fast , as if he never got the count ! And he's throwing fills where there shouldn't be and not coming in on the one ! Lou yells at the guys "take it out" and they end the song . Lou turns to the guy and says "I'm going to count it off again , stay in time and don't do any fills just groove it " and they're off again . Well once again the guy does the same thing ..as if he didn't hear a single thing Lou said ! Lou cuts the song off again . He turns to the guy and says " That's why I will never hire you ! You got no time and no groove and you got no business anywhere near a drum set ! Get the hell off of my stage and don't ever let me see you in this club again !" Some people will never tell you that your time sucks . Some will take you off to the side and try to tell you . And some people will pull you up on stage , in front of everyone , and prove to you that your timing sucks!!
Look...I have students that will never play on stage with anyone because that's not what they want . They are happy playing along to stuff at home . Their timing sucks and they got no groove but so what..they are happy where they're at , God bless them at least they aren't doing crack ! But if you get up on stage..with other musicians..your $h!t better be together because someone is going to tell you about it...and it aint going to be pretty !

[gdmoore28]

My metronome is in my head. Only place it has ever been & never let me down yet.

Not to rag on you specifically, Kevaruka, but we were all waiting for this statement. It's been proclaimed here a hundred times:

"My metronome is in my head."

So is your sense of your tempo. You have no idea if your head is right.

"Never let me down yet."

How do you know?

Bound to answer: "I've been playing for ___ years, and nobody has ever complained."

Unless the timing issue is excessive, nobody ever will. But, if you've never tested your timing, how do you know for sure? You don't.

We need to embrace the metronome (they don't bite!)- especially as a tool of practice and, if nothing else, a tool to confirm that what we are hearing in our heads is correct. The click can reveal worlds of issues that we never knew we had. And nobody ever told us, either!


GeeDeeEmm

[8beat]

There is some kind of tempo monitoring device for sale. I never used one. Might be handy.

[N2Bluz]

Does someone make a small metronome with a small LED or similar that could be mounted on the drum set? Maybe on the tom post or a cymbal stand, so only I could see it?


Edit:

OK, stupid question, LOL. I just downloaded a FREE app for my phone. It really is amazing. Way more features than I'll ever need, but I'm going to try it out at our next band practice.

[fastarrow]

I'm just a beginner myself, but I know that all the nice kits / equipment will not make me a better drummer. That's why I resist the urge to buy more equipment. All I'm out to do right now is upgrade the heads and cymbals-- the stock ones DO sound awful -- and then become good on what I have.

[Ricardo]

I know an individual that likes to make drum covers on Youtube.
Problem is this: DUDE CAN NOT MAINTAIN A STEADY TEMPO.

What he doesn't understand is :

IF YOU ARE NOT PRACTICING, EFFORTING AND DEVELOPING YOUR DRUMMING SKILLS TO A METRONOME (not "with" ...but "to") AND CAN'T MAINTAIN A STEADY TEMPO BY YOURSELF OR WITH A GROUP, YOU ARE USELESS AS A DRUMMER!

USELESS!

U-S-E-L-E-S-S-!

Hey Eddie !...............I enjoyed the rant and could not agree more.
I played for years with a metronome and wore it out.............it is something we just have to do.

I had a jazz set instructor (still a famous name at a major university) that taught fundamental big-band swing like this :
"You have three functions in this band and they all have to be there for you to succeed...............number one is the tempo..............number two is the cue............and number three is the fill..............if you master all three, you will be awesome.............and...........the first two are more important than the third because your band-mates are relying on you.
If you cannot provide cues and tempo, then you need to go mow lawns or do something else productive".

[N2Bluz]

I'm just a beginner myself, but I know that all the nice kits / equipment will not make me a better drummer. That's why I resist the urge to buy more equipment. All I'm out to do right now is upgrade the heads and cymbals-- the stock ones DO sound awful -- and then become good on what I have.

They won't make you technically better, but, good equipment and nice sounding drums WILL encourage you to play and allow you to enjoy it more and stay motivated and inspired. You don't need top-line stuff, but good heads & tuning are key. When you sit behind a kit that really sounds good, even and entry level kit, it gives you confidence....even playing the most basic stuff. Sounds like you're on the right track.

[fastarrow]

N2Bluz, That was one of my observations / questions in my first post, that if I like what I hear, I'll learn perhaps faster, or better.

[slinky]

Hey Rick nice post count there

[rickthedrummer]

Hey Rick nice post count there

It's the sign of the 5th horsemen, or more precisely, my ex-wife Sybil, who is actually horsemen 5 through 32.

[rickthedrummer]

A metronome only provides a fixed, rigid, relentless pulse; therefore any metronome markings on sheet music cannot accurately communicate the pulse, swing, or groove of music: The pulse is often not regular;[33] e.g. in accelerando, rallentando; or in musical expression as in phrasing (rubato, etc.).

Some argue that a metronomic performance stands in conflict with an expressive culturally-aware performance of music, so that a metronome is in this respect a very limited tool. Even such highly rhythmical musical forms as Samba, if performed in correct cultural style, cannot be captured with the beats of a metronome.[34][35]

A style of performance that is unfailingly regular rhythmically may be criticized as being "metronomic."

Many notable composers, including Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi and Johannes Brahms, have criticised the use of the metronome.[36]


... this series of even, perfectly quantized, 16th notes, is no more evocative of samba, than a metronome would be. In fact, this representation neglects what makes up the samba essence in the first place — the swing![34]

— Understanding the Samba Groove by Pedro Batista


The metronome has no real musical value. I repeat, the metronome has no value whatsoever as an aid to any action or performance that is musical in intention. [...] refer by analogy to the sister art of drawing. Graphic artists understand well enough the essential and generic difference that exists between mechanically-aided drawing on the one hand and freehand on the other. Similarly, musicians ought to distinguish between (1) the sort of timing that results from dull, slavish obedience to the ticking of a soulless machine, and (2) that noble swing and perfect control of pulsation which comes into our playing after years of practice in treating and training the sense of time as a free, creative human faculty.[37]

— The Amateur String Quartet by James Brown III


[...] using the metronome as a constant guide to ramp up the speed or to keep the rhythm. This is one of the worst abuses of the metronome. [...] If over used, it can lead to loss of your internal rhythm, loss of musicality, and bio-physical difficulties from over-exposure to rigid repetition[38]

— Fundamentals of Piano Practice by Chuan C. Chang


A good performance is so full of these minute retardations and accelerations that hardly two measures will occupy exactly the same time. It is notorious that to play with the metronome is to play mechanically - the reason being, of course, that we are then playing by the measure, or rather by the beat, instead of by the phrase. A keen musical instinct revolts at playing even a single measure with the metronome: mathematical exactitude gives us a dead body in place of the living musical organism with its ebb and flow of rhythmical energy. It may therefore be suggested, in conclusion, that the use of the metronome, even to determine the average rate of speed, is dangerous.[39]

— Daniel Gregory Mason

What is musical rhythm? Perhaps it is the difference between a performance that is stiff and metronomic in its strict adherence to the beat, and a performance that flows with elasticity and flexibility that emanates from the music itself. A rhythmically musical performance seems to take its cues from stylistic considerations, tempo, phrasing, and harmonic structure, as well as form. Sometimes we may not be exactly sure what makes a piece sound rhythmically musical, but we know it when we hear it.
It should not surprise us that some children do not know instinctively how to play musically. Many youngsters are surrounded by popular music that is rigid and inflexible in its rhythm, characterized by a relentless beat that is often synthesized or computerized. Even some CDs and MIDI disks especially designed for use with piano teaching materials can encourage students to be overly metronomic in their playing. In general, our students may not be familiar with the idea of subtle nuances of tempo, and may need help understanding this.[40]

— Jennifer Merry


I have put this up several times over the years just to make the point that not everyone thinks or thought, that the 'nome' is a "must have".

If someone feels that he/she needs to use 1, by all means, use it, BUT, don't make the assumption that because someone needs to use 1, that everybody has to use 1.

I just get a little bent when someone makes a blanket statement about anything.