As drummers our most important task is to keep the tempo steady and make it feel good while tastefully and musically leading our band through the song. We are laying down the roadway along with our Bassist in order to give the melody a solid foundation. I see it as a pyramid with Drums and Bass on the bottom, Guitars, Keyboards, Horns and whatever you have as the higher pitched melodic instruments next, and finally the melody line itself as the capstone. Whether the melody is played by an instrument or sung it is still the reason the entire accompaniment exists. So, as drummers we are accompanists but that is not all we are. Once the downbeat hits we are in essence the musical leaders of the song. You may have a bandleader but the drummer is the song leader (assuming you are not flying by the seat of your pants watching for guitar neck and hand signals in a pick up gig, which will be the subject of another article). It is an awesome responsibility being a drummer and it should scare you just a bit. Drummers are not only responsible for keeping the tempo steady we are also in charge of leading the band into bridges and choruses, stops, ritards, endings, breakdowns and the list goes on. Drumming musically and well in the pilot’s seat with a band is the most fun of almost anything I can think of.
So, how can you tell when it’s a drummer at the door? The knock speeds up and they don’t know when to come in. We have all heard the drummer jokes and it makes us just that much more determined to carry the tempo in a solid way. If you have already spent hours working with a metronome and developing a good sense of tempo what else can you do to improve your song playing ability?
My Bassist and good friend of many years and many gigs Peter Amazing told me once that the song speeds up almost predictably as soon as the drummer goes to the ride cymbal at the start of the guitar solo or the chorus. This is extremely valuable feedback from a Pro Bassist with solid time who has played with many drummers. My main point here is to become aware of where these “danger zones” are and make an effort to keep the time steady during these transitions.
We are human and we are playing with emotion because that’s what music deals with is excitement, joy, sadness, aggression, happiness, love, hate, anger, all the emotions. We can’t expect our audience to connect with our music unless we are feeling it as well. It’s this excitement that finds bands listening with disbelief to their show from the night before because they were not aware that they were rushing the tempo so much. I call this “going to the races.” So, we need to feel the excitement but not let it completely take over our tempo awareness. What is required is a balance of awareness with the controlled excitement. In other words, here comes the guitar solo so I need to make sure the song doesn’t speed up to an unacceptable tempo. Some guitar and vocal phrasings are too difficult to sing and play when the song is too fast. Bombastic and exciting fills can also rush the tempo. It is better to not fill at all than to fill and fail. To know where the one is at all times is essential to playing fills and getting in and out of the groove without losing the time or stepping on the singers or guitar players lines. Shorter, more musical punctuations with fewer notes are cleaner and more effective ways to move the song forward and have less of a tendency to go astray. Gratuitous, technical, fills that only say “hey look at my technique” actually hurt the song and increase the likelihood of coming back into the groove out of time.
Other players can also pull us off the time. I have had the experience of playing with a Bassist who pushed the tempo to the point of me stopping the song (at rehearsal, never at a gig). This creates what I call the rubber band effect, which is produced by me sitting on the tempo even harder as the rushing instrument rushes on. If this is done in a controlled way and not overdone it can create a nice tension that can work well for the sound. The players must be aware of this though in order to control it. Led Zeppelin used this to their great advantage: plodding drums with a slightly pushy rhythm from guitar. However, if the rubber band effect gets too stretched it is indeed a major problem. All players are responsible for the tempo and need to practice with a metronome. Drummers are not supposed to just be the rhythm police but many times we find ourselves in that role. When band mates are rushing or dragging you have two options: try and make them feel the correct tempo by creating a rubber band effect, or if that doesn’t seem to work just go with the new tempo but still hold back somewhat. Whatever you do don’t let the audience in on it and don’t get mad at your mates, and always just keep playing no matter what. Playing music well is difficult and should humble even the most accomplished players.
I use a device called a Groove Guide by Drumperfect, which connects to a trigger on your snare and shows a readout of the bpms that I am playing. It helps to quell arguments about tempo. It’s also important to write down the target bpm of each song and do your best to keep the song at that tempo.
Slowing down where the song gets quiet and speeding up where it gets louder are the main danger zones. Many beginning drummers have trouble separating loud from fast and slow from quiet. So, when we suddenly hit the dynamic soft part, the tempo can suffer as a result of this problem. As drummers we need to start early on separating these concepts in our minds and in our playing.
It is important to practice playing dynamically (loud and soft) with a metronome so you can learn to exert more control over your music and keep the time steady through all the changes. In some cases the song may even get a little faster or slower on purpose. This is agreed upon beforehand by you and your band mates. Santana is one band that has purposeful slight variations in tempo to add drama, color and emotion.
Remember, it’s so much more fun when you are awake and aware of just exactly what you are doing and how to do it well. Danger Zones are so much fun when you see them coming and maneuver through them successfully. See you in the Danger Zone!
Soon to come: “Flying by the Seat of Your Pants” and “Dealing with Nervousness while performing.”
Scott Taylor
more articles by Scott Taylor
November 15th, 2007 at 3:26 am
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