Members DanTolen Posted August 27, 2005 Members Share Posted August 27, 2005 Hi there, I am 16 and I play bass. I was in a giging band for a year, until two memebers had to move. We were pretty good, just indie alternative rock stuff. Me and my friend that plays drums are trying to get a band together. I'm good enough at bass for pretty much whatever we want to play, same with the drummer. His twin brother plays guitar and we're seeing if his twin could be our guitarist. We just want to be a three piece experimental alternative rock trio or somethin like that. But, the guitarist is very bad at staying on beat with the rest of us, which complicates things. We have tried many things including telling him straight up that he's not on beat, but he thinks that he is always right. Another thing, he can't play sincopation yet. The fact is whenever we try to help him get on beat with us, he gets really upset, almost crying, claiming hes right and we're wrong. We've tried playing with a metronome still no luck. The weird thing is, he used to be in marching band with his brother, and did fine, was able to stay on beat perfectly. Any help please????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members batotman Posted August 27, 2005 Members Share Posted August 27, 2005 Practice makes perfect. If he can't get it using a metronome on his own time and playing with you then he may never get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZeroGomer Posted August 27, 2005 Members Share Posted August 27, 2005 I had an experience like that in highschool as well. I was in a punk band that basically wasn't that good. The drummer would flat out stop playing until he remembered what the beat was, and the guitarist could never remember any chords. I had to re-teach him our songs almost every practice. Talk to him and let him know what he needs to practice, and that he needs to improve before he can stay with the band. I kept having patience and thinking my bandmates would improve, but some people just aren't as natural at playing their instrument as others, and he just might not be the right guy for the band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members batotman Posted August 28, 2005 Members Share Posted August 28, 2005 Also if he overthinks it he's gonna {censored} up too. Make sure he's hearing everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Osmur Posted August 28, 2005 Members Share Posted August 28, 2005 I say you should record it, and show him that he screws up. Then he will know, and hopefully won't be offended by any future advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanTolen Posted August 28, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 28, 2005 Thanks for the replies, I think I'll try recording just me and the drummer playing something, then record with the guitarist and have him hear the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Benjamin Posted August 28, 2005 Members Share Posted August 28, 2005 If he played in a marching band, I wonder if he has been conditioned to always play on the beat, whereas your music is demanding ON, meaning on a different part of the sound. Did that make sense? Like a Reggae player being asked to play ahead of the beat instead of behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members will_e Posted August 28, 2005 Members Share Posted August 28, 2005 Tell him to give up playing guitar cos he sucks. Do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members y-o-y Posted August 28, 2005 Members Share Posted August 28, 2005 buy him a metronome and rehearse as a band with a metronome too....you will be shocked at how much the tempo 'breathes' as you play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanTolen Posted August 29, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 Originally posted by will_e Tell him to give up playing guitar cos he sucks. Do it. I would have done that a long time ago, but uh its hard when my drummer is his twin brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanTolen Posted August 29, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 Originally posted by Benjamin If he played in a marching band, I wonder if he has been conditioned to always play on the beat, whereas your music is demanding ON, meaning on a different part of the sound.Did that make sense? Like a Reggae player being asked to play ahead of the beat instead of behind. That might be the problem, like he might be used to playing weird tempos and stuff and not simple 4/4 time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanTolen Posted August 29, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 Originally posted by y-o-y buy him a metronome and rehearse as a band with a metronome too....you will be shocked at how much the tempo 'breathes' as you play. Believe me, I have tried the metronome thing, whenever we do that, he play on the beat but never comes in on one, like for example, me and the drummer are playing 4/4 or 3/4, and he tries to play a part and keeps delaying it or 2x ing it, making it so his time signature is like 5/4 one measure, 7/4 the next, then maybe he'll get 4/4 but then just keep screwing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Azwethinkweiz Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 His own pride and mind may trick him into thinking he's right, but as mentined before, RECORDINGS NEVER LIE!!!! Record a practice, and he will be silenced, also, you and your drummer friend may hear things you can improve upon as well. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZeroGomer Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 Maybe he's thinking too hard? Get him some kind of syncopation book and a metronome to go with it. He needs to be able to play something, whether simple or complex, while still feeling the driving beat of the metronome. Music is all about feeling the beat. The best musicians don't even need to think 1...2...3...4..., they just know where it is. A respected musician once told me that in African drumming groups, sometimes each person in the group is playing in a different time signature, but as long as each musician knows where 1 is and can nail it, the whole group will sound beautifully tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Microwave Walrus Posted August 29, 2005 Members Share Posted August 29, 2005 he sounds like a whiny bitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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