Help my drummer play to a click track!!!

C

chaosscott

New member
Hey everyone, so I'm trying to record my band and the drummer is having a heck of a time recording to a click track. The problem is it doesn't seem like he's actually letting the click be the master time keeper. It's like he's listening to the pre count in, matching his internal clock and then ignoring the click entirely from there. My favorite complaint from last night's session "I'm having trouble keeping time with this annoying click in my ear".

We've tried recording a guitar and bass guide track to the click. I've always practiced guitar to a metronome so it's second nature to me. We've tried a number of count combinations (4/4, 4/8, 4/16 etc) and even slowing the overall tempo down.

Any advice? or should I just give up and go with no click?
 
Maybe I'm just too awesome, but I can't see how anyone with any sense of rhythm and even rudimentary drumming skills can't play to a click track.
 
Greg_L said:
Maybe I'm just too awesome, but I can't see how anyone with any sense of rhythm and even rudimentary drumming skills can't play to a click track.
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Haha. I can play mostly anything to click. Some flamenco songs are very hard for me to keep time though, even when playing to a click.
 
Have the guy start by playing a very basic beat to a recording of one of his fave songs... Don't match what the recorded drums are doing, just do a basic beat with no fills or acrobatics and see if he can match the tempo from start to finish.

Once he can do that, have him do it by putting real basic fills after every 4 bars until he can maintain the tempo and finish the fill by coming in on the downbeat.

After that, see if he can actually play along to the song the way it's recorded.

Once he can get through this, he should be able to stay in line with that annoying click.

While he's working through his lesson plans, find a drummer who can play to a click and finish your recordings... There's plenty on these forums :D
 
chaosscott said:
My favorite complaint from last night's session "I'm having trouble keeping time with this annoying click in my ear".
Click to expand...

Turn off the damn click track and use your drummer to keep time.
If he can't do that, do what that other guy said and get a new drummer.
 
Telegram Sam said:
Turn off the damn click track and use your drummer to keep time.
If he can't do that, do what that other guy said and get a new drummer.
Click to expand...

Sounds like he's trying to make the drummer fit in with some previously recorded tracks. Any competent drummer should be able to do that if it's all done to a click. Then they can re-record the guitars and bass to the new drums if they choose to.
 
Greg_L said:
Maybe I'm just too awesome, but I can't see how anyone with any sense of rhythm and even rudimentary drumming skills can't play to a click track.
Click to expand...

I've been reading here for almost over a week, and from what I've seen, you are pretty awesome.
 
Greg_L said:
Sounds like he's trying to make the drummer fit in with some previously recorded tracks. Any competent drummer should be able to do that if it's all done to a click. Then they can re-record the guitars and bass to the new drums if they choose to.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know, the guy's obviously an idiot, I was just trying to keep the band together a bit longer.
 
Telegram Sam said:
I've been reading here for almost over a week, and from what I've seen, you are pretty awesome.
Click to expand...

It's nice to get some fresh blood in here that knows awesome when they come across it. That rarely happens. Most n00bs in here are dumb. Welcome to the site. :D
 
Not to disrupt the GregL awesome fest ........ finding a more musical click tone (tamkbourine, cowbell, etc) may help the drummer feel he is playing with an instrument - another possible solution would be to try to program a groove (using a drum machine as an example) - so the drummer can try to play with a groove ....... rather than pay to a click.

While I agree that any musician which reasonable time keeping skills should be able to play with a click, it does come natual to many drummers (in particular inexperiance drummers) - and it can take a while to "master"
 
Greg_L said:
Lol. Yeah well, time will tell. It always does. Got any recordings we can hear?
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Almost, I gotta figger out how to post them.
I'll take it up in another thread soon so as not to disrail the drummer discussion.
BTW, I've got nothing but respect for drummers, I can't keep time worth shit.
 
Telegram Sam said:
Almost, I gotta figger out how to post them.
I'll take it up in another thread soon so as not to disrail the drummer discussion.
BTW, I've got nothing but respect for drummers, I can't keep time worth shit.
Click to expand...

The MP3 Clinic (a few forums above this one) is a safe and friendly place to post up songs and get feedback.
 
thanks for the replies everyone. We're going to try some of the suggestions starting with different instruments and ending with "get a different drummer".
 
If he is willing to learn, the biggest thing he has to learn is that he is playing WITH the click and not TO the click.

Give him a cowbell or a wood block to play to. He should imagine that he is in a percussion section and the cowbell is the leader. Groove to the click.

However, this is not something that can be mastered overnight. Drummers are used to being the time keepers, everyone else follows them. This is why guitar players, bass players, etc... can all easily play to a click. They are used to following someone else's rhythm. Drummers who don't work on it can go their entire career never having to do that. It's a skill.
 
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