General Music Chat

I'm so sick and tired of the political discussions here and the constant back-and-forth between certain people. Ugh. Not going to do it anymore.

Time for a question about music. I'll try and pose one of these a week. My contribution to making the board a better place.

This week's question: How do you handle giving out criticism to fellow band members?

Specifically, how do you get people in your band to change the way they're doing something?

For example: I don't know what it is with drummers, but they seem to be the biggest problem children when it comes to playing a song in what I consider "the right way". They always want to go nuts with too many fills and too many crashes during certain parts of songs when the vocals should shine instead.

When I practice with my band, my goal is to make our singer sound awesome. Because she has a fabulous voice. To me, she should be the focus of the band. She's the front-person. She's the talent. And for every non-musician in the crowd, she is the person they are going to focus on. My feeling is, if your singer sounds great, the band wins. If your singer sounds crappy, it doesn't matter how well everyone else plays, people think the band sucks.

And if people can't hear the singer because the drummer is overdoing it, then people think you suck.


I try and be diplomatic about criticism. I just want the song to sound the best it can, so I don't want to attack anyone personally. But I want the drummer to f*cking KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY. I get tired of people in bands who think that just because the song kicked into a powerful moment it's their turn to go overboard and try and be the center of attention.

Anyway, let me know how you guys handle it. I think this is an important dynamic of a band - getting people to be on the same page about HOW a song should be played. It's important to the success of the band, IMO.

Colors, do you have any recording gear that is set up for your practices? You can point out the parts where there is an apparent overabundance of drum dynamics. Through my experience, having a recording and playing back the issue gives a 3rd person perspective. This way the person in question doesn't feel like he's being attacked. We use one of those portable mp3 recorders that we run through out practice.

We're always pretty brutally honest with each other. May not work for some that are more sensitive but it works for us.

I find that brutal honesty is best served with a side dish of humor. Keep things light and save the serious crap for this forum!

I just tell them they are over playing and should let the music breath a little. Then I finish that line off with, I too catch myself doing it from time to time. If they continue to overplay and not let the other musicians be heard I start looking for another drummer.

I find that brutal honesty is best served with a side dish of humor. Keep things light and save the serious crap for this forum!

Absolutely!!

Serious w/ a side of humor so no one is really ready to lose their ever-loving mind!

(notice that some people will explode the very second you ask them to change their modus operandi?)

I've been told by some ppl that I'm not the most sensitive guy around, when it comes to this stuff. There have been times I just stopped the song right at the spot that bugs me, & blatantly pointed out something that irked me. Sometimes it works, & sometimes ppl get thier butts up on thier shoulders. Depends on who it is I'm dealing with. I often do try to be a lil more touchie-feelie, but I'm not very good at it.

I tend to tell ppl what I think just as I do in my critiques in the forum. It usually works without too many hurt feelers.

Holy crap !! It's freaking train wreck !!
Take her from the top and get it right this time.



How dare you ask a musical question on a musicians forum.
You some kinda Nazi or something?

You some kinda Nazi or something?

No, but I am half German...

Me too. A little more than half.


HEIL !

Usually serious w/ a side of humor.
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I've got my attention split about 6 ways when I play, but I can usually shout out to the offending member a better way to do something next time, like - "try going higher, next time."
If it's early in a song, the song stops, and we talk.
But - we're all pretty easy going, and the number 1 goal is to enjoy the music. We all know that all criticisms we hear from each other will be constructive.
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And - I encourage everyone in the group to be creative, and experiment with new harmonies, new rhythms anything they want to try.
If it doesn't work - don't do it next time around.
But if you don't try new stuff, you won't improve much.
So I tell them I EXPECT to hear a lot of mistakes, because not all experiments are a success.
i tell'em: Try new stuff, screw up, learn what does and doesn't work.
Push your envelopes, and get better.
But, if they keep repeating something that doesn't work - verse after verse, I tell'em.
.
Now, when it comes to performing - no failed experiments allowed. We go with the tried and true. And, by then, they've already tried several different ways to perform each part of the song, and have choices, anyway.

MOST of the time I never listen to what the guitar players or singers have to say about what I do on the drums. BUT, when the bass player talks I listen.

OUCH !

MOST of the time I never listen to what the guitar players or singers have to say about what I do on the drums. BUT, when the bass player talks I listen.

Good man, that RG.

And likewise, when a drummer talksm Im as the bass player, also listen. When we can mesh, the foundation's made for the rest of ya's to build on.

WOW, you are all right. Point being you all comunicate. Nothing more deadly than no comunication in a band. Whoever works the board has ultimate power though. When you're on stage, you don't really know what the total band sound really is. Especially if you use ear monitors.