Percussionist Getting on my Nerves

fpmr96a

Member
I’m in a band that has a percussionist along with me on drums. He’s a very nice guy and all band members are close to him. The problem is that he’s a lousy percussionist. He was their drummer but rather than kick him out they made him the percussionist. That was 5 years ago and I’ve played with them for 1 year. His setup includes congas, bongos and cymbals. He hits cymbals with his hands and congas/bongos with sticks. They turn his mike volume way down and the leader acknowledges that he sucks as a player but “has good stage presence “, which makes no sense. They’ve asked me to teach him but I don’t think he has the aptitude.

Half of the band members have music degrees and they’re all excellent players. I use this guys drum kit at rehearsal so I’m grateful for that, and he really is a nice guy.

He occasionally attempts to give me advice on how to play something. I always just ignore him. Last night he was hacking away over there and then offered me some advice. I was right on it with all the stops but he keeps playing, which sounds very sloppy. I almost spoke up but bit my tongue. It’s hard because he does compliment my playing often and will always help me move my gear, nevermind that I’m using his kit at rehearsal.

These guys have fired several members over time so I’m surprised they’re willing to accept him only because he’s a nice guy. Sorry for the long rant but this is getting on my nerves and I know they’re not interested in getting rid of him. I don’t claim to be a great player but I practice a lot so that I play everything right at gigs.

Any advice?
 
Either quit the band, get used to his playing, or figure out how to improve his playing? It sounds like he’s just not a naturally gifted musician.
 
Work together with him. Find parts that don't seem to sync and create them collectively. If some parts compliment what you are doing and some don't, perhaps you are both interpreting what the music needs in different ways. If you use the opportunity to meld your thoughts together, the drum/percussion section can be a thing of power. If you both just do your own thing, train wrecks will ensure. I see this as no different than working with a guitar player on a complicated fill or stop. His hands might not be up to speed, and his drumming vocabulary might not mesh with yours, but what he hears in his head might be spot on. This could be a good opportunity for you BOTH to grow together. Being that he is a nice guy, he may have similar gripes about you but not willing to air them.

Do you like the band or could you live without it at this point in time?
 
Work together with him. Find parts that don't seem to sync and create them collectively. If some parts compliment what you are doing and some don't, perhaps you are both interpreting what the music needs in different ways. If you use the opportunity to meld your thoughts together, the drum/percussion section can be a thing of power. If you both just do your own thing, train wrecks will ensure. I see this as no different than working with a guitar player on a complicated fill or stop. His hands might not be up to speed, and his drumming vocabulary might not mesh with yours, but what he hears in his head might be spot on. This could be a good opportunity for you BOTH to grow together. Being that he is a nice guy, he may have similar gripes about you but not willing to air them.

Do you like the band or could you live without it at this point in time?

This may be one of the best posts I have read on this forum.
 
You could try the honest approach. When he's playing something that irks you....if he plays it everytime, you could say that you just don't think it works, and suggest something that will. if that works once, keep using it.

We'll see if he is really a nice guy by the way in which he takes direction.
 
Work together with him. Find parts that don't seem to sync and create them collectively. If some parts compliment what you are doing and some don't, perhaps you are both interpreting what the music needs in different ways. If you use the opportunity to meld your thoughts together, the drum/percussion section can be a thing of power. If you both just do your own thing, train wrecks will ensure. I see this as no different than working with a guitar player on a complicated fill or stop. His hands might not be up to speed, and his drumming vocabulary might not mesh with yours, but what he hears in his head might be spot on. This could be a good opportunity for you BOTH to grow together. Being that he is a nice guy, he may have similar gripes about you but not willing to air them.

Do you like the band or could you live without it at this point in time?

Work together with him, over the next few weeks, but make sure the others are there to witness your efforts. If it’s obvious to the others that your attempts to improve the situation are a waste of time, then they’ll be on your side when and if it’s decided that you’ll move on without him.
 
Drum set and percussion is almost an oxymoron, the whole point of the drum set was to simplify the percussion section and boil it down so that one person could sort of function as the percussion section, at least all of the loud instruments.


If you step back for a minute, and think about it, you are probably lousy at all of the parts that you play compared to a percussion section that has a snare drummer, a bass drummer and cymbalist, maybe some tom toms.


Anyway, my guess is that you aren't playing songs with official standard conga/bongo parts like salsa's and what not, maybe a nod to Santana, but besides that if the songs had percussion parts, they were probably pasted in, in the studio after the fact, to give the song a Latin flare. Even if you did play a Santana song, or a Tito Puente song, I'm guessing your drum part probably sounds like nuts, because you aren't that into clave or bossa nova, and lets face it your percussionist with the congas isn't headlining a Salsa band either.

So yeah, I'm surprised your conga buddy hasn't given up because his hands hurt yet.
 
Work together with him, over the next few weeks, but make sure the others are there to witness your efforts. If it’s obvious to the others that your attempts to improve the situation are a waste of time, then they’ll be on your side when and if it’s decided that you’ll move on without him.

Great idea!! One time i tried showing him how to play some clave grooves on his congas and he liked it but didn’t try playing it. Now, I don’t bother recommending grooves to him because I know he can’t handle much of anything. He smokes so much weed 24x7 and during rehearsals which doesn’t help ...

I’m going to try recommending grooves again to highlight his lack of proficiency in front of everyone. I’ve played with percussionists in other bands and would love to have a good one in this band.
 
Great idea!! One time i tried showing him how to play some clave grooves on his congas and he liked it but didn’t try playing it. Now, I don’t bother recommending grooves to him because I know he can’t handle much of anything. He smokes so much weed 24x7 and during rehearsals which doesn’t help ...

I’m going to try recommending grooves again to highlight his lack of proficiency in front of everyone. I’ve played with percussionists in other bands and would love to have a good one in this band.

You could suggest, auditioning another (lead) percussionist for a percussion section.
 
Sounds like they made a place for him where there doesn't need to be one. If it's a band and not a social club, the band needs to let him go. If he has an honest need to play percussion, then help him. Tell him to put the stcks down so the congas and bongos will have the proper sound. suggest some Youtube vids to help with his hand playing and see if he is receptive. If not, talk to the leader. If he is there as a friend, I would say it was time for you to leave. You can't be happy with someone with his skills.
 
If the other guys were completely devoted to progressing the band, they would see that he probably just needs to go. At the very least straighten up during practice, etc. I would certainly push to work with him. And if he refuses or doesn't improve, you have to bring it up. You may be the "new guy". But man, how long do you have to let the obvious go on?
 
Sounds like they made a place for him where there doesn't need to be one. If it's a band and not a social club, the band needs to let him go. If he has an honest need to play percussion, then help him. Tell him to put the stcks down so the congas and bongos will have the proper sound. suggest some Youtube vids to help with his hand playing and see if he is receptive. If not, talk to the leader. If he is there as a friend, I would say it was time for you to leave. You can't be happy with someone with his skills.

100% accurate. I've been biting my tongue for almost 1 year and am at the end of the road. I realized that when he was hitting cymbals at all the wrong times at our last rehearsal and the combined sound from us was awful, even though I was spot on (from lots of practicing). Then, when he recommended something illogical to me ( in a pot-induced state), that was it for me.

At our next rehearsal, in front of everyone, I'm going to demonstrate playing the Mozambique rhythm on his congas. We have one song that's begging for this. I'll demonstrate it, offer to write it out for him and offer youtube video's if he's interested.
 
This may be one of the best posts I have read on this forum.

It's a great post, but I feel it should be put in the 'easier said than done' category. Some people are impossible to criticize, even constructively, without being offended. I'm not saying he is, but he could be someone who takes everything as a personal attack and takes the attitude of 'well if you don't like it, that's your problem'. Some people just simply don't and won't cooperate, so while it is good advice, it won't work on everyone.
 
If the other guys were completely devoted to progressing the band, they would see that he probably just needs to go. At the very least straighten up during practice, etc. I would certainly push to work with him. And if he refuses or doesn't improve, you have to bring it up. You may be the "new guy". But man, how long do you have to let the obvious go on?

Accurate observations ... I continue to be confused about their blind loyalty to this guy, given that they're very advanced players and he's a complete novice. He sings back-up, but personally I think he's flat most of the time. They always turn his mics way down at gigs and I can't hear him at all on their 2 albums. I call him our fake percussionist, as you can't hear him play but somehow a little dancing on stage supposedly has some value. I'm not feeling it ...

They're close friends with this guy and while I do like the high level of camaraderie among the members, I intend to start challenging him to play specific patterns for a few songs, in front of everyone, and see where that goes.
 
He smokes so much weed 24x7 and during rehearsals which doesn’t help ...
Geez I don't know, but is it possible this is at least part of the problem?
If you want change you have to instill it. Confront the situation and see how he fares, see the band's response, and if you don't like any of that be gone.
 
Just find another band.

That’s my plan if all else fails. They’ve gone through several drummers over the past 3 years and this could be the reason. The guy that quit before I started was very good and they said “he doesn’t want to play with us any longer”.
 
Geez I don't know, but is it possible this is at least part of the problem?
If you want change you have to instill it. Confront the situation and see how he fares, see the band's response, and if you don't like any of that be gone.

Half the band smokes and it goes on throughout all rehearsals. It’s the reason why I’ve not offered to hold rehearsals at my house. My wife would be pissed even if they were smoking in the back yard.
 
You are implementing the right train of thought, but will backfire because you put the burden on yourself by you being the one showing. Charlie Chan would have use this same energy and let him s0be the one to show the band how it is done and letting all of them offer a collective answer. The weight is lifted. The door (mouth) closed and ALL the minds are newly opened. Guess who's staying?
 
If you just go in and start stepping all over him they will fire you next. You have to show some discipline and present your ideas as just that, ideas. Don't just go in and say "this doesn't work, do it like this". Remember you are the new guy. Obviously they aren't too concerned with who their drummer is, as you are one in a line of many.

I'll ask again, do you like the band or could you live without it at this point in time?
 
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