“Drive the beat!!”

Asked my guys.

“Drive the beat means I want you to lead the band. You fall into the pocket and everyone follows you. Your the train that takes us where we want to go. Drive the beat and lead the band.”
 
I've had that comment mean anything from play the bass louder to get the snare ahead of the beat while keeping everything else on the beat.
 
TMe said:
Yeah, I've had that experience with a couple of bass players. They kept speeding up and I kept trying to catch up. I was slightly behind them the whole way, but when we stopped, they blamed me for speeding up. Now I realize they just couldn't keep time worth beans, so I should have ignored them and been bossier about the tempo. But when you're playing with somebody for the first time, and you're jamming, it takes more sensitivity than I have to tell what's going on.
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This should've been me from day 1, but as I was "the new guy", I didn't want to rock the boat.
By the time I got into the band & gigging, he was pretty much the boss and I was gagged.
I'm now on the back burner of that band as "the back up guy" (their old drummer's health got better & he returned).
So my issues are done.
 
ravenson said:
If you lay it down with an agressive authority , doesn't matter which side of the note you're on , they'll be compelled to follow you . In some styles this is the job description . If you're just a hitching a ride on the chart , that's how it'll feel .

Play like a boss . Are you the noun or the verb ?
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It's this, above.
 
In my experience when people say they want the drums to "drive" the song, they often really mean they just want the tempo a little faster than at present. Or it's a case of "whatever you do, don't slow down". I would dissect what the guy is saying and try to get to the core of what exactly he means. I highly doubt that he actually wants the backbeats to be ahead of the beat.
 
TMe said:
"Drive the beat" could mean anything. A lot of people talk gibberish when describing what they want from drums.

I'd start by emphasizing the quarter-note pulse and see if that's what he's asking for, but that's just a guess.
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This.

Sometimes I think we read too much into or take things too literally. Not everyone is fluent in "drum speak".

I've been asked to shuffle before when I already was. They actually meant with the bass drum as well.

Just last week I had the band leader at my church ask me to play a "gospel click". All she meant was a rim click on 2 and 4...something I already do quite often. She could have said "Play that thing you do on XXX song." but she apparently has a name for it in her head.

In your situation, it could mean they are simply asking for a more definite kick drum. I'd definitely ask for clarification.
 
Drive, like jump on the bus and go for a ride, not whipping the horses.

In practice he probably wants a beat like a road map, so he knows where he's going.
 
Here’s a good example of groove and ‘playing behind the beat’. Note that it’s still right on the meter except the snare is a ‘microsecond’ behind.

 
TMe said:
Yeah, I've had that experience with a couple of bass players. They kept speeding up and I kept trying to catch up. I was slightly behind them the whole way, but when we stopped, they blamed me for speeding up. Now I realize they just couldn't keep time worth beans, so I should have ignored them and been bossier about the tempo. But when you're playing with somebody for the first time, and you're jamming, it takes more sensitivity than I have to tell what's going on.
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That’s what a click is for. Amateurs are easily outed for the idiots they are by playing to a click.
 
I don’t think “rushing” is correct - as I do (and this is also paraphrased by Bermuda, who I got it from), set the tempo, and wherever I think it is, slow down just a bit under that. It’s natural when playing in front of an audience to feel like nothing is fast enough. You must use the Force and take a breath, take a step back and that’s where you authoritatively lay it down. You can still drive the band doing that - you’re just reigning them in.
 
Hmm..not that I'm Dr. Phil here but I don't THINK it's a matter of behind..on..or ahead. I just think it's an attitude. Maybe listen to Vhalens Humans being to get you in the right zone. Or be like Mike Tyson in that when you get on stage you crack that superphonic with bad intentions. You won't hear those words again.
 
I can't find the video on YT but Russ Miller was talking about when he recorded I'm Like a Bird by Nelly Furtado.

The producer wanted more drive in the chorus. As the verses were more laid back Russ solved this by playing his right hand a little more forward of the beat but keeping his kick and snare on the beat.
 
"Drive The Beat!" looking at the drummer when they mean that they want the rhythm guitarist to be a little ahead of the beat instead of not 'pocketing' against the tempo....sometimes the issue is the poor quality of the request.
 
Here's a tip that can help you when you're having an issue with a bassist. It takes courage to do it, but it almost always succeeds. I was playing a gig decades ago, with an electric bassist that kept rushing. I didn't go with him; I held him back, On the break, I asked him what the problem was. Of course he said with hostility, "You're dragging, Man!" Now, at that point, I had to consider the possibility. Perhaps I was. So, I said, "Listen, I don't know who's right or wrong on this. And I'm not interested in who's wrong or right. I just want the music to groove." So, I suggested that, on the next set, he play with me, to my groove. If the tempo falters, I'll follow him on the set after that. He agreed. Well, he grooved a hole in the atmosphere! I didn't even have to follow him, so grooving we were on that set. Be willing to face your shortcomings; but first find out who's got the problem.
 
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