How do you play to a song you absolutely have no love for?

Eighth note hh with rim click, (4/4) perhaps switching to a back beat with bass on one and three. Or train beat with blasticks or brushes. You can also play around with1/2 time but it might feel kind of draggy. I get a lot of stuff thrown at me and sometimes w/o time to think about it. So whether i like the song or not, my goal is to play it as musically appropriate as possible
 
I have to play songs I don't like all the time. Just service the song and look like you're not dying inside when you're playing Brown Eyed Girl for the trillionth time!

Fill the dance floor and hopefully your wallet at the end of the evening and it's a job well done.
 
It's not the songs-it's the drums I hate. It's why I beat them. Naw I see playing the songs I really dislike as a challenge to my professional integrity and meeting the demands of any job (stiff upper lip and all that)-so no matter I'd like to bludgeon whoever wrote the song I do my best. "Every rose has a thorn" or whatever the freaking title just makes me want to puke-and it's slow so the pain last longer. I see like exercise-I wake thinking oh heck no not today but I trek on walking, lifting some light weights, my Harry Wong exercises (I wonder if Corey is related?), etc. rise to the challenge. I always feel better when I do.
 
GetAgrippa said:
It's not the songs-it's the drums I hate. It's why I beat them. Naw I see playing the songs I really dislike as a challenge to my professional integrity and meeting the demands of any job (stiff upper lip and all that)-so no matter I'd like to bludgeon whoever wrote the song I do my best. "Every rose has a thorn" or whatever the freaking title just makes me want to puke-and it's slow so the pain last longer. I see like exercise-I wake thinking oh heck no not today but I trek on walking, lifting some light weights, my Harry Wong exercises (I wonder if Corey is related?), etc. rise to the challenge. I always feel better when I do.
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I once got told by a bassist who played in the only polka band in a 4 state radius, “There’s good money in playing music that musicians hate.” Sure enough, they had to turn down sweet gigs due to the demand. Once he said that, it became my motto.
 
JimmyM said:
“There’s good money in playing music that musicians hate.”
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Happy Sunday Church GIF

That's one hell of a motto!
 
Our band plays many of the songs that are on all those meme's about people hating to play them anymore...none of those bother me, certainly not like the comments I read about it. If the crowd is into it, I'm happy playing most anything. I only don't like playing them if they aren't appropriate for the venue and crowd, and we rarely do that, so yes, I'll play Brown Eyed Girl with no issue.

If there was a given song that the band wanted to play that I truly hated, I'd have to say something about it. If it was still decided that we were gonna play it, I'd just suck it up and make the best of it, they're only 4-5 minutes, then we're onto something else.

If it's a really slow song, I might actually like that, cuz we go pretty hard thru our sets, getting a break ain't always a bad thing ;)
 
Broad philosophical answer: I was thirtysomething when I realized bands I play in don't exist to entertain me solely, nor any of my bandmates, nor even us all collectively, but for the audience who shows up for us. So, unless something's way out of whack- asking a country band to play Reign In Blood, a funk band to play Wagon Wheel, etc- I just serve the song and get past it.

Specific musicality answer: lest anyone in the band objects, I'd play a reggae beat and turn it into Zac Brown country-reggae (the Yoakam version's double-time guitar, with the accents on 2 and 4, would turn into the "ands" in a regular-time reggae beat), and maybe switch to the double-time train beat at the end to amp it up. 😁 But that's just me- I love reggae and can do without country. When an old band of mine used to hear "play some Skynyrd" (yes, I know they're not fully country), we'd play the chord progression and main riffs of Sweet Home Alabama in a reggae feel and change every instance of "Alabama" to "Jamaica". :LOL:
 
Yes, I echo the recommendation to play a two-step with bass drum locking in with the double bass and snare hits in sync with the mandolin on the off-beats. You have my sympathy... this song reminds me how much I hate... did I say hate?... bluegrass-sounding music. But soldier on, you can do it and it will sound great. Life will be great and go on long after the song is finished. (y) :cool:
 
I’ve been fiddling with my new Zoom Q4k and tried noodling to this ( I haven’t played to a country song in a long time)nothing polished just trying different things a bit and I agree with cross-sticking. Full snare too abrasive for it- brushes would be great too. More fiddling with settings but getting there- I’m moving Zoom I think I’m too close to kit.
 
Like you, I play in a very informal jam band with good musicians on Monday evenings. If people show up great. We do about 3 shows a year for the community.
Our motto Is to have a very fun time.

We will try just about any suggestion, if we can. Also we are aware pretty quickly if it’s not working… stop and move on. There is so much to choose from.

We had a similar situation happen last night… we got a new guy to play with us and he suggested Tennessee Whiskey because he likes it and has not played it before… our bass/guitarist/singer is VERY tired of performing Tennessee Whiskey, almost to the point of now hating it. He is VERY GOOD at singing it.
My buddy agreed to perform it once again for the new guy, it went great, but I’m sure it’s the last time for awhile.

You have many options and lots of folks have chimed in with thoughtful ideas.
I assume you let the other guys know, that is one of the rare tunes you are not a fan of? Maybe they will drop it.
If not, just put your best foot forward, get creative and get through it.
 
Really consider allowing it to exist without drums. Maybe come out and give backup vocal?...or another instrument you cross train on(when it would not be cluttering).

I would encroach only if the vision of the band leader says 'this needs drums' or if a drum part really speaks to me as making the song/presentation better.

This interp. is on the side of bluegrass-ish-ness and really has the upright bass/mandolin dealing with the pulsing that we usually associate with drums....no holes there.

I suggest listening to other pieces...like...
Sara Jaroz - Teardrop
...to see how rhythm in a bluegrass/pseudo-bluegrass arrangement works.(note how the muted mandolin strum keeps time when the mandolin and 'fiddle' do their solo thang - yep, you can use a string instrument as a percussion instrument and not even know how to play a chord! You could use a ukelele for the same kind of texture...but for all that is holy - keep it simple when trying to support and not trying to be the current ornament)

If really pressed, I might use a washboard/brush and hard-ish heel stomp on the stage???
hmm..now i am thinking that a simplified vocal 'beat box' approach might work along with the the washboard...primarily for the bass pulse...but an upright bass player worth her salt should have it covered.

Careful, your likely to fall in love with the music form! (btw, thats called growth ;) )
 
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