Providing the time

If the bassist is consistently behind the beat or sluffing his way across the bar, and not being precise, it can be a real drag - literally! Without ruffling any feathers, I would talk to the bass player and ask him things like 'can you hear my bass drum okay?' If not, ask him to listen for the kick and to lock in with it.. sometimes a bit of a nudge will wake them up!

Also I always prefer to have the bass player stand just to my left , in front of my hats.. that way I can see his fingers and he can hear the kick and see me as well.. the better communication you have the better you will lock.. I have played in bands where the bass player was far away or I could only see their back.. and I can work with that; but it just doesn't work as well in terms of instant communication; be it body language or syncing up etc. IMHO.
 
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