A few weeks ago we were in the midst of a music news slowdown that reduced this site to a crawl. We got the idea to ask you all
what you are looking to learn in order to write you some more relevant
content. From this we got a few questions from readers that we thought
we would share our thoughts on.
Recently a reader who wishes to not share their name asked us how to deal with their drummer soloing over every song they play? While drummers may fit the stereotype for this it can happen with any instrument and is a problem that plagues many bands. Follow me to the jump and I will give you a hand in sorting out this mess.
- Establish That You Are A Team – Part of being in a band and writing songs is collaboration. You are coming to a consensus together on how a song should sound. Many times bands will fall into the trap of saying “I don’t tell you how to play your instrument.” This is what I like to call the most poisonous philosophy to any bands songwriting. One of the first rules you need establish is that it is alright to comment on each others playing and make suggestions. After that you can begin to solve the problems you are having (Did I just say that? Am I turning into Dr. Phil?)
- Establish A Try Everything Policy – Once you have gotten to the point where you can comment on each others playing you can now make suggestions. When I walk into pre-production with any band I work with, I make it clear that we will try everyones ideas no matter how stupid they are. Everyone gets their idea played once or twice and then all of us come to a consensus TOGETHER on what we feel is best for the song. No one has veto power, we work until we make a decision how each part should sound. What is great about trying everyones ideas is there are no regrets and it give you the confidence that what you are doing is right.
- Record It Down – One of the other ways to get your solo indulgent member to calm down is to make recording of the old versus the new. Listen to it together and compare versions. Play it for friends and other trusted ears. Often times these things can show a member who is more concerned with their solos than the songs that they are indeed doing the band wrong.
Good luck!