Are You Weak Down the Middle? The Loss of Power in a Power Age.

Bands...here's a perpetual problem that can wreck havoc with your sound and effectiveness. Being weak down the middle. Meaning...your drummer and bassist are either not in sync, are inexperienced, or are just average players. What can you do? Like it or not, music is becoming more and more dependent on a strong, and I mean strong beat. If you are missing that critical element you may risk falling behind your peers. 

Without that strong low end you lose your ability to hit your audience with the power that they desire. Back to how to fix this problem. How about the band U2? No one would deny that they have been extremely successful. However, they are a bit weak down the middle right? Nothing against Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen personally, they just don't have the punch that's needed to make u2 a powerhouse. But alas, along comes The Edge and Bono and bam! Problem solved. 

The Edge's unique and creative guitar style creates a tidal wave of sound and takes up a lot of space, which tends to mask the lack of punch from the foundation of the band. Throw in Bono's powerful vocals and soaring melodic lines and you have the solution. However, not everyone can call upon that kind of talent to fix a weak backbeat. 

Most, if not all of you are familiar with Van Halen. That's a very curious but understandable situation. Rarely if ever, does anyone talk about Michael Anthony's bass playing. Why? Because you can't hear it! His bass is obscured by Eddie's "Brown Sound" Guitar and brother Alex's wall of drums...not to mention the vocals of either David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar. In their situation the bass was basically neutered! If it were not for Michael's incredible vocal harmonies I swear they could have played without him. 

Okay, so then what? Can your drummer and bassist practice more, take lessons, or hit harder? Sure, but what if they just don't have the potential? Well, like it or not you better think about lightening up your music a bit. Trying to play music with a thunderous attack is not going to work and will if anything, make your band look bad. 

The worst-case scenario is to remove them and find stronger players. It's done all the time. And sometimes these players move on to a situation where they flourish! 

In the end, it's your decision. Do you want a kick a.. band or one that is just average or worse? If you are in this position think of the time you put into your music. Is it worth the risk?

-Mark Jeffery Campayno has worked in, with, and around bands for more than 30 years. Mark has a both a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Music Education. He has won numerous teaching awards and has taught upwards of 2,500  young students in his 11 years in Northern Virginia. Mark also directs and coordinates bands for Loudoun County's Annual YouthFest Music Festival. He currently owns and operates Musicians-Inc in Sterling, Virginia. Mark also directs the guitar program at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia. Broad Run is in the Loudoun County Public School System.