ok.i know they are a pain, sometimes, but i'm really concerned. my drummer is going on his second demo recording and still has a trouble with the click. now we both did years of marching band....so it should be second nature, right?! it is really bothering the rest of us, some more than others. any advise from drummers or band members who have experienced this....

Some players just really don't like clicks. I count myself among them, but I didn't last long in marching band either.

Anyway, a metro click is the worst thing to play to. A tiny clicking sound hitting at the same time as the kick and snare is really hard to hear. It's always better to put some little pattern together on a drum machine and use that as a click. Cowbells are often used, as they are easier to hear in the phones while playing. I try to program a complimentary beat, with the clicks on the off beats so they can be heard more clearly.

Any cheap little drum machine, like a dr. rhythm or an alesis sr-16 is a handy thing to keep around for this purpose.

I'm a drummer....drummers get fired all the time....perhaps you need to replace the drummer. My feeling is that if the others in the band are complaining about the drummer keeping time, then there is a real big problem. Drummers are not saddled with melody so they can use that freed up mental energy on playing in time. When you get better as a drummer you can play with time. You can play behind the beat, on the beat and ahead of the beat all depending on the style of music. Play behind the beat for great feel such like Zeppelin's Kashmir. Play on the beat ("like a good little well blended drummer") or ahead of the beat ala Green Day ("Makes the song sound manicky"). I would put the drummer in cans during practice and have them play to the click. Put the click through the monitors. Your goal as a band is to make the click disappear. I am personally the opposite...I feel uneasy when there is no click. It is hard to get tight, really tight, when everyone's sense of tempo is slightly off. Take the guess work out and blast the click through the monitors.

I use a Tama Rythm watch, it lets me turn up the 16th notes so i can hear them inbetween kick and snare hits. it helps me groove along with it. i used to hate click tracks but i've used this one for about 2 years and i love it.