Online Metronome Consistency?

PHPGator · #1 06-11-2009, 02:26 PM

I've been playing the bass for about a year. I'm not great, and probably not as talented as some of you guys who have picked it up mere months ago and already slapping. However, I don't put in much practice and primarily just play contemporary Christian music (Chris Tomlin / Hillsong).

I was just toying around with a metronome online (I have never used one before now). You can see it here: http://www.seventhstring.com/metronome/metronome.html First off, I was trying to match the metronome to Hard to Believe by VOTA (votaband.com). I know that the song is played at 100 bpm just by setting it to that beat and listening to the music. However, whenever I tap the beat (Using the "T" key on your keyboard), I find that I am not consistently tapping at 100. Does anyone else do this? Does this mean that my timing is bad or is this fairly regular when you are tapping manually? I was almost always fluxuating between 98 - 103. I just wanted to see if others did this as well or if this was something that I should really be worried about. I thought in the past that I was pretty good at keeping time, now I am a little concerned!

bongomania · #2 06-11-2009, 02:36 PM

Minor fluctuations are normal for most people who haven't drilled for interminable hours with a metronome, which is why a really good drummer is not "just a drummer".

OtterOnBass · #3 06-11-2009, 10:15 PM

That's definitely natural. Metronomic tapping is an advanced level of time-keeping.

I thought you were questioning the ability of the metronome, by the title. I had that happen once, where I was sure my timing was better than the old fashioned, weight-swinging, metronome. I tried checking it with another metronome, but gave that up as impossible. It started sticking longer and longer until it just stopped, and I realized it was the metronome that was off. Talk about screwing with my head.

Rudreax · #4 06-12-2009, 12:33 AM

It's impossible for the average human being to keep a perfectly steady beat. Doing such a thing takes either an innate perfect sense of time or hours upon hours upon hours woodshedding.