Timing and original songwriting. I'm encountering something weird.

[fireincairo]

Ok, so I love to write songs. I've been doing it on guitar since I was a kid, and in the recent past have written a handful of songs on bass. I really love the style of music I write with the bass, it's kinda different than what I write as a guitarist, but reflects my more recent influences and I like that.

Anyhow, as I'm practicing my songs with a metronome I'm noticing something kind of weird. It may well be typical, but I've never really noticed this when using a metronome with a guitar. As I'm playing, I'm sticking to the 4 beat measures with certain notes. I'm working on creating a pocket with the beat, like any good bassists should, but it seems within those four beats my riffs aren't always strictly on the beats.

What I mean is that I sometimes hammer-on or slide and it's kind of in between those beats. Is this ok as long as I'm consistent and it always lands in the same spot? Should I be careful and really focus on where they land? It seems kinda hard because it's not always on a beat, you know?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Deacon_Blues]

You don't always have to be dead on the beat. Playing slightly behind the beats creates a more laid back feel, whereas dead on or even slightly before will give a more driving or pushy feel. However, playing too much off, especially before the beat, sounds generally very amateurish.

[Ric5]

Get a drum machine. They are much better to jam with.

[Joel S.]

You want to make sure you're in time, but there are plenty of lines I've learned and thought up where notes fall in odd places rhythmically.

[iamthebassplayr]

If you have a solid count going where you are clearly on beat, throwing licks in there that aren't necessarily on time, but don't throw off the whole thing are very cool... They add some tension... its like when you skip out of 4/4 for a second and do a walk up in between all the beats in 3/.. it adds tension and gives me goosebumps if you can pull it off =D

[mambo4]

There's nothing wrong at all about playing offbeats or back beats.

However,
your post leads me to believe that you be feeling vague about exactly how the "off-beat" notes should be placed.

A note that falls "between the beats" can fall in a variety of places, each possible place impacts the feel of the phrase in a different way. Thus, It would benefit you to determine exactly where in between the beats the notes fall.

I would encourage you to start learning to notate your riffs in standard music notation -if only rhythmically (ignoring pitches if it complicates things for you) That way you can know resolutely how your riffs relate to the beat.

[fireincairo]

Ok, here's an example of what I mean:

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=6762553&q=hi

I wish I had my Zoom B2. I sold it because I wasn't serious about bass, but I really do need a drum machine to give me a better anchor for my timing. A straight click like a metronome sometimes leaves room for a mistep, as opposed to clamping down to each kick drum and snare hit.

[Joel S.]

I have to say, I think that line would suck if you played the hammer in the middle more "on beat." The off timing adds tension, sound's cool.

Seems like I've seen an abundance of people saying "you must play with the kick/snare" lately, and I must say I don't agree 100%. It really depends on the song, and what you're going for, but I've heard super busy drumlines where the bass only synchs up with a select few strong beats. Sometimes leaving a little room for the drummer can make your groove much stronger.

[Deacon_Blues]

You don't mean regular syncopation do you?

[JEDI BASS]

I've never played to a metronome, just human drummers. Playing ahead and/or behind the beat are all important ways to create a "feeling" or emotion in a song, which is what it's all about IMO.

[steve66]

Originally Posted by fireincairo

Ok, here's an example of what I mean:

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=6762553&q=hi

I wish I had my Zoom B2. I sold it because I wasn't serious about bass, but I really do need a drum machine to give me a better anchor for my timing. A straight click like a metronome sometimes leaves room for a mistep, as opposed to clamping down to each kick drum and snare hit.

I would set the metronome to 1/4 notes.

[mambo4]

it sounds fine to me.

If I were to notate it, I'd probably just write is all as half, quarter and eight notes (with ties).

the hammer-ons may not be on the exact eight note beat, but to my ear its sounds more a case of feel/interpretation than a question of accuracy.