Drum Machine vs. Rhythm Machine

[gary mitchell]

Can a drum machine really help while you practice with your timing. I have used a metronome and thats boring. Which is better a drum machine are a rhythm machine.

[bongomania]

Same thing. Maybe a "rhythm machine" might have some non-drum sounds, but then so do a lot of drum machines.

[mambo4]

Originally Posted by gary mitchell

Can a drum machine really help while you practice with your timing.

it's not about weather you use a drum machine or a metronome, it's about what you focus your attention on.

"Timing" is a slippery, fuzzy term that can be confused. Good timing is a 3 fold discipline:
1.) accurate tempo
2.) accurate sense of beat subdivisions
3.) awareness of playing a feel ahead / behind / on the beat

some would include awareness of note and rest duration as well.

so developing "good time" is really a matter of working on these individual parts.

IMHO, a metronome may be boring, but it's better for accuracy because a nice drum machine groove will be more forgiving to the ear when you miss a beat.

[gary mitchell]

Thank you for your advice, I will go and look for a metronome.

[swelltrain]

Be sure to get a metronome that "clicks" not beeps.

[John Wentzien]

Metronomes ARE boring.....for a reason!

[mambo4]

Also worth noting: you needn't practice EVERYTING to a Metronome.
For Tempo & rhythm subdivs, or making sure you can play at a desired speed it's great;
but for other things -like grasping basic mechanics of fingering a scale or pattern,
or getting an emotional feel for the flow of a phrase...less useful to be preoccupied with a Metronome.

[Groove Master]

They are two differents tools for 2 differents goals in my experience. And they are both very useful.

A metronome will make you work on your sense of pulse and time while a drum machine will make you work on your precision and rythm accuracy.

To have a good example of that, come check my bass site at howtopracticebass.com and listen to the samples. In my book GROOVE 101 I make students work on both aspects at the same time with both tools.

Good Luck

[JTE]

A drum machine can be used as a metronome. Set it so you only hear the snare hit on 2 and 4. Play everything you know (not stuff you're working on, the stuff you think you know and have it all together with). If you STILL think you have it together and don't get in trouble with timing when the 'nome or the drum machine are only giving you 2 and 4, then work out some other stuff with that. That's to help you build your timing.

Now to work on specific groove styles, e.g. rhumba, salsa, etc.) a drum machine will help you by giving you typical drum styles to play with. But as has been said before, if you're working on timing with a full drum pattern, it's too easy to let the machine keep time for you and for you to float, only needing to hit 1. And that'll always make grooving harder. You need both.

Now as for the difference between a "drum machine" and a "rhythm machine", I don't see any distinction in my mind- they're the same thing. So what's the difference in your mind?

John

[pj98229]

Personally I'd look for an easy to operate drum machine with some good beats that you enjoy. My playing catapulted when I bought a little boss dr micro recorder. I ended up only using it as a practice device as I found the user interface abysmal. However, the ability to choose a drum beat and manipulate the tempo gave me 100's of hours of practicing enjoyment. Reality is that if practicing is fun you'll do it more.

I landed on this thread because I was searching looking for that very drum machine.

BTW as far as the boss, the output to headphones, PC speaker, or even split to home stereo (via RCA) is amazing and provides great opportunity for in-home practice without the need for the SVT-IV and 8x10 cab. :-)

[jbednarski]

I use my Digitech JamMan Stereo to practice to. I bought some loops recorded by real musicians on CD, loaded the files into it and voila, 200+ drum/rhythm tracks in various genres to play along to. Feels like playing with real musicians vs a "click" track/metronome /drum machine.

[Kindly Killer]

I have noticed that less and less digital music stuff nowadays is tied to a specific hardware platform. Eg a $150 iPod touch can be a drum machine, full featured sample sequencer, real book, BIAB clone, MP3 looper/slowdown - plus lots of stuff I don't know about I'm sure. Plus you can read and post to talkbass on it