Help! My playing sounds rushed!

[Muusers]

So i just recorded I want you back from the Jackson 5, and while listening it back, it sounds really rushed. Does anyone know a good practice routine to fix that? Im already practicing with a metronome.

[BullHorn]

Nobody can show you how to groove, you have to feel it for yourself.

[Deacon_Blues]

It's a common problem. Good timing comes from a good, relaxed technique, and a general sense of what good timing is. It's very good that you practice with a metronome, but it's when you can feel the groove and play the bassline in a relaxed manner it will start to sound good.

If it is the groove part that is missing, switch the metronome for a drum machine for a while and groove along to that one. It is much easier to groove with a real drum beat than a metronome, however it will not improve your internal timing too much so don't skip the metronome. Just use the drum machine as a device to learn to groove.

Another, perhaps better advice, is to set the BPM on the metronome to a silly low number, and try to play that perfectly. Then speed up gradually. Chances are high the timing will sound better after you've done this properly.

[namraj]

start playing a simplified version of the riff and add in the whole riff as you get used to grooving the simple riff.

[DocBop]

Metronome clicking on 2 and 4. Practice with a metronome till you feel comfortable and relax sensing the time and internalizing it.

Also put the bass down and learn to sing the bass line and sing it with the recording until you cop the feel. Then pick up your bass and start playing the line and sing it while playing it. That helps with time issues.

[TimWilson]

Wait up: Before you try to fix a problem with your playing that may not be there at all: You say this is a problem you noticed in RECORDING. A few years ago, when I first dove into home recording, I noticed the same problem with many of my tracks: I was always a hair ahead of the beat. That's when I learned about LATENCY: the timing discrepancy that occurs between your computer's source audio, your signal input (your bass) and the recording program you're using. Latency can cause a slight drag in your playing OR, by self-compensating, a slight push. Everything will sound fine as you're recording, but on playback, the latency shows.

The way to really identify whether your playing is the issue or if it's just latency, listen again and pay attention to whether you're CONSISTENTLY ahead of the beat, or up and down on it. If you ALWAYS seem to be a bit ahead, then your problem is latency, and you just need to know to always push your tracks back a bit to get them on the grid.

[wilsonNC]

Originally Posted by Muusers

So i just recorded I want you back from the Jackson 5, and while listening it back, it sounds really rushed. Does anyone know a good practice routine to fix that? Im already practicing with a metronome.

I notice this when I've learned a new piece and am concentrating too much on 'what' I'm playing instead of focusing on being part of the beat of the song.

I sometimes practice playing slightly 'behind' the beat to develop a more laid back feel to my playing. It's not natural to me (I'm a nervous player who natually rushes) but it can improve the groove of the song in some material.

Being aware of it is the first step i guess...

I have experienced it being a recording problem when recording straight to PC, but it shows up sometimes with multitracker sessions - so I know I do it on my own as well. I have manually pushed/delayed bass tracks that sound rushed and it sounds better, but I prefer to work on getting my playing settled in to the groove - even late if need be. Good luck working it out.

[bubinga5]

I dont think you have a problem..Half the battle of awareness...You have already won.. Good groove comes from relaxation, and that comes from playing time and experience..It will come..

[pbass2]

I agree---if you're recording on your own home rig, you must address if there's a latency issue, otherwise you'll go nuts over time. You can scoot tracks to and fro 'til the cows come home, but with the cheap and good recording technology available today you shouldn't have to deal with that (that said, I will sometimes experiment with nudging tracks--bass or whatever--around while I'm producing, not because they're "wrong" or off, but just to experiment with the vibe).
If it's not latency, one trick I use for sessions and live is this: it sounds really simple and maybe a little impossiblle too in a way, but let's say you're trying to lock in with the kick drum but you're still rushing. Try to get in the head space where you don't play your note until you hear the kick first. Sounds crazy I know because we're talking fractions of micromilliseconds or whatever, but it can get you behind the beat and feeling the very satisfying sensation when your note sounds like it's coming off the kick, as if the kick is triggering your note. Then after a while you just stop thinking about it and groove. This is a bit of an over-simplification, but the general concept can work well.

[Ric5]

Stop playing Jackson 5 stuff ... that is the problem ...

Just kidding ...

Try a drum machine ... play double speed for a while then bring it back down to normal ...

feel the music ... get to the point that it flows ... play every day so it becomes natural ...

[BassGuyNL]

[quote=wilsonNC;6082900]
I sometimes practice playing slightly 'behind' the beat to develop a more laid back feel to my playing. It's not natural to me (I'm a nervous player who natually rushes) but it can improve the groove of the song in some material./QUOTE]

I had some lessons with a teacher, who suggested trying to play "too slow". This made my bass parts sound much more relaxed. Also, he showed me how NOT playing exactly in time (kind of before and after the beat) may make the whole tune sound more relaxed. The muted guitar part on Living Colour's "Love rears its ugly head" is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The guitar almost seems to follow its own rhythm which is only loosely connected to the drumpart. I had never noticed this myself, and it was a real eye (or rather ear-) opener for me.

[Agilulfo]

A good way to learn how to groove is to play along with the original recording. If you can hear the original bass while playing along with it, that means that you are either ahead or behind of it. When you can't hear it any longer, it means you are perfectly in synch with it.