Click track at rehearsal?

[lfmn16]

We use a clicktrack at gigs and rehearsals, mainly because we have a backingtrack running for almost the entire set. But it doesnt take away any "soul" at all.

+1

If you can't play 'soulfully' with a click track, don't blame the click track.

 

[cnltb]

Most drummers I like to work with like to use clicks at rehearsal. I do too.

 

[barry irwin]

Who is using a click (metronome) at band rehearsal? What hardware/software are you using? Do you use the click through the entire song, just for the first few measures, or only between songs to familiarize yourselves with the tempo? How receptive has your band been to using the click, and do you feel it has paid off come gig time?

My band is pretty solid, musically speaking. Our biggest weakness is starting songs off at the wrong tempo. I've suggested using a click at rehearsal, but the drummer acts like that's some kind of affront ("playing to a machine sucks the life out of the song"). I disagree. I think it would be pretty simple to connect an iOS metronome app to our mixer (we use IEMs). Our backing vocalist usually has her hands free at the start of songs, and could control the app. I don't really want to run the click through the entire song, but I think having it for the first few measures would really tighten things up.

Every production show i have played on a ship over the last 21 years has a click from beginning to end. A lot of studio sessions may have you play with a click. To use a click in rehearsal is to agree what tempo the tune will be played from beginning to end. A very good idea i would think. Drummers that refuse to play with a click are usually drummers with time problems unless they have studies and worked hard for years with a metronome and now have very good time.

 

[Ekulati]

I'd prefer not to be in a band that uses clicks because keeping time is a basic musician proficiency.

This, exactly. Ok, feeling a little snarky this Sat. morning, but man...WHY is this even a topic? If you can't do a simple exercise like say tapping your foot and keeping perfect time, THEN YOU NEED TO PRACTICE THAT and learn how or you can't call yourself a musician!

But really starting a song at the right tempo and keeping it throughout the song are two different things, although related. Don't confuse them. IMO, the drummer needs to connect with the lead vocalist -- who ALSO btw needs to know EXACTLY where they need a tempo of a song -- and those two need to NAIL a tempo WAY before the count in. Sorry, been doing this for decades, and it's not that hard. (I also have my own theories and remedies for why tempo issues arise during live performance...)

Clicks of course are necessary with video, tracks, etc. but my god...can we do anything these days without fancy electronic, specific-purpose gizmos?

 

[Philly Watts]

Im trying to get my drummer to play to a click, but its to add some backing tracks (keys and/or special effects only) since we dont have a keyboardist. He is resisting it, which means he just doesnt want to. Sucks since we did it in my last band and it really added to our overall sound.

Ask him to try it and record with and without a click and listen back. When he hears how much tighter everything is, maybe he will be convinced.

Basically, to the OP, you should always play to a click. In my project, I use Ableton to create click tracks and samples. I send the click right and sample left. Front of house hears the left channel only, while we hear click and synth in our ears. We use a behringer xr18 FYI. Seriously, try it! You will sound as tight as your recordings.

 

[Honch]

If everyone has done their homework and started out playing to a metronome, or drummachine, at home when honing and woodshedding, there would be no use for anyone to use it later on neither in rehearsal, nor live gigs. But I guess it's like tuning, some people can't hear that they are out of tune until they have looked and checked with a tuner. A drummer has nothing to relate to when playing live, since he actually is the metronome for the rest of the band.

But if I play with anyone who'd done their tempo bits early on decades ago on metronome, I've never come across anyone who stops the band and say someone else is rushing or lagging. It's one thing to start off a song in the right tempo, much much harder it is to keep it from lagging, and drag behind. People who dance to music says that if a band uses a click and it has the same set tempo throughout the song, will have the perception and impression of that the song is lagging. If you program the metronome to raise gradually 5-10 % towards at the very end of the song, the same dancing people say "hey, you guys keeps the tempo steady, it was very easy to dance to you, you seem to nail exact time..!"

And yes, it's the excuse they usually have, when refusing to use any click, even on count in. That they have wavery timing. I've been to numerous bands where the drummers acts like this. And whenever playing latin and bring in a percussionist, they always clash and a feud is starting to come on. You know, two alpha male percussionists blaming each other for not keeping tempo. Which one's of them are the metronome then?

 

[sean_on_bass]

This, exactly. Ok, feeling a little snarky this Sat. morning, but man...WHY is this even a topic? If you can't do a simple exercise like say tapping your foot and keeping perfect time, THEN YOU NEED TO PRACTICE THAT and learn how or you can't call yourself a musician!

But really starting a song at the right tempo and keeping it throughout the song are two different things, although related. Don't confuse them. IMO, the drummer needs to connect with the lead vocalist -- who ALSO btw needs to know EXACTLY where they need a tempo of a song -- and those two need to NAIL a tempo WAY before the count in. Sorry, been doing this for decades, and it's not that hard. (I also have my own theories and remedies for why tempo issues arise during live performance...)

Clicks of course are necessary with video, tracks, etc. but my god...can we do anything these days without fancy electronic, specific-purpose gizmos?

Exactly. Musicians have been performing for a very long time without a click track. I can see the value for practice purposes, but using one on stage is where i draw the line.

This may be because i don't play note for note highly produced covers, i don't mind a "ballpark" tempo. The hero musicians i look up to didn't use click tracks, so neither will I.

There is beauty in imperfection. Nature itself is not perfect in any way. It's the variability that makes it exciting. Music is the same, to me. If i want perfect pitch and time, i will listen to electronic music. Although even there you will find producers purposefully tweaking tuning and time to give the track a better feel and sound.

 

[andruca]

Drummers with bad tempo usually are the most traumatized by click tracks. OTOH those who are solid usually don't have a problem with using one. In fact most good drummers are perfectly capable of revving it up or holding it back gracefully when playing over a click track. That's my fave breed of drummer, the solid ones who usually don't use a click track but manage to surprise me when a click track is in order (i.e. when recording or playing with some pre recorded stuff). As for the whole band with a click track drilling their ears at rehearsal, it's a no-no, you have to play tight to each other and the embryo for that is a solid drummer to build upon, click track or not, there's simply no way around that.

 

[JGbassman]

All of the pro shows ive done had a click going at least for the drummer. I prefer to not have much click going as I lock with the drummer, and if a click is going I start getting pulled a little between them, and it throws me off a bit. My drummers are usually pretty solid, so if they are on, I am on.

 

[Korladis]

Who is using a click (metronome) at band rehearsal? What hardware/software are you using? Do you use the click through the entire song, just for the first few measures, or only between songs to familiarize yourselves with the tempo? How receptive has your band been to using the click, and do you feel it has paid off come gig time?

My band is pretty solid, musically speaking. Our biggest weakness is starting songs off at the wrong tempo. I've suggested using a click at rehearsal, but the drummer acts like that's some kind of affront ("playing to a machine sucks the life out of the song"). I disagree. I think it would be pretty simple to connect an iOS metronome app to our mixer (we use IEMs). Our backing vocalist usually has her hands free at the start of songs, and could control the app. I don't really want to run the click through the entire song, but I think having it for the first few measures would really tighten things up.

When my band was getting ready to record drum tracks, we exported the demo versions of the songs (we record demos of each song as we write, on Logic, for practicing and arranging purposes) with click tracks as audio files for our drummer, who ran them off his phone.

 

[Frank Tuesday]

Tempo is just a tool in your musician toolbox. There are times when it should be constant and unwavering, and times when it should be loose and variable. You can choose to use only one method, but you're just limiting yourself by doing so.

 

[Bullitt5135]

I'll see if I can work in some Bach between "Rebel Yell" and "Play That Funky Music". That'll give us a chance to mesmerize the drunks at the bar with our loose and variable tempo.

 

[lefty1979]

It doesn't mean they have bad time necessarily, but a personal sense of integrity.

 

[inanimate_carb]

Because use of a click track has always been a reliable measure of character......

 

[lfmn16]

E
There is beauty in imperfection. Nature itself is not perfect in any way. It's the variability that makes it exciting. Music is the same, to me. If i want perfect pitch and time, i will listen to electronic music. Although even there you will find producers purposefully tweaking tuning and time to give the track a better feel and sound.

 

[bopeuph]

Okay, if we're going to start bringing classical music into this, realize that that's genre-specific. Tempo changes, time signature changes, etc., are rare and overall unwelcome in most genres the bass guitar half of this forum are usually found in. There's even an argument in the Bach Suites (which is what some keep referring to) that they should be more locked in tempo, since they're dance pieces. Tempo is a tool in a musician's arsenal. But if you keep speeding up or slowing down in dance music, you likely won't be called back.

Victor Wooten has impeccable time. Impeccable. His feel can not even be touched by anyone who frequents this forum. Opinions aside, has that stopped him from being a great musician? Has anyone that's worked with him complained that he's too "robotic" or "electronic" or whatever? Not that I've heard. Dude's been on the cover of Bass Player Magazine how many times? And the people that have worked with Vic are among the top in the world.

Tempo manipulation has its place. I'm willing to bet that the genre in which the original post is about is not that place. If this was on the double bass side, there'd be more wiggle room here, but not by much. Even (or especially) classical and jazz musicians are strongly encouraged to use a metronome.

 

[Korladis]

Okay, if we're going to start bringing classical music into this, realize that that's genre-specific. Tempo changes, time signature changes, etc., are rare and overall unwelcome in most genres the bass guitar half of this forum are usually found in. There's even an argument in the Bach Suites (which is what some keep referring to) that they should be more locked in tempo, since they're dance pieces. Tempo is a tool in a musician's arsenal. But if you keep speeding up or slowing down in dance music, you likely won't be called back.

Victor Wooten has impeccable time. Impeccable. His feel can not even be touched by anyone who frequents this forum. Opinions aside, has that stopped him from being a great musician? Has anyone that's worked with him complained that he's too "robotic" or "electronic" or whatever? Not that I've heard. Dude's been on the cover of Bass Player Magazine how many times? And the people that have worked with Vic are among the top in the world.

Tempo manipulation has its place. I'm willing to bet that the genre in which the original post is about is not that place. If this was on the double bass side, there'd be more wiggle room here, but not by much. Even (or especially) classical and jazz musicians are strongly encouraged to use a metronome.

Both my bands use tempo and time signature changes within songs.

 

[buldog5151bass]

FWIW, a good number of pro (not cover) bands, with stud musicians, use them.

 

[lfmn16]

FWIW, a good number of pro (not cover) bands, with stud musicians, use them.

Maybe they feel they don't have anything to prove.

I don't get why some people get so wrapped around the axle about this. If you want to use a click track, use one; if you don't want to use one, don't use one. For me, it's all about putting out the best possible product. If using a click track helps, and the band is open to the idea, why not?

 

[Frank Tuesday]

If a click track helps you achieve your artistic vision, use it. Otherwise, don't. Or do. It's your choice.