To the OP, do you count rhythms in the standard way in your head when you play? 1-e-and-a, or something similar?
16ths at 80 bpm breaks down to 320 bits of rhythm that you can say in your head in a minute. Most people can only read at a rate of 300-350 wpm because they say each word in their head as they read. I don't think that is coincidence that those numbers are so close together. Speed reading techniques are all about learning to break that habit and it is not easy if you've been reading for a long time.
Try snare on two and four tracks. Really improved my precision with sixteenths. I have been playing about five years now and about year four I felt almost exactly like you and at the same bpm. I talked to the guy from how to play bass dot com. He suggested I stop relying on the metronome for where one is. It made a huge difference very quickly.
Thanks a lot Geoff and RPSands. I do count like 1-e-and-a, 2-e-and-a, etc. and I do use the click of the metronome as the 1. As for counting every 1/16th (1-e-and-a), I always wondered if that was part of my issues. Very similar to what you posted Geoff about the etudes and stuff you could play and how I can play the quicker part to Dazed and Confused but can't play that speed while counting. But your post has confirmed this to me. Also RPSands, I never even thought of that, and it does make a lot of sense. If I essentially played only 1/8ths instead of 1/16ths, I wouldn't have to worry as much about counting.
I have heard of the classic, "to play fast, count slow." I guess it's time to see if there's any merit behind it.
Three things come to mind:
First, it's not how many years you've been playing, but how many hours. Berklee students can log upwards of 10,000 hours of playing time in 4.5 years. Most amateur players will be lucky to log 1/10 of that. And the Berklee students are spending the vast majority of that time engaged in a disciplined course of study and practice. Amateurs tend to have irregular and poorly constructed practice habits by comparison. But education aside, don't judge yourself too harshly against people who have 10x the playing experience.
Second, instead of Rushing to keep up with Geddy (get it?), make Geddy slow down to meet you. If you don't have it already, get yourself a program called Amazing Slowdowner (or some equivalent program that lets you change the tempo of any audio file without altering the pitch) and practice your favorite songs at a tempo you can manage until you are playing them perfectly. Do NOT advance the tempo until you are playing the parts perfectly and you can play them perfectly without the backing track. How do you know if you're playing them perfectly? Record your practice sessions and listen back to them.
Third, in 99% of musical situations time is far more important than speed. Not just having the ability to play with a click, but having an internal metronome that knows how to play in time and, perhaps more importantly, how to calibrate to (or "lock-in" with) the other musicians. That is much more valuable than any lick you'll learn on 2112.
And thanks Testing1Two, in regards to your first post, I don't practice as much as I'd like to. My life seems to be too packed, but I'm working on taking measures to freeing up some more time. But you're right, I shouldn't be comparing myself to someone who has played a lot longer than I have, regardless of years I've been "playing".
For your second post, that's a great idea. I will get some sort of software that does this.
And for your final point, thankfully I do have a good sense of timing. I've been playing in a bunch of jam sessions lately where I've been thrown in with a bunch of musicians that I've never played with before, and I always get a compliment or two from the drummer about how we're locking together. Those are the best compliments, and I'm glad that I'm not having those issues.
Again, everyone, I can't thank you enough for your input. Some really good things put in this entire thread... I nominate it to be stickied!
