How do you work on Timing?

[Gothic]

When playing with another human I think timing is better because both people are adjusting. When playing with a track or click we are the only ones who can adjust.

True dat but I never had a problem when recording, either. Always thought that was weird.

 

[Malcolm35]

Came over from rhythm guitar where I sung the lyrics under my breath to help with the strum pattern and where the other guys are in the song. No longer strum but still singing along with the lyric flow helps me with the timing.

That and knowing the rpm and time signature this song is to follow also helps. Google can usually pull that up for you.

Knowing this before I start relying on "feel" gives me a good starting place to build from.

Happy trails.

 

[salmon256]

I can't be much help since I also struggle with counting and timing. So thank you everyone for the answers on this thread! The method books I use and the drum books I have helped me a lot. I also have one of those elementary musician books but it doesn't go over on how to count them at least the one I have.

 

[bass12]

I’ve found this book to be very useful for focusing on, and improving, time (the pdf version especially):

GROOVE 101 (DVD incl.)

Also, tap your foot and subdivide as necessary. I find it easier to keep a regular pulse going with my foot and to refer to that if I have to. Your fingers can easily deceive you when it coms to offering a fair representation of your internal clock.

 

[Spin Doctor]

I’ve found this book to be very useful for focusing on, and improving, time (the pdf version especially):

GROOVE 101 (DVD incl.)

Also, tap your foot and subdivide as necessary. I find it easier to keep a regular pulse going with my foot and to refer to that if I have to. Your fingers can easily deceive you when it coms to offering a fair representation of your internal clock.

Using this book has helped my time more than anything else I've encountered. I guess it's ok to say "play with others, etc etc". But if you don't have a good sense of your own internal time, trying to get good time playing with others is a long and random process. Deliberate and focused attention to the time, with a system that gave instant feedback worked best for me.

Everyone has their own path.

 

[lfmn16]

Metronome practice to improve timing. I'd stay away from a drum machine for working on timing; too easy to hide sloppy playing. When you're playing to a click, there's no place to hide.

Playing with other people only helps if they have good timing. Two people with poor timing working together won't improve either person's timing.

 

[bass12]

Using this book has helped my time more than anything else I've encountered. I guess it's ok to say "play with others, etc etc". But if you don't have a good sense of your own internal time, trying to get good time playing with others is a long and random process. Deliberate and focused attention to the time, with a system that gave instant feedback worked best for me.

Everyone has their own path.

I agree. Playing with others is, of course, fantastic, but it can obscure issues with one’s timing. Groove 101, along with recording myself and listening back, helped me out a lot.

 

[LBS-bass]

Practice at speeds that are uncomfortably slow.

Slow enough that you can't anticipate and automatically play the note.
Slow enough that you can hear in real time if you were before, on, or after the beat.

With enough slow practice, speed and timing takes care of itself.

This is a good point. There's another thread here about adjusting tempos. My philosophy has been that if you start a song at the wrong tempo, the best way to make that look good is to own that tempo like you meant it.

But there are other people saying things like faster tempos are to be expected in live music as they bring energy.

No, they actually don't. The reason some folks speed up in live shows is nervousness and discomfort with spaces. They accept this as some sort of stage thing because there are a lot of nervous and uncomfortable players out there.

Deliberately practicing at slower tempos will give you the tools you need to relax into any tempo and own it, and that will bring an untold amount of confidence. It will also give you the ability to understand that spaces in music are not things to be conquered, filled, or eliminated, but integral parts of the music. And yes, your timing will improve if you practice this way.

 

[Mili]

If you are a soft plucker, pluck harder. more attack helped me a lot.

 

[cassanova]

I use the metronome in my daw, and record whatever it is I'm practicing. Recording them is invaluable because "tape" and the metronome don't lie, and when listening back, you'll hear if you're meter, and other aspects of your technique are off.

 

[bass12]

I use the metronome in my daw, and record whatever it is I'm practicing. Recording them is invaluable because "tape" and the metronome don't lie, and when listening back, you'll hear if you're meter, and other aspects of your technique are off.

Recording is really important, I think. It’s amazing how differently you can hear yourself in playback vs in real time.

 

[foal30]

If a have a problem with a "reading rhythm "

I practice that part very slowly and I count it
I am probably out of time because I am reading it wrong or are not familiar enough with the sound of the notes

So this seperation or step back I have found works wonders. Somewhat paradoxically if it's the notes I can't hear or play with authority then I might even practice them OUT OF TIME.

Which seems a bit weird to help timing I know but it's worked and works for me.

 

[foal30]

I was really terrible at Odd Time Meters

I put some work into this

Now I'm not quite as terrible but my 4/4 and 12/8 is 100% stronger IMHO

 

[cassanova]

Recording is really important, I think. It’s amazing how differently you can hear yourself in playback vs in real time.

I live by it these days. The only thing stopping me from recording the entire band at rehearsals is not having a large enough interface. (which I'm working on) In the mean time I've got everyone DI'd into the mixer and out the mains at a low volume to help hear the nuances better, and recording things via an iPad. All this is surprisingly new to them, and I find that very weird.

 

[BrotherMister]

Count out loud

 

[LBS-bass]

I use the metronome in my daw, and record whatever it is I'm practicing. Recording them is invaluable because "tape" and the metronome don't lie, and when listening back, you'll hear if you're meter, and other aspects of your technique are off.

You can also see it easily enough, and you can listen to determine how far off the beat is audible to a point of being distracting. I've found this invaluable in helping me tighten up my playing for recording purposes. It's forced me to listen and focus a lot more.

 

[Mechanical]

Hello everybody,
I did a quick search and didn't found other threads on this topic or maybe I'm not using the right word/definition.
During the lockdown and social distancing periods my band didn't rehearsed at all, so my keyboard player and I went to record some covers.
Talking about timing, to be on tempo so to speak, when I make mistakes is always because I'm slightly before beat. Not that much, but enough to be noticed on my ears.
As far as I know it's fine to play a little off beat, but after. Off beat but before the transient of the drums sounds like an error to me.
For sure I have to work on my technique, for sure the rush is connected with muscular memory and "anxiety" to the next not to play.
So my question is: How do you work on timing?
Is there specific exercises, tricks you use practicing with a metronome or a drums backing track?
Thanks

I practice reading music every day. I start at 60 bpm (thank you Bob Reynolds) and work up from there.

 

[tshapiro]

I virtually always play to a metronome, drum track or an mp3. Luckily, my drummer is just as obsessed with timing and we actually play our entire show to homemade click tracks. It does take a lot of time to build and narrate the click tracks but the end result is money.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

I use a metronome or a simple drum track and record myself playing. I listen back to make sure that I am on the beat. Then I focus on playing just behind the beat, and record and listen to that as well. Recording really allows me to hear clearly if I am doing what I am intending. I usually set the metronome to about 70-80 playing as if it were hitting the 2 and 4. This leaves me the responsibility of hitting the one on my own. It works for me

My timing is good, but I can be guilty overthinking or getting anxious about it! If its tricky,So I took the the time in the shed to work on it, I bought a couple of books on timing,some mentioned here! but the thing that helped me be dead on was, the simplest metronome exercise! Set your metronome to the slowest BPM( 25-40 BPM) and try to get that beat down and hit it dead on! it sounds easy , but is very,very difficult!! its helpful to take the bass out of your hands & just listen to the metronome for a minute,then pick up your bass & play!it might take bit to get down, but once you do you're golden!

 

[haggardPHUNK]

My problem is mostly that my right hand just misses

I play a lot of flatpick bluegrass guitar and I’m pretty good on bass with a pick. I tend to play with one but I always wish I didn’t need it. I need to find a good timing and technique exercise for my right hand (no pick). Any recs?