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Is a drum machine really necessary to learn bass?
- Thread starter Cycleops
- Start date
Only if you don't have a device that plays music.
A metronome can be useful, but playing along with recorded music is better.
I think this all depends on the mentality you bring to your practice. Boredom is a sign of not being properly focused on the task. I find practicing my set list to a metronome so singularly brutal that I can't be bored. To try to make the music really groove and put real feel into it when all you have is a metronome is very challenging.
And certainly disagree that a metronome guarantees you will play roboticly. It's just a solid tempo reference as much as any drum machine. Playing robotic or not is up to the player, not the tempo reference.
When I had only been playing a few years I bought a Roland TR-505 so I could play along with drum tracks. Once I got tired of the preset patterns I tried to figure out drum tracks to songs I knew on guitar and program them in. That turned out to be the most valuable learning experience because it forced me to understand how the beat worked and where the bass, snare, hi hat, etc. lay in the beat.
The TR-505 had a grid laid out in 16th notes which made it very visual. I'm guessing apps these days would be more likely to have something like that. I didn't realize how little I understood about rhythm until I tried to transcribe drum patterns.
The TR-505 had a grid laid out in 16th notes which made it very visual. I'm guessing apps these days would be more likely to have something like that. I didn't realize how little I understood about rhythm until I tried to transcribe drum patterns.
Avoid boredom
Create some of your own progressions
Learn what chord progressions sound like and learn to anticipate what comes next.
https://irealpro.com/
Create some of your own progressions
Learn what chord progressions sound like and learn to anticipate what comes next.
https://irealpro.com/
I think playing along with a metronome helps you internalize a steady tempo. That said, I'm still a sloppy player, but at least I'm sloppy at a consistent tempo!
Download one of the many smartphone metronome apps and you're good to go.
I think playing along with a metronome helps you internalize a steady tempo. That said, I'm still a sloppy player, but at least I'm sloppy at a consistent tempo!
Nah. You're just doing the "rubber band" style of funk playing!;D
devnulljp
Supporting Member
I've never owned a drum machine. Always thought about buying one for practice but I'm so buys gigging and recording I really have no time to practice as it is. Play with a real drummer is better anyway.
Metronome is a different thing, and is def a good idea to use when practicing.
Metronome is a different thing, and is def a good idea to use when practicing.
Do you need some help back to your chair?You don’t need a drum machine. You need a bass, a love of the low end, and desire.
Back in the day I used to listen to vinyl over and over again. Drop the tone arm, play the passage, repeat. We didn’t have no stinking apps. We didn’t have drum machines. We didn’t have YouTube. We did it the old fashioned way. So it should be easier to learn now. You young dudes got it easy.
I’ll go sit down now
I beg to differ! I've never felt the need to use one. Use whatever works for you.
After 50 + years of playing, I don’t think so, but it sure couldn’t hurt.
Nothing wrong with buying a Drum Machine to practice with not only will it improve your playing but you can become a good Drum Programmer too.
I've never used a drum machine. The only reason you would even need a metronome is if you have timing issues.
You need something. An online metronome (free) is as good as anything else. Nothing is as bad as a bass player who can't play in time. A metronome or drum machine can correct any problems you may have. Play slow. Set it at 60 for scales and such. Practice playing whole, half, quarter, eights, and sixteenth notes in time.
I love playing along with my Alesis16. With all of the different patterns and with A/B of each you can find lots of pockets to pick. But a metronome allows me to focus only on the material I'm learning with a very steady master of time that's distraction free.
Metronome practice is good for reinforcing your timing. A drum machine serves the same purpose, you just have a wider variety of things to play to. Makes it less boring. Even a cheap machine will probably have a good selection of patterns to choose from and you can change tempo on the fly. Is one necessary? No. Is one useful?
Only you can decide. My personal opinion is that it is a most excellant practice tool.
Only you can decide. My personal opinion is that it is a most excellant practice tool.
