Metronomes and Time/Rhythm Awareness

[SteveCS]

It's all about Groove/swing.

Groove happens in the moment, not on graph paper...

 

[Paulabass]

I have superb timing built in, and I have been blessed with playing with GREAT drummers. This allows us to mess with time at our discretion, cause we know where the real time is...at all times.

 

[SteveCS]

Eventually.
Now you understand the difference between Standard Notation and "Groove happens in the moment".
Also, now you understand how difficult is to get that "groove" indicated on some paper.

...

There's no breakthrough here - I always knew the difference. I would also surmise that the only tool capable of its analysis would be something akin to chaos theory. Real groove is not a mathematical offset - be that a constant, function or statistical multivariate of other parameters.
Groove, or even music generally, is like chess - simple enough for people to make a pretty good fist of doing it well but sufficiently complex to place its fundamental truths just beyond our grasp. And even if this is not true, I like the notion because it sets up the possibility of a pleasant surprise around every corner.
I'm out...

 

[SteveCS]

...without amateurishly rearranging those notes.

P.S. I don't care if I am that "one" against the millions of musicians who don't care about the importance of the horizontal aspect of music - the rhythmic ingredient.
... like Jeff Berlin who have no understanding what I'm talking about.

My conclusion.

Please, pay only attention to the Vertical aspect of Music and train your ear.
Who cares about the rhythmic part because, according to JB, even a person who has just picked up a bass guitar has perfect timing.

Sorry folks. I was 'out' but I can't let that stand as the last word.

Unfortunately, because I don't want to get banned I am genuinely lost for words. But those are cheap and nasty comments that belong in the bottom of a barrel. How ridiculous to suggest that no-one but you cares about time. Perhaps people, including JB, don't understand what you are talking about because its... {fill your own blank}...
It's not because we don't care about or know a bit about time, and you've no right to assert otherwise.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Sorry folks. I was 'out' but I can't let that stand as the last word.

Unfortunately, because I don't want to get banned I am genuinely lost for words. But those are cheap and nasty comments that belong in the bottom of a barrel. How ridiculous to suggest that no-one but you cares about time. Perhaps people, including JB, don't understand what you are talking about because its... {fill your own blank}...
It's not because we don't care about or know a bit about time, and you've no right to assert otherwise.

Steve,
You will always have the last word in our conversations!
Steve,
My comment was attributed to the "ban-the-metronomes" crowd starting with a superb bass player/musician, Jeff Berlin.
You are a pro-metronome musician, working with the click a lot while recording your music.
That comment has nothing to do with you - a highly educated and seriously-skillful musician/bass player with a lot of practical experience playing/recording various kinds of music.
I clearly know that you understand and care about all kinds of Music dimensions, especially the rhythmic part!
There's some confusion with my poorly articulated example of the "real-time" representation of live playing. And I apologized for that lame example.
Whatever you think about me, just don't blame the metronome for my comments.

With respect WUTP.

 

[inanimate_carb]

 

[Booty Shaman]

I love to practice to the Drum Genius app on my phone. It is a great practice tool with the added bonus of getting to play along with loops by the world's best drummers. Lately, I discovered the "Metrogenius" function on the app where you can essentially have a clave metronome that you can set to many Afro-Cuban, Brazilian & African clave rhythms also odd time signature claves. I use this to practice scales playing straight quarter or eighth notes. It kind of changes it up from practicing with a traditional metronome. Anyway, does anyone else on this forum use the drum genius / metrogenius app for practicing? I'm new to this forum and can't tell from the recent comments whether this is a predominately pro metronome forum or anti metronome. My approach and focus to my bass education (only a few years in) is on rhythm. Rhythm first. The metronome has been a very good tool to tighten up my time as has having a son who is a jazz drummer to play with on a regular basis. He especially likes to play in odd time signatures so it keeps me on my toes. Anyway, I am way into the clave metronome right now. Maybe some of you out there will like it too. Peace.

 

[Booty Shaman]

Rhythm first!
I don't want to engage in some lame and dull discussion about the Vertical and Horizontal aspects of Music but you are absolutely correct about the importance of RHYTHM. The Vertical aspect of Music has been OVERLY analyzed and taught while the Horizontal part of Music is mostly left to some "practitioners" and their "slang (or maybe, not) terms/expressions.
In short.
I totally agree with your concept about RHYTHM in groove/swing-based music.
I have said enough about the importance(!!!) of the Metronome; therefore, I will say nothing else, especially to those who proudly carry that "I've never used any metronome badge".
It's like a dangerous "short circuit" to me!

Anyway.
Currently, I'm listening to an interesting group from France playing some "funk-ish" pop music of the 70's.
Here is my opinion.
I think Maximum 10% of all TB members could properly articulate/render/play/etc... the bass line from the following song with a click/metronome. And it's a simple bass line.

Also, there is a cool bass riff in the middle of the song, starting at 4:26:06.
Here is that riff at the song's 70% tempo.
To me - it sounds like a SYMPHONY with SO MANY nuances.

https://www.talkbass.com/attachment...7/?temp_hash=11242615e6cffbab95d448cc8af27951

Here is that song - Studio version.



Live.

Tight!

 

[Groove Master]

A great way to practice Time and Groove is found in my book Groove 101 where you have to keep the time without the metronome for some bars and then come back in perfectly with the metronome. So here you go. Something for everyone

 

[SteveCS]

A great way to practice Time and Groove is found in my book Groove 101 where you have to keep the time without the metronome for some bars and then come back in perfectly with the metronome. So here you go. Something for everyone

Sounds like a round of the UK BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue", where the panellists start singing to a record which is then muted for several bars (typically a verse and chorus but sometimes more) then unmuted to see how close they are. The awarding of points is arbitrary and at the whim of the host, but nobody cares as the comedy is in the process rather than the outcome.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

I wonder WHO has decided to resuscitate this thread?drool
Now, one of my "fans" is going accuse me of "sabotaging" it.

 

[Groove Master]

Sounds like a round of the UK BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue", where the panellists start singing to a record which is then muted for several bars (typically a verse and chorus but sometimes more) then unmuted to see how close they are. The awarding of points is arbitrary and at the whim of the host, but nobody cares as the comedy is in the process rather than the outcome.

There is something absolutely useful by doing something like that. This is not a joke

 

[SteveCS]

There is something absolutely useful by doing something like that. This is not a joke

Never said it was....

 

[Groove Master]

Never said it was....

Sorry I though it was. My bad