Recording by feel only

[dougjwray]

I've been playing for a LONG time, and the biggest flaw I've always had to fight is the tendency to rush.
During the pandemic, I began to stay busy by recording tracks for people at home, and I've continued.
Last fall, I broke a bone in my plucking hand, and my ring finger is permanently about a centimeter farther into my hand than it was. The strength in that hand is diminished, and that further affects my timing a bit.
So, recently I recorded a track and rushed so badly that I had to try again. The second attempt wasn't better. Finally, I tried it with NO bass in my phones. I stomped my foot in time with the kick (which served as a click), read a chart, and played 100% by feel. I couldn't hear the bass at all, and focused my ears maniacally on the kick. It worked, as the bass is just about flawlessly locked in with the kick now.
You learn something new every day!
Just passing this along, in case it helps anyone.

 

[Groove Doctor]

Same result can be achieved by practising with a metronome. The kick drum in this instance became your click.

Turning the bass volume down merely allowed you to shift your focus away from yourself and forced you to properly listen to/focus on the kick/click/beat.

Have you tried using a metronome to fix your tendency to rush?

 

[dougjwray]

Same result can be achieved by practising with a metronome. The kick drum in this instance became your click.

Turning the bass volume down merely allowed you to shift your focus away from yourself and forced you to properly listen to/focus on the kick/click/beat.

Have you tried using a metronome to fix your tendency to rush?

I've been playing constantly for 52 years, and have MUCH experience with practicing to a metronome, doing recording sessions playing to a click, playing gigs with a drummer who has the click in his ear, and so on. As I said, I'm adjusting to a hand injury which has messed a bit with my control of the instrument. I've always naturally played at the front of the beat, but I'm adjusting now to having to work even harder not to go over the edge.
Not hearing the bass certainly helped me hear the kick better, but it also somehow helped me get my whole body into the groove. It's hard for me to explain.

 

[Groove Doctor]

Not hearing the bass certainly helped me hear the kick better, but it also somehow helped me get my whole body into the groove. It's hard for me to explain.

You were activating different parts of your brain & their neural pathways.

Good foundation
Music, Rhythm, And The Brain

The interesting stuff
Science Shows How Guitar Players' Brains Are Actually Different from Everybody Elses'

Deep dive
Have a read into premotor cortex and neuroplasticity if you’re so inclined.

There’s also some really cool research with teaching people with Parkinsonism how to control movement with music/rhythms.

 

[Groove Doctor]

I routinely prescribe dancing for patients at risk of falling (elderly, certain medical conditions, disability). By far, the Funnest way to improve balance, coordination, strength & fitness. Most aged patients report feeling 20 years younger immediately afterwards.

How it works (Neuroplasticity)


Inspirational stories on people with Parkinsonism.

 

[dougjwray]

Very cool! Thanks!

 

[Jogobass]

I started recording stuff recently and I noticed that the fact that I know that I'm recording messes with my timing. Once I'm a minute into the recording I often forget that I'm recording and my timing comes back. Might be unrelated but it does make me think about how to approach recording in the future.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Finally, I tried it with NO bass in my phones. I stomped my foot in time with the kick (which served as a click), read a chart, and played 100% by feel. I couldn't hear the bass at all, and focused my ears maniacally on the kick. It worked, as the bass is just about flawlessly locked in with the kick now.

Reminds me of a story I heard about Tony Levin being hired to record demo tracks for a DI box comparison/shootout. They needed a musician who could play the exact same bass part over and over again consistently; with each pass they would connect a different DI and record the results, so engineers could hear the differences between the different DIs. But so that Tony wouldn't get coerced by the different sounds of these DIs to play the passage differently each time, he opted to not hear himself in his headphones. He just listened to a click track, and played the part exactly the same way each time based on feel.

According to the producer it came out perfect.

 

[dougjwray]

Reminds me of a story I heard about Tony Levin being hired to record demo tracks for a DI box comparison/shootout. They needed a musician who could play the exact same bass part over and over again consistently; with each pass they would connect a different DI and record the results, so engineers could hear the differences between the different DIs. But so that Tony wouldn't get coerced by the different sounds of these DIs to play the passage differently each time, he opted to not hear himself in his headphones. He just listened to a click track, and played the part exactly the same way each time based on feel.

According to the producer it came out perfect.

Very cool. The fact that he would have played off of the different sounds reminds me of an experience I had. I did an album session and the producer wanted the bass on one song to sound "like a machine", meaning like a cold, emotionless synth, or something. I did my best, but weeks later, when I wasn't there, he ran my track through an envelope follower to enhance the effect. It was disappointing to me, because since I hadn't "played" the envelope follower while recording my part, my attack was rather random, and the effect highlighted it. The final product just sounded choppy and unmusical.

 

[AGCurry]

I prefer to record my singing without hearing myself in the phones. It takes away some detrimental self-consciousness.

 

[MarkA]

I've dealt with changing/adapting technique -- sometimes due to injury and sometimes just in search of better technique -- on electric bass and on cello.

All of the mental and auditory stuff (which is important) aside for a moment, sometimes something that's physically uncomfortable or awkward can mess with your timing and execution -- even if you don't consciously realize it (it might be something that's only there for a fleeting moment, during a position shift or transfer of weight between fingers).

If you can break down what's going on and figure out what it is, then work to smooth it out (including adapting to your injury, here), I think you'll find that it's easier to play steadily.

You can do this by playing through something really slowly (but using the technique you'd use at actual tempo -- for instance, you'd probably use smaller, efficient movements in a fast passage) and observing where you feel any tension, unease, or hangups. You can pick random notes to freeze on and see how balanced your hand feels. You can switch up the rhythm (like playing a dotted-eighth, sixteenth note rhythm -- then the converse -- instead of steady eighths).

It won't guarantee perfect time, but if your time-sense is good, it'll remove some obstacles. (Same thing applies to intonation on fretless instruments, btw -- a good physical setup doesn't take the place of a good ear, but it's easier to play in-tune if stuff doesn't feel awkward and strained.)

Hope that helps, good luck, and thanks for sharing your insights!