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Rhythm and timing

#2
I came over from rhythm guitar and thought my internal clock was pretty good. It is but not good enough for the bass. Turn on the metronome and practice your "stuff" with the metronome. Yes start slow and work up.

I use my inexpensive electric keyboard which has songs stored. I call up one and then lock with the kick drum. That in itself is a very long story. Do a Google.

Listen to a lot of backing tracks - the Internet is full of them. Google can normally get you the chords then listen to the video and play-a-long. Roots on one then R on one and 5 on 3. Need more add the 8. R-5-8-5, need more add the correct 3 and 7. Start with what ever your skill level allows.

Try and hit the chord changes dead on, not before or not behind; dead on.

Its the ole P word. Metronome and drum tracks.
 
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#7
Take snare drum lessons from somebody who is a percussionist and not just a drummer. I did this in college and it was remarkable how much progress can be made by focusing on the fundamentals of rhythm without the distractions of pitch or the technique issues of an instrument. Pure physical rhythm, starting humiliatingly slow and working through it slowly will be much faster than attempting it on your instrument. All you need for equipment is an old style "fat" mouse pad and some decent middle weight concert type sticks.

Once you have proven that you really do get exactly what is going on at a proficient level on the "drum", then work on your instrumental technique and apply it to your main axe. You'll find the motion of the snare sticks will directly apply to motion of producing music on you bass.
 
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#9
Yes yes yes... rudiments of percussion is the answer.
I played snare drum in the school orchestra 6-8th grades back in the 60's when most schools actually had a music program and full time music teacher.
I had a really wonderful music teacher who gave me an hour a week of one-on-one instruction in addition to the two hours a week with the orchestra.
I carried my rudiment book and sticks with me everywhere I went. Fortunately I learned my rudiments well.
Unfortunately I put dents in everybody's furniture.
Rhythmic rudiments are the TAO.
 
#11
I have a couple of tips. First, practice using dynamics while practicing playing a repeated rhythm, even something as simple as quarter notes or eight notes. We all tend to rush as we get louder and drag as we play softer. Second, practice increasing and then decreasing subdivisions while playing at very slow tempos -- under 50 bpm. Start playing one downbeat per measure, then two, then three then four, up to as many as you can manage, all on one string, alternating fingers or up and down strokes if using a pick. Then work your way down again. If you have trouble doing this at first, use your metronome to do the subdivisions with you, and play along, but eventually strike out on your own.
 
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#14
If I can add one thing to everyone above me: Record yourself!!!!!!

Sometimes I find the biggest problem with a player's time is that he or she is too preoccupied with nailing a lick or riff cleanly and the time gets lost. Record yourself to see where your problems are. If you can tell when you're out of time then it's just a matter of awareness and practice. If you can't tell when you're out of time you have some profound work to do. Rhythm and tone deafness can be ameliorated but it takes serious work.
 
#16
inthebassclef said:
Hi everyone,
I am always trying to improve in these two (somewhat one) category. Wanted to see if anyone has any good practice videos or techniques they use. Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...
It's amazing for me to realize that IMHO actually everyone has their own different timing and rhythm sense & perception in their playing.
There are many ways & methods to train them obviusly, for me some of them are listening and learn to play some 'swing' music, etc.
But there's one strange fact in my experience, is that years ago, I was start to better aware of how timing & rhythm (and groove) works musically when I start spend my time working much with 'machine' -sequencer, computer DAW, etc. It was my old Roger Linn AKAI MPC which was one of the first gears that open 'my eyes' to the concept of groove, swing, laid back tempo, and alike. Strange maybe, but it's true. Later on, I apply that concept I get from the machine -first consciously and perhaps rather 'rigid'- to my bass playing, when after that step by step the results of all the methods I approached unconsciously 'melted' and seems to be 'loosen' and become the 'DNA' of my playing.

akampc6001.jpg

Roger Linn/AKAI MPC 60 Sequencer/Sampler/Rhythm Programmer, just like old unit of mine
 
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#18
Nice to see some love for the Rudiments of drumming in the bass forums!!!

I am a percussionist first, and a bass player in at very close 2nd. I have been teaching percussion and bass at the middle and high school levels now for 20+ years. I think that understanding the subdivisions of pulse is the main key to developing a good sense of everything related to time....INCLUDING groove and pocket. Groove and pocket come from manipulation of the smaller beat divisions between the pulses. Having learned this in drum set lessons waaayyy back when, it has made it that much easier for me to fit into every style I have had to play on both drums and bass. Subdividing to the 16th note to me is usually the key to pushing or pulling tempo.

Peter Erskine taught me that groove comes from manipulation of SPACE and that space in between the subdivisions is where the magic happens. If you can understand how to manipulate and understand space, you will have the best sense of time!
 
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#19
funny this thread came up

in the car today Steely Dan's Black Cow came on the local PBS station (shout out to WUTC) - the groove is soooooo tight - try headphones - I think it's Chuck Rainey - just awesome - so simple yet incredibly tight - the whole album is with Aja etc

also, get Rufus Reid's book The Evolving Bassist - 30 yrs old but the first 6 or 8 pages are just open string rhythmic exercises - great for reading chops too
 
#20
I always has -perhaps false- perception of bass playing, that my right (picking) hand/fingers (movements) is more important than my left (fretting) hand/fingers.
Then I like to watch how drummer's right hand beats on the hihat. Then I watch how people dance, how dirigent waves his/her hands,how rain falls, how water drops...how 'time' ties various musicians/instruments in the band/orchestra..or any life aspect in the world..
I believe Rhythm is more important than notes.
 
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