- Dec 13, 1999
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- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
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Who plays with perfect time at every moment??
- Thread starter Music_for_life
- Start date
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,736
- 8,941
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
Interesting. My bass teacher recommends against using a metronome during solo practice as he says that no drummer is perfect and you will have difficulty locking in with a drummer if you are playing metronome perfect. He does advocate using a metrome during full band practices (from time to time) to keep everyone on track and to reveal timing issues.
Depends how you define "perfect" time. Metronomes play at constant time, but sometimes constant time is anything but perfect. Tempo changes are an important part of musical expression. Click tracks are way overused, imo.
In the last band I played in we had a metronome set up on a music stand and placed in front of the drummer, set up so that there was a flashing red light instead of an audible click. We started sounding pretty tight after using this for about a month or so, but we weren't exactly on the beat all the time. At times we sped up a bit, and other time we slowed down a bit, but the important thing was that we were within a "tolerance" of a few BPMs, and we all did it together as a band. Our audiences never noticed.
Record yourself and analyze your bass parts; are you losing tempo after doing a fill or after a drum roll? Break your parts down to the basics and build from there if that is the case.
We sometimes practice with a metronome as a band. It's a bit difficult, since only the drummer can hear the click on his headphones - so the rest of us has to really concentrate on what the drummer is doing, and the drummer must not let himself be "dragged" too much by the band.
When we first started doing it, it was quite awkward. We wrote some songs and practiced them without the metronome first. Apparently, we got really used to the (inadvertent) tempo changes between different different parts (like speeding up in a chorus or slowing down in the outro), so it was really weird to play the song to the metronome later. It sounded like we were on time and the machine was rushing ahead or dragging behind
But we got used eventually.
When we first started doing it, it was quite awkward. We wrote some songs and practiced them without the metronome first. Apparently, we got really used to the (inadvertent) tempo changes between different different parts (like speeding up in a chorus or slowing down in the outro), so it was really weird to play the song to the metronome later. It sounded like we were on time and the machine was rushing ahead or dragging behind
But we got used eventually.
So your bass teacher assumes that by playing along to a metronome, you will become perfect? Playing along with a metronome develops listening skills, which is essential to playing along with other people. (Wouldn't it be detrimental then by your teachers recommendation to play along with a really great drummer with a really great meter? After all, not all drummers will be that good, so you probably shouldn't play with him.)
I feel that playing along with a metronome (or better yet drum loops) develops your sense of meter and your ability to anticipate and play along with someone (something) else. As a member of a group, everyone is supposed to play together. Generally, (as I was taught), the drummer sets the tempo, the group plays along with him.
You need to play along with whoever is driving the tempo, and that can only be one person at a time. Whether it's the drummer, you or someone else, if everyone isn't playing with whoever is driving the tempo, the groove or feel will be lost.
It's all about listening to eachother.
Seems like many of the truly substantial discussions on Talkbass happened in the first few years of its existence. Talkbass now for the most part seems to be chewing its cud.
That's not surprising. While there are lots of things bass related to discuss, over thirteen years I would imagine that every conceivable "sustantial discussion" has taken place on TB.
Your point is well taken and probably true, however when a fellow bassist is having an issue, it is not the first thing most of us think about; we just want to help.
In my practice room playing it seems perfect to me. But somehow when playing with others or when I listen to recordings of my playing not so much...
