Lesson: Rhythm - How a metronome really helps you getting great timing

[Andy Bartosh]

[DawgBone]

I can't think of anything worse than bad meter. In university we had an instructor who came up in brazilian jazz outfits where meter is everything. Dude was an absolute ball breaker on meter especially to my brother who plays the drums. Such a ball breaker he didn't get tenured but he def straightened both of us out so we both look back on it positively Metronome work is critical even if Jeff Berlin says otherwise.

[DawgBone]

Well this thread is a fine example of why so many players have such shit timing these days.

[rpjazzguitar]

Most people swear by the metronome. No argument, although not every great player did it that way.

Here is a list of other things I think are relevant to good time.

1. You have to be able to play the material without struggling. You need the required physical fluency.

2. You need the confidence to play it strong. I think there's a tendency to hesitate and then chime in when you hear something somebody else played (don't ask how I know). That's too late. So, if the band is resting for 3 beats you need to count those 3 beats yourself. You can't wait for somebody else to play on the next beat.

3. You have to be certain about the feel of the music. If the feel isn't right it's going to be hard to maintain the time.

4. In a band situation it's critical that everybody has good time. It's hard to play with people who don't have good enough time. You also need the wisdom to tell whether you're the problem or if it's really the other players.

5. Most players use the metronome as a guide, but I've met some who use it as a crutch. With the metronome, they can play in time, but it doesn't necessarily generalize to playing in a band. One expert recommends TimeGuru, which allows the random elimination of any percentage of beats. There are probably other apps that do the same thing.

6. This next one is subtle. There are different ways to have good time. Some players seem to lean forward. Make it feel like they're rushing but they're not. The opposite also happens. Somebody may seem to be dragging, but isn't. One might be playing a little ahead of the beat, another playing a little behind it. The center of the beat seems to be where the bass is and others vary from that, or so it seems to me. I have found that it's harder to play with the leaning-forward guy but I have no trouble with the more relaxed feel.

7. Overall, I think practicing with a metronome or rhythm track is a fine idea, but you still have to bring it to a band situation, which takes some other skills.

[Christian Miller]

I don’t know if I swear by the metronome, but I certainly swear at it.


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