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Thread: my timing

  1. #1

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    Default my timing

    well, iv figured what i least like about my drumming right now, its my timing, so im going to do my normal pratice routeen, use a metrinome for about an hour praticing indepedence and different beats incorporating my hi hat and stuff. and then do some rudiments for 30 minutes, and then jam to music for 30 minutes with different speeds, so i can get bettter at all speeds. how will this help with my timing ? it seems like a sorta wierd question to ask, but im just wondering.

  2. #2

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    Laf, you're on the right track man. More than anything, tape yourself playing to the metronome and listen back to see how well you stayed with it or how steady you were. Maybe pick up a cheap drum machine to play along with. You can create some interesting patterns and it makes practicing to a metronome more fun.

  3. #3

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    Laf, I hear ya mate. I really want to nail my timing. Always playing to a click and really concentrating on nailing the beat helps to become more solid.

    I will take drummers advice on recording myself when playing to a click

  4. #4

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    I totally agree with Drummer and Livewire. Timing is absolutely imperative. Ya lock in that beat with the click. This is a valuable lesson I learned early on. I had some drummer friends growing up that had way more chops than me and could solo around me. After seeing them "try" to lock a solid pattern, they couldn't for very long because they had no discipline and weren't efficient with a click. Needless to say I got more calls for gigs than them (even though they could play circles around me!) One simple I mean simple exercise (if you could call it that) I learned from a session buddy in Nashville is , play a beat to a click (for 15-20min) hitting only 1 and 3 on bass, 2 and 4 on snare. That's pretty easy right?.....If you've been playing drums even for a little while you wanna try that cool new lick you just learned or hit that shiny cymbal you just bought. This exercise teaches you two main things. One is that we're forced to lock in and groove that click and the other is learn discipline to not over play regardless of our musical vocabulary. I hope this helps. As BongoBro would say "Keep the beat goin".....I'll add if you ain't groovin then they ain't movin. Blessings..........
    Last edited by middleman; 10-29-2007 at 03:27 AM.

  5. #5

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    cool! i also wasnt happy with the way i could really stay on the same beat, Id go to do a fill and when id come back to the beat, id chage it. I really want to acheive good timing and exactly what middle man said, keepin a solid beat and not drift off. Is it true that some people find it hard to play to a metrinome? because i find it really easy to play a beat to one.

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    What middleman said was perfect. I think the thing about the metronome is that it takes discipline to play to it and some drummers dont have that discipline because all they want to do is bash away their licks without caring too much about timing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by livewire80 View Post
    What middleman said was perfect. I think the thing about the metronome is that it takes discipline to play to it and some drummers dont have that discipline because all they want to do is bash away their licks without caring too much about timing.
    were the guys who will break that! thats my goal...

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lafirin View Post
    were the guys who will break that! thats my goal...

    Kick its butt

  9. #9

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    IMO.. drummers who hold back what they got and just have a solid solid beat and the best.. and thats my goal, its hard and takes alot of pushing to get there, but the fruits from it are unreal!

  10. #10

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    let me introduce something different now, off timing! how do practice the maddest off timing?

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by kord Jazz View Post
    let me introduce something different now, off timing! how do practice the maddest off timing?
    Dave Weckl stumbled accross it one day while jaming with a mate. I think you need to have perfect time already to be able to play off time perfectly. Strangely enough you need really good timing to be able to play off time notes properly.

  12. #12

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    Lafirin, that one exercise I mentioned in PB's thread about hand speed will help a lot with your timing as well. If you can play accurately and precisely at slooooow tempos, it'll be much easier to play at faster tempos, and it'll clean up your timing a bunch.
    http://www.myspace.com/jammasterjones
    http://www.myspace.com/nervousexistence

    Current Drum Setup: Sonor Force 2005 all Birch: 22" x 17.5" kick, 14" x 5" snare, 10" x 9" and 12" x 10" toms, 16" x 16" floor tom.
    Current Cymbal Setup: All cymbals are Paiste unless otherwise noted: 14" 2002 Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" 2002 Medium Crash, 18" Alpha Power Crash, 20" 302 Ride, 16" 502 China, 10" 502 Splash, and 12" Wuhan China.

  13. #13

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    thanks man, ill encoporate it into my pratice session!

  14. #14
    sonic_underground Guest

    Default Timing

    Hey dude your very right in that you should play with a metronome and stuff but that can be very uninspiring what i do is play with my band loads cos they are the people i have to keep in time with but anyone will do to be honest. just play with real people as much as you can. the human metronome is very differant to a real one and i find is much more important. i expect people will disagree with me cos its not exactly "good technique" but it works for me
    Hope ive helped

    Sonic

  15. #15

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    Cool my timing

    Gonna respond to several comments at once, dudes:

    Quote Originally Posted by drummer View Post
    Laf, you're on the right track man. More than anything, tape yourself playing to the metronome and listen back to see how well you stayed with it or how steady you were. Maybe pick up a cheap drum machine to play along with. You can create some interesting patterns and it makes practicing to a metronome more fun.
    There is no complete substitute for playin' with your band buddies, but drummer's suggestion is excellent! (You've also seen my answer in the Percussion thread, too.)

    Quote Originally Posted by livewire80 View Post
    Dave Weckl stumbled accross it one day while jaming with a mate. I think you need to have perfect time already to be able to play off time perfectly. Strangely enough you need really good timing to be able to play off time notes properly.
    Reminds me of a comment I once read about actress Marion Lorne, whom you may remember as the stumbling, fumbling Aunt Clara on "Bewitched." A director couldn't understand why she was so worried about getting her lines perfect, to which she responded:

    "I have to learn how to do this perfectly before I can screw it up." Same is true with off-time...

    And middleman: on your line..."if you ain't groovin', they ain't movin'." And to get groovin', you have to start AND...
    keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!

    Charlie

    "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854

    "There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi

    "Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by sonic_underground View Post
    Hey dude your very right in that you should play with a metronome and stuff but that can be very uninspiring what i do is play with my band loads cos they are the people i have to keep in time with but anyone will do to be honest. just play with real people as much as you can. the human metronome is very differant to a real one and i find is much more important. i expect people will disagree with me cos its not exactly "good technique" but it works for me
    Hope ive helped

    Sonic
    Sorry if I interject here. What you said may be true if you're playing with more experienced players. However, it's good in the beginning of learning to drum to establish your own internal time clock with just you and the click. Practicing to newer records(in the past 20 years or so) is really good, as most are recorded to a click these days. Practicing to a click can be a drag with just that damn cowbell, I prefer a shaker or something more musical. Blessings.....

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by bongobro View Post
    Gonna respond to several comments at once, dudes:




    Reminds me of a comment I once read about actress Marion Lorne, whom you may remember as the stumbling, fumbling Aunt Clara on "Bewitched." A director couldn't understand why she was so worried about getting her lines perfect, to which she responded:

    "I have to learn how to do this perfectly before I can screw it up." Same is true with off-time...
    Yes Bro, perfect example

    Quote Originally Posted by middleman View Post
    However, it's good in the beginning of learning to drum to establish your own internal time clock with just you and the click.
    Totally agree

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by drummer View Post
    Laf, you're on the right track man. More than anything, tape yourself playing to the metronome and listen back to see how well you stayed with it or how steady you were. Maybe pick up a cheap drum machine to play along with. You can create some interesting patterns and it makes practicing to a metronome more fun.
    You know Drummer, I bought a nice drum machine years ago just for this purpose. I could NEVER figure out how to use it! WOW, boy am I dumb! Since buying an electric kit in the last while, I use the prerecorded music tracks instead as well as the click. Blessings.......

  19. #19

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    I like my timing, but when I'm jamming, I do just want to see what I can come up with, and then just fill out of it, doing what I want in that fill, going into something else. If there is something I really like, I'll remember it, then just muck about.
    The only real problem I have with my timing is when I start and stop my fills. I just play what I want them to sound like, and start them when I want to...fills that take up an entire bar or half a bar just seem so static though...
    Today, on Ethel The Frog...

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by sonic_underground View Post
    Hey dude your very right in that you should play with a metronome and stuff but that can be very uninspiring what i do is play with my band loads cos they are the people i have to keep in time with but anyone will do to be honest. just play with real people as much as you can. the human metronome is very differant to a real one and i find is much more important. i expect people will disagree with me cos its not exactly "good technique" but it works for me
    Hope ive helped

    Sonic
    I would have to agree with Sonic about playing with people. Playing with others is a great way to improve your skill. Playing with a metronome will teach you to play a steady beat, playing with others will force you to be flexible. It's nice to think that if you play a rock solid steady beat that everyone is going to follow you. In a perfect world that would be the case, but playing with imperfect people forces you to develop your listening skills. Maybe the band isn't cutting the tune at the tempo you started the piece at, this may require a gradual almost imperceptible slowing down on your part. I've had singers come in in the middle of a measure you have to adjust to that. Being able to play a rock solid beat is important, but being able to listen and make adjustments to what is going on in a band situation is also important. Yea the other band members should be with you at all times, but that isn't always the case, you can keep banging away, because your right and they should be following you, or you can adjust to them to avoid a train wreck.
    Gretsch Catalina Birch 6 piece fusion set (10,12,14,16in. Toms, 22 Bass). Sabian 20" HH Classic Ride, 16" Istanbul Agop Dark Crash, & Zildian K 13" Hi-hats.

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Church Drummer View Post
    I would have to agree with Sonic about playing with people. Playing with others is a great way to improve your skill. Playing with a metronome will teach you to play a steady beat, playing with others will force you to be flexible. It's nice to think that if you play a rock solid steady beat that everyone is going to follow you. In a perfect world that would be the case, but playing with imperfect people forces you to develop your listening skills. Maybe the band isn't cutting the tune at the tempo you started the piece at, this may require a gradual almost imperceptible slowing down on your part. I've had singers come in in the middle of a measure you have to adjust to that. Being able to play a rock solid beat is important, but being able to listen and make adjustments to what is going on in a band situation is also important. Yea the other band members should be with you at all times, but that isn't always the case, you can keep banging away, because your right and they should be following you, or you can adjust to them to avoid a train wreck.
    VERY good point here.....spoken like a true "church drummer". I've been in quite a few worship bands in my life as well. A lot of the time when playing worship, people follow the worship leader(or other musicians) for time sense, instead of the drummer. I'm very familiar with this fact that I've had to adjust my timing(even though I'm on), to the rest of the band that hasn't been "trained" to follow the drummer, as opposed to a normal band situation. Blessings......

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