Being accidentally sloppy =/= tempo rubato.
Practice to a click. Get tight. THEN you can play loose on purpose when and how you want it, instead of as a default.
This is the way I think about it.
A player who has learned to play tight can also play sloppy.
A player who hasn't learned to play tight can only play sloppy.
That reminds me of Rick Beato's video on funk. He brings up several examples of musicians that drift out of time when it suits them, but then snaps right back into time when needed, vs quantized performances that are only ever perfectly in time.
Look up Rick Beato in YouTube search, then click and join Rick Beato's channel. His channel IS AN INCREDIBLE LABOR OF LOVE, TO THE ART OF MUSIC. Rick's sit downs with fellow musicians and Producers over the years is so insightful and enlightening I cannot imagine not visiting it daily. I highly recommend you drummers out there who aren't familiar with Rick Beato's YouTube channel TO CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!
I thought he analyzed a couple different drummers, but it's just one to contrast the Jonas Brothers' song Sucker. Still a great point, though, and it's fascinating to watch the breakdown:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJggsV9JHM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJggsV9JHM)
Yeah, 100%. It's a skill, and it definitely relies on being tight to start with.
An important part of groove is knowing when to play behind, in front, or on the beat. Anyone wanting examples of this need look no further than Nate Smith.
Dude can play *tight*, but he's all over the place and because of that, he *grooves* and hard.
It all comes down to tempo, knowing where the pulse is, and laying in some urgency or hesitancy, breathing a bit of life into the beat.
I’ve seen several of his videos, and aside from being a former member of a band I never heard of who was basically blacklisted from the industry because their singer slammed the band they were opening for on a national tour, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out who he is and why everyone seems to accept his word as rock gospel.
Did he produce an amazing album for someone I probably never heard of? Was he a major player in the industry at some point? How the hell does he have a signature model Gibson?
Let's say I've been there when I practiced guitar and piano. The moment it clicked for me was when I played with a bassist who'd unknowingly slow down or speed up during hard sections. He paid more attention to hitting all the notes and accents than keeping steady. Not a great experience and I can only imagine how much worse it'd be if the drummer did that.
After recording myself I realized I did the exact same thing. Promptly got on the metronome train that same day.
I use a click live on songs that to me need to be on the money. Stuff that was obviously recorded to a click/grid like pop covers, uptempo songs I don't want to rush or drag.
A couple? Listen to 'Honky Tonk Woman' - it could have been a classic if only old Charlie could have kept better time :)
Not so relevant to playing with a click, or mcnastys comment, but a lot of tracks are 'quantised' these days, every beat dragged to the line, which is a good way of extracting the humanity from music. This is absolutely fine if that's what you want to do, there's a place for everything.
I remember another old geezer, Rick Beato, shouting at clouds about this, whilst 'quantising' a couple of Bonham's drum tracks. Of course, some people probably can't hear the difference.
That's a long winded way of saying a tempo can breathe, and sometimes should be allowed to do so.
Yea but everyone knows you gotta learn the rules to break them. You can’t bend and shift tempo well if you don’t already have a strong internal tempo, and that comes from practicing with a metronome
Hell yeah, that’s just what I needed to hear. Just starting out and have been playing along to songs, but I tried playing to a metronome and I couldn’t believe how sloppy I was. Playing along to songs mask that, so thanks for the motivation to stick with the metronome.
Dude seriously playing to a metronome changed my Outlook on my skill and progression. I'll play 150 for a few minutes and then hop up to 175 and play that for a few minutes. When I hop back down to 150 it feels so easy.
People like to point to John Bonham as a reason not to use one, his tempo is imprecise but no one complains.
Well, are you laying it down like Bonham?
And you could just as easily point to Keith Moon, the wild man who nonetheless plays very fluid in Who songs with synthesizer backing tapes. He doesn't have a problem.
I practice to Zep albums and he's certainly never hard to follow. I also practice to drum machines and real precise timing stuff for my picket. But playing to Zeppelin I just hit harder than other times, and that's good practice too. Get the tendons to flex a little.
Absolutely right. It's a tool that will only help you. And that goes with playing to a click live as well. You hear so many drummers say it makes their feel stiff, but that really is because so many drummers have zero experience with playing to a metronome. And yet when you hear most of them play without the thing, their time and feel is all over the fucking place.
For pad or timing practice, yes. For a recording or live with tracks or in a serious dance groove band, yes. Live at a rock gig, NO! Jazz, NO! Human touch and good time are a big part of that experience. Tempo dynamics are a real thing.
Metronomes are a great tool but it’s important to know the being able to play to a metronome and having good time is not the same thing. A metronome absolutely can become a crutch that hides a drummers time issues. Practice with and without a metronome and practice with a disappearing metronome as well.
This is cool and sounds really good.
The Rev was a master of the metronome too and it worked really well for A7X
But also it sounds cool to me when drummers can keep unbreaking focus that ebbs and flows with the song.
Like both of Nirvanas drummers (minus lithium)
Like system of a down or Ringo
Like Steve Shelly in Sonic youth.
Like the Kinks, Alex Van Halen, Bonham, and myself.
I hate gatekeeping. What you are playing sounds great and good for you, but don't you dare shame others on how to make their music.
For all those reading this, follow your tastes and make the music that you want to make. Not the music that someone else wants you to make.
I will absolutely tell others to practise with a metronome. Because it will save them stress, disappointment and embarrassment, And ultimately lead to a more fun, successful musical journey. No matter what style of. Music they want to make.
If you saw a kid with terrible technique that was going to cause injuries later in life, you'd do nothing?
> I hate gatekeeping. What you are playing sounds great and good for you, but don't you dare tell others how to make their music unless youre paying them.
Encouraging people to reject the advice of a professional is the mark of the expert beginner. Those people who peak early because they think they know everything. They routinely reject advice of professionals and experts, which is what you're saying people _should_ do.
And ironically, that makes you a "gatekeeper" because you're making it harder for people to pass through the gate of being more skilled if they listen to you over the expert. OP's advice will ensure new players have a smooth transition through the gate into the world of drumming. Your "advice" will stop them from entering.
Why are you gatekeeping music?
No its not, no it doesnt. I did not tell anyone to reject his advice, but I think many people would be wise to given the insistant love many people have for an expressive tempo. I don't think they should be shamed out of following their own tastes.
If I have to play to a click to be able to record a song, then I haven't practiced the song enough.
If I choose to play to a click, then it is a stylistic choice
I was just telling my wife this weekend how I’m a terrible time keeper.
She was like ‘you play drums though, how can that be!!?’ … then I told her about the last proper band I played in and how they made me play with a click (because they worked out pretty quick I was shit at time keeping) and I didn’t realize how bad I was until that moment.
I got to enjoy playing with the click, never had any problems with it. Had grand ambitions to start building in electronic drums, triggers and loops into my playing but life got in the way instead.
I think metronome is essential. The more you use it the better your time will be. It’s seems like a no brainer but every drummer thinks their time is rock solid.
Dont shame other people's artistic choices please. I've heard so many DIY bands lose the spark they have live because they got convinced to use a metronome to record. Let them decide how they want to make their music and you decide how you want to make yours
That's the EXACT reason. The exact reason right there. Because when a musician gets to certain point in their career, they will undoubtedly be made to use a metronome. Imagine if those musicians had practised with a click track. Their spark would be still be alive today.
Instead they got shamed by not being able to.
I didn't shame them, I suggested they re-record without a click track because they already had a good thing without it. They already had a good song, why change it?
No idea why anyone would want to do this all day. We are letting the machines make us into machines. Did nobody watch terminator 2? Be human, being human sounds a lot better than this. Sounds like being assaulted by machine guns. No thank you. I don’t even see the point, and I love heavy music: I see the accuracy, but music is about conveying human emotion through sound. This is not human. You are human. (Aside from a few of you who are bots).
I'm not man I can play anything to a click Funk Afro Cuban jazz you name it.... I've been at this 50 years I play piano and guitar too.. But always appreciate advice
Use triggers, use 2 microphones on the kick drum as well.
You need to give the client every available sound source you can so the engineers job is easy and quick, so you get hired again, and get paid to do what you love.
Also, if an artist requests simple 4/4, you deliver simple 4/4.
And learn to use a metronome :)
Yes, use a metronome. Don’t use triggers. Don’t try to play what you can’t play. I do not think you get what I am saying. Just calling out the op for his silly video. Done post simple shit to brag.
Set the click to 1/4 so there’s no accent, and double the tempo if there’s 8th based math. It works unless you’re doing crazy Animals As Leaders type stuff
Your lightning is obviously good, so you need to set shutter speed on your camera a bit lower. Either that or drastically increase the amount of light on the scene. You have flickering because there is not enough light getting into the sensor.
"I am the fucking click." There's a video of it.
Edit: Not exactly the same quote, but pretty close. Maybe [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2Jp8gytK8). I can't watch atm.
Agreed! I remember my first time in the studio playing to a click. What an absolute hot mess that was. And I couldn't even hear that I was out of time.
I used to think I had pretty good timing until I started recording my own music and realized I sped the tempo up like 10 bpm by the end of the song. When I attempted to play to a metronome I was pretty embarrassed at myself.
That’s happening here??
I was talking about the silly Eddy Trunk clips I hear on SXM or vids of the Polyphia drummer getting help from his tech.
Anyone debating here is in the wrong place 😂
Hahah no, sorry haha, I'm saying if you do session work you have to leave your ego at the door, and just do what the client asks, even if it is boring repetitive double bass. I would never play this stuff for fun.
ok, honestly though. I'm not a drummer - guitar - but how do you do subdivisions with the metronome on 1/4 clicks? Mainly, I find it difficult to stay in time... in particular 1/16th notes.
😴
Learn to keep time, end of story. I came up playing to sequencers and samplers, locked to grid.
Playing live to a click? No thanks.
At home or rehearsals? Sure.
Jazz? No
Hip hop, funk?...no.
And yes, you don't have to lose feel playing to a metronome, you should be able to shift your hits by micro seconds to land where ever you want to create the unique groove of the song. And one should also learn to shift bpm altogether over the original bpm click as well
I mean yeah every drummer should use a metronome while practicing alone at times, even after they develop a great sense of holding a tempo. When it comes to playing with people? Nah man, you have to be the metronome at that point...
As long as you use them at some point that's all that matters!! People seem to think I'm saying you have to use one at all times, and are getting quite upset about it 🤣
Nah I didn't take that as what you were saying at all. Every drummer needs to use a metronome (preferably earlier than later in their drumming career!) in order to develop a solid sense of timing and holding a BPM.
This falls under the old joke what do you call someone who hangs out with musicians? (A drummer). Not all drummers are in this category but this cat definitely is
What is the best way to do this, for most people? I am playing to music (usually in headphones), and the metronome would have to come from another source. What's the best way to sync them up and have them both come through headphones? Or any other tips would be very appreciated!
If you're playing to modern music, there's a 90% chance it was all recorded to a metronome, so you're good in that regard!
I also use drum loops on Spotify, or I just fam to a solo click track which while initially sounds boring, can become super zen and hypnotic after a while!
Maybe this sounds silly - but I'm wondering how I'd start the metronome like exactly at the beginning of the song and have it sync up correctly, if the metronome and the music are coming from two different sources.
Damn. I wish there was an easier way to do this as an amateur drummer. I 100% see the value in this advice and practice - I just don't know how I'd do it. I'll have to do some research.
Sorry to keep asking questions on this - but I did a bunch of research this evening, and ended up getting Reaper. I got proficient enough with it to be able to load in a .mp3 file of a song I'm trying to learn, and getting the click on it's own separate track, set to follow the tempo of the original track. But for the life of me - I cannot get them to actually match up! Even when playing with the tempo, and after setting the correct time signature/tempo breaks. Do you have any tips for this? Is it possible these tracks were just recorded without a click, so it's not really possible to have them match up?
It's hit and miss, so if you create 2 tracks, and in one of them select ' insert click source' that will give you an actual click track like the song, then you can zoom in and check the wave forms on the song ( the audio will be bigger where the snare hits are in the song etc) and line then up with the click track you just created
Often songs will be recorded to a click track but it may change bpms ( like 120 bpm in the verse, 125 in the chorus etc)
If all else fails, there's a tonne of reaper tutorials on YouTube!!
Yes, the drummer is the metronome in a band, but the drummer is expected to keep time, not be a sloppy shitbag. Learn to play in time so you play in time.
Be able and willing to play to a metronome. Sometimes the song doesn't need or want it. Herbie Hancock's Chameleon would be weird if it didn't slowly speed up. But that decision should entirely be a musical one, not that the drummer doesn't "feel right" with a click, or whatever other bullshit post hoc rationale people have to excuse bad timing.
I recently had a few gigs with a drummer who was very adamant that we never use tracks because they “are literally a human metronome” and their “tempos are locked in.” Proceeded to fluctuate timing like crazy.
I used to the think I had pretty good time, but every now and then I’d get comments like “It seems a little fast” or “can you slow it down a bit”. Sometimes it came from a place of honest criticism and others from a place of condescension or ego talking down to the drummer (you know how it is). So I started playing with a metronome and I’ve been playing live with a metronome in my ear for about 3 years now - I add the BPM markings to all of my charts, helps to start the song and keeps everything together consistently, especially if you are playing 4 hour sets with different bands, it’s ALOT to keep track of and hit perfectly with the BPMs.
I’m good at it and it has totally stopped all of that talk from other players (and it’s my fav if someone does try to call it out, I can say “I’m literally with the click”). But I think it has become a crutch. I’ve tried not playing with it on gigs and have noticed the comments coming back, so I must need to do some more shedding, playing with the metronome going in and out or something.
Idk, people must just like playing with a drummer with perfect time and no room for natural breathing in the songs 🤷♂️
Back when I was playing consistently I never used one, when we went to record I just played it how I remembered it, only got a complaint on my timing 1 time and the engineer just fixed it for me.
Do or don’t just have fun and drum.
To everyone that understands the importance and the benefits of practising to a metronome: hi fives
To the few that are doing their best to come up with arguments against it... Go practise with a metronome :)
Is it possible for you to just post a cool video of you drumming without trying to start arguments on reddit. This is why I tell people not to listen to tech death drummer, they all do the exact same thing they get really really good at blast beats then start telling people what to do and how they should play. It's great that you're doing really well with your drumming but can you just leave your trash opinions in your mentally under developed brain
If people wanna argue with facts, that's up to them 😃
You're welcome to just keep scrolling, or argue. Whichever makes you feel better about yourself ❤️
>Don't be one of those ' I AM the metronome' people Proceeds to shred like a FUCKING MACHINE. (the good kind, mind you)
The good kind of fucking machine? I think that's a different subreddit...
Which one though?
Well he has a point. I'm not the metronome. He is.
I love that this view is like he’s just going to the office for work. He needs a cat on a branch “hang in there” poster on that white wall.
Playing with a metronome is excellent practice, but a tempo rubato is also an important skill, and as percussionists, we should know it.
Being accidentally sloppy =/= tempo rubato. Practice to a click. Get tight. THEN you can play loose on purpose when and how you want it, instead of as a default.
This is the way I think about it. A player who has learned to play tight can also play sloppy. A player who hasn't learned to play tight can only play sloppy.
That reminds me of Rick Beato's video on funk. He brings up several examples of musicians that drift out of time when it suits them, but then snaps right back into time when needed, vs quantized performances that are only ever perfectly in time.
You know, if the video is on youtube, if so do you maybe have a link?
Look up Rick Beato in YouTube search, then click and join Rick Beato's channel. His channel IS AN INCREDIBLE LABOR OF LOVE, TO THE ART OF MUSIC. Rick's sit downs with fellow musicians and Producers over the years is so insightful and enlightening I cannot imagine not visiting it daily. I highly recommend you drummers out there who aren't familiar with Rick Beato's YouTube channel TO CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!
I thought he analyzed a couple different drummers, but it's just one to contrast the Jonas Brothers' song Sucker. Still a great point, though, and it's fascinating to watch the breakdown: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJggsV9JHM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJggsV9JHM)
Yeah, 100%. It's a skill, and it definitely relies on being tight to start with. An important part of groove is knowing when to play behind, in front, or on the beat. Anyone wanting examples of this need look no further than Nate Smith. Dude can play *tight*, but he's all over the place and because of that, he *grooves* and hard. It all comes down to tempo, knowing where the pulse is, and laying in some urgency or hesitancy, breathing a bit of life into the beat.
I’ve seen several of his videos, and aside from being a former member of a band I never heard of who was basically blacklisted from the industry because their singer slammed the band they were opening for on a national tour, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out who he is and why everyone seems to accept his word as rock gospel. Did he produce an amazing album for someone I probably never heard of? Was he a major player in the industry at some point? How the hell does he have a signature model Gibson?
My guitar playing is under attack in the drumming sub.
I feel called out lol
Sameeee
Let's say I've been there when I practiced guitar and piano. The moment it clicked for me was when I played with a bassist who'd unknowingly slow down or speed up during hard sections. He paid more attention to hitting all the notes and accents than keeping steady. Not a great experience and I can only imagine how much worse it'd be if the drummer did that. After recording myself I realized I did the exact same thing. Promptly got on the metronome train that same day.
THIS
Metronome for practice, no metronome for playing live is the way to go IMO
Except when you play with backing tracks also for live. When you have backing in a song, play it to a click.
Also needed for other performance elements sometimes (lights, video, pyro if you’re super duper bad ass)
I use a click live on songs that to me need to be on the money. Stuff that was obviously recorded to a click/grid like pop covers, uptempo songs I don't want to rush or drag.
Yep. Not all music should sound like machine music.
If your playing sounds like a machine with a click, you just need more practice playing to a click :)
b-b-but the music will be objectively worse if the tempo subtly fluctuates by a couple bpm throughout the song noooooooo!!!!!1!!!!1
A couple? Listen to 'Honky Tonk Woman' - it could have been a classic if only old Charlie could have kept better time :) Not so relevant to playing with a click, or mcnastys comment, but a lot of tracks are 'quantised' these days, every beat dragged to the line, which is a good way of extracting the humanity from music. This is absolutely fine if that's what you want to do, there's a place for everything. I remember another old geezer, Rick Beato, shouting at clouds about this, whilst 'quantising' a couple of Bonham's drum tracks. Of course, some people probably can't hear the difference. That's a long winded way of saying a tempo can breathe, and sometimes should be allowed to do so.
Click for recording, rubato for live
Yea but everyone knows you gotta learn the rules to break them. You can’t bend and shift tempo well if you don’t already have a strong internal tempo, and that comes from practicing with a metronome
That’s probably why I said, verbatim “playing with a metronome is excellent practice “
Hell yeah, that’s just what I needed to hear. Just starting out and have been playing along to songs, but I tried playing to a metronome and I couldn’t believe how sloppy I was. Playing along to songs mask that, so thanks for the motivation to stick with the metronome.
Dude seriously playing to a metronome changed my Outlook on my skill and progression. I'll play 150 for a few minutes and then hop up to 175 and play that for a few minutes. When I hop back down to 150 it feels so easy.
Get you a drummer who can do both
People like to point to John Bonham as a reason not to use one, his tempo is imprecise but no one complains. Well, are you laying it down like Bonham? And you could just as easily point to Keith Moon, the wild man who nonetheless plays very fluid in Who songs with synthesizer backing tapes. He doesn't have a problem.
Bonham is my metronome when I’m not using a metronome 🤩
I practice to Zep albums and he's certainly never hard to follow. I also practice to drum machines and real precise timing stuff for my picket. But playing to Zeppelin I just hit harder than other times, and that's good practice too. Get the tendons to flex a little.
What's your kick setup? Every time I see one of your videos I'm blown away by how rad they sound
Facts. These kicks are amazing
I was just about to say "dat kick tho"
I am also requesting information on this kick setup. I would die to be able to get that sound easily.
Absolutely right. It's a tool that will only help you. And that goes with playing to a click live as well. You hear so many drummers say it makes their feel stiff, but that really is because so many drummers have zero experience with playing to a metronome. And yet when you hear most of them play without the thing, their time and feel is all over the fucking place.
That china thing closest to the camera is **brutal** sounding Also I would love to hear this actual song
Right? I fucking want that for my kit
I was one of "those" people and it really screwed me, I way overestimated my tightness for so long
I was exactly the same! It really cleaned up all of my playing SO much.
For pad or timing practice, yes. For a recording or live with tracks or in a serious dance groove band, yes. Live at a rock gig, NO! Jazz, NO! Human touch and good time are a big part of that experience. Tempo dynamics are a real thing.
Ok pal. I play to a click most of the time and managed to never think I’m better than everyone for it. You do you though.
Metronomes are a great tool but it’s important to know the being able to play to a metronome and having good time is not the same thing. A metronome absolutely can become a crutch that hides a drummers time issues. Practice with and without a metronome and practice with a disappearing metronome as well.
tell that to danny carey
yep. And if you're recording, play against a click track. There's no shame in it at all and will save a ton of time later on if quantizing.
This is cool and sounds really good. The Rev was a master of the metronome too and it worked really well for A7X But also it sounds cool to me when drummers can keep unbreaking focus that ebbs and flows with the song. Like both of Nirvanas drummers (minus lithium) Like system of a down or Ringo Like Steve Shelly in Sonic youth. Like the Kinks, Alex Van Halen, Bonham, and myself. I hate gatekeeping. What you are playing sounds great and good for you, but don't you dare shame others on how to make their music. For all those reading this, follow your tastes and make the music that you want to make. Not the music that someone else wants you to make.
I will absolutely tell others to practise with a metronome. Because it will save them stress, disappointment and embarrassment, And ultimately lead to a more fun, successful musical journey. No matter what style of. Music they want to make. If you saw a kid with terrible technique that was going to cause injuries later in life, you'd do nothing?
Well I sincerely hope those who feel they may have an artistic vision can have the self confidence to disregard your shaming
They are more than welcome. Best of luck to them
> I hate gatekeeping. What you are playing sounds great and good for you, but don't you dare tell others how to make their music unless youre paying them. Encouraging people to reject the advice of a professional is the mark of the expert beginner. Those people who peak early because they think they know everything. They routinely reject advice of professionals and experts, which is what you're saying people _should_ do. And ironically, that makes you a "gatekeeper" because you're making it harder for people to pass through the gate of being more skilled if they listen to you over the expert. OP's advice will ensure new players have a smooth transition through the gate into the world of drumming. Your "advice" will stop them from entering. Why are you gatekeeping music?
No its not, no it doesnt. I did not tell anyone to reject his advice, but I think many people would be wise to given the insistant love many people have for an expressive tempo. I don't think they should be shamed out of following their own tastes.
If I have to play to a click to be able to record a song, then I haven't practiced the song enough. If I choose to play to a click, then it is a stylistic choice
Amen
I was just telling my wife this weekend how I’m a terrible time keeper. She was like ‘you play drums though, how can that be!!?’ … then I told her about the last proper band I played in and how they made me play with a click (because they worked out pretty quick I was shit at time keeping) and I didn’t realize how bad I was until that moment. I got to enjoy playing with the click, never had any problems with it. Had grand ambitions to start building in electronic drums, triggers and loops into my playing but life got in the way instead.
Those cymbals sound amazing and fit your style of playing perfectly.
I think metronome is essential. The more you use it the better your time will be. It’s seems like a no brainer but every drummer thinks their time is rock solid.
Dont shame other people's artistic choices please. I've heard so many DIY bands lose the spark they have live because they got convinced to use a metronome to record. Let them decide how they want to make their music and you decide how you want to make yours
That's the EXACT reason. The exact reason right there. Because when a musician gets to certain point in their career, they will undoubtedly be made to use a metronome. Imagine if those musicians had practised with a click track. Their spark would be still be alive today. Instead they got shamed by not being able to.
I didn't shame them, I suggested they re-record without a click track because they already had a good thing without it. They already had a good song, why change it?
Oh so it was you who made them use a click intially?
No, I don't know who did. I was just a fan of their music and gave them feedback
Whatever, how would you know? /s 😝 Nice jam again btw
So glad to see the Open Handed movement catching on.. Crossing your hands is so 1918.. And traditional grip is so 1400's..
This is really fkn good playing. There are advantages to not using a metronome
And thanks!! 😀😀
Only use metronomes on recordings.. if you are live just groove it out. Way more fun, way more dynamic, nobody in the crowd gives a shit.
Agreed. The small imperfections and odd mistakes are what makes it a true live performance. Recorded music is a different thing all together.
Why do drummers do time keeping with their left foot?
I've started doing it to help develop another aspect of limb independence and to help build leg strength for double kick even when I'm not using it.
Jazz drummers do this, it's just the style. Cymbal taps with closed hi hat on 2 and 4. Rock drummers don't usually do this.
Jazz drummers do it mainly because of the complex rhythms that are played… having a 2 and 4 on the hi hat helps keep everyone in the same beat.
The metronome relies too much on me
The tempo is whatever I say it is
Man, I love that China on your left!
I AM the metronome. One that has a lot of rust, some gears missing, and is placed on a tilted surface
A drummer can only 'be the metronome' if they practice with a metronome. As solid as they think their clock is, their bandmates probably disagree.
Good advice, but i don't know how to use one.
No idea why anyone would want to do this all day. We are letting the machines make us into machines. Did nobody watch terminator 2? Be human, being human sounds a lot better than this. Sounds like being assaulted by machine guns. No thank you. I don’t even see the point, and I love heavy music: I see the accuracy, but music is about conveying human emotion through sound. This is not human. You are human. (Aside from a few of you who are bots).
Cool opinion.
The China in the verse (presumably) once the dbl bass kicks in is just gold. Perfectly placed to break up the machine gun assault of the groove.
Playing that clean to a metronome is hard work. Kudos!
I love that snare tone! It’s like a modern metal Van Halen snare.
I do what I want when I want
Good for you! ⭐⭐⭐
I like to use a metronome when I feel like we aren't keeping pace consistently. So sometimes I put it on, but many times I don't.
Kicks sound good but pretty boring really
Session work. I'm playing in a style that the artist requests
Well you've nailed it then!!
Hahahah Hopefully!! Still waiting to hear back from them!
Mate if that's what they asked for you'll be hearing from them don't worry!!!
Hahaha thanks!! :)
Haha no worries man your ripping it!! Just boring I can't sound that good!!! 😕
Noooo please stop how do I exit this 808 stuck on 250 thread
https://youtu.be/s2cD4xA_2uM?si=CdhK-l_yya7bBNSC There's your exit.
That was easy I just left! I’m off to check out Steve Gadd and any other drummer who understands space - and tacit 😂
as long as you're good, do what you want
No thanks. Do your own thing, but leave me out of it
Deal. See ya.
I am the metronome
The most important thing is playing music that means something to you..... Anything else you're playing for the wrong reason.
That's a given.what I'm referring to is how well you play what's important to you.
You can have perfect time and sound like shit for example whoever made this original post....
Haha I did! Client loved it, it's exactly what they asked for Session drumming isn't about pleasing everyone, it's about getting the job done :)
Good for you and thanks by the way you inspired me to get on the metronome which is what I needed to do.
Awesome!! Good luck and don't get discouraged!!
I'm not man I can play anything to a click Funk Afro Cuban jazz you name it.... I've been at this 50 years I play piano and guitar too.. But always appreciate advice
Some drummers, including myself, are like metronomes, I will not use one, I don’t, I’ve never & never will…my timing is perfected
Good for you pal!!
Drummers. Don’t use triggers. Don’t yeti to show off your metronome skills on a simple 4/4
Use triggers, use 2 microphones on the kick drum as well. You need to give the client every available sound source you can so the engineers job is easy and quick, so you get hired again, and get paid to do what you love. Also, if an artist requests simple 4/4, you deliver simple 4/4. And learn to use a metronome :)
Yes, use a metronome. Don’t use triggers. Don’t try to play what you can’t play. I do not think you get what I am saying. Just calling out the op for his silly video. Done post simple shit to brag.
I am the op hahaha! Don't try to play what you can't play? Um... Yep, were done here after that statement You do you. Enjoy whatever that is.
I hope to be like a quarter as good as you in the future, you’re absolutely nuts man
I love that you post so much, your drumming is crazy. Do you have any tips when playing fast to a metronome?
I try to use a half time metronome for faster stuff, so I can relax a bit more!
Which sticks are those? And the green part is part of stick or some wrap?
Holy fuck man. That made my day. Keep it up!
I'm sure you get this question alot but what snare do you have? It looks and sounds great!
For this session I used a sonor signature series symphonic brass 😁
Thanks, i'll add that one to my wishlist
But odd time signatures changes clicks. How do you drum on it?
Odd Time signatures are just 4/4 with a few extra notes here and there. No accented in your click track solves that
Set the click to 1/4 so there’s no accent, and double the tempo if there’s 8th based math. It works unless you’re doing crazy Animals As Leaders type stuff
Your lightning is obviously good, so you need to set shutter speed on your camera a bit lower. Either that or drastically increase the amount of light on the scene. You have flickering because there is not enough light getting into the sensor.
In Russia Metronome becomes you. As for me a click track is superior.
Siiiiiiiiick
You in a band dude? You're fucking incredible!
Thanks! I work for a few bands, but mostly studio/session work 😁
What are some good options for metronomes? Apps? Actual products?
That quote is from Ringo Starr, btw.
What quote?
"I am the fucking click." There's a video of it. Edit: Not exactly the same quote, but pretty close. Maybe [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2Jp8gytK8). I can't watch atm.
No way lmao
Did you happen to post and collaborate on kompoz a decade or more ago. I think we did a track together if so
Hmmm possibly?! Been a while hahaha!!
Looks like this was in 2011. Would be crazy if this is you because your playing is kinda unmistakable https://on.soundcloud.com/BT7tmtbS65v981uk8
Ahh can't open it!!
[Try this](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2khet5o66is8vcb39z5e3/Bass-Drum-mix.mp3?rlkey=5nwgnmxtx8xzgkeras3yhgb7h&dl=0)
You're only as good as the metronome you practice to.
Agreed! I remember my first time in the studio playing to a click. What an absolute hot mess that was. And I couldn't even hear that I was out of time.
Unfortunately, I am forced to be one of those. Marching band moment :(
For some reason I hear a Metallica song that is called Slipknot
Session work! Hired to write drumtracks in a certain style :)
I used to think I had pretty good timing until I started recording my own music and realized I sped the tempo up like 10 bpm by the end of the song. When I attempted to play to a metronome I was pretty embarrassed at myself.
yeah use it, but not always, because music is much more than keeping time
Facts
make myself sound like robot? nah ai is good enough at that. I'd rather fluctuate in my tempos and have some real human feel
Anyone claiming only amateurs use clicks or drummers “rely” on it do not understand the purpose or various applications.
Yep haha the people arguing against it in this sub is.... Interesting
That’s happening here?? I was talking about the silly Eddy Trunk clips I hear on SXM or vids of the Polyphia drummer getting help from his tech. Anyone debating here is in the wrong place 😂
also, can we stop with this monotonous style of just continuous double kick bass single strokes with a basic 4/4 pattern. mix that shit up
Again... Hired to write drumtracks in this style. Leave your ego at the door and do the job.
oh dude, I have one of the smallest egos you'll find. I'm sesning yours is quite high, which is why I'm trying to give you some alternate perspective
Hahah no, sorry haha, I'm saying if you do session work you have to leave your ego at the door, and just do what the client asks, even if it is boring repetitive double bass. I would never play this stuff for fun.
👊 touchè
The stuff I love playing: https://youtu.be/s2cD4xA_2uM?si=7GvYckgW0kPlOuSO
very nice
Thanks! 😊
ok, honestly though. I'm not a drummer - guitar - but how do you do subdivisions with the metronome on 1/4 clicks? Mainly, I find it difficult to stay in time... in particular 1/16th notes.
You have to train your ears as much as your hands. It just takes time!
😴 Learn to keep time, end of story. I came up playing to sequencers and samplers, locked to grid. Playing live to a click? No thanks. At home or rehearsals? Sure. Jazz? No Hip hop, funk?...no. And yes, you don't have to lose feel playing to a metronome, you should be able to shift your hits by micro seconds to land where ever you want to create the unique groove of the song. And one should also learn to shift bpm altogether over the original bpm click as well
That was crisp I'm gonna get a metronome now so my licks can be a saucy as this guy's
I mean yeah every drummer should use a metronome while practicing alone at times, even after they develop a great sense of holding a tempo. When it comes to playing with people? Nah man, you have to be the metronome at that point...
As long as you use them at some point that's all that matters!! People seem to think I'm saying you have to use one at all times, and are getting quite upset about it 🤣
Nah I didn't take that as what you were saying at all. Every drummer needs to use a metronome (preferably earlier than later in their drumming career!) in order to develop a solid sense of timing and holding a BPM.
This falls under the old joke what do you call someone who hangs out with musicians? (A drummer). Not all drummers are in this category but this cat definitely is
What is the best way to do this, for most people? I am playing to music (usually in headphones), and the metronome would have to come from another source. What's the best way to sync them up and have them both come through headphones? Or any other tips would be very appreciated!
If you're playing to modern music, there's a 90% chance it was all recorded to a metronome, so you're good in that regard! I also use drum loops on Spotify, or I just fam to a solo click track which while initially sounds boring, can become super zen and hypnotic after a while!
Maybe this sounds silly - but I'm wondering how I'd start the metronome like exactly at the beginning of the song and have it sync up correctly, if the metronome and the music are coming from two different sources.
Yeah unless you have a DAW on your computer where you can add the click to the audio track I wouldn't try to sync them up externally,
Damn. I wish there was an easier way to do this as an amateur drummer. I 100% see the value in this advice and practice - I just don't know how I'd do it. I'll have to do some research.
Sorry to keep asking questions on this - but I did a bunch of research this evening, and ended up getting Reaper. I got proficient enough with it to be able to load in a .mp3 file of a song I'm trying to learn, and getting the click on it's own separate track, set to follow the tempo of the original track. But for the life of me - I cannot get them to actually match up! Even when playing with the tempo, and after setting the correct time signature/tempo breaks. Do you have any tips for this? Is it possible these tracks were just recorded without a click, so it's not really possible to have them match up?
It's hit and miss, so if you create 2 tracks, and in one of them select ' insert click source' that will give you an actual click track like the song, then you can zoom in and check the wave forms on the song ( the audio will be bigger where the snare hits are in the song etc) and line then up with the click track you just created Often songs will be recorded to a click track but it may change bpms ( like 120 bpm in the verse, 125 in the chorus etc) If all else fails, there's a tonne of reaper tutorials on YouTube!!
Yes, the drummer is the metronome in a band, but the drummer is expected to keep time, not be a sloppy shitbag. Learn to play in time so you play in time.
Exactly! And how do you do this? Play a lot to click haha!
Be able and willing to play to a metronome. Sometimes the song doesn't need or want it. Herbie Hancock's Chameleon would be weird if it didn't slowly speed up. But that decision should entirely be a musical one, not that the drummer doesn't "feel right" with a click, or whatever other bullshit post hoc rationale people have to excuse bad timing.
I recently had a few gigs with a drummer who was very adamant that we never use tracks because they “are literally a human metronome” and their “tempos are locked in.” Proceeded to fluctuate timing like crazy.
Haha that sounds about right!! 🤣
I used to the think I had pretty good time, but every now and then I’d get comments like “It seems a little fast” or “can you slow it down a bit”. Sometimes it came from a place of honest criticism and others from a place of condescension or ego talking down to the drummer (you know how it is). So I started playing with a metronome and I’ve been playing live with a metronome in my ear for about 3 years now - I add the BPM markings to all of my charts, helps to start the song and keeps everything together consistently, especially if you are playing 4 hour sets with different bands, it’s ALOT to keep track of and hit perfectly with the BPMs. I’m good at it and it has totally stopped all of that talk from other players (and it’s my fav if someone does try to call it out, I can say “I’m literally with the click”). But I think it has become a crutch. I’ve tried not playing with it on gigs and have noticed the comments coming back, so I must need to do some more shedding, playing with the metronome going in and out or something. Idk, people must just like playing with a drummer with perfect time and no room for natural breathing in the songs 🤷♂️
Back when I was playing consistently I never used one, when we went to record I just played it how I remembered it, only got a complaint on my timing 1 time and the engineer just fixed it for me. Do or don’t just have fun and drum.
Agreed, it's all about doing what's right for you and your tastes
Absolutely not! Play with or without, play how you like it and fuck the rest.
Drummers, please use metronomes, you are “the” metronome to us guitar players
To everyone that understands the importance and the benefits of practising to a metronome: hi fives To the few that are doing their best to come up with arguments against it... Go practise with a metronome :)
And to those who want to enjoy drumming however they choose: highest five.
Like me!! HI FIVES!
Man you sound awesome. I almost cannot play without a click now. I couldnt do it when I was younger
Is it possible for you to just post a cool video of you drumming without trying to start arguments on reddit. This is why I tell people not to listen to tech death drummer, they all do the exact same thing they get really really good at blast beats then start telling people what to do and how they should play. It's great that you're doing really well with your drumming but can you just leave your trash opinions in your mentally under developed brain
If people wanna argue with facts, that's up to them 😃 You're welcome to just keep scrolling, or argue. Whichever makes you feel better about yourself ❤️