The best trick to improve your timing

Florin

Florin

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Probably the best trick to correct your timing ever:

If you have a computer, and a music software, you could program a metronome. I mean you can make a loop of 32 measures of something, chose a sound for a click, then write the click down like a drum track this way:
-bar 1, or 1&2 , all the beats 1,2,3,4
- then bar 3&4 (or even 4 bars or 6 to be complete) - 1....3....
- Next bars - only the beat 1 of the measure ;-)
- Then the last 4 bars - 1 beat @ two bars.

You start the loop, and you play the simplest groove you know... some eights for example.
Anything you play with this tool, will make your timing rock solid.
The metronome is both your friend, and your enemy. It keeps you steady, yes, but it doesn't let you grow the "inner metronome"
So playing without the metronome from time to time actually does a lot, and this exercise is simply amazing!
I think I've seen it in a John Pattitucci's tutorial.
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I am not sure of anything anymore Greg, since I am becoming senile... Anyway, I am sure I heard this trick from more than one place.
 
Excellent tip Flo!

For those of you that don't have access to a drum machine or music software I've created the pattern Flo describes above. The pattern repeats, for a total of 32 bars.

If you want a different tempo or different pattern - just ask!
 

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Wooow, thanks Gerry!
We can use them even at work, or when we are having fun on the forum. Tap on the table and try to tap together with the click :-)

Thanks for that Gerry!

Excelent idea for a forumer's game, who is a programmer?
 
I do a little programming, what did you have in mind? Something like the games in the forum? (to be honest I haven't played a single one of them)
Or do you mean a tap the spacebar in time thing? according to the pattern?
 
yes, and to give a score, like... how much can you keep it, how many bars :-)
Cool idea for a Warwick competition :-)
 
We can measure precision in milliseconds, ehehe...
 
I think we can leave some error space, to be fair, and to measure the bars.
And also another way, to measure the average precision in ms :-)

Sounds cool
 
No! If you stray 5ms then GAME OVER and you can't play for the rest of the day. :lol:
 
Average for the score of how far you are out in ms would be cool.

I hope this can get implemented as i'd just like to see the results!
 






OOhhh EEeee

Scareeeeey


My usual metrognome is Ms Diva's
left foot, with the 4" heel .... right
foot is working the sustain pedal,
and she don't kick off her shoe for
that job neither !

The left foot with 4" heel is no joke.
1000 nites of that, on a hollow hard
wood floor, with her weighted-base
mic stand picking up the 'drum foot'
into her mic and her PA. She IS our
electric drum kit: Strickly Analog ...
Kick Drum Only !

And they say if you always play with
a metrognome you won't develop an
internal one ? Yowza ... 3000 hours
of Ms D's Drum Foot already logged,
I sure hope what 'they' say is wrong.
​


 
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Good info there Flo. Victor Wooten and Anthony Wellington talk about a similar technique except they take it a little further. They do the same exact thing but they keep going with it until they have 32 bars without a click. It's a great way to find out if tend to speed up or if you tend to slow down.
 





One night the cops were hassling me and I
had not drunk a drop, but they were bored.
I kept asking for the breath tester, but no,
they prefered the silly games like walking
heel and toe, etc.

Finally, one game was:

Tilt your head back and close your eyes.

When cop says "go" silently time out 30 sec.

Victim says "stop" when 30 sec are elapsed.

I did the math real fast in my head. Medium
slow blues is 96bpm for me. 12 bars walking
1/4notes is exactly 30 seconds ! My head is
back, eyes are closed, cop says "Go", then I
silently walk one 12 bar cycle. I even tossed
in a small finish cuz I figgered the cop was
making me nervous and I'd be a bit fast.

When I said "Stop" and I opened my eyes, I
see this cop with his watch up to his face and
his jaw hanging open ! I went home and ran
a test while I still felt hassled. 28.5sec every
time. Cool that I tossed in that little finish. I
was correct to think I'd need it !

-------------------------------------------------

Y'know ... while hassling me he'd already
asked about the possible 'weapon' next to
me in the car, so I opened the gig bag enuf
to show him my bass. Well, it ain't my job
to tell him that any basser can give him 30
seconds with more accuracy than a typical
hassled driver. But I was tempted to tell
him, when his jaw was hangin slack, that
"Hey, if you find a basser that can't give
you an accurate 30 seconds, lock him up,
with my blessing" ... but I bit my tongue !

​


 
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This method is awesome. I'v used it many times, taking a song I know and like, muting the music for 4 bars each, then playing for 4.
 
Cyberfretbass.com also has a metronome and drum tracks for your jamming pleasure.
 
Gastrok said:
Excellent tip Flo!

For those of you that don't have access to a drum machine or music software I've created the pattern Flo describes above. The pattern repeats, for a total of 32 bars.

If you want a different tempo or different pattern - just ask!
Click to expand...

great work gerry! really is a great tool for working on timing...as frustrating as it can be at times
 
I'd call it fun not frustrating, think as a video game. Ok... audio game.
 
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