Any tips for tempo?

[drumerbuttsweat]

I see allot of tips for chops, speed and power... but are there any tips for how to get a better internal sense of timing?
For the last year and a half i have been on the road with my band more then ive been home, and my tempo has gradually got out of control... i tend to speed up in spots or bolt thru certain songs... speed up fills... so, before ea show i have been warming up on a pad with a metronome... and playing along to the recordings with tempo in mind...**it seams to be helping a little but is there anything else i can do?

[2bsticks]

Hi,

I played another drummers kit on a couple of occasions as part of a fundraiser. This drummer had a small timing device that was attached to his snare. There was a small display that would tell you what your tempo was. If you were hitting 2 & 4 you would see the display read for example 133 (133 beats per minute). I asked him about it and he said he just uses it to keep him honest. I am not sure what it was called but I'm sure a music store could help you, and I don't think it was too expensive? I too had an issue with timing back in the 80's. I was all over the place, never realized it until a guitar player kept complaining. My ego was crushed, not me I'm not all over the place. It wasn't until my band started sequencing strings and horn parts that I realized how my timing was all over the place. At first I thought the sequencer was off but it was really me. Working with the sequencer for a few years really improved my timing. Hope this help?

[rockitman]

Something that I see in a lot of developing players is that they get tied up in fills and phrases that go beyond the groove of the band they are playing with. There can be some variation in meter and tempo as long as it does not get in the way. If the band can groove then the variations are considered to be FEEL. Feel is good as long as it FEELS GOOD !

Now, what I see mostly in younger players is that they tend to get excited when it is time to fill or change the groove. Stay loose, your grip and the amount of muscle used to move around the set should only change slightly. If your technique is good, you will not have to lift your arm above your head to get the attack of an accent on that 12 tom. This also goes for your kick drum. Accented notes at the end of a fill should come without much more power than is needed to play your regular beats. Keep this in mind. Another thing that you have to be aware of is that you may end up adding time and this not good either.
Keep the beat in your head, the rhythm in your body and stay aware, but stay loose.

Many younger players rush/drag the fill and end up being early/late getting back to the beat. The beat or groove then goes away and it feels funny until everyone finds the new groove. Knowing that you have a problem is half the battle. You can approach this in a lot of different ways depending on what is causing the problem.

[Wavelength]

Practice grooves and fills with a metronome set to extremely low speeds, 40 bpm and below.

[ledzepjb]

Two things: the cheaper way is experience and the second way is spend a bit of cash and get a metronome!!!

[Drad-dog]

Playing with a metronome is the only way I know of improving your internal sense of time. Coupla' things: 1) Don't use any visual indicators of the tempo, like a flashing light on your metronome, because it's like cheating. The idea is to train your ears to hear the beat. Make them do all the work. 2) Turn your metronome down so that you have to listen for it. A loud click hammering away in your ear on every beat is too easy (maybe at first you'll have to do it that way). Again, make your ears do the work- set the metronome so it clicks only on 2 and 4 at a volume that you can't even hear when you're right on. When you start to get off the beat you'll know it cause the click will no longer be hidden behind the snare. Also, playing along to the recorded song, or with your drum parts on a drum machine won't help your sense of time as much because the music is giving a ton of clues about where the beat is. Your ears aren't having to work very hard to keep the time straight.

Good luck man, this is something that all drummers should strive for diligently.

[tamadrummer132]

I have a big proiblem with timing, and everyone always tells me to practice with a metronome, but its kinda a hastle so i blow it off. But im going to be a hypocrite, and still tell you to use a metronome as much as you can.

[jazzsnob]

Get Louis Belson's Modern Reading Text in 4/4 and work with a metronome, generally at tempos between 100-144. Did amazing things for my timekeeping.

[Spreggy]

I think one of the challenges you may face is if you've been rushing in certain areas, then you may have trained your band to rush in certain areas, so even when your time is better they will pull you or drag you in the same old places anyways. A few rehearsals with a click going for everybody to hear may be in order.

[boomboomda]

I have another suggestion, Go on ebay get a Yamaha Rx 15 drum machine (they are cheap)
Program a simple 2 and 4 back beat run that for 3 bars then leave 1 bar empty and repeat.
Play a fill on the empty bar, and see where you are tempo wise when the machine comes back in.
After you get better you can extend the empty space , to whatever length you think you can handle.That is a great way to improve your timing.

[n2xlr8n]

Hi,

I played another drummers kit on a couple of occasions as part of a fundraiser. This drummer had a small timing device that was attached to his snare. There was a small display that would tell you what your tempo was. If you were hitting 2 & 4 you would see the display read for example 133 (133 beats per minute).

It's called a Tempo Ref. Built by a drummer and Engineer...great guy.

Actually, what happens is: Let's say you have a song that the tempo is QTR=120. You could either program that tempo as "song #1" (or 2, 3....64, etc.). When starting the song in position #1, the Ref will flash and beep 120 bpm to "kick off". Once you hit the snare (or kick...whatever...it has an EXT trigger option, as well) the Ref will display "60" if your downbeat is on 2 & 4.

Or, if you want to use it just to display the (downbeat) tempo without programming it, you can do that, too.

The sensitivity is adjustable for ghost notes, as well.

It's slick. I have two...one as a backup. No more "Hey, we're a little quick" from your fellow musicians.

www.luglock.com

Ask for Phil, tell him Steve Jordan sent cha.

[Miggle]

a question...

are recordings, or at least most of them (like for example DreamTheater) click perfect? I play along with a click but I still either slow down or speed up after a few seconds and its been like that for years. When I play in a band noone seems to mind at all, while i'm aware that I speed or drag, its not too bad and everyone seems to compensate. its still not a good thing though.

[Mapex589]

To answer your question.....Yes, most recordings are done to a metronome. That is not to say that the drummer wont play ahead of the click or behind the click at times. A metronome is and always will be the best way to improve your inner timing. I always practice to a metronome but when we jam as a band I do not use the metronome.

[bermuda]

Once you have identified the specific problem areas with tempo - shuffles, fills, slow songs, fast songs - you can target them. Metronomes/machines are obviously helpful in pointing out the problems, but you still have to make the corrections. It's not as simple as just practicing to, and following a click. What happens when you're on a gig and the click isn't there?

My tempo issues happen on fills, which is fairly common among drummers. I know that I tend to speed them up, so when it's time for a fill, I make a concerted effort to hold the tempo. Not slow it down... but really 'sit' on it and play the fill very deliberately, if that makes sense. Over time the process became very automatic, and I rarely think about it anymore.

I don't suggest that everything has to be played like a machine, there are certain parts, fills, and song sections that may benefit from a little flow. But that's never an excuse for poor time. As with people, 'breathing' involves inhaling and exhaling.

Bermuda

[bigbang]

I don't think there is any" magic tricks" that will help with maintaining tempo, although there are some good suggestions here.
Myself , the most I've ever done is : pick a tempo and stay with it for say...10 minutes at a time without playing any fills.If you can hold it down (with a metronome) for that long ( also counting quarter notes ...ie. 1,2,3,4 ) it will improve your concentration.
I think that is the biggest problem with young drummers....their mind seems to wander from the task at hand.
This is why learning to count is so important.

[Just Drums]

Playing with a "metronome" doesn't have to be tedious and boring. You can:

A) Play to a drum machine and program oodles of cool grooves & patterns to practice against. The machine won't let you phase so you'll learn to lock into it. Play to a 3/2 clave pattern. Play to conga part. Play to a fast shuffle. Whatever. You can make it as fun as you want.

B) If you don't have a drum machine or can't afford one, play along with a cheap keyboard like a Casio. With most keyboards, even the cheap ones, you can play along to accompanying music. You can often with the push of a button, add or remove the bass, drums, hords, guitar, etc. Pick any style and any tempo from the keyboard and play along.

[Just Drums]

Playing with a "metronome" doesn't have to be tedious and boring. You can:

A) Play to a drum machine and program oodles of cool grooves & patterns to practice against. The machine won't let you phase so you'll learn to lock into it. Play to a 3/2 clave pattern. Play to conga part. Play to a fast shuffle. Whatever. You can make it as fun as you want.

B) If you don't have a drum machine or can't afford one, play along with a cheap keyboard like a Casio. With most keyboards, even the cheap ones, you can play along to accompanying music. You can often with the push of a button, add or remove the bass, drums, hords, guitar, etc. Pick any style and any tempo from the keyboard and play along.

[drumerbuttsweat]

hey everyone thanx so much for the info!
This site never fails to help me improve and troubleshoot, so props to everyone who maintains it!
Yah, ill try slowing down my click when i warm up.. i usually stick to the same tempo, 140 or so..... but i think some of the slower songs are where my fills tend to rush.... so that makes perfect sense. also, i think i just get excited with some of the faster songs and get all "turbo"
I agree that sometimes tempo should flux a little to enhance the song... so, my goal here is to not have to play with a click live and still remain consistent when its needed.
That temp ref device sounds like a great idea, ill look into**it. how dose it attache to the snare? is it adhesive like a dot trigger?
thanx again!!

[Class A Drummer]

Boy have i had tempo trouble. Of course metranomes are gold. But what i think is even better is Playing Along.

Not only is it great practice, but it gives you such a sense of time. Especially if you know the song well, you can get use to playing fills and stuff.

I would Especially suggest Playing along with Led Zeppelin, then after you get use to that, Rush.

Good Luck.

[JRH7]

I have one suggestion:

SLOW DOWN!

To develope a strong internal clock you must practice playing slow to understand how much space is in between the qtr. note pulse. I suggest getting yourself a click and practicing beats and fills at tempos slower than 85 bpm. It is easier to stay in time at faster tempos because there is less space in between the notes. Practicing at slow tempos helps you understand how much space is really there. Why do you think ballads are so hard play and not speed up on? It is because you have to interepret more time in between the pulse. So, get yourself a click and practice playing at slow tempos. I can guarantee you will see improvements.

[foursticks]

Boy have i had tempo trouble. Of course metranomes are gold. But what i think is even better is Playing Along.

I would Especially suggest Playing along with Led Zeppelin, then after you get use to that, Rush.

Good Luck.

The only bad thing about playing along to Zeppelin is the fact they never used a click track when recording and so even though Bonham has a very good sense of time, its never metronomically perfect. Playing along to actual playalongs is far more useful IMHO, as each instrument has been recorded with a metronome and as there's no drums it gives you even more room to be creative with not only fills but also grooves.

[Drad-dog]

The only bad thing about playing along to Zeppelin is the fact they never used a click track when recording and so even though Bonham has a very good sense of time, its never metronomically perfect. Playing along to actual playalongs is far more useful IMHO, as each instrument has been recorded with a metronome and as there's no drums it gives you even more room to be creative with not only fills but also grooves.

Yeah, I have to agree with foursticks, class A. Playing along with a cd just isn't as helpful as a mercilessly perfect metronome. Especially when they weren't performed to a click track in the first place. A playalong is a better way to go, but even better than that for purely mechanical "time training" is a simple click that just gives you the down beat, nothing else.

[scriabin]

drumperfect.com has a device that tells you what tempo you're playing in, in real-time.

[frank0072]

This thread has made me once again certain of the fact that I need a Metronome. My tempo get's a lot quicker with fills too, and that is because of the puppy-like enthousiasm.
I like what JRH7 said. My favorite play-along song is from the Roots, Seed 2.0. I found it hard to play a fill at the beginning, but if I 'really sit on it', like Bermuda said, I usually make it in time, just as long as I don't get happy and lose my mind (if you see what I mean).

I have a little question though; I don't know why, but somehow I am convinced about that Tama's Rythm Watch is the only true metronome for drummers. I don't know if this is true, and if you can actually hear the metronome when it's cheaper.

This is a link to my local drumstore, maybe someone can take a look at it and tell me what metronome would suit playing along a real drumset?

http://www.feedback.nl/?id=26&a=26 (http://www.feedback.nl/?id=26&a=26)

[Pete Stoltman]

Not sure that this will help in this particular situation but here is a thought or two on something that really helped me develop a pretty decent inner clock. In my formative years I did a lot of playing in ensembles where I didn't control the tempo. This was concert band, marching band, drum corps, stage band, pit orchestra, and some symphonic performance. In these cases the tempo is dictated by a director, conductor, drum major, etc. It forced me to play the tempo that was directed and not go off on my own "road". While this may not be the most creative way of doing things I can assure you playing in a directed ensemble will force you to control your speed. I also studied with some pretty good teachers who were adamant about keeping good time and would let me know anytime I was either dragging or pushing.
Now that those days are long behind me I often find that "singing the song" in my head is a good way to keep myself locked in as well as playing with good rhythm section mates who help me keep tempo steady.

[Raymond Bloom]

I have one suggestion:

SLOW DOWN!

To develope a strong internal clock you must practice playing slow to understand how much space is in between the qtr. note pulse. I suggest getting yourself a click and practicing beats and fills at tempos slower than 85 bpm. It is easier to stay in time at faster tempos because there is less space in between the notes. Practicing at slow tempos helps you understand how much space is really there. Why do you think ballads are so hard play and not speed up on? It is because you have to interepret more time in between the pulse. So, get yourself a click and practice playing at slow tempos. I can guarantee you will see improvements.
That's a really great advice, I have practiced this way and I can tell you that it helped my timing tremendously! Try it, good luck!

[bfrancese]

ROLAND-SPDS ....go check them out...you put loops on them and play to them and more importantly put the click on there and learn how to "get into the groove."

I think it is a great little instrument. Perfect for live playing. Endless possibilities.

But in one word - "metronome"

And yes playing slow really, really helps.

B

[ahum]

Everyone's had great advice. Practicing to a metronome has helped me immensely. But my drum teacher showed me a way to really hack out your internal clock.

The problem with metronomes is that you're simply following its lead. When you're not playing to a click, you have to rely solely on internal clock, no clicks or beeps to follow. One way to work on this is to get a drum machine, and program it to one bar of click and one bar of no click. Practice along to that. Then step it up to two bars with click and two without, then four with and four without, etc.

This really forces you to hold time on your own and develop an internal sense of it. When it gets up to four bars it can be really brutal, but it helps a lot.

And not all drum machines are that expensive. I got a Zoom drum machine off zzounds.com for considerably less than the cost of metronomes like Dr. Beat, Rhythm Watch, Clickstation, etc, and yet I can do so much more with it for practice. Instead of buying that fancy metronome, maybe you should consider getting a drum machine. It does everything a metronome does, and so much more.