dairyairman
Platinum Member
i play along to songs all the time, mostly to learn them for my band. but if you want to learn to play a particular groove very well, it's probably better to work on it without playing along to anything. i sometimes play a particular groove, like the fool in the rain shuffle, for long periods to a metronome with no fills. i'm not trying to learn the grooves. i can already play them at least somewhat, but i'm focusing on making them feel really good. my drum teacher does that and he taught me to do it too.
i also second the advice about recording yourself. i do that a lot and like others have said, it can be a real eye opener, even shocking at times. you can hear all kinds of things that need improvement in a recording and it'll help you isolate exactly what needs to be worked on.
i also second the advice about recording yourself. i do that a lot and like others have said, it can be a real eye opener, even shocking at times. you can hear all kinds of things that need improvement in a recording and it'll help you isolate exactly what needs to be worked on.