timing

i just realised that my timing is not so good so i was wondering if anyone has some good exercise to become better at it?

by bavern on 04/15/2006, 09:01:11 # 26462

use a metronome. but... use it creatively.  
put the click on the following beats:

1 2 3 4
1   3
  2   4
1
  2
    3
      4
1+
  2+
    3+
      4+
  2+  4+

play along to records a lot and try to imagine you're in the band that's playing. get onto the same rhythmic energy level as the record. remember that if you play something very simple that really grooves, it sounds great.

getting used to simple polyrythmic ideas will help too. i suggest 3 over 2 (quarter note triplets) and 3 under 2 (dotted quarter notes that go across the barline). this is really useful when starting to play in odd time signatures, if you can play dotted quarter notes without thinking much in 5/4, chances are you'll feel comfortable soloing in that time.

by thejaffer on 04/15/2006, 09:30:24

selecting:

by albetan on 04/15/2006, 12:14:56

hi albetan, i'm awaiting the pdf version! always some good stuff to read there. thanks!

rc

by rc on 04/15/2006, 12:29:56

rc:
here is your pdf version:

by albetan on 04/16/2006, 11:05:02

here's a response of mine from a former thread.

well the age old answer given to "how to work on time" is to work with a metronome. set the click to "2" and "4" and really try to bury the click so that you are playing in really good time. burying the click may be more for drummers cause if you're playing the hi-hat on 2 and 4, you just won't hear the click.  
but, i believe that this is a kind of incomplete response to this question. the problem is this: responsibility. by playing with a standard metronome, you are really never forced to be responsible for any more than 2 beats at a time. and while you're practicing with the metronome and really lining up with the clik, you may have problems on the bandstand because you're lured into a false confidence that you have really good time. the metronome definately improves your time and has worked for many people i'm sure, but--for me--the real answer to improving your time is to increase your responsibility and also your confidence (because that is real important too when it comes to time) by not having the metronome clik every other beat for you.  
get a drum machine--a cheap one will do. i think sam ash has one (zoom) for like a 120 bucks, or you can use a sequencer of some type. set up the time by establishing several measures of quarter notes and then just leave blank space for 1 or 2 measures. and try to nail the "1" when the groove or quarter notes come back in. at first, you may have problems just playing a couple of measures in good time and coming back in perfectly on the 1. gradually increase the amount of measures of silence until you can comfortably come back in on 1. when i started practicing like this my time really started to improve. you may be better at keeping time in certain styles, ie-your funk playing may be better than your jazz, etc. at first, i really struggled at playing a samba in good time-it was really frustrating. but just keep on doing it--20 mins a day. i wish i was taught this stupid little exercise when i first started playing, but sometimes you have to figure stuff out the hard way.
good luck.
-j

by pnowanabe on 04/16/2006, 12:37:03

can you tap your foot for 5 minutes in time? if you can't tap your foot in time you won't be able to play with good time.

by Jazz+ on 04/16/2006, 20:12:54

and while you are tapping imagine the sound of a drummers ride cymbal or a bass players walking line. this really works.

by Jazz+ on 04/16/2006, 20:13:59

bingo, bango! i agree, i used a metronome for a couple of weeks and  learned to tap in time and for me my time got better when i started using the back of my heal.

which brings up another question:

where do you normally feel the rhythm? i noticed that people like joe pass seem to feel it in thier heads.  

where do you feel it?  


  
jv'

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/16/2006, 20:36:35

thanks albetan. those are nice exercises.

by rc on 04/17/2006, 00:20:16

yeah tappin the foot or tappin the hand in just straight quarter notes is a good idea. i used to do this quite a bit with some tito puente cds or any good cha cha stuff and just bang out the quarters with your foot or hand. really lock in with it--just concentrate on the time. cha cha is a good medium to do this because the timbale player is usually just playing quarters or eighths on the cowbell.  
in fact, i think that there is a tito cd out there that is all cha cha's.  
-j

by pnowanabe on 04/17/2006, 00:35:47

find where it lives.
https://www.jeff-brent.com/lessons/internalrhythm.html

by 7 on 04/17/2006, 01:42:41

a couple of nice little things you can try:

set the metronome to about quarter note=60. clap at the same time. if you can hear the metronome, you're not together. it helps if you're relaxed and you don't 'try' too hard. bit like getting to sleep. see how long you can go before you hear the click again.
also clapping eighth notes, dotted quarters. triplets etc.

move seamlessly from together-slightly ahead-together-slightly behind-together etc... aim for overall awareness of what's happening rather than conciously trying for 100% accuracy. that will happen if you relax and let it happen naturally. this exercise recreates some of the ebb-and-flow of a real life rhythm section, and how to make the miniscule adjustments that every human being has to make.  

if you can practice with bass-drums and set up a drum machine. the leaving bars blank idea mentioned above is a really good practice tool. try |4 bars on - 4bars off| round a blues....

by thejaffer on 04/17/2006, 15:20:41

okey thanks for the answeers

by bavern on 04/18/2006, 12:02:22

good thread !
every pianist should have a drummer as a friend, to learn from him how to work on timing !

by groyann on 04/19/2006, 05:01:46

yes that's true

by bavern on 04/19/2006, 07:57:44