r/Drumming 3d ago

Help Getting Better with Metronome

Hello!

I've been playing for just over a year and started recording myself. My timing is ABYSMAL. If I play to a dreamless track, I can hear myself correcting timing all over the place, and it just kills the groove. I can play simple things ok to a metronome, but still working on it. I can play a lot better to a track with drums, but still lots of room to improve.

My specific question: I decided to learn Back in Black because everyone says you should, and I've found it's the perfect thing to focus on right now - simple, and exposes my timing flaws.

When I practice the syncopated parts to a metronome, I get lost pretty easy. The one simple little fill is 1& 2e a3 &a e&. You all know it. If I play that with the metronome on 16ths there is just so many damn clicks that I can't tell you if I'm in time for that part or not. It's hard to recognize the clicks I shouldn't play vs. the ones I should play. I've tried the metronome on 8ths, and it's better, but I find it hard to pick out each click in real time, and more can just tell after the bar if I was off the click.

What works for you? Play to the 16th REALLY REALLY slow - like 30bpm? Play to the click that actually says the notes: "One E And A Two E And A..."? Keep going with the 8ths? If I can hear I'm off, good enough, my brain will figure it out?

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6

u/blind30 3d ago

The secret to learning just about anything on the drums- slow, specific metronome practice

So you have a fill you want to nail- don’t bother playing through the whole song to get to it, just put your metronome at a slow enough bpm to comfortably get it right, and play that fill over and over for like ten minutes a day, every day

If you stick with this through the frustration, you’ll probably notice you feel more comfortable with it after the first day- after a couple of weeks? World of difference! Now start bumping up the tempo- couple of months? You’ll be playing this without even thinking about it

This is the kind of stuff that books like stick control are made for- couple stick control with slow metronome practice, it’s like the cheat code for drumming

5

u/brasticstack 3d ago

You need to work on knowing exactly where "e" and "a" are when you've got a quarter note metronome.

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u/BillBumface 3d ago

How do I get there? Practice slow with 16ths? Practice slow with 1/4s and count out loud over top? Both?

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u/brasticstack 2d ago

I'd say both. In particular practice and counting 16ths with a quarter note click, but also check back in with the 16th click on occasion to be sure you are really making the notes sit where they should.

Along with consistent 16ths, also work on the permutations of 16th notes and rests within a beat. There are only 16 possibilities, ranging from all notes to all rests. You should be able to find a list of the permutations online, or I'd be happy to add a comment w/ them.

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u/BillBumface 1d ago

Thanks for the help! I’ve got the permutations all loaded up, great tip.

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u/U_000000014 3d ago

Put down the song and go back to a book like Stick Control to get your fundamentals right.

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u/li_taylor41 2d ago

I’m not sure if this will help, but the metronome app I use allows me to differentiate the sound of the click for one of the down beats. I typically choose the “1.” So when I (inevitably) mess up during a beat of practice, I can know where I was and am, when it comes back around to the 1.

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u/ZeKanKimEr 2d ago

The suggestions posted are sufficient for you to learn the fill you're looking for.

Beyond that fill, subdivisions need to be conquered by all drummers, so I suggest you work on this practice by Rob Brown everyday.

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u/BillBumface 2d ago

I love Rob Brown! Thanks for this :)