Just wanted to say how helpful this video has been to me. I’ve shown it to so many people over the last year. I’ve been able to play guitar and bass on so many tracks with minimal editing and it just feel “good” thanks to these tips.
I love that you were talking about body mindfulness last year, and you've revisited it this year. Lack of mindfulness has lead to so much body trouble in my life. I started fixing things by eating with no distractions, enjoying each bite. And then other things followed, including playing my guitar after one of the first vids I saw from you. Wish I had been paying attention 45 years ago. Thanks Justin!
This is so inspiring. To hear that you are playing to a click that much of the time. From this moment forward I will not practice guitar without spending part of that time with a click.
Not a player…just a fan of your channel. As an artist who makes loose sketches with a fountain pen I immediately noticed the tension points in my technique. Probably a life problem ; ]
When I play along with records, to learn the song. Should I put a click in my signal chain? As to playing behind the beat. It's real hard for me to hear the lag. Does it help, to get behind the beat, if I were to breath out at the beat and time my hand a tad behind it? Following my breath? And this focus on tension. That's real relevant to me.
It’s not about hearing the lag. It’s simply about relaxing. I mention in the video (and I must stress again here) to NOT try to time it off the click. That always sounds really weird to me. Listen to music you think feels good. Get rid of tension in your body as you practice with a metronome. It will happen naturally that way.
Man this mind blowing good! That tension thing you’re talking about is something thats been on my mind for years and you just perfectly spelled it out! Do you think for hard rock and metal it‘s beneficial to play a little bit ahead?
Playing behind is definitely least appropriate in those genres. Not sure I would ever advise to play ahead necessarily, but dead-on precision usually feels best to me.
The problem with this is that your metronome is on three or four times faster than it should be. It's around 170bpm, when it should be on 42bpm or so with you feeling it on beat four. It's just a crutch when it's this fast.
At work, we use 8ths on the click up to 100-ish bpm. Quarters at tempos above that. I love it when there is no click, and no programming, and we can just play to each other. But that is maybe 5% of the sessions that happen in this town. Virtually all touring bands use programming and a click in the same way. Programming (synth instruments, loops, etc) has become so pervasive that we now have to try to sound human and sound like we have a good feel even though we're being supplemented by something that is completely gridded out. It's fine if you think it's a crutch, but it's how almost all commercial music is made these days. One has a lot less room to make something feel good in this context. There is an extremely fine line between "behind the beat" and "late". Putting the click on just the backbeats (or on every other backbeat) works against me, personally, because of the context I work in.
My ears need morw training. I can't tell you aren't on the beat but ill record at home specifically trying to do it. Is there any metric to shoot for? Miliseconds or 64th note or something? At say 90 bpm. I like the concept of laying back in the pocket but it's always been a mysterious thing to me.
For me, thinking of a fraction of a second or a very small subdivision to try to land on after the beat was the wrong way to go about it. I always felt like I could hear the internal conflict of the beat and the spot I was aiming for. It would always feel like a flam. What I am saying in this video is to forget all that. Try to play with a click and completely relax anywhere you're holding tension in your body. The more you do this, the better your time will get, and the more you'll internalize it. Playing in a relaxed way with a metronome will naturally happen.
“Leaning forward” is how I often describe the feeling I’m trying to avoid or trying to get a drummer to avoid when I/they are rushing. “Plodding” is the (rare) term I usually use when I feel something is too far behind the beat. When the song is in 6/8 it is easier for me to feel when I’m leaning forward or plodding, so maybe that’s a good place for others to start working on their feel, though I’m sure others will have a different experience. Great content.
Just wanted to say how helpful this video has been to me. I’ve shown it to so many people over the last year.
I’ve been able to play guitar and bass on so many tracks with minimal editing and it just feel “good” thanks to these tips.
Fantastic to hear!
I love that you were talking about body mindfulness last year, and you've revisited it this year.
Lack of mindfulness has lead to so much body trouble in my life. I started fixing things by eating with no distractions, enjoying each bite. And then other things followed, including playing my guitar after one of the first vids I saw from you. Wish I had been paying attention 45 years ago.
Thanks Justin!
This is so inspiring. To hear that you are playing to a click that much of the time. From this moment forward I will not practice guitar without spending part of that time with a click.
Awesome!
Justin, your videos are outstanding and I love your teaching style. Thank you so much for posting these!!
Good stuff, so important! Thank you for sharing this!!
Another great and informative video - thanx! Gonna try that advice and see how it works out.
Not a player…just a fan of your channel. As an artist who makes loose sketches with a fountain pen I immediately noticed the tension points in my technique. Probably a life problem ; ]
Great advice!
When I play along with records, to learn the song. Should I put a click in my signal chain? As to playing behind the beat. It's real hard for me to hear the lag. Does it help, to get behind the beat, if I were to breath out at the beat and time my hand a tad behind it? Following my breath? And this focus on tension. That's real relevant to me.
It’s not about hearing the lag. It’s simply about relaxing. I mention in the video (and I must stress again here) to NOT try to time it off the click. That always sounds really weird to me. Listen to music you think feels good. Get rid of tension in your body as you practice with a metronome. It will happen naturally that way.
Man this mind blowing good! That tension thing you’re talking about is something thats been on my mind for years and you just perfectly spelled it out! Do you think for hard rock and metal it‘s beneficial to play a little bit ahead?
Playing behind is definitely least appropriate in those genres. Not sure I would ever advise to play ahead necessarily, but dead-on precision usually feels best to me.
Just listen to Ringo for a month or two, playing behind the beat will become second nature..
The problem with this is that your metronome is on three or four times faster than it should be. It's around 170bpm, when it should be on 42bpm or so with you feeling it on beat four. It's just a crutch when it's this fast.
At work, we use 8ths on the click up to 100-ish bpm. Quarters at tempos above that. I love it when there is no click, and no programming, and we can just play to each other. But that is maybe 5% of the sessions that happen in this town. Virtually all touring bands use programming and a click in the same way. Programming (synth instruments, loops, etc) has become so pervasive that we now have to try to sound human and sound like we have a good feel even though we're being supplemented by something that is completely gridded out.
It's fine if you think it's a crutch, but it's how almost all commercial music is made these days. One has a lot less room to make something feel good in this context. There is an extremely fine line between "behind the beat" and "late". Putting the click on just the backbeats (or on every other backbeat) works against me, personally, because of the context I work in.
My ears need morw training. I can't tell you aren't on the beat but ill record at home specifically trying to do it. Is there any metric to shoot for? Miliseconds or 64th note or something? At say 90 bpm. I like the concept of laying back in the pocket but it's always been a mysterious thing to me.
For me, thinking of a fraction of a second or a very small subdivision to try to land on after the beat was the wrong way to go about it. I always felt like I could hear the internal conflict of the beat and the spot I was aiming for. It would always feel like a flam.
What I am saying in this video is to forget all that. Try to play with a click and completely relax anywhere you're holding tension in your body. The more you do this, the better your time will get, and the more you'll internalize it. Playing in a relaxed way with a metronome will naturally happen.
“Leaning forward” is how I often describe the feeling I’m trying to avoid or trying to get a drummer to avoid when I/they are rushing. “Plodding” is the (rare) term I usually use when I feel something is too far behind the beat. When the song is in 6/8 it is easier for me to feel when I’m leaning forward or plodding, so maybe that’s a good place for others to start working on their feel, though I’m sure others will have a different experience. Great content.
Gotta breathe man!!!!