It's not difficult to play in time on your own. The biggest difficulty is playing in time with other people, who feel the beat differently - you have to hold it together and not allow them to throw you off!
Also some musicians have no inner clock and depend on the drummer for the timing, they say it's the drummers' job. All musicians should develop their inner clock regardless of the instrument they play. Some don't even know about subdivisions.
Really, maintaining a solid pulse throughout a piece is the responsibility of everyone in the group. But this is ignored by those who blindly believe that "feeling' is way more important than concentrating (...) and aiming at being impeccable.
@@fredericlinden Definitely. I think that feeling comes down to the band being locked in. If the tempo changes slightly throughout the tune, that's fine, as long as the band are locked in. Timing and tempo are different things.
@@joeyollie123it's amazing how big a difference it makes to my own playing to play with good bass and drummer. your only a good a the people you're playing with.
Lmao bro my brother tells me I play the guitar like my drum set, I choose to take it as a compliment But like in all things, communication is key, and you’re a smart man to realize that
Extremely important subject. Glad to hear someone address subdivisions. (No, not the ones in the high school halls and shopping malls. The other kind.) Thanks for this lesson, Rob!
Spot on, #1 issue for me. Sometimes I'll get a good grove and rhythm rolling through several bars at a time, and boom that timing gremlin hits my kick foot or left hand. I just keep going to pull it back together or switch up the grove a bit to get it back. I can say, its usually after I start thinking too much about doing something specific instead of just flowing with a grove.
This principle applies to ALL of us playing an instrument. Drummers, yes, but next in line is the bassist. Pianists, we also must fill the blanks with precision. Really, maintaining a solid pulse throughout a piece is the responsibility of everyone in the group. But this is ignored by those who blindly believe that "feeling' is way more important than concentrating (...) and aiming at being impeccable. And don't let me started on saxophonists... --- Almost anyone can follow pretty well a metronome, and there is no way arguing with it ; but that is not the key to solid pulse. Along with subdivisions, which is certainly the ultimate solution, I would suggest that singing the tune when practicing (externally or internally), also feeling longer phrases than just one bar, and recording oneself playing live, are excellent additional remedies too. Thank you sir, for addressing this issue !
Sometimes, during a gig, I will use a metronome to check the tempo of a song before I count it off to lock it in. I will also use your method Rob of singing the lyrics of the song to get a tempo depending on how much time I have in-between a particular song. This usually ends the to fast or to slow comments from the singer. ❤️🥁
It’s hard when you play worship music and everyone is playing at their own tempo not paying attention to you. So I try to hit the middle and it sounds horrible sometimes. Great video!
Even in cases where timming is not decisive in an interpretation, knowing how to keep it is very important to develop and mantain a solid drumming performance.
Rob is absolutely right. In learning any instrument one must put in the time and hard work learning how to play and count out the subdivisions of quarter note pulse. When one is able to play through the subdivisions smoothly and effortlessly is when one able to then begin to focus on playing music ...........So true Mr. Rob B!! Great video bro!!
I tend to slow down sometimes during a gig, getting tired or just losing focus sometimes due to somekind of distractions. So now, recently, I've downloaded Stage Metronome and it helps to keep it all tight, at all times. Great app and very helpfull for a guy of 57 😉😄👍
Rob Brown, so glad to see you again. That's Why I clicked on this Video! Man, You are the Coolest of the Instructional Drummers... As an old guy, at 70, retired, and only a recreational drummer, who plays about 1 hour a day to My Music. I resurrected playing after 50 Years (1969). By watching you and others (you know the others.... Jared, Stephen Taylor, the 80/20 guy, the other Stephen Clark, etc. ) I have learned Mountains of info. I never played other than by ear, knew Nothing of Drum Heads, Tuning, and other intricacies of Drums!! Way back when in 1966, I took maybe 8 lessons or so at my local Music Store in Flushing Queens NY. I and 2 other HS Buddies who were also learning their instruments (Guitars) played as a Garage Band that never got out of the Garage. I'm sorry I waited soooo long to play again ( Always Played Air Drums), but it's better later than never. Only problem I have is arthritis setting into my left hand (both hands - but left is worse), thumbs, and carpel tunnel in my wrists), and I'm dealing with Spinal Arthritis Big Time. But for now....I deal with it best I can. It is truly a pleasure in life to be able to play an instrument. When I get through in good fashion certain Tunes, My Tunes (too numerous to list but briefly: CCR, Mellencamp, Clapton, Stones, Beatles, Cars, Talking Heads, even Linda Ronstadt & Bonnie Rait), I have good feeling. God Bless, THX for your devotion and time into this.
What a great background story! Not long ago I posted a comment to a much older clip of Rob Brown's about how I'm starting up again at the age of 64, after being completely away from playing for nearly 45 years. I have been SHOCKED at how fast my skills came back in the last 7 weeks (some of them have not come back all the way but now I know there's hope, and other skills are better now than they ever were). And with the wisdom of age, I have become so much more creative and disciplined in my approach (including religiously working on timing). I'm inventing and playing fills I never would have dreamed of at the age of 18, and with every new concept for fills and even just drills that I think of, *I write it down on music paper*. I find that playing a fill or other pattern while reading it off of sheet music improves my ability to work out the mechanics of difficult phrases. That process of writing it down seems to help me think of new ideas, too. I'm developing quite a stack of transcribed patterns to go back and practice over and over. It's such a joy, even with only my ancient 4-drum kit. I'm glad to see another old guy getting back into it, and I agree with you that Rob Brown is a terrific teacher.
As always Rob, beautifully simple, and so fundamental. It took me 30 years to realise how key this concept is. It puts everything else we do in context. Cheers again from Australia!
Great lesson. Not a topic frequently addressed. Speaking just for myself, without feeling overly mechanical I try to consider the grid something like a cross between a rock'em sock'em robot (with feet) and a player piano. There's been times when trying to learn some new and foreign coordination pattern that I've actually written out what looks like the paper tape of a player piano and tried to conceive of arms and legs 'firing' as the tape moves along. It's been a real helpful way to conceive of playing and certainly a help in staying subdivision conscious.
Rod Morgenstein wrote an article in Modern Drummer regarding this concept way back in the day and I've always referred back to it and practiced the subdivisions he included. It absolutely helps to internalize where beats fall and strengthens your sense of the distance between beats. Love your Channel Rob Brown! Good stuff!
I have taught band and orchestra for decades and my students have subdivision drilled into them early on...thank you for reinforcing such a crucial component to being a musician on any instrument! Love the channel and your content!!
Thanks, Rob. This is awesome and really helpful. I don't really get the grid though, I get what it represents but how that helps everyone stay on time? That part I don't...
there's another thing which needs to be talked about when it comes to timing, because i had it happened at alot of churches i played or filled in for, it's times when i'm on time when others be off and they wanna blame tha drummer! now those are tha main things i stuggle at along with playin' behind a glass which i hate so much because it throws me way off no matter what especially when others be off and u're not
Bro!!!! You took the words right out of my mouth!!! That's exactly what I am dealing with right now, with the exception of the other musicians blaming me. They blame themselves a lot when it's actually the music director that throws everyone off. He's a young worship leader that grew up playing to tracks. Now, he's in an environment where the worship team doesn't play with tracks (yet). So when that crutch is not there for him, he struggles with tempo, because he can't sing and play an instrument at the same time. I am fortunate to be one of those drummers that has an exceptional sense of time. It's nothing I can take credit for (other than practice). It's just what God just gave me. But I do feel my sense of growth being stymied and it is very uncomfortable not being able to progress as a musician.
@@RVADrummer yea it's also pretty much how i felt when i was in those situations especailly when there would be some singers would be way off even Ricky Smiley talked about it in one of his comedian shows and it's true lol
Man, u provide such savvy, practical advice! U are tops... and with my personal sell-by-date being way closer than I'd like, this kind of stuff really helps.
Thank you Rob!!!! Was just working on subdivisions tonight, then decided to check out my boy Rob's new video and there it is! lol. Thank you for all you do, I appreciated you very much, your vibe is so positive, pumps me up each time 😊✌🏼
Agreed! Thank you for pushing for a focus on subdivisions, Rob. I’d go a step further to say practicing subdividing the whole measure-in addition to focusing on dividing the quarter note-is really important in building good time-keeping overall. And this is a place where a metronome can be really helpful. …for example, practicing keeping time, fills, improv and moving between various quarter note subdivisions while a metronome is clicking just downbeats on 1, backbeats on 2&4, a clave, or other relevant 1-bar ostinato.
Love the grid pattern idea, as most people learn via imagery and not aurally. People' tend to have a "natural rhythm" as a result of their internal resting heartbeat. Most of our hearts beat between 60-74 BPM, and it's easy for humans to lock in at that rhythm or its doubletime (120-148 bpm) because we naturally subdivide. This is why playing very slowly is much more difficult than shreading at 220. Most of us have a lot more problem locking in at 80-100 bpm than we do at faster tempos. I have YET to meet anyone who could tell the EXACT BPM of a song just by listening, or could discern tempo changes less than +/- 5 BPM.
The best ex I know for timing (for beginners and intermediate players) is alternating 8ths with the hands, and in between those 8ths playing the 16ths on the bass drum. It's a classic, and it's really helped me (I play the 8ths on the left foot to help coordinate the LF). Would really have liked some exs on this vid, there were some cool patterns going on in the beginning that would be nice to practice :) maybe in PT 2? Anyway, thanks for another great vid!
i understand and execute subdivisions fine. i'm not a mechanical drum machine, but as a self-taught drummer, i have a decent grasp. it didn't address my unsteady time keeping lol it was a physical adjustment that changed it - years of searching and learning and struggling with unsteady playing remedied in less than five minutes of listening to my body and making a very small adjustment that maybe only a veteran drum coach would spot
Hahaha! Thing is, everybody should brush up on timing now and then. We all have some signitures which feel awkward, your 160 bpm might be a little off and you’re not aware. Subdivisions will help! But not just with timing, but a lot more.
So… Rob. I’ve loved drumming all my life. I learned to play in church. Played for about 20 years and did okay. I put some feeling into it but didn’t learn to play properly. I’ve watched tons of drum videos and like a lot of styles of music. Have been to a lot of clinics and such. One thing that clicked the most for me in that sea of information is your no nonsense approach. To tuning the drums to well… everything. I don’t really want to play for church anymore and don’t want to be in a bar band either but want to pursue the skill of learning how to properly play the drums. I play guitar too and have wanted to write my first song. I’m 53 and have never done that whole process. Would you have any advice on how to best implement this desire into fruition? I do want to mic my kit up eventually and learn how to record my ideas. Nothing professional or anything but maybe some free software that someone that doesn’t like techy stuff can figure out. Anyhoo bud. Thanks for your input into the drumming world bud. You’re the best. WJames- 💀’s and🌈’s
Thanks Rob for breaking this down. Trying to feel the pulse from inside my belly always results in pushing the time. Now I'll start thinking about breaking down things into a grid. Much appreciated.
Facts bro! Barry Harris always use to say how important keeping triplets in the back of your mind was and what you are saying about the grid and ALL the timing is true! I work in Logic X as a producer as well as play keys and if a musician doesn't produce they may not think of time as a grid the same way as someone who has!
totally agree! I naturally had good timing when I picked up guitar cause I understood this process intuitively, and just took a bit of work before I was already nailing it down. but after some years of slack and mental issues, my ability to keep time has totally diminished. so now I'm coming at it almost like a noob who forgot haha
The grid lost me Rob, math and counting that’s always been a struggle for me my whole life ,that’s what gave me an excuse to let my passion for playing music ,drums in particular go to the wayside😢43 years later at 62 with my little Roland set for a little over a year ,and I think you,d be proud of me,because I believe I learned I think to a tee , from your 3 cool exercises to Do if your coordination Sucks 🔥that was so much fun!😊 but this counting and using the metronome aspect ,and your grid still causes my brain to locks up , but it’s all good I’ll just keep trying ! Thanks I appreciate your laid back stile of teaching 😊
Rob Man you nailed it 9:24 This is what is all about. Everybody in the band should be or at least 2 players in the band should be able to play with this terminology. Great band have just that. Nothing more .
I just had this conversation with a guitarist I work with, because I could see him struggling with note placement. So we do the "let's count it out together" and he was self taught, so he didn't know what, for example, a 16th note was.
Good job Rob , I listen to song after song three to six times then play each song I have listened to and add my quarters , halfs Whole ,eights, 16s and 32nds ending up with a great sound it takes time and PATIENCE but metronome adds success to the beat and other drummers playing that song. Not over playing but keeping that time is totally essential. As always good video Rob.
This guy is so grovey, it makes the tutorial 10x better. Thank you grovey drum man for the tips, i shall apply them to my respective genre. (Which is metal, cause double kick go burrr)
I understand the importance of subdivisions and get the grid but how to actually start using this "method"? When someone counts off 1,2,3,4, you actually start counting subdivisions in the head instead of quarter notes (at slow tempos of course)? So stop listening to quarter notes only and focus on as small subdivisions as you intend to use? And practise that? Sorry for the confusion...
Ina video on playing with others would be great. Guitarists and bass players need to practice with metronomes too. Vocalists too maybe as rhythmic aspects of songs are often present in vocals. I listen a lot to the opening tracks of John Mayer’s where the light is. It’s just him and his guitar and his time is flawless. It’s fun to pretend I’m Steve Jordan for a few songs. But his time is great and playing to those tracks is very enjoyable. Time is the drummer’s responsibility. But others need it too.
I'm doing that single stroke 16th notes 30-day 10-minutes-daily challenge thing, I'm almost at the full month and barely got past 150 bpm, and I gotta say that I can AT MOST count 1234 in my head at that speed, it's easier for me to count as groups of 4s the faster it gets. I do tend to "miss the 1" a lot by eating the 4 at some point lol it sucks that if I'm trying to play something, I get distracted by all the counting and focus too much on that and forget what beat I was supposed to be playing, somehow I lose coordination if I don't focus on the beat.
This is especially important playing with dudes who insist on starting the songs without a count off. AKA guitars. Rhythm section comes in at the exact same speed and after the first chorus or bridge it's not adding up.
It's not difficult to play in time on your own. The biggest difficulty is playing in time with other people, who feel the beat differently - you have to hold it together and not allow them to throw you off!
Also some musicians have no inner clock and depend on the drummer for the timing, they say it's the drummers' job. All musicians should develop their inner clock regardless of the instrument they play. Some don't even know about subdivisions.
Really, maintaining a solid pulse throughout a piece is the responsibility of everyone in the group. But this is ignored by those who blindly believe that "feeling' is way more important than concentrating (...) and aiming at being impeccable.
@@BIGBOUTYAH agree 100%. It's so enjoyable and feels effortless when playing with musicians with good time; allows you to be free
@@fredericlinden Definitely. I think that feeling comes down to the band being locked in. If the tempo changes slightly throughout the tune, that's fine, as long as the band are locked in. Timing and tempo are different things.
@@joeyollie123it's amazing how big a difference it makes to my own playing to play with good bass and drummer. your only a good a the people you're playing with.
My timing doesn't suck. My drumming sucks. I'm a guitar player. Only here to increase my ability to communicate with drummers. This dude is awesome.
Lmao bro my brother tells me I play the guitar like my drum set, I choose to take it as a compliment
But like in all things, communication is key, and you’re a smart man to realize that
Respect! I wish my guitarist would learn how to communicate with me
😂😂😂😂
Extremely important subject. Glad to hear someone address subdivisions. (No, not the ones in the high school halls and shopping malls. The other kind.) Thanks for this lesson, Rob!
I was thinking exactly the same 😄 No Rush in this grid.
@@PeterFin hahaha, nope!
Nice play on the reference to Rush's Subdivisions,lol..... Though playing like Neil Peart would be awesome......
Neil Peart definitely played some subdivisions in that song though. He killed it.
@@davidhall4401 sure did!
Spot on, #1 issue for me. Sometimes I'll get a good grove and rhythm rolling through several bars at a time, and boom that timing gremlin hits my kick foot or left hand. I just keep going to pull it back together or switch up the grove a bit to get it back. I can say, its usually after I start thinking too much about doing something specific instead of just flowing with a grove.
Oh. Do I hear that! Thinking is the bane of good playing of any instrument!
The demonstration at 5:12 is very helpful. Thanks.
yes I agree
This principle applies to ALL of us playing an instrument. Drummers, yes, but next in line is the bassist. Pianists, we also must fill the blanks with precision. Really, maintaining a solid pulse throughout a piece is the responsibility of everyone in the group. But this is ignored by those who blindly believe that "feeling' is way more important than concentrating (...) and aiming at being impeccable. And don't let me started on saxophonists... --- Almost anyone can follow pretty well a metronome, and there is no way arguing with it ; but that is not the key to solid pulse. Along with subdivisions, which is certainly the ultimate solution, I would suggest that singing the tune when practicing (externally or internally), also feeling longer phrases than just one bar, and recording oneself playing live, are excellent additional remedies too. Thank you sir, for addressing this issue !
I clicked on the video cause I got the notification and I watch them all. Whatcha tryin to say Beatdown? 😂
The moment you said to focus on the subdivisions, it all immediately clicked for me. Sometimes you just need to hear it said out loud. Big thumbs up.
Sometimes, during a gig, I will use a metronome to check the tempo of a song before I count it off to lock it in. I will also use your method Rob of singing the lyrics of the song to get a tempo depending on how much time I have in-between a particular song. This usually ends the to fast or to slow comments from the singer. ❤️🥁
It’s hard when you play worship music and everyone is playing at their own tempo not paying attention to you. So I try to hit the middle and it sounds horrible sometimes. Great video!
Have everyone play with a click track
Even in cases where timming is not decisive in an interpretation, knowing how to keep it is very important to develop and mantain a solid drumming performance.
Right on Rob. That is the key. Easier said than done, but it's definitely the starting point .
Rob is absolutely right. In learning any instrument one must put in the time and hard work learning how to play and count out the subdivisions of quarter note pulse. When one is able to play through the subdivisions smoothly and effortlessly is when one able to then begin to focus on playing music ...........So true Mr. Rob B!! Great video bro!!
I tend to slow down sometimes during a gig, getting tired or just losing focus sometimes due to somekind of distractions. So now, recently, I've downloaded Stage Metronome and it helps to keep it all tight, at all times. Great app and very helpfull for a guy of 57 😉😄👍
Rob Brown, so glad to see you again. That's Why I clicked on this Video! Man, You are the Coolest of the Instructional Drummers... As an old guy, at 70, retired, and only a recreational drummer, who plays about 1 hour a day to My Music. I resurrected playing after 50 Years (1969). By watching you and others (you know the others.... Jared, Stephen Taylor, the 80/20 guy, the other Stephen Clark, etc. ) I have learned Mountains of info. I never played other than by ear, knew Nothing of Drum Heads, Tuning, and other intricacies of Drums!! Way back when in 1966, I took maybe 8 lessons or so at my local Music Store in Flushing Queens NY. I and 2 other HS Buddies who were also learning their instruments (Guitars) played as a Garage Band that never got out of the Garage. I'm sorry I waited soooo long to play again ( Always Played Air Drums), but it's better later than never. Only problem I have is arthritis setting into my left hand (both hands - but left is worse), thumbs, and carpel tunnel in my wrists), and I'm dealing with Spinal Arthritis Big Time. But for now....I deal with it best I can. It is truly a pleasure in life to be able to play an instrument. When I get through in good fashion certain Tunes, My Tunes (too numerous to list but briefly: CCR, Mellencamp, Clapton, Stones, Beatles, Cars, Talking Heads, even Linda Ronstadt & Bonnie Rait), I have good feeling. God Bless, THX for your devotion and time into this.
What a great background story! Not long ago I posted a comment to a much older clip of Rob Brown's about how I'm starting up again at the age of 64, after being completely away from playing for nearly 45 years. I have been SHOCKED at how fast my skills came back in the last 7 weeks (some of them have not come back all the way but now I know there's hope, and other skills are better now than they ever were). And with the wisdom of age, I have become so much more creative and disciplined in my approach (including religiously working on timing). I'm inventing and playing fills I never would have dreamed of at the age of 18, and with every new concept for fills and even just drills that I think of, *I write it down on music paper*. I find that playing a fill or other pattern while reading it off of sheet music improves my ability to work out the mechanics of difficult phrases. That process of writing it down seems to help me think of new ideas, too. I'm developing quite a stack of transcribed patterns to go back and practice over and over. It's such a joy, even with only my ancient 4-drum kit. I'm glad to see another old guy getting back into it, and I agree with you that Rob Brown is a terrific teacher.
As always Rob, beautifully simple, and so fundamental. It took me 30 years to realise how key this concept is. It puts everything else we do in context. Cheers again from Australia!
Such a wealth of information and practical knowledge 👌.
Thanks Rob.
When said about subdivisions is a similar video couple of years ago a just felt like opened my eyes after living blind and suffering
Great lesson. Not a topic frequently addressed. Speaking just for myself, without feeling overly mechanical I try to consider the grid something like a cross between a rock'em sock'em robot (with feet) and a player piano. There's been times when trying to learn some new and foreign coordination pattern that I've actually written out what looks like the paper tape of a player piano and tried to conceive of arms and legs 'firing' as the tape moves along. It's been a real helpful way to conceive of playing and certainly a help in staying subdivision conscious.
Rod Morgenstein wrote an article in Modern Drummer regarding this concept way back in the day and I've always referred back to it and practiced the subdivisions he included. It absolutely helps to internalize where beats fall and strengthens your sense of the distance between beats. Love your Channel Rob Brown! Good stuff!
I have taught band and orchestra for decades and my students have subdivision drilled into them early on...thank you for reinforcing such a crucial component to being a musician on any instrument! Love the channel and your content!!
Thanks, Rob. This is awesome and really helpful. I don't really get the grid though, I get what it represents but how that helps everyone stay on time? That part I don't...
Thanks for this Rob! Much needed
there's another thing which needs to be talked about when it comes to timing, because i had it happened at alot of churches i played or filled in for, it's times when i'm on time when others be off and they wanna blame tha drummer! now those are tha main things i stuggle at along with playin' behind a glass which i hate so much because it throws me way off no matter what especially when others be off and u're not
Bro!!!! You took the words right out of my mouth!!! That's exactly what I am dealing with right now, with the exception of the other musicians blaming me. They blame themselves a lot when it's actually the music director that throws everyone off. He's a young worship leader that grew up playing to tracks. Now, he's in an environment where the worship team doesn't play with tracks (yet). So when that crutch is not there for him, he struggles with tempo, because he can't sing and play an instrument at the same time. I am fortunate to be one of those drummers that has an exceptional sense of time. It's nothing I can take credit for (other than practice). It's just what God just gave me. But I do feel my sense of growth being stymied and it is very uncomfortable not being able to progress as a musician.
@@RVADrummer yea it's also pretty much how i felt when i was in those situations especailly when there would be some singers would be way off even Ricky Smiley talked about it in one of his comedian shows and it's true lol
Man, u provide such savvy, practical advice! U are tops... and with my personal sell-by-date being way closer than I'd like, this kind of stuff really helps.
Great video, Rob. Great points on subdivisions. But it was also great to see you just jamming a bit in the opening segment!
DUDE .....WHAT A GREAT VIDEO. So well explained and demonstrated. Your playing is beautiful
Thank you Rob!!!! Was just working on subdivisions tonight, then decided to check out my boy Rob's new video and there it is! lol. Thank you for all you do, I appreciated you very much, your vibe is so positive, pumps me up each time 😊✌🏼
Rob, your videos have helped me improve immensely over a short span of time. Thank you once again for sharing some insight and knowledge sir. 🙏🤘🏼🤘🏼
Good advice man. Im getting back into drumming and this helps
It always blows my mind how amazing you are at drums, but even better at teaching
What made Ginger Baker so good, was that he had the gift of time. Thanks for sharing this video. Very informative and very helpful. Cheers, Rob! ✌️🥁
Ginger was a master of Syncopation, who loved his Toms. One of my very favorite too. But Rob Brown is an exquisite Drummer.
Agreed! Thank you for pushing for a focus on subdivisions, Rob.
I’d go a step further to say practicing subdividing the whole measure-in addition to focusing on dividing the quarter note-is really important in building good time-keeping overall.
And this is a place where a metronome can be really helpful. …for example, practicing keeping time, fills, improv and moving between various quarter note subdivisions while a metronome is clicking just downbeats on 1, backbeats on 2&4, a clave, or other relevant 1-bar ostinato.
Love the grid pattern idea, as most people learn via imagery and not aurally. People' tend to have a "natural rhythm" as a result of their internal resting heartbeat. Most of our hearts beat between 60-74 BPM, and it's easy for humans to lock in at that rhythm or its doubletime (120-148 bpm) because we naturally subdivide. This is why playing very slowly is much more difficult than shreading at 220. Most of us have a lot more problem locking in at 80-100 bpm than we do at faster tempos. I have YET to meet anyone who could tell the EXACT BPM of a song just by listening, or could discern tempo changes less than +/- 5 BPM.
Right on time Rob! Thanks for your Wisdom
always super relevant, thanks for the awesome tips and tricks
Thanks Rob. Your input is Golden
The best ex I know for timing (for beginners and intermediate players) is alternating 8ths with the hands, and in between those 8ths playing the 16ths on the bass drum. It's a classic, and it's really helped me (I play the 8ths on the left foot to help coordinate the LF). Would really have liked some exs on this vid, there were some cool patterns going on in the beginning that would be nice to practice :) maybe in PT 2? Anyway, thanks for another great vid!
i understand and execute subdivisions fine. i'm not a mechanical drum machine, but as a self-taught drummer, i have a decent grasp. it didn't address my unsteady time keeping lol it was a physical adjustment that changed it - years of searching and learning and struggling with unsteady playing remedied in less than five minutes of listening to my body and making a very small adjustment that maybe only a veteran drum coach would spot
Hahaha! Thing is, everybody should brush up on timing now and then. We all have some signitures which feel awkward, your 160 bpm might be a little off and you’re not aware. Subdivisions will help! But not just with timing, but a lot more.
Really good advice even for guitarists like me, thanks!
Rob. I want to play with time and love this lesson…but man! I just put my sticks down and enjoy your drumming! 🕶️👍🏻
So… Rob. I’ve loved drumming all my life. I learned to play in church. Played for about 20 years and did okay. I put some feeling into it but didn’t learn to play properly. I’ve watched tons of drum videos and like a lot of styles of music. Have been to a lot of clinics and such. One thing that clicked the most for me in that sea of information is your no nonsense approach. To tuning the drums to well… everything. I don’t really want to play for church anymore and don’t want to be in a bar band either but want to pursue the skill of learning how to properly play the drums.
I play guitar too and have wanted to write my first song. I’m 53 and have never done that whole process. Would you have any advice on how to best implement this desire into fruition? I do want to mic my kit up eventually and learn how to record my ideas. Nothing professional or anything but maybe some free software that someone that doesn’t like techy stuff can figure out.
Anyhoo bud. Thanks for your input into the drumming world bud. You’re the best. WJames- 💀’s and🌈’s
mann youre really open my eyes about this thing called subdivision... gonna practice it...
do you have a chart for all the subdivison? thankss a lot
Really great lesson and practice encouragement. I love how well you broke it all down
Thank you for this info🥁 . Helping drumming journey immensely.
Thanks Rob for breaking this down. Trying to feel the pulse from inside my belly always results in pushing the time. Now I'll start thinking about breaking down things into a grid. Much appreciated.
Facts bro! Barry Harris always use to say how important keeping triplets in the back of your mind was and what you are saying about the grid and ALL the timing is true! I work in Logic X as a producer as well as play keys and if a musician doesn't produce they may not think of time as a grid the same way as someone who has!
My God this is just what I need.... Thank you so much.... This video needs to be shared....❤❤
Thank you Brown that help me.
thank you , i liked what u had to say. really nice set up and studio
loved the intro. tough love hahaha
The thing that sucked me up.Timing/Counts.Good instructional video Rob Beatdown Brown.
totally agree! I naturally had good timing when I picked up guitar cause I understood this process intuitively, and just took a bit of work before I was already nailing it down. but after some years of slack and mental issues, my ability to keep time has totally diminished. so now I'm coming at it almost like a noob who forgot haha
The grid lost me Rob, math and counting that’s always been a struggle for me my whole life ,that’s what gave me an excuse to let my passion for playing music ,drums in particular go to the wayside😢43 years later at 62 with my little Roland set for a little over a year ,and I think you,d be proud of me,because I believe I learned I think to a tee , from your 3 cool exercises to Do if your coordination Sucks 🔥that was so much fun!😊 but this counting and using the metronome aspect ,and your grid still causes my brain to locks up , but it’s all good I’ll just keep trying ! Thanks I appreciate your laid back stile of teaching 😊
Agreed great advice I started playing sub divide from 8 to 16 th notes make me playing so much
I really love your stuff bro. . .it's really good. . .
Rob
Man you nailed it 9:24
This is what is all about.
Everybody in the band should be or at least 2 players in the band should be able to play with this terminology.
Great band have just that.
Nothing more .
I clicked on this video because I click on all your videos. It was helpful too, so that worked out nicely!
I just had this conversation with a guitarist I work with, because I could see him struggling with note placement. So we do the "let's count it out together" and he was self taught, so he didn't know what, for example, a 16th note was.
1:48 to 1:49 was nasty Rob, little triplet groove or something, your a huge inspiration!
Glad you sorta redid this vid topic, I loved the original glad new ppl can see it!
Ouch!
Well.... ok I'm listening. 😉
Awesome! Thank you
I've got pretty good timing. but I clicked anyway because I like your videos. lol
Thanks!!!! Amzaing video! Your 05:12 demonstration/concept helped me a lot to clarify !!!!!
Thanks ,this makes sense
Good job Rob , I listen to song after song three to six times then play each song I have listened to and add my quarters , halfs Whole ,eights, 16s and 32nds ending up with a great sound it takes time and PATIENCE but metronome adds success to the beat and other drummers playing that song. Not over playing but keeping that time is totally essential. As always good video Rob.
Great vid bruh! Thanks!
“Which, by the way is goofy!! LOL!! Subbed!
A guitarist here - thank you Rob
Cheers Rob Brown love your shooting at balloons description 😊Great lesson great drumming👌🥁 Tony Williams was a master at subdivisions....
This guy is so grovey, it makes the tutorial 10x better. Thank you grovey drum man for the tips, i shall apply them to my respective genre. (Which is metal, cause double kick go burrr)
I understand the importance of subdivisions and get the grid but how to actually start using this "method"? When someone counts off 1,2,3,4, you actually start counting subdivisions in the head instead of quarter notes (at slow tempos of course)? So stop listening to quarter notes only and focus on as small subdivisions as you intend to use? And practise that? Sorry for the confusion...
love this drumset mines almost identical
Ina video on playing with others would be great. Guitarists and bass players need to practice with metronomes too. Vocalists too maybe as rhythmic aspects of songs are often present in vocals. I listen a lot to the opening tracks of John Mayer’s where the light is. It’s just him and his guitar and his time is flawless. It’s fun to pretend I’m Steve Jordan for a few songs. But his time is great and playing to those tracks is very enjoyable. Time is the drummer’s responsibility. But others need it too.
Thank you for sharing. Happy Drumming!
Subdivisions...just be careful not to Rush 😉
Thank you for your perspective.
you have helped me out so many times I've lost count
very good comtent,thank you dude
I'm doing that single stroke 16th notes 30-day 10-minutes-daily challenge thing, I'm almost at the full month and barely got past 150 bpm, and I gotta say that I can AT MOST count 1234 in my head at that speed, it's easier for me to count as groups of 4s the faster it gets. I do tend to "miss the 1" a lot by eating the 4 at some point lol it sucks that if I'm trying to play something, I get distracted by all the counting and focus too much on that and forget what beat I was supposed to be playing, somehow I lose coordination if I don't focus on the beat.
A GRID LIGHTS UP!😎 Another great video with NO BS. (Like a LOT of other drum videos)
Great advice!
Timing is EVERYTHING!
Hey Rob what’s up with quiet cymbals and drums?
Another problem is going In and out of a fill or groove with a lot of open time. Think Fire and Rain
Did you switch to mesh and quiet cymbals for a reason? Keep up the super videos.
Awesome Sir 🙏💥
Perfect lesson this week! I love the grid concept and will be looking into that.
As well as picking up that fresh shirt you have on! #GrooveUnit
This is especially important playing with dudes who insist on starting the songs without a count off. AKA guitars. Rhythm section comes in at the exact same speed and after the first chorus or bridge it's not adding up.
As people think it’s just slowing and speeding up but some songs speed depending on the song
holy crap! I just started beating my belly in perfect triplets while counting... its all in the subdivisions
Great video and topic Rob! Kudos.
You’re awesome. thank you very much
It can be frustrating when the band starts rushing and they don’t pay attention to you when you try to bring them back.
Thank you👍
Spot on, great example
Spot on as usual
Thank you to the groovOmatic of love
N soul
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing this.
Good lesson! Thank you