Rhythm

[PamPurrs]

Good stuff @Gio, thanks!

[mmrunyan1]

@Gio Excellent advice!

[kwt7667]

@Gio

When you’re having to concentrate on - what part of the song are you at - how many times to play the riff - that hard part is coming up - what damn fret is Ab - etc… there’s no room left in the brain for any other active efforts. If there’s something in the playing that requires that active, concentrated effort, it will suffer when there’s a need to concentrate on other things.
I recommend to students, when they are struggling with rhythm - particularly if it’s during performance - to put the bass away, and do vocal, mental, and audio practice on a piece. Sing it, hum it, visualize it on the bass, listen to the bass line, and visualize it. Do everything you can to solidify the mental, musical, aural part of the learning and leave the physical part out for a bit.

Don’t anyone gloss over this. So important! For me, I imagine the bass notes whenever I listen to music. I listen for them. Sing them sometimes “Ba…Baaa…ba…ba…”

…on everything I listen to! My favorite song, or a TV show theme, or whatever. I can’t always count it out, but if I groove it first I can deconstruct it with some effort.

It’s kinda weird marrying the “groove” with theoretical rhythm, but if you can get them to meet in the middle…getting your technique and your instinct together. I believe that’s when you’ve arrived. This is why I love drum tracks! It channels your groove.

If you can sing it, hum it, you can do it! Just takes some time!

[joergkutter]

@Gio

Could be a part of the puzzle? Who knows.

I think this goes back to the “consciously thinking or concentrating on what to play and where the right fret is” part you mentioned earlier. When you jam at 200 bpm, there is no longer any room for conscious decision making - the brain is essentially bypassed as its processing would be too slow. You just do - you have to, in order to “survive”…

Now, being able to evoke this “state” at 75 bpm (or any speed) is the real holy grail here, I guess!?!

[Russell_Kimball]

Hello,

Try listening to the kick drum, then watch (listen) to the snare. Follow the kick drum. The snare may give you ideas to improve your licks and certainly telegraphs the songs overall rhythm. Above all, don’t give up. It will come to you.