I’m at the point where I am trying to focus heavily on playing on time, I was doing pretty good I thought for playing the right notes of a song but rushing to get through it with building physical memory of where fingers need to go. My boyfriend said I’m almost never on time because I tend to focus on perfecting notes instead of being on time. Since then, I’ve learned it’s best to not play the notes and instead be on time but now I’m super bored because I can’t play half the songs on my list.
TLDR: It gets boring to just do 1-2 notes per measure because I skip notes I can’t play on time.
I could use some advices.
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Best advice is the standard advice of the forum: slow down. Most/many apps let you slow down a song. Drop the speed down to a point where you can get the notes and timing right. Then gradually …and I do mean gradually… speed it up. Then, don’t stop at 100% speed. Keep going until you can play it properly at 125% or even 150%.
At that point, dropping it back down to 100% will feel far more relaxed.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t rush things.
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Just what @mr.crispy said right there, is exactly what I was going to suggest.
When I work on something that is a challenge for me, I start at somewhere around 50%-75% speed. And unless I can play it at this speed I don’t move on.
And then I usually increase the speed at least 4-5 times before I get to 100%. I also tend to play it a good amount of repetitions on the slow speed. It’s not one time at 75% and then 90%. More like 10 times at 75%, 10 times at 80%, 10 times at 85% etc.
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That makes sense, I didn’t think about speeding up either. I’ll definitely look forward to trying that with easier songs
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Are you on time when you “air play” along with the song?
This is pretty common and it happens to everyone except for me of course, I’m much worse, 
. The time it takes for my brain to register the up coming notes and their value, to the time my brain tells my fingers what to do, and ultimately for my fingers to do it the entire beat just pass then it’s the game of catch up is on, 
Just keep at it you should slow the music down so you at least feel like you have more time then gradually stepping up the speed.
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I tried slowing the music down but it sounds so horrible and my brain knows it’s not the right tempo so I feel it’s worse.
I think I am decent at airplaying yeah.
Been practicing with a few songs lately at full speed.
Ramstein - Du Hast
Queen of the Stone age - Go with the flow
Cranberries - dreams
Stone Temple pilot - plush
Pink Floyd - money
I know it feels super boring, but try this: slow the song waaay down so you really feel the beat. Even if you play just one note per beat, it helps your fingers learn the timing. Once that feels solid, add one more note or speed up a tiny bit.
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It takes practice. Slowing down song is not easier but it buys you time. Same principle to my finishing off the song by playing it up to 120% of the original tempo so when I drop it down it feels like I have plenty of time.
I had a problem with the outtro on this song as I couldn’t find enough time to drag the notes but by speeding it up it clicked when I play at original tempo.
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I suggest you pick simpler songs that you enjoy. With the exception of “Dreams”, those are all tougher songs that I would not want to start with.
Find songs with very simple note progressions but interesting or finnicky timing. Things that force you to think about HOW you are playing more than WHAT you are playing.
Do you like the Talking Heads? Tina Weymouth’s lines are fantastic for this and I think would fit with your musical tastes. “Psycho Killer” and “Take Me to the River” are great. I learned a lot from playing “Take Me to the River” and getting that feel and working on the way she releases those notes.
How about the Pixies? Also great bass lines for that.
I can list a bunch of stuff that is good, but it’s all songs that I like, and have no idea if you’d enjoy the same way.
I’m going to be mean here but - you weren’t playing them better before. You were playing pitches, but the pitch is only one element of music, and you were neglecting the others.
Other elements of a note:
- When it starts
- What kind of attack
- Tone you sustain with
- When the note ends
- How the note ends
All of those things are as important as what pitch you play. Often more important.
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Great choice. Tina Weymouth has created a lot of memorable, danceable bass lines. And don’t forget the Tom Tom Club (basically the Talking Heads without David Byrne). Even more fun bass lines! For example (I’m pretty sure that the original audio has been replaced with the studio version, but the syncing is pretty good, and I like Tina’s stage presence):
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Thank you both for your comments, I’ll add them in my practice rotation.
You could also just move to a metronome and play the song at any speed you want until you have it mastered, then move back to the backing track once you’re at 100% or faster.
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What is your own experience with your timing? Are you rushing or are you dragging?
Or, perhaps, it’s a bit of both?
I am rushing a lot myself (eager to not being late). But, here is the kicker: depending on style of music, “rushing” a bit (walking bass) or dragging a bit/quite a bit (reggae, shuffle feels, swing feels) might actually be required of you.
So, how to train this best? Well, record yourself and see (instead of hear) for yourself how early or late you are. Record yourself in a DAW, set the bpm to something you are comfortable with (maybe bpm=80) and record quarter notes, or, later, eighth notes. Then look at the waveform and see how your notes (where they start) align with the grid. By the way, use the metronome in the DAW to guide you (or a simple drum track, if you prefer).
Then record yourself where you - with intent - first rush, then play on the beat, then drag; and see how you are doing. Later, you can add more complexity to this exercise. It is really helpful to see “proof” of whether you are usually too early or too late (I know your boyfriend means well, but that is not the best feedback for you to improve your timing) 
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Hehe it’s okay, I am here to learn and push myself, I trust his opinion on my tempo. I think it’s been on time for the songs I practiced well. But I definitely am rushing to catch up in hard licks. We just have different approaches but I definitely see where I need to improve still.
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Are you trying to copy the original lines exactly? Or just do some variation?
Keep in mind that many (most) fills are just what that artist happened to record on that take. Many are improvisations or variations on a theme. That same artist probably wouldn’t try to play them exactly the same way live. You don’t have to either.
E.g. Band is working on “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo and the Bunnymen. At a couple points, there is a super fast pentatonic walk-up (a full Octave and a Third - 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 3) that I struggle to do cleanly. Rather than dropping out, I often simplify the progression by doubling up the most important chord tones (1, 1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 8, 8). Because that is a LOT easier, and no one would notice it live except me.
It does take some practice to differentiate what is a set line and what is an improv fill though. (I’m working on “In the Meantime” by Spacehog, and I would not try to simplify that riff.)
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Yes I am trying to do the song as accurate as possible but you bring up an interesting thing, I didn’t think about it, that’s a great idea. For example in Plush I play the whole thing and there’s just the fast 234-235 and that’s the only part I have trouble with. I’m actually pretty on time with that one.
Honestly I think my problem is I played too much guitar hero when I was younger. I’m definitely enjoying the pain of repeating nonstop till I got it lol.
You will never be able to play precisely like those artists. You’re not them. You’re you. The only musician you will ever truly sound like is yourself.
This is good.
Get experience with lots of different music so that you can understand the core of what a part is about to be able to express that as your own. That will actually be a more faithful presentation of the music than trying to play precisely like someone you’re not.
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