The Metronome is Your Best Friend

[GingerBug]

Ok, I’m just a little over halfway through BtBA, so maybe this comes later, but so far, at least, there’s been one major element I feel is missing from the course: using a metronome.

Now different people will have different philosophies, different approaches, but I’ve been told the following by two different bass teachers I’ve had, and I think it’s true.

It’s a good idea practice with a metronome. Even if you’re playing a scale, arpeggios, whatever.

Why? Because the most important part of being a bass player is rhythm. Yes, even more important than playing the root. Your rhythm has to be solid. Your timing has to be solid. You can survive screwing up and playing a wrong note. The band will survive. The song will survive. But screw up the rhythm, lose the pulse, and it’s over. The song may even collapse. You may get fired.

So this is something that needs to be trained like anything else. I had one bass teacher go so far as to say I should never play my bass at all without a metronome. He said everything I play should be in time.

So while you’re practicing your scales, arpeggios, a song, or whatever, you can also be practicing your time.

Now you can pick any bpm you want. I’m not saying you have to play fast. If you’re learning the minor scale, say, and want to practice that, choose a bpm that’s nice and slow and comfortable for you. But use a metronome. That’s the only way you’ll know when you lose the pulse. That’s the only way you’ll learn to feel it in your body.

As you get more practiced, you can have some fun with it too. Here are some things you can do.

Let’s say you’re practicing a part that’s at 120 bpm, and you can play at that tempo comfortably.

1. Set your metronome to 60 bpm (half the tempo). You’re still going to play at 120, but now instead of the click (or beep) being on 1, 2, 3, 4, the click is on 1 & 3 (or 2 & 4, depending on the style of music you’re playing). So the metronome is helping you with every other beat, and you’re responsible for the other two. So the metronome plays on 1 and 3 and you’re responsible for 2 and 4. Play your passage you’re practicing, and practice staying in time. When you hit 1 at the beginning of each measure, are you still in time with the metronome?

2. For the next level, set your metronome for 30 bpm (1/4 the tempo). Now the click is only on beat 1, and you’re responsible for beats 2, 3, 4. Play your passage. Can you stay in time and hit each 1 with the metronome?

3. For the next level, halve the metronome tempo again (so 15 in our example). Now the click is only on beat 1 of every other measure. So the metronome plays a beat, and now you’re responsible for the next 7 beats. Are you arriving with the metronome on beat 1 of every other measure?

4. You can continue increasing the difficulty in this way. Having the metronome play only once every 3 measures, 4 measures, and so on. You can also have the click be on beat 2, 3, or 4 instead of 1 if you like. So the click is beat 3 of every measure, or beat 3 of every other measure. And so on.

In this way you use the metronome as a tool, not a crutch.

Ok, you may say, that sounds great. But metronomes are boring. Why not play with my fancy drum machine instead? Of course you can do that. However, although it may be more fun, it’s also giving you a lot more information, so you don’t have to rely on your own timing, you can just listen to the drum machine. You may have the kick drum on 1 and 3, and the snare drum on 2 and 4. The ride cymbal is hitting all the quarter notes, and the closed high hat is hitting all the 8th notes. That’s a lot of information, and unless you have some long runs of 16th or 32nd notes, you don’t really have to keep the pulse or time yourself.

My first bass teacher was phenomenal. He’s ridiculously good. And he still practices with a metronome, so it’s a skill that you can always work on and improve.

Anytime you’re not playing in time, whether you’re just noodling, or playing a scale, or whatever, you’re practicing a bad habit.

As bassists we almost ALWAYS play in time (you don’t see a lot of rubato in popular music, and even when you do, it’s only for a measure or a few measures). My first band teacher told me, “You will perform how you practice, so you should practice how you want to perform.”

The band relies on us to keep the pulse.

The drummer will love us if we can keep the pulse.

This is the way.

(DISCLAIMER: I’m not saying I always do this myself. I am saying I know that I always should. Just passing on what I’ve learned from some really great bass teachers. Some people might think this is more of an intermediate thing, but it really is something we should be doing from the very beginning. Honestly, we should probably be playing various rhythms on an open E to a metronome before we ever start fretting, but that’s not very fun. )

[jefflangford67]

I agree, and if you watch any of @JoshFossgreen YouTube videos on technique or finger exercises, etc. he’ll reference BPM targets to start at and to work up to, implied is the use of a metronome. I use one for all exercises and even use it to help me learn a song and stay in time before moving onto the backing track. The way the B2B course is set up, the modules have their own timing device, sometimes a metronome, sometimes a backing track.
The only time I don’t use one is when I’m learning something brand new and it’s not yet under my fingers.

[GingerBug]

Oh please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Josh doesn’t know this. Josh is a great teacher, and my guess is he would/does teach it in person, or would teach it in an intermediate course. But teaching the way he does is a different animal. He’s not in the room with us, he’s not even in a Zoom call with us.

Josh does something really special, and I think, unique. He teaches in a way that is fun, and doesn’t stop being fun, through the whole course. He gets you excited about bass, and keeps you excited about it, long enough for you to learn enough to leave the nest and either learn on your own or go find another teacher.

I’m not trying to throw shade at him or how he teaches. Frankly, I wish more teachers taught beginning music lessons like he does. If they did, I probably would’ve actually learned piano.

But I think/assume that people on this forum are more advanced, or they’re at least ready to take it to the next level, or are thinking about it.

[howard]

Totally agree to always practice with a time signal.

Hard disagree here wrt drum machines. They are fine and a lot (a lot) less boring than metronomes. If you are worried about distraction just dial in a simple four on the floor.

Extra bonus, throw a ride cymbal on the eighth or sixteenths and they are actually useful as a subtle practice tool for those rhythms.

[MikeC]

I lived with a metronome throughout music school in college because of all the classical sax pieces i was required to learn. I developed an abiding hate-hate relationship with it.

I much prefer playing to a BeatBuddy for bass. Locking in with a drummer is where it’s at.

[Al1885]

My take as the 10th man.

We should practice with some kinda tool I agree. I love the challenges too we do that all the time with some odd breaks my bandmates will shoutout some random number and sometimes 2 numbers to indicate where and how long and we are supposed to continue on where we’re supposed to be. For example two two. Second best for 2 beats rest.

When we do live that’s the last thing I want to do. 30% of our song on the setlist are sequences and my keys programmed in the count and announcement of what we are going into and what keys sometimes when we are doing some fancy shifting.

That said the rest we love to do it freestyle. Sure when we were younger the goal was to be right on the beat “as good as computer quantization”. But too much of that nowadays it feels so robotic. Now we intentionally drag and push the beat a bit to make it feel more organic.

We crave pushing 3-4 bpm the last few bars of the solo while totally still in the pocket and groove or let the non dip a bit after the energetic intro because it feels right. That’s prowhy we love it so much when we invite people to come up and jam with us because the dynamics just off the charts. Every one in in the pocket but we are not sanitized.

Grooves are great time is awesome just not on the tick all the time. I love the feeling when I listen to Bonham or Porcaro it’s just organic. Also my listening now are filled with live recordings like Cory Wong, Vulfpeck or live
Concerts as they are so much more fun.

[MikeC]

Playing a groove around the beat is what makes it come to life. I love to listen to others do it, and I dig playing a groove that’s closely orbiting the beat.

[GingerBug]

The reason drum machines don’t work for this is they give too much information. The whole point of this is to develop your own internal time and pulse. This why ultimately you only have a click every one or two measures, so you can keep the pulse on your own. This isn’t for performance but rather practice. Using a drum machine with subdivisions is missing the whole point of the exercise. Keeping time with a drummer pounding out quarter or sixteenth notes is easy. We don’t get better doing what’s easy. Not saying this is for everyone, but if you want to develop your internal timing, this is a great way to do it.

Also nothing wrong with playing ahead or behind the beat if it’s intentional and the whole band is together, but that takes an even better developed sense of time than playing right on the heat, which these exercises will help develop.

[MikeC]

TMI from a drum machine is subjective. Personally, I pick different patterns and feels to spark new grooves. Makes practice fun for me.

Nothing wrong with a metronome, if it works for you.

[howard]

Agree, and of course nothing prevents one from creating drum patterns with whatever beats (or lack thereof) one desires.

If your drum machine does not allow programming arbitrary rhythms and song structures, all I can say is get a better drum machine

[GingerBug]

I have a drum machine, and I have drum loops, apps, etc. and I play around with them. Totally different than using a metronome and not what I use to work on timing.

[Barney]

@GingerBug

You should always practice with a metronome. Even if you’re playing a scale, arpeggios, whatever. Use a metronome. Not a drum machine. A metronome.

Wow, metronome Nazis. I never knew such a faction existed.

Hard disagree on this @GingerBug

I’ve practice 2+ hours a night and always use BeatBuddy drum pedal.

I’m in a band and nobody is complaining about my timing, because I didn’t practice with a metronome.

It’s a broad church in the world of Bass and trying to be too prescriptive / narrow minded about anything, generally isn’t a mature way to approach learning.

[Al1885]

Oh yeah bro, love the Fodera.

[GingerBug]

@Barney

Wow, metronome Nazis. I never knew such a faction existed.

You know it is possible to disagree with someone without resorting to name calling.

I’m just sharing what I’ve learned.

You don’t like it, fine. You don’t agree with it, fine. No one’s making you do anything.

It’s really too bad that some people can’t see something they disagree with and just go on with their lives. Instead they feel the need to tear people and ideas down.

It’s ironic that I’m being accused of being narrow minded when I’m just sharing what I’ve learned. Take it or leave it.

[MikeC]

Fedora is a hat.

Fodera is a bass.

One is definitely in the pics.

The other one definitely is not.

[howard]

@GingerBug

I’m just sharing what I’ve learned.

I appreciate this and welcome disagreement

I don’t think @Barney was literally calling you a metronome nazi though, just a humorous take on the discussion. I could be wrong but generally I assume good intent on this forum (unlike the rest of the internet).

Rest assured your opinion is appreciated!

[Al1885]

@MikeC

Fedora is a hat.

That’s what I said

[MikeC]

@MikeC

Nothing wrong with a metronome, if it works for you.

This says it all. Learning is personal, subjective. What works for one might not work for another. And there’s no harm, no foul either way.

Some teachers, regardless of the instrument, are strict adherents to the value of a metronome. Others are not that concerned with its use for students.

Why? Because there are myriad theory concepts and techniques a new student must juggle and absorb, just to make coherent sounds from the instrument, that adding the pressure of a ticking metronome does not aid.

I have studied with both types of teachers. I learned that it doesn’t matter how one gets to the point of playing the right notes, in time, at the right time. The only thing that matters is doing it when it’s necessary to do it.

Regarding internal timing, that definitely exists, whether a player has natural aptitude for it or it comes with blunt force repetition, which is a tried and true musical practice.

Personally, I ended up turning my metronome’s volume down when I practiced, to the point that I would play louder in order to obliterate it. It was then I realized I didn’t need it.

Now, does any of my experience necessarily apply to anyone else’s experience? Nope, not one bit. But it goes to show that what might work for one player doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for everyone, or even anyone else.

We each do what we can with what we’ve got. If a metronome helps someone — Godspeed. If a drum machine works better, cool. Whatever works.

[MikeC]

@Al1885

@MikeC

Fedora is a hat.

That’s what I said

[Al1885]

@howard

@GingerBug

I’m just sharing what I’ve learned.

I appreciate this and welcome disagreement

I don’t think @Barney was literally calling you a metronome nazi though, just a humorous take on the discussion. I could be wrong but generally I assume good intent on this forum (unlike the rest of the internet).

Rest assured your opinion is appreciated!

Yeah I’m with @howard. I don’t think @Barney was “name calling “ it’s more like a joke, it’s his style.

Personally, it’s essential to practice with timing tool. I prefer (human) counts not click in my ears especially the count in. I also like the drums tracks mainly because we usually don’t throw in the fills at the end of the verse, everyone else is doing that especially drums, us bassists have to find our fills somewhere in the middle of the verse or chorus and playing along with the drum track helps me determine where I can do it tastefully.