The Dreaded Metronome

[Steve Parish]

I wonder how many of us drummers who frequent this site have played to metronomes through headphones whilst recording or playing live and ever thought 'Bloody hell, this metronome is going out of time' ??!! Is it a secret musicians conspiracy? How comfortable do you feel playing along to them? (metronomes I mean, not musicians!)... I personally feel you tend to 'dumb down' your playing a tad, in order to concentrate on timing. I also wonder how recent metronomes have been in existence; I can't imagine Buddy Rich ever going down that road! It does have it's benefits though of course... apart from annoying us drummers! It aids the process of editing and moving parts during the recording/mixing process or playing to a backing track that perhaps can't be replicated live etc... I mean, listening to my band's recordings, there is definetely a marked difference between the tracks I laid the drum tracks down with a metronome and those that I played without one... I think the one's without have a more natural feel, whereas the 'Metrinomed' ones seem a bit more 'mechanical' to me, especially after a bit of 'tidying up' and chopping and changing on Cubase/Pro Tools... although the average listener probably wouldn't notice the difference or indeed care! We always record drums and bass together, with or without metronome. I personally take more satisfaction in listening back to a track you know you and the bassist have nailed 'live' in one take rather than one that has been 'doctored', through want of a better word. Opinion?

[drakula63]

I've played to a clicktrack and, personally, found it very difficult. I think there's something unnatural about a drummer keeping time with something else rather than setting the tempo, so to speak. Or maybe I'm just making excuses for my poor performance and lack of ability. Certainly 'proper' drummers like Brian Bennett seem to have no problem!! I concentrated so hard on keeping time with the click, that my actual drumming sounded somewhat awkward and hesitant. Still, that's the way things are done in the studio, so I'd better get used to it.

[Bluesnote]

God I wish the drummer in the band I was in many years ago had bought one

Preferably one with an attitude control

[abstamaria]

Hahaha, Bluesnote, I can sympathize.

The nature of our show requires a strict cover of early 1960s pieces, and we had problems sometimes with the drummer setting the beat too slow or too fast (usually too slow as both our drummers are over 60). The answer was to use a metronome to start the pieces. Although the drummers were initially "uncomfortable" with the metronome, it worked well for us. We used the metronome both for practice and during the shows.

We used a Tama Rhythm Watch 105, which can be suspended from a spare cymbal stand (it has a threaded hole that accepts the standard cymbal stand threaded end) and I recall 30 presets. We would find the correct tempo for a piece, put this into memory, and do the same for the succeeding ones. The dummer pushes a button to move from one piece to the next. Obviously, we have a fixed repertoire.

It was quite instructive to find the right tempo for the Shadows pieces. Neither Tony Meehan nor Brian Bennett "kept" to the starting tempo, so there would be variations within each piece. That emphasizes, I think, why one can't, or shouldn't try to, keep time with a metronome throughout. As I said, we use the Tama just to set the starting tempo. The drummer then ignores it after (I think).

Having said all of that, I had the privilege of playing with a really good drummer, whose beat was consistent throughout. That was a great pleasure and made my job (as lead guitarist) so much easier, particularly as my timing isn't too good to begin with. Other drummers unfortunately sag in the middle of a piece. That is a problem, and maybe a blinking metronome might (or might not) help.

Regards,

Andy

[abstamaria]

By the way, did you mean, Drakula63, that Brian Bennett, being a "proper drumme," uses a metronome on stage? That would be interesting. If he does, I will tell our drummer so he will have no excuse!

[shindig]

Just after the release of "Rise And Fall " way back, when I was young, I noticed an increase in tempo from start to end. It only shows that also the best of drummers like BB can have a problem with keeping the tempo. (Please, don't shoot me).

In my long life as a musician I have had the misfortune of standing in front of audiences - having to play lead in "Foot Tapper" in an insane up-tempo or in a tempo best suited for The Mantovani String Orchestra. I have had to sing ballads tempo 200 or rock'n'roll tempo 80. It seems to be a nature of law that drummers insist they are the only ones with any knowledge of setting a tempo, and they get upset and angry, if other band members suggest a metronome for count-in. We have tried other band members for making the count-in, but the drummer took no notice and played like always!

I have also spent days in the studio, while a drummer tried to follow a metronome, and no other work could be done while this lasted. Quite expensive for a band!

In my dreams I have made an invention: Som sort of mechanical device with a nail pointing up should be put into every drummer's stool and connected to a metronome controlled by the lead singer/player. That should do the trick, but maybe I would get complaints from WWF!

[Bluesnote]

I remember playing at a wedding one night, we started the waltz for the Bride and Groom. They asked for Wonderful Tonight.
Only thing was, the drummer started it in 3/4 timing instead of the 4/4 timing. No matter how much we tried to get him to change it whilst playing he could'nt figure a way to do it, we just had to keep it going to the end. Now that was worse than speeding up or slowing down

[dave robinson]

'Wonderful Tonight' is a great choice, but it has never been a waltz as it's written in 4/4 , but if someone suggested to the drummer that it was a waltz that was required, then he's hardly to blame - is he?

[Bluesnote]

'Wonderful Tonight' is a great choice, but it has never been a waltz as it's written in 4/4 , but if someone suggested to the drummer that it was a waltz that was required, then he's hardly to blame - is he?

Perhaps I worded that wrongly The couple requested that song for the first dance as did most of the newly weds when we did their functions. He just had a bit of a mental block I guess. Happened to me plenty times coming into solo's
But 3/4 is not easy to follow for that song

[RayL]

Interesting, isn't it, that guitarists value a drummer with the qualities of a metronome (accurate tempo-setting and no tempo variation) while drummers find it difficult to play along to such a remorseless rival?

As a guitar-player with an interest in drumming (I have an electronic kit in the studio), it would seem that part of that 'something' that makes a guitarist distinctive is the ability to play a melody with the tiny variations around the beat that give their playing a 'distinctive' and attractive quality.

On the other hand, the same minute variations from a drummer (which would be part of the natural interplay between band members playing live as they react to each other's playing) just seem like 'mistakes' when compared to the steady beat of a machine.

Session drummers who can play accurately to a click track are highly valued. They must, presumably, have a natural internal clock that can be 'externally synchronised' better than most human beings. For the rest, recording the kit item by item is often the answer - once through for the kick, once through for the snare, once through for the hi-hat, etc. Overdubbing percussion like maraccas or shakers is not the same sort of problem because of the nature of their sound, and there is one item of percussion where minute variation in tempo are a positive advantage - handclaps!

Ray L