One of the most important parts of a drummer's job in a band is to set the tempo (speed) and keep time for the band.
This is not to say that it is only the drummer's job to keep good time. It is the job of every musician to play with good, solid, consistent time. But it is more so with the drummer. The drummer has to take the initiative in setting the tempo of the song and then stick to that tempo, and rather than following the time set by others, he gets others to follow him.
To do all that requires that the drummer be able to play at a consistent speed, not speeding up or slowing down. And he has to keep a consistent speed even when he plays a fill, which is when inexperienced drummers tend to speed up.
Unfortunately playing good time without speeding up or slowing down is not necessarily an inherent trait that we all have. It has to be developed. Anyone seeking to learn how to play the drums [http://www.howtoplaythedrumsnow.com] has to develop this skill. And the way you develop this is by working with a metronome. The metronome is one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in a drummer's arsenal.
There are several types of metronomes. There is the kind where there is a pendulum on the front that sweeps back and forth and clicks at whatever speed you set. There is the type that has a light on top and clicks. There are electronic types that feed the click into a mixer or set of headphones.
When you are first learning how to play the drums, you should use one of the metronomes that clicks, and practice snare drum exercises and techniques, usually on a practice pad so you can hear the metronome really well. Simpler exercises are better at first, and try to really stay in time with the metronome, not speeding up or slowing down.
This is something you will not master in an afternoon. It is something you continue to work at over months, as you are practicing and learning.
As you get more advanced you should get a metronome or an inexpensive drum machine that you can use in this way, and practice the whole drum set along with a "click track" i.e. with headphones. This is vital and you may be shocked at how much you deviate from the exact time as you are playing. As mentioned earlier, it is quite common for drummers to speed up when they play a fill around the drums.
This practicing with a click track using headphones is vital if you plan to get into recording. Most CDs these days are made with the whole band using a click track, to avoid some of the embarrassing moments of the past where the band fluctuated in speed on a record. I remember one great song from the early 80s where the band almost doubled in speed from the beginning of the song to the end.
The point is that practicing your entire drum set with a click track will help you develop consistent time keeping, and will show you where you typically tend to speed up or slow down. For instance, I notice that most drummers tend to speed up the more notes they play, which is why many tend to speed up while playing fills.
After practicing a while with a metronome and a click, you will find that you develop more consistent, steady time and you can play this way without the click.
This is not to say that it is only the drummer's job to keep good time. It is the job of every musician to play with good, solid, consistent time. But it is more so with the drummer. The drummer has to take the initiative in setting the tempo of the song and then stick to that tempo, and rather than following the time set by others, he gets others to follow him.
To do all that requires that the drummer be able to play at a consistent speed, not speeding up or slowing down. And he has to keep a consistent speed even when he plays a fill, which is when inexperienced drummers tend to speed up.
Unfortunately playing good time without speeding up or slowing down is not necessarily an inherent trait that we all have. It has to be developed. Anyone seeking to learn how to play the drums [http://www.howtoplaythedrumsnow.com] has to develop this skill. And the way you develop this is by working with a metronome. The metronome is one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in a drummer's arsenal.
There are several types of metronomes. There is the kind where there is a pendulum on the front that sweeps back and forth and clicks at whatever speed you set. There is the type that has a light on top and clicks. There are electronic types that feed the click into a mixer or set of headphones.
When you are first learning how to play the drums, you should use one of the metronomes that clicks, and practice snare drum exercises and techniques, usually on a practice pad so you can hear the metronome really well. Simpler exercises are better at first, and try to really stay in time with the metronome, not speeding up or slowing down.
This is something you will not master in an afternoon. It is something you continue to work at over months, as you are practicing and learning.
As you get more advanced you should get a metronome or an inexpensive drum machine that you can use in this way, and practice the whole drum set along with a "click track" i.e. with headphones. This is vital and you may be shocked at how much you deviate from the exact time as you are playing. As mentioned earlier, it is quite common for drummers to speed up when they play a fill around the drums.
This practicing with a click track using headphones is vital if you plan to get into recording. Most CDs these days are made with the whole band using a click track, to avoid some of the embarrassing moments of the past where the band fluctuated in speed on a record. I remember one great song from the early 80s where the band almost doubled in speed from the beginning of the song to the end.
The point is that practicing your entire drum set with a click track will help you develop consistent time keeping, and will show you where you typically tend to speed up or slow down. For instance, I notice that most drummers tend to speed up the more notes they play, which is why many tend to speed up while playing fills.
After practicing a while with a metronome and a click, you will find that you develop more consistent, steady time and you can play this way without the click.
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