BASS
IMPROVING GROOVE & TIMING USING “SUBDIVISION OVER 1” EXERCISES | Adam Nitti
In my last column, I emphasized the importance
of building our internal clocks so that we can
play time consistently and accurately regardless
of musical context. One of the things I discussed
was a need to have an awareness of rhythmic
subdivisions at all times to help regulate your
groove and metering of the pulse of the music.
In this lesson, I would like to take subdivision
awareness a step further, and share an exercise
that will hopefully challenge you and give you
more confidence with your timing.
SUBDIVISIONS HELP REGULATE THE GROOVE
Rhythmic subdivisions are like a gyroscope
for our groove and timekeeping. Just as a
gyroscope helps to manage and regulate
orientation and direction for a device, rhythmic
subdivisions within a beat or measure of music
help to regulate our groove and timekeeping
orientation by making the pulse reference more
steady and predictable. Theoretically, the more
subdivisions we have to lean on, the easier it is
to stay in time. Stated another way, the more
space there is between beats, the less help
we get from subdivisions, and subsequently
the less help we get with regulating our time.
This is why I constantly stress the importance
of improving your internal clock and not only
practicing following external sources like loops,
drum machines, metronomes, etc. External
sources are the natural way to begin training
your timing, but at some point you augment that
with working on your timing without an external
reference. More on that later…
Throughout your musical development have you
ever made any of the following observations?
• You find it easier to play in time with a
recording or a band than with a metronome
or drum loop
• You have an easier time playing time
accurately at medium or medium-fast
tempos
• Your timing seems more accurate when
you play lines that are slightly more ‘busy’
and not just made up of ‘long’ notes
• Your notice that your timing tends to rush or
drag for a moment when you play a bass fill
If you have experienced any of these on a regular
or semi-regular basis, then chances are you
could benefit from working on your awareness
of subdivisions. Even if the subdivisions are not
already present in what you are listening to or
playing along with, it is up to you to hear and
process them automatically. This is what helps
sharpen your accuracy.
SPACE CAN AFFECT TIMING
The amount of space that exists within the
music can have a significant impact on how
confident you are with your timing. Let’s look at
an example of how this comes into play. Imagine
you were playing the following bass line with the
drum part indicated in Example 1. The drum part
is solely made up of a single kick drum playing
beat 1 on each measure. There is no timing
reference anywhere else within the measure, so
you are having to ‘freewheel’ on your own timing
for a full 3 beats before the next measure begins
with its beat 1 kick drum reference. That is a lot
of space to cover by yourself in the measure:
Now, contrast that with the following, Example 2,
which features the exact same bass line but this
time played with a drum beat that has steady
eighth note subdivisions:
It should be relatively easy to see that playing
in time to the second example would for most
players be a good bit easier, since the hi-hat
Example 1
Example 2
part’s rhythm matches the rhythm of the bass
line and gives you a timing reference to play to.
So what do you do when you are playing to a
sparse timing reference like example 1 and don’t
have an auditory reference for your rhythm like
the hi-hat part in the second example? You
imagine hearing and playing along to it! By
placing the subdivisions there in your mind,
(and in your ears!) you set up a consistent pulse
reference in the spaces that helps you to align
your groove. If you haven’t done this before,
don’t be intimidated. It becomes way more
natural even after spending just a little bit of time
hearing things intentionally in this new way.
THE IMAGINARY DRUMMER
A great way to practice on your own is to first
close your eyes and imagine you are listening
to a great drummer play a really solid backbeat,
without any variation. After he or she plays for a
little while in your mind, then start to play along
with the beat that you hear, preferably with a
simple one or two measure bass line that repeats
over and over. Be careful not to let go of the
drummer’s performance in your mind while you
play. Let that consistent beat reference be your
timing guide. Although this drummer is imaginary,
it doesn’t make him or her any less influential on
the music you are playing in the moment. This is
an awesome way to get outside of yourself and
connect with the music in a way that lets you
participate both as performer and listener. It is
also a great way to center yourself before you
begin to play and avoid compromising the initial
timing of your bass line or groove.
102 August 2020
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