DRUMS
MORE TRICKS FOR CLICKS | Carl Albrecht
Playing with a click or metronome is still one of the biggest challenges for all musicians. I still use it for EVERYTHING! Practicing, recording, and live events get the same attention to the mark of the metronome. Yes, I’ m revisiting this topic. I’ m amazed that after all these years some musicians want to avoid this discipline. So here I am again to remind you that the fundamentals still matter. Let’ s dive in!
When first learning to play to a click I recommend starting with it playing double time. In other words, if you want to play at 80 b. p. m. set your device to play 160 b. p. m. and so on. If your device can play the subdivided notes, then you can easily keep the main pulse at 80 and then let another sound play double time. Listen and count for several bars before you start to play. 1, 2, 3, 4; 1, 2, 3, 4; then begin. We call this“ internalizing the time.” Stay very relaxed and keep your playing smooth. If you feel your tempo wandering a little don’ t tense up. Just try to feel the pulse and lock into it. If you get totally lost, STOP! Breathe; start counting again; internalize the time; and start again. I always tell my students not to think of a click as isolated blips, but as long notes that are connected. Picture in your mind the bouncing ball image.“ Follow the bouncing ball!” If you think of clicks as having shape it’ s easier to keep steady time.
Use ear buds or headphones to listen to the click. Most metronomes have a headphone plug. Use it! Get your own small headphone mixer for your work on stage even if your band is still using speakers. In one channel I have the monitor line sent to me( 2 lines if the mix is stereo). I send my click line into a separate channel. If I’ m using drum loops or music stems, that’ s in a separate channel from the click and mix sends. Having the music mix and the click in separate channels allows you to adjust levels according to the moment. There have been enough times when I couldn’ t control the click volume, and I wished I had taken the time to set up my own mixer. If I have no choice, I will ask the engineer to send me the click at a much higher level in my mix so that I know the music will never cover it. This can be very annoying if you must listen to a loud click the whole time you are playing. But do whatever it takes to make it work.
Besides using it on the job, I always use a click when practicing. Sometimes I’ ll just listen to a ¼ note pulse. If the primary feel is heavy with a certain subdivision, then I will put that in the mix. For the opposite approach try playing with a click only on the“ off beats.” Rather than hearing the ¼ note pulse, only hear the“ and” of the beat( for 8 th notes) or the“ and ah” part of the beat if your playing a 1 / 16 note feel. Try other variations of this concept. If you use a drum machine or a drum loop app, program a pattern that accents the notes you don’ t play. When you do this, you really get a feel for how well you are grooving around the time, because you can hear the other notes. You should think of the machine as another player and just relax as you play along.
Have the machine click 1, 2, 3, but rest on 4. Try any variation of this you’ d like. You could also count the clicks as only sounding on beats 2 & 4 and you must place the 1 and 3 in the gaps along with all the patterns you are trying to play. If you play with a basic click on ¼ notes, try keeping the volume of the machine down.
When your time is perfect you won’ t even hear the click. We call that“ burying the click.” This is also a great way to tell when you’ re playing“ on top”( a little ahead of the click) or“ laid back”( slightly behind the click). Mentally you almost feel like the machine is rushing or dragging, but trust me it’ s you, not the click. Don’ t become tense when you hear this. Concentrate and become aware of your feel of the time. There are musical settings when you want to change where you feel the tempo. The key is to learn what it feels like and to be able to control it at will. A little pushing and pulling can be very musical but keep it smooth. Never let it feel like you’ re jerking the time around. Again, RELAX! If you start using a click everyday you should notice your time improving. And then when you don’ t use one, you’ re natural sense of time should improve.
Happy Practicing,
Carl Albrecht Professional drummer for 30 + years, playing with Paul Baloche, Don Moen, Ron Kenoly, Abe Laboriel, LeAnn Rimes and others. He’ s also a clinician, author & pastor. Contact Carl for coaching, online lessons, producing, or sessions. I’ m still growing too... www. CarlAlbrecht. com carlralbrecht @ gmail. com
74 January 2026 Subscribe for Free...