DRUMS
GETTING BACK TO THE CLICK TRACK | Carl Albrecht
Whether I ’ m playing drums , guitar , bass , or piano keeping good time is primo ! Playing with a click or metronome is still one of the biggest challenges for all musicians . In my early years of study all of my teachers required that I practice with this tool of the trade . I still use it for EVERYTHING ! Practicing , recording , and even most live events . When I ’ m not working out with “ the machine ” for a while I notice things get a bit loose in my timing . So I always go back to the foundation of my work by practicing more with the click again .
When first learning to play to a click I recommend starting with it playing double time . For instance , if you want to play at 80 b . p . m . set your device to play 160 b . p . m . and so on . If your machine 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 strokes smooth . If you feel your tempo is 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 ; then start playing 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 length ( legato ) it should be easier to keep the tempo solid .
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 , 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 .
I also 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 you playing a 1 / 16 note feel . Try other variations of this concept . If you use a drum machine , 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 .
Have the machine click 1 , 2 , 3 , but rest on 4 . Try any variation of this you ’ d like . For instance , you could also count the clicks as only sounding on beats 2 and 4 and you have to 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 believe me it ’ s you , not the click , that ’ s moving . 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 .
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 LMAlbrecht @ aol . com