The Woodshed: Time

On this installment of @yamahamusicusa #silentbass and @laklandbasses Friday, I will continue the series on "The Woodshed". A caveat here. What I will cover is based on my experience as a student, performer and educator. Everything is open to discussion. This week "Time". Now, I know what some will say, "I can follow a drummer just fine! I have natural time..." TBH, we all have some natural time, and all "natural" talents have a limit and can be improved upon. Before I go any further, I want to address the elephant in the room. The metronome. It is ur choice to use one or not. I have my opinion amd choose to keep it to myself in this discussion. Ok, how do we study time. This, like many activities in the shed, is an iterative and asymptotic endeavor. U just gotta do it, and keep doing it! There are countless books and resources that u can find that have rhythm exercises. Start slowly and simply. The idea is to quantify the rhythms in ur head....REALLY KNOW them. Play them slowly. Count them out. Rhythm is a naturally cumulative subject, so make sure ur comfortable each exercise before moving on. Record urself, u will be surprised how much u rush or drag the beat. The key is to be as close to "perfect" as possible, being deliberate and conscious of the beat and where u are in the music. U dig? Studying rhythm (alone) teaches u to understand rhythmic values and when u are able to be "in time", you can better be able to manipulate it when needed (i.e.laying back, playing ahead of the beat, etc.). It also helps to keep u from getting lost (along with ur ear). What is cool here is that positive results due rhythmic study will show up in all aspects of ur playing. It has been a regular part of my shed for decades and I stress it to all my students. IMO, it is a worthwhile activity with many benfits.  As always, I invite your insights. #yamahamusicusa #makewaves #pirastro #glasserny #laklandbasses #sitstrings #tsunamicables #philjonesbass #uptonbassstringinstrumentcompany #basslessons  #remotelessons #www.charleysabatino.com.