Obsessed about timing

Oh man I've almost forgot Harmony Central even if I used to hang here every day. Great place.

So, I've become obsessed about keeping perfect time. It might sound weird but that's the case. I use a Tama Rhythm Watch to count off the songs at the right tempo ...nothing wrong with that though BUT we had some problems with our guitarplayer speeding up and I started to occassionally watch the red lights blinking on the metronome just to check that everything is where it should be. This have become somekind of bad habit now and I watch them a bit too often and feel like a bad drummer if the song has sped up 3bpm in the end of the song. I don't know what to do about this. I just can't let it go....this is a far more serious issue than people might think it is:freak:

Put that Rhythm Watch away! You are not a computer, you are a human! You'll know when the timing is bad (if you're a good drummer) .

You can't blame yourself for allowing the rest of the band to push and pull , rather than trying to on the spot force them to keep perfect time.

You can mention in practice that he's rushing on certain parts and to pay attention to the groove at such times , but w/o fairly specific details on the bits that they're rushing it isn't that helpful to remind a guitarist that he's less than perfect.

If you did go so far as to master even time or played w/ an ear-piece click , and remained rigid against the somewhat natural tendency for a melodic player to speed up or slow down when caught up in the emotion of the music and the moment , you'd find they'd have a less then totally groovy time getting back on track with you , or worse yet you could cause one of those horrible moments when there is a "who's got the right beat mutiny" and half the band goes one way and half the band goes w/ you and everything circles the drain till common ground is found....it's just easier to go w/ it , but it is good to make sure your not the one leading the charge or retreat on the tempo front.

I like to think about how often a classical piece benefits from slight variants in tempo to squeeze the last bits of juice from the music , stretching moments in time , or going the other direction and pushing a theme over and over till the listener is bout to burst....good stuff.

You can't use it too much in the everyday specially not as a drummer unless it's well planned out w/ your peers , but none the less it is in the musical lexicon and will be pulled on even if subconsciously by melody players when they're really "feelin' it"

Be supple like the reed and not rigid the the cedar , and when the wind blows you will bend not break.

In many live concerts, even the pros speed up their songs and as long as they do it together, it works out ok

Think of it as "breathing", occasionally when things get going and exciting, you breathe a little faster.

Keep practicing to the metronome, but I'd just go by instinct with the band. Sounds like you've got great timing anyway, so you just have to trust yourself.

If the band works together its all good, if you alone are all over the place it is not. That being said, I am sure that little red LED is negatively affecting your playing. Close your eyes and get into the song. Time is everybody's job, let it breath and flow, that is called music.

I would say you are getting a little obsessed, but you havent lost your mind yet!

Just keep it in perspective. Remember, it's your job to keep good time for the band, not the guitar players job to keep perfect time with the metronome. Also, the audience for the most part can care less if a song is in PERFECT time. They just want the music to feel good, they want to get into it. In my opinion, robotic time makes the music a little sterile. Nobody is going to give you 50 lashes for being 2 bpm off the original tempo. Actually, nobody will even hear that.

I would work with the metronome at practice and/or at home and develope that "inner clock" that we all need to internalize. With time, you will gain the confidence that your time is good and the band will trust you to keep it.

I too bring a metronome on the gig to count off unfamilar songs that I havent played before. I think it's ok to check the lights every once in a great while just to "check in", but I think it's bad to stare at the lights the whole time you are playing the song. Once I am familar with the song, I don't use the metronome to count off.

I really think you just need confidence that you can keep good time. Keep working on it at home. Once you trust yourself, you won't be so obsessed about it, you will just do it.

I liked slaphappy's post.

No doubt one of the best posts I've ever read on this board.

Aww Shucks

I'd be very careful about this. It all sounds good to let the music breathe, etc. Just be careful not take this to mean that it's OK for the time to wander and it's OK to follow the other band members lead on tempo. This is recipe to get fired. Trust me I know. There's a fine line between "letting the music breathe" and having bad time. I say try to be as solid and un wavering as you possibly can.

Comparing time keeping in a rock/pop/c&w/funk setting with Classical music is apples and oranges. There's a reason people don't dance to Tchaikovsky symphonies. If the times breathing too much, people won't dance. A rock/pop/c&w/funk band that can't get people to dance, sucks. IMHO. And, it's always the drummer's fault. That's the perception anyway, and perception is reality.

Thank you very much for your replies so far!! Very apprecciated.

I will think about the things you mentioned.

I don't stare at the blinking lights all the time but ALWAYS when the songs go into another part or go into a half time feel or similar. I just have to check that the tempo is where it should be....and most of the times it is but DW_Man_TX said that staring at the lights will affect my playing negatively and that's what it does. It feels like I've lost a bit of feeling. People say that our band is tight so I guess I have to trust them and stop worrying about this whole tempo issue.

One of the things you have to deal with in a band is being able to breath with a guitar player who doesn`t play exactly to the bpm`s the song is in.When you do a show there`s a good chance he will speed up/slow down.I haven`t met that many guitar players with perfect time that`s our job so don`t worry to much be flexible within reason and throw the metronome away