It's insane. It's scary. It's Wrong. In flies in the face of everything I've learned about drums. But maybe we should give it a try.
No hit record was a hit solely because it had metronomic time. It was about the emotion and vibe which ultimately translated to the listener, like a virus infecting you unexpectedly, before you know it, you have a cough.
It takes guts to try it. Everyone will be against it. Of course perfect timefeel is something to strive for in any musician. But can't it be a little slower in the relaxed parts then speed up a tad when you decide to push it up to a 10?
How about how the band gels together? That's way more important than being "perfect". The excitement of the piece, the power that slaps you in the face and the dynamics that asks you consolingly if you're okay.
We should strive for this emotional vibrance and vitality. We should go for it or forever regret it. The recording should be a picture of what you were feeling at the time, and that feeling shouldn't be the memory of struggling to get along with a ticking robot.
Of course it's best to practise with a click, having great feel along with great time are halmarks of the best drummers. Of course there should be some consistency. But there should be no regrets over a single misplaced bpm.
Tempo. The driving force. The pace at which you march or sprint. That characterizes the feel you want to evoke. But if you can't play to a click on recording day, it's best not to. That would be wasting precious time practising when you should be busy making music. If you're at the level of playing comfortably with a click, then it can give you great security like a safety net. But sometimes people fall off the rope when making art.
It's taking those risks that make it beautiful. And if you fall off the rope, if you don't die you'll learn.
Let's change our goals. Let's stop shooting for perfect and let's stand out instead.
No hit record was a hit solely because it had metronomic time. It was about the emotion and vibe which ultimately translated to the listener, like a virus infecting you unexpectedly, before you know it, you have a cough.
It takes guts to try it. Everyone will be against it. Of course perfect timefeel is something to strive for in any musician. But can't it be a little slower in the relaxed parts then speed up a tad when you decide to push it up to a 10?
How about how the band gels together? That's way more important than being "perfect". The excitement of the piece, the power that slaps you in the face and the dynamics that asks you consolingly if you're okay.
We should strive for this emotional vibrance and vitality. We should go for it or forever regret it. The recording should be a picture of what you were feeling at the time, and that feeling shouldn't be the memory of struggling to get along with a ticking robot.
Of course it's best to practise with a click, having great feel along with great time are halmarks of the best drummers. Of course there should be some consistency. But there should be no regrets over a single misplaced bpm.
Tempo. The driving force. The pace at which you march or sprint. That characterizes the feel you want to evoke. But if you can't play to a click on recording day, it's best not to. That would be wasting precious time practising when you should be busy making music. If you're at the level of playing comfortably with a click, then it can give you great security like a safety net. But sometimes people fall off the rope when making art.
It's taking those risks that make it beautiful. And if you fall off the rope, if you don't die you'll learn.
Let's change our goals. Let's stop shooting for perfect and let's stand out instead.
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