okiemuse
Junior Member
I recently heard an interview with Hal Blaine describing his productive sessions with Phil Spector. Hal said one of the things he usually did was take the 2 and 4 and play them a "hair" behind the beat. Note that for this newbie, it's an accomplishment to consistently play directly on the beat. So I got into some basic drum machine software and started experimenting with 2 and 4. Yes there's a difference as I move them around, but I'm not sure if I'm moving too far or not enough. My ears tell me that I can't pull those beats back more than about 1/10th of the beat without things sounding odd. (The software divides the space between 1 and 2 into 12 slices.)
The reason I'm burning to learn this is that I'm fascinated by the energy drummers get when they do this. I notice it mostly in reggae and jazz.
The reason I'm burning to learn this is that I'm fascinated by the energy drummers get when they do this. I notice it mostly in reggae and jazz.