The natural meter challenge!

Nice job Bill, Todd & Larry. I'm planning to give this a try as well when I get a chance. As Todd & Larry mentioned, the real challenge would be to do it with a tempo that's a bit (or maybe a lot) outside your wheelhouse.

Also: I'd be interested in hearing about what methods people have used and found particularly useful in developing their meter.

For me, listening to a song or groove in my head and then essentially playing along with it has been helpful. For example, if I conjure up a John Phillip Sousa march in my mind and just play along, then I can do c. 120 for a good stretch, especially if I switch up the different parts that I'm "listening" to in my mind, keeping it fresh & more interesting. I also try to let go of any physical sense of being in my body and just listen as if I were sitting out in front of the kit listening to, say Vinnie. Might even develop an image of that in my mind, kind of channeling them.

What about you?
 
Interesting idea. I'll have to try it sometime. In my orchestra gig, I've found that even professional directors/conductors have tempos all over the place. One of our directors (who is also a percussionist) in particular is really bad about tempo to the point I would rather not rehearse with him.

I wonder if I could get HIM to take the challenge! :)
 
spleen said:
Also: I'd be interested in hearing about what methods people have used and found particularly useful in developing their meter.
Click to expand...

I try and recapture however it feels in my body to play for one bar (or section).... and then repeat it so it feels exactly the same, and so on. I go on my own steadiness, which isn't spot on perfect. Everybody feels time in a different way, I'm convinced. Some are more stickler about it than others, and everybody has tendencies that they are convinced are right. Not saying they aren't, it's just that people perceive the same thing in different ways. So I adjust to whoever I'm playing with. I try to categorize their feel generally and try and complement that.
 
OK, here is my attempt. I set up the BPM meter so the camera could see it but I could not. The meter is sitting on the bass drum.

I started at about 118 BPM. The tempo varied 117, 116, 119 and one time even went down to 115. Might be due to me changing the way I was playing. It is just too hard for me to play a constant no changing groove for 5 minutes. But I ended up at 118 in the end.

Here is the video:

http://youtu.be/8LuDZdO_lDA



.
 
That was highly entertaining Jim!!!!!! I watched the whole thing smiling and laughing the whole time.
 
Brilliant .

Hollywood Jim said:
OK, here is my attempt. I set up the BPM meter so the camera could see it but I could not. The meter is sitting on the bass drum.

I started at about 118 BPM. The tempo varied 117, 116, 119 and one time even went down to 115. Might be due to me changing the way I was playing. It is just too hard for me to play a constant no changing groove for 5 minutes. But I ended up at 118 in the end.

Here is the video:

http://youtu.be/8LuDZdO_lDA



.
Click to expand...
 
Great job, guys. Probably be another few days before I can post mine.
 
Hollywood Jim said:
OK, here is my attempt. I set up the BPM meter so the camera could see it but I could not. The meter is sitting on the bass drum.

I started at about 118 BPM. The tempo varied 117, 116, 119 and one time even went down to 115. Might be due to me changing the way I was playing. It is just too hard for me to play a constant no changing groove for 5 minutes. But I ended up at 118 in the end.

Here is the video:

http://youtu.be/8LuDZdO_lDA



.
Click to expand...

That was awesome!!! Thanks, Jim!
 
Sorry this took me so long. I haven't had a chance when I'm at the studio, and I rent a room so playing drums at home is technically prohibited, lol. However, the roommate was away so I threw together a quick vid.

Sadly, I don't have a smartphone, nor do I have my rhythm watch at home, so I don't know what my starting/ending tempos are. Can anyone help me out by checking and posting? Thanks!

And now, for your listening boredom...

http://youtu.be/MIFsvcjjZTA

PS - I'll be damned if it didn't start raining again just as I finished! lol

PPS - I am not left handed and I have no idea why or how the video got reversed in editing...
 
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Here's the grid of my challenge. I have the recording on CD if anyone actually wants to hear it.
 

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That's great, 8Mile! And thanks for checking mine -

Looks like I started about 119 and ended at 115., dropping down below 114 at one point. Kind of disappointing but educational!

It also confirmed what I thought I heard - that I slowed down by the end.

What a cool challenge! Thanks BillRay, and 8Mile.
 
IDDrummer said:
Sorry this took me so long. I haven't had a chance when I'm at the studio, and I rent a room so playing drums at home is technically prohibited, lol. However, the roommate was away so I threw together a quick vid.

Sadly, I don't have a smartphone, nor do I have my rhythm watch at home, so I don't know what my starting/ending tempos are. Can anyone help me out by checking and posting? Thanks!

And now, for your listening boredom...

http://youtu.be/MIFsvcjjZTA

PS - I'll be damned if it didn't start raining again just as I finished! lol

PPS - I am not left handed and I have no idea why or how the video got reversed in editing...
Click to expand...

Hey! I got your PM, just forgot to answer back! It's really cool watching the videos, even skipping around... and at the 4:50 or so mark everyone's just got this look of "there's the finish line!!" on their faces.

If this challenge has done anything it's to get everyone looking at their time and realizing that it's stronger than they think. And the best thing... "natural time" will always win out over a drum machine. :D
 
8Mile said:
Here's the grid of my challenge. I have the recording on CD if anyone actually wants to hear it.
Click to expand...

I like the grid idea. You can see the whole thing from a birdseye view, and how far you went off, and where. Beautiful. You did good Lar, nice going.

I want to put my grid up, I did make a recording but haven't posted it.

How you do dat grid thing? What program is that?
 
Hey, Larry. Thanks. It's an app for iPhone called liveBPM. I think it cost a buck or two, can't remember now if I paid for it or not. When I recorded mine, I was in the studio and the engineer I was working with had never heard of it. He was pretty excited about it and downloaded it right away. It's really cool.
 
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