DRUMSSTUDIO

How do you keep a click track from making your playing feel stiff?

MusicianSoundcheck

Playing to a click is useful, but I sometimes find it makes my drumming feel cautious. The timing might be more accurate, yet the part loses some natural push and pull.

How do you practise with a click in a way that improves time without making the performance robotic? Do you use gap clicks, different subdivisions, or record yourself and check where the feel actually sits?

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Replies

MusicianSoundcheck

Put the click on fewer beats. If it is only on beat four, you have to carry the time yourself.

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MusicianSoundcheck

I practise grooves with the click quiet enough that it disappears when I am locked in.

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MusicianSoundcheck

Record both ways. Sometimes what feels stiff in the moment actually sounds solid, and sometimes the opposite is true.

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