Originally Posted By: Mac
He "avoids" nothing, Scott.

What he is doing, is counting for himself at all times, not waiting on the metronome.

When that is done correctly, as he does it, both the player and the metronome are counting for themselves at all times and both will then "hit" at exactly the same time, regardless of the Time Signature.

If you wait until you hear the metronome, you've waited too long and you will play AFTER the metronome. And besides that, it means that you are NOT counting as you play.


--Mac


OK, perhaps the wrong choice of word on my part. I'm talking about the groove he is playing. To my ear, he is absolutely locked in, but playing in between the beeps/beats for the most part.

He is using the metronome to get the time locked in unless he has "perfect BPM" which he indeed may have, but of course he is not listening for the beep each and every time.

I did not mean to imply that he is listening for each beat and then saying to himself "ok, beep over now play".

When I listen to what he is playing I hear mostly stuff like this, with this as the legend:
B = beep or beat from the metronome,
V = victor's note onset.

B V B V B B V B/V etc.

I don't hear much of B/V, B/V, B/V where he's playing on top of the beat. Seems like he's playing in between, as part of the establishment of the funky groove. Not listening for the beats and then playing - which of course human reaction time will put too far behind the needed note onset.

That's all I meant by 'avoiding'. What would have been a better choice of word instead of avoid? I can see where avoid could be interpreted as 'first detect, then avoid'. Not what I'm talking about at all.

Simply, that for a funky groove like the first example, playing off of the beat (those could be musically confounding terms as well) is crucial to bring it. I think it's instructive how it does get a little more complicated to keep the same groove going when it's 1/4 notes on the beeps at 80 BPM instead of the 1/8 notes at 80.

I am going to re-visit this video with my daughter Emma, to whom I'm just starting to teach the bass fretboard, as a great practice tool.

-Scott

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