Do you (can you) count 1, 2, 3, 4 per bar while playing?

[discreet]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1378746775' post='2204166']
I suspect divine intervention.
[/quote]

Is that why when you play, everyone shouts out, 'Oh God!!'...?

[discreet]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1378766019' post='2204572']
And a ONE two three four, kick two three four, ball-chang two three four' etc
[/quote]

This 'ball-chang' - is it a piece of equipment or a service, or what..? How much do you charge for it?

[tedmanzie]

[quote name='Mook' timestamp='1378802834' post='2204718']
This is the perfect excuse to post a Yolanda Charles link [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Lszt2HPK8[/media]
[/quote]

this is exactly what i'm talking about!
trying to separate mind from hands.

i'd like to be able to yabber on while playing a bassline.

Edited September 10, 2013 by tedmanzie

[cheddatom]

The only time I do do it is for weird timings. Not weird time signiatures, (5s or 7s are easy) but when you have 3 bars of 6 and one of 5 or something like that. It's really difficult to do!

[Dave Vader]

I don't do it conciously, but it turns out if you watch one or other of my feet, one of them will be hitting all the beats I am not playing. (I had no idea til someone pointed it out to me)
Seriously screwed up a cajon player a year or two ago as he was trying to take the rhythm from my foot tapping.

[seashell]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1378808441' post='2204789']
This 'ball-chang' - is it a piece of equipment or a service, or what..? How much do you charge for it?
[/quote]

Lol, that's supposed to be ball -change. Your query could still apply though of course!

[clauster]

I can if I have to.

Athough I struggled with 7/4 for agaes until I realised that seven has two syllables

[discreet]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1378811431' post='2204839']
Lol, that's supposed to be ball-change. Your query could still apply though of course!
[/quote]

Eurgh, sounds a bit too radical, even for me... I'm happy with the ones I've got. More or less.

[Geek99]

I do count because I used to have awful time and lose my place a lot.

[Guest bassman7755]

Only with stuff involving long rests and half beats and then its really only a safety net rather than a necessity.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='clauster' timestamp='1378811699' post='2204843'] I can if I have to. Athough I struggled with 7/4 for agaes until I realised that seven has two syllables [/quote]

The trick with odd meters (5, 7 etc) is to internalise the feel of them, you can do this by just practicing tapping your fingers on something and emphasizing every 5 or 7th beat respectively. Do this every day for a few minutes and within a week you wont need to consciously count.

[seashell]

Another thing I do is have little phrases going on in my head to help me remember the rhythm.
For eg, with 'Gigantic' the helpful phrase is 'and one motorboat, and one motorboat'.
For Ace of Spades it's 'I'm an elephant and I'm a tiger' *

No idea why those particular phrases popped into my head - they just did.



(* I should point out I have never played Ace of Spades in public and am never likely to TBH. It's just too fast for me )

[JamesBass]

Count while playing?! Christ no, I hope by the time I'm live and playing the song that I will know it and any nuances that my band or the band I'm playing with add to it, if I'm short notice then I'll not count but often stand further back and keep an eye on the drummer and follow his rhythms for most things. I used to count all the time but when I started to do backing vocals the whole counting thing has become an impossibility to me and my simple man brain!

It's corny but I like to just feel the groove and react to it?

[iD Entity]

I count on three occasions:
1) when there's a complete musical pause within a song, I'll count the space before coming back in.
2) when a pattern repeats for long section, I won't count beats but I will count how many times I've gone through the riff to keep track.
3) when I have to pedal a note on a proggy part, I'll count along.

Thanks for posting that Yolanda video btw... well timed, as I'm just recently trying to get some backing vocals into my reportoire!

[fretmeister]

Not if the tune isn't in 4/4 !

[Pete Academy]

Never count, not even with my foot. As said previously, it becomes internalized after so long.

[skoze]

Never consiously - just listen to what the drummer's up to and tap my foot/ bounce a bit if there's a big fill or a section with no drums in it. I've never given it a thought 'til now though!

Definitely in with the "get it or don't" crowd, it just kinda happens...

[discreet]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1378815569' post='2204934']
...I'm an elephant and I'm a tiger.
[/quote]

PM sent. [size=4] [/size]

[M@23]

No, I think as others have said you just feel it after a while. Especially if you sing a bit too, you don't really have the choice! Though, if the drummer isn't great (!!) I will count pauses and other little bits.

[tinyd]

I do if we're working out a new bit of a tune or something. I find it easier to know that a break is on "3 AND" rather than rely on the collective memories of band members the next time we do the tune. But most of the time the internal clock seems to do the trick.

[4 Strings]

Only consciously for odd bits here and when I need to come back in after gaps or a particular drum bit where he plays consecutive linears and I lose track.

I'm the one who has to count repeats for the band though (outros etc) so i'm versed in 1234,2234,3234,4234 etc

[Telebass]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1378743288' post='2204067']
I am much more likely to deliberately count out rests , especially if there is no cue from the drummer . "Substitute" by The Who is a song that immidiately comes to mind where I would do that .
[/quote]
This. Ish.

[hollywoodrox]

Good when you are practising , learning new songs

[Lowender]

If you can't do it, then you should practice doing it.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1378744740' post='2204108']
I don't count in standard timings. I just rely on the feel and/or the drummer! But we do a couple of numbers with odd timings (eg 7/8) and I do find myself consciously counting through those, at elast when we're learning the songs.
[/quote]

Times like these - Foo Fighters. If I don't count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2..... I'm lost