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Fine degrees of playing up on the beat


KK Jale
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Watching a video of a recent (and very enjoyable) dep I did - acoustic country-soully-rocky band with a good drummer, never played with him before - I noticed that I do have a tendency at times to play towards the front of the beat. Pushing a touch, if you like.

It's a bit of a surprise as I always thought I was a middlish-of-the-pocket kind of player.

If I'm right in what I hear (and maybe I'm not), I suspect it's the kind of deep-set thing that would take quite a lot of work to correct, and I'm not sure if I should.

Nobody's ever complained, but I'm wondering if it would be good to recognise it and try to keep an eye on it.

On the other hand... are such things the meat of what makes a rhythm section individual? For instance, I've heard Booker T and the MGs tunes which had Duck Dunn (personal hero) as a fairly on-it bassist, and Al Jackson (total genius) who was sometimes so far behind the beat that he was still outside in the street.

Any thoughts?

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[quote name='KK Jale' timestamp='1401036222' post='2459371']...Any thoughts?[/quote]

It's music. That's how it works at its best. Metronome for practice, no problem. 'Click' to synchronise with the entry of samples..? OK. Strict, 'in the pocket' for everything..? Not at all. The Golden Rule always trumps the rest: if it sounds (feels...) good, it is good.
Yes, it's worthwhile listening to and working on different ways of playing around and on the beat, but I wouldn't approve of it turning into a fetish. Practice, work on it, woodshed away, but on the night, the music takes precedence, imo. Classical music is far more open to this sort of nuance, be it soloists or the band. Not 'out of time', or 'off', but playing musically is what it's for. It's true that some styles are more 'strict' than others, though.
Disclaimer: I'm principally a drummer. :ph34r:

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