[Harp-L] rhythm playing



Playing with a drum machine can really help out your time, especially if you decide to start playing other instruments.
A band can really become fun and interesting when each person keeps their own time so that others can wander and try different rhythms.

I'm now mostly playing bass and fronting a trio, with a couple of tunes where our guitarist does the bass line and rhythm guitar parts and I play harp. If you've got two really good guitarists and a drummer with a strong right foot you can gig without a bass player and sound great.

Here's a little exercise that I do with our drummer when the two of us rehearse.
We take turns playing ahead of the beat while the other holds the beat steady.
Sometimes we play to a click track to check on how we're keeping time.

You can try the same thing with a drum machine or cheap keyboard (both way more fun than a metronome).
Think about playing just ahead or behind the beats, record it and listen to the difference in feel.

If you also play drums, guitar, or bass, or just want to check out great rhythm arranging check out the 
The Funkmasters: The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections
http://tinyurl.com/656b5
- no affiliation, just think it's great

Ned





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