How Deep is Your Beat? 

I've been trying this macro time approach for about a month now and it has really improved my sense of time and space. I've noticed that by not having a click at the top of 4 of 8 bars but having it on 4 of the first bar really improved my tendency to rush certain phrases. So it works really well to both improve your time and reduce any dependency on the click. You can still potentially be sloppy in between so it's still important to make sure you're playing subdivisions accurately but micro time practice addresses that. Thanks again for a great lesson!

Thanks Robert! I love that 3/4 in 4/4 & 7/8 in 4/4 concept, but I use drum loops instead. Difficult indeed, but sure feels good when you line everything back up in 4. Like coming home!

thanks for watching Stephane!

thanks Chaka!

I like that 'just listen' concept a bunch. When I'm not feeling it yet it kinda forces me into that anyways though on the really slow clicks. I remember you bringing up the macro time on the 'About Time' video a while back and I knew it was time (not a pun! lol) to revisit this concept. I'm glad you felt the relative pitch/time analogy, because it definitely feels legit to me. I will have to research Mr. Hoenig's (I'm a big fan of his!) stance on this, because I'm sure I'd learn a lot and am not aware yet. Thanks for watching and for the insightful comments!

@@bobdeboo8549 Very interesting stuff, indeed. I always talk about it because I want to see how pro's like yourself approach macro time. I'm still at the tip of the iceberg. I remember that Ari said that he thought that macro time was too vague, and that he always strives for the precision of subdivision. There's the same issue with people about key based contextual ear training--they think it's too vague. After spending 10 years with contextual key based ear training, the whole point is to layer in the detail and complexity of harmony onto the key center--as to create movement while still retaining the cohesion of playing an entire composition--such as a jazz standard. Harmony becomes a spice to the rue that is the key center--it all flows in the same base. All sauce and no spice is boring flavor, indeed. All spice and no sauce means that you are at risk of losing the flavor the dish and getting overwhelmed by all that spice. Hope that comparison makes some sense :) Same with macro time. The subdivisions are still there, but they punctuate the "rue" that holds the entire sauce together. When you look at the subdivisions in isolation, you may only see eighth notes, sixteenths, and some rests. When you look at subdivisions within the context of macro time, you see how they work to build a complete phrase--like how syncopated hits build to release at the end of a four bar phrase. You see the release through the context of that larger span of time. One day, I'll convince some masters of macro time and contextual ear training to guest speak at Open Studio. Until then, this was an EXCELLENT intro into the world of macro time--a concept I've been trying to convince drummers round RU-vid to talk about for over a decade :) Awesome work as usual, Mr. Bob!

thanks Roberto!

Thanks Pieter!

thank you Charles!

That's very cool! I appreciate your perspective from the classical side. Have you tried it where you keep slowing the metronome like in this video? I would be curious, because it seems like fluidity in tempo and expression are hallmarks of a lot of the classical rep...

@@bobdeboo8549 A month ago I download that app that you recommended in which you can slowly remove the beats I cannot figure out for the life of me how to operate the damn thing

@@stevenj9970 oh no, really? What's going on with it? I've been using it for years, so I can likely help

they do

What's up. Do you mean you wish Open Studio had jazz guitar?

@@bobdeboo8549 yes