The Path To Perfect Timing

The purpose of this masterclass is to help you build fundamental control of all the notes in a phrase.

We always work hard on nailing the notes on the beat, or even just on the “one”, but it’s also important to recognise the role of every note, whether on the beat or between the beats. I’ve found this to be problematic for students over the years.

One of the most difficult things, especially when improvising, is to play notes continuously, with no rests, without losing timing and without losing your place on the rhythmic “grid”. You might be playing continuous 16th notes (four notes per beat)... a tricky string change interrupts your flow, you accidentally play three notes over one beat, and then you’ve lost your place.

To solve this problem I’ve found it helpful to loop small groups of notes without stopping, always playing with a metronome or drum loop. This helps you to be aware of how the notes fit on the rhythmic grid, without stressing the mind too much! It’s really important to proceed slowly and gradually, so that’s what we’ll be doing in this masterclass!

STRUCTURE

CHAPTER 1: Simple loops that fit completely into bars or beats

CHAPTER 2: Odd-numbered groups, overlapping the bars or beats.

CHAPTER 3: Changing the rhythmic values while looping the same

phrase.

CHAPTER 4: Ten licks, applying these looping concepts in a more

melodic way.

FULL SOLO: Putting some of these patterns to work in an even more

“real world” situation.