The groove/feel considerations we’ve covered so far (subdivision, shuffle vs. straight, playing in odd time signatures) can be thought of as “big picture” issues. We’ll now “zoom in” over the next few lessons and examine some of the critical subtleties.

Tempo vs. Feel

Most of us are familiar with the term “tempo”, which can be thought of as the speed or rate at which the song is played. When playing along with a metronome, the clicks establish a steady and predictable tempo.

“Feel” in this context refers to a scenario where the tempo is remaining consistent (i.e., it’s not speeding up or slowing down), but the rhythm section is phrasing the groove slightly ahead (“on top”) creating a sense of excitement or urgency...or slightly behind (“laying back”) and giving the groove a relaxed, lazy feel.

Injecting this feel is something that’s done deliberately, but it’s subtle. It’s definitely not something you’d count slightly ahead or behind the click (would be much too overt and likely send you careening into what I call Groovicidal Tendencies - rushing and/or dragging the tempo!). However, it is definitely tangible when you hear musicians do it well.

Having a fundamental grasp of these feels is incredibly valuable for any musician seeking to effectively convey a tune on an emotional level. It’s also an essential element (in terms of authenticity) when playing numerous styles of music.

“On Top”

There are times when the song or style calls for urgency/excitement/wild abandon, and this emotion can be enhanced if the rhythm section phrases the groove slightly on top of the click or song tempo.

To get analytical about it for a moment, drummers can really inject this feel by placing the snare hit slightly ahead of metronomic time. Bassists can accomplish it by placing their notes where it’s almost as if pulling the click along.

Here’s an example of a bashy rock groove that is phrased slightly on top.

Audio Example 1

Audio Example 1 + Click

With Click Track

Can you sense the extra bit of excitement and energy when a groove is slightly on top of the beat?

EXERCISE 1

Play a rock groove along with a metronome or drum machine and make an effort to phrase it slightly on top of the beat. Record yourself for a while, listen back analytically (taking a mental note of what was working and what wasn’t), then record yourself some more. This will help develop a feel for the distinction between playing on top and rushing.