by Alan S. Kinsey A drummer’s time is probably the single most important factor in deciding whether a group is pushed apart or pulled together. It is necessary to understand that time is a musical feeling. This feeling can be played three different ways: as a trailing edge, as a leading edge, or at dead center. It is important to note that the basic tempo of any musical piece is not to be changed, though the feeling of that tempo may be adjusted for varied situations. Let’s take a close-up look at each one individually.Trailing Edge (see example #1) Trailing edge can be defined as behind the basic time feeling. This can be achieved by playing hard accents on the counts of two and four in each measure, as in the Stripper, or a shout chorus in big band. In today’s disco music a groove is sometimes established by using […]

October 1978 Issue