How Good Is Your Time, Really?

The click runs for four bars, then disappears for four. Keep playing. When it comes back you'll see exactly how many milliseconds you drifted, and which way.

▶ Side A · Time Feel TestBBL-T01

100

Silence lasts

Tap here (or press space) on every beat while the click is silent.

Phase-

Drift-

Verdict-

Next step

The click tells you where the beat is. It doesn't tell you where to put your note.

Once you can hold four with one click a bar, the next question is which side of the beat you're sitting on. Ahead of it, on top of it, or behind it. A metronome can't teach you that, and it's the first thing a drummer hears.

Pocket Drills is seven short video drills on exactly that:

The three sides of the beat, and how to move between them on purpose
The back-of-the-beat spot, and how to sit there without dragging
What to do when the drummer's pushing ahead (and when to go with it)
Matching, opposing, leading: the three ways to answer a drummer
The imaginary third subdivision that makes a triplet feel sit
The accent-shift drill for a triplet feel that's too even

$19 for people who use these tools. It's usually $27.

Get Pocket Drills for $19

Instant access. Short enough to get through tonight.

Reading the result

Under 20 ms is excellent. Nobody in the room hears that.
20 to 50 ms is normal and fixable with subdivision practice.
Over 50 ms is audible. Slow the tempo down and try again before blaming the drummer.
Rushing usually means you stopped subdividing. Dragging usually means you're listening back instead of forward.

How Good Is Your Time, Really?

Where should I send it?

Silence lasts

Reading the result

Your next step

The Five-Feel Groove System