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drummers not so much
IMO practising to a click is more beneficial, but only when used effectively. A drum machine/loop is great, but there is always something there, supporting you. Ditto playing to a quarter note click.
Try this - play something, it can be a lick, a song or just going up and down a scale, but something you can play easily. You could even just clap in time with the metronome.
Set a tempo of say 120bpm.
Play to a drum loop at that tempo
Then play to a metronome at 120bpm. So far so good most probably?
Cut the metronome in half (60bpm) and play the thing you're doing at the original tempo. Doing so increases the space between the clicks creating more space and this will probably throw you off at first.
Cut the tempo again to 30bpm.
Then again to 15bpm.
The lower the bpm the more space, thus making it much harder to keep in time and not drift. It'll feel impossible at first, maybe even for a while but it's great when you get it.
I think it can be done equally with a drum machine as it can a metronome tough, right? I.e. Play the drum machine slower or every just delete parts of the pattern?
I didn't think there could be an advantage but I have heard people, including some I respect, saying a metronome is advantageous.
I wonder if it's that they find quarter notes more advantageous - and are associating those with a metronome - than eighth notes - and are associating those with a drum beat.
But for me that's where a metronome wins (in this instance at least). The space really forces focus and the ability to manipulate the beat placement and how that effects things is really fun.
Having the click on beats 2 and 4, the + of 2 and 4 as well as the + of 1 and 3. Or only on one beat in the bar, say the + of 4.
There is a great metronome app called Time Guru, where you can randomly mute the click to varying extents.
Which reminds me, I should get back to it!
Why would the drum machine start off with more?
The metronome gives you 4 cues per bar (4 clicks in each bar). But the drum machine gives you 16 cues per bar. So in that scenario, the drum machine is giving you more of a crutch to lean on.
Clearly not. But I’d guess that most drum grooves have hits on more than just the 1 and/or the 2 and/or or the 3 and/or the 4 of each bar. And when they do, they are offering more support than a 1/4 note metronome. That’s all I’m saying.
It seems to me that when those people are suggesting a metronome over a drum machine, they're thinking of the drum machine playing specific patterns they might be used to.
Really they're saying there's benefit to practicing to less supportive beats and overlooking that drum machines can do those just as well as a metronome.
From the responses here I think it's quite possible that those giving such advice may be associating drum machines with certain beats and not thinking that they can be set any way.
Really the valuable advice is to set whatever you use as a click to only sound on some of the beats, leaving you to count the rest in your head and be in time for when the next sounding one comes in.
The point mentioned above about having to count for yourself where each bar starts might be useful to some people, though personally that's not something I've ever had any trouble with at all, even when I first started playing.
Even if the drum machine is playing with HH on the beat, Kick on 1 & 3, Snare on 2 & 4, then it's still going to feel less 'sterile' than just a click on each beat.
I wonder if there is some sort of puritanical thinking going on here that says “the more tedious it is the better it is for you”? The most important thing is to practice to some sort of mechanical time keeper, drum machine. metronome, whatever.
I disagree with your assertion that anyone here only associates drums machines only with certain beats or thinking that they can’t be be set any other way at all.
https://youtu.be/Yh8PATuI_NU
Perhaps the term ‘developing your inner metronome’ should be changed to ‘developing your inner drum machine’ eh?
No puritanical thinking on my part, and I don’t get that from anyone else here. Different strokes etc but I don’t find a click sterile at all. In fact give me a basic click over some drum machines any day of the week!