# Difficulty with timing (djent)



## BlueFuzion (Nov 4, 2011)

I've been playing guitar for several years now, and I just got my first 7-string the other day, so I've decided to start learning some Periphery stuff. I'm finding it very difficult to time their style of music, CAFO by Animals As Leaders for example, it's incredibly hard for me. I've been around some awkward rhythms and what not playing stuff like Wretched, Between the Buried and Me, Tool, As I Lay Dying and other bands as well. But this style just isn't clicking for me, I can't 'feel' the rhythm out like I usually do, cause they always end up throwing some weird alternated riff in the middle of a section and they throw it in an odd number of times or something. So can someone give me some tips on timing this stuff?


----------



## Asterix (Nov 4, 2011)

Try listening to click tracks of different tempos and time signatures. It helped me a whole lot.


----------



## Solodini (Nov 5, 2011)

Count it. Count and work out how many beats each phrase is built from so you know how things move. Misha seems to like using groups of 5 semiquavers in 4/4 as the basis of a lot of riffs (Letter Experiment, Icarus Lives).


----------



## BlueFuzion (Nov 5, 2011)

Okay, I can try that, also I think part of the problem is hearing it, for example, when I made an attempt at Racecar, about 1 and a half minutes in at the 'We are thunder' part I can barely hear the drums/guitar/bass, and if I turn my guitar down, I can't hear myself over the mix, so It's kind of difficult to keep time. I can keep time fairly easy with guitar pro, but when I play along with the actual song, I mess up the timing.


----------



## Solodini (Nov 5, 2011)

Once you learn to count the parts while you play, the recording will become your metronome and you should be fine. Count in 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4e+a, accenting those which you are playing a note on. Count the rhythms on their own but with the transcription in front of you first, then close your eyes and count it. Go back to the manuscript if this shows you haven't internalised it yet. You don't need to be able to count it at speed yet, just be able to determine where the notes are within the bar. Next learn where your fingers need to go for each note, then slowly (half time, probably) count it while playing it. Practise that, work it up to speed, play it along with the midi, practise like that (still counting it, whether in your head or out loud) then play along with the recording when it's solid.


----------



## BlueFuzion (Nov 5, 2011)

Alright, that makes much more sense to me, thanks a bunch for the tips! I'm gonna try it out now.


----------



## Solodini (Nov 5, 2011)

No problem. I'm here to help.  Let me know how you get on!


----------



## BlueFuzion (Nov 5, 2011)

Spent a little while on it, and nailed it! I can play that part of Racecar with the recording now, just had to spend a little extra time on it! 

EDIT: Gonna start using the counting method from now on while learning stuff like this.


----------



## Aevolve (Nov 6, 2011)

I don't tend to count my rhythms, even when I'm learning parts- although I can completely understand how that would help people.

"Djenty" stuff tends to put most of its weight on the groove. Try just listening to the song and feeling a groove to it, and it may stick in your head a little better and translate onto the guitar.


tl;dr: Bob that head broseph.


----------



## BlueFuzion (Nov 7, 2011)

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> I don't tend to count my rhythms, even when I'm learning parts- although I can completely understand how that would help people.
> 
> "Djenty" stuff tends to put most of its weight on the groove. Try just listening to the song and feeling a groove to it, and it may stick in your head a little better and translate onto the guitar.
> 
> ...



This actually helped me better than the counting, I never thought bobbing my head would help me keep time, because when I do usually do it, it's not in time, and I'm just bobbing my head to just bob my head lol. It helps when I actually try!


----------



## Aevolve (Nov 8, 2011)

BlueFuzion said:


> This actually helped me better than the counting, I never thought bobbing my head would help me keep time, because when I do usually do it, it's not in time, and I'm just bobbing my head to just bob my head lol. It helps when I actually try!







...


----------



## The Reverend (Nov 8, 2011)

I don't play djent, but when I encounter a strange timing that throws me off and I'm playing to a song, I look for something that carries a straight beat, like a crash or china. In lieu of that, I bob my head to the tempo, ignoring what's going on with the phrasing. A metronome with no accents on the first beat or whatever does a great job of this as well. Then I can focus on what's accented and where, or where one of these tricksters like Bulb pull some nonsense.


----------

