If you’re a drummer and you’re seriously studying this amazing instrument, you’ve probably heard about macro & micro timing in drumming. But what does it really mean?

In simple terms, micro timing refers to the distance between each note in a rhythmic figure or subdivision, while macro timing is the more noticeable part of a rhythmic structure, such as hitting the snare on the upbeat and the bass drum on the downbeat.

Macro Timing: The First Step to Improve Your Tempo

Now let’s talk about macro timing in drumming. This concept is broad and focuses on clearly marking the tempo of a piece, regardless of its time signature.

An example of macro timing is the drummer’s ability to “hit the 1” after every fill they play.

Pretty simple, right? It’s the foundation for every drummer when learning to play with a metronome, but this concept has been developed and taken to higher levels.

Check out this example by Bolivian drummer, Eduardo Navarre (Efecto Mandarina), where he shows us how he developed and refined his macro timing.

Micro Timing in drumming: Details That Separate the Pros from the Rest of Us

Micro timing in drumming is like the art of finely adjusting each hit you play. Imagine you’re playing a fill in 16th notes, but the distance between each note is different. It isn’t a good look on your playing, is it?

Check out this example from the great Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta, Suicidal Tendencies) alongside another drummer. Thomas plays the drums until minute 2:10, and then the other drummer starts grooving while Pridgen looks for a tambourine.

Did you feel any difference in the groove? Can you notice the level of the other drummer compared to Thomas’?

If you noticed it, it’s due to Thomas Pridgen’s micro timing: it’s excellent and creates a sense of solidity. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing the most basic rhythm or the most complicated chops you’ve ever heard: each note has an almost perfect distance.

On the other hand, the other drummer tends to delay some bass drum hits, and the ghost notes feel a bit out of place.

In my opinion, this is the clearest example of why a professional drummer sounds amazing, while the performance of a beginner or intermediate drummer is immediately noticed: the pros got great micro timing.

So, Am I a Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Drummer?

If you want to check how your micro timing is doing, try the following exercise:

Set the metronome to 80 BPM and play 2 measures of 16th notes. You can use any sticking or rudiment you like. Record yourself playing this exercise.

Then, using a DAW (Audacity, Reaper, etc.), generate 8 measures of 320BPM click track. Align the first beat of both tracks and analyze if you’re dragging or rushing on each note you play.

If you feel there’s room for improvement, I’ll leave a couple of exercises below that can help you get better.

How Do I Work on Micro and Macro Timing in Drumming?

If anyone deserves more recognition, it’s Nate Smith and his YouTube channel The 80/20 Drummer, where he has already covered topics like this in much more depth, even sharing free resources to work on our micro and macro timing in drumming.

I’m a big fan of his work, and I don’t think I could explain it better than he does, so I suggest you check out his channel because the information he shares is invaluable.

On the other hand, I’ll also share my tips and exercises so you can have a solid starting point.

EXERCISE 1: Micro Timing

For this, you’ll need a metronome app capable of subdividing the measure. Personally, I use Metronome Beats Pro, and it works great, but experiment if you want to and stick with the one you like the most.

First, set the metronome to 80 BPM, subdividing it in 16th notes or four hits per beat. You should play two measures of any groove you want and another two playing your favorite fills.

Do this for 5 minutes, and then remove the subdivision. Practice the same groove and the same fills. You should feel the difference between both stages of the exercise and identify if you’re rushing or dragging.

The challenge of this exercise is to use active listening: noticing your mistakes, trying not to flam, and, above all, honestly recognizing if there’s room for you to improve.

Exercise 2: Macro Timing

Just like with the micro timing exercise, you should set the metronome to 80 BPM, this time with no subdivisions at all, and play two measures of groove and another two of fills.

Then, silence the metronome on beats 2, 3, and 4. If the app you chose doesn’t have this function, you can set the metronome to 20 BPM.

Play the same exercise and concentrate on trying to “hit the 1” after every measure. Do this for 5 minutes without stopping.

The importance of this exercise lies in the difficulty of not losing track of the internal tempo and being much more aware of the space between measures.

If you find this entry useful, want to know more or just want to talk, send me a message on any social media. You can find the links here.