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I have experienced one of the most interesting musical revelations of my life, gradually over the last several years, in studying West African dance-drumming and in playing jazz, hip-hop and funk. The revelation was that the simplest repetitive musical patterns could be imbued with a universe of expression.

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Bilmes (1993) conducted a timing analysis of a recorded performance of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, an Afro-Cuban rumba group [CD-37]. In a performance averaging 110 beats per minute (such that what would be a notated sixteenth note lasts around 135 milliseconds), both the quinto and the segundo (lead and middle conga drum, respectively) tend to play about 30 milliseconds ahead, or "on top."

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both the quinto and the segundo (lead and middle conga drum, respectively) tend to play about 30 milliseconds ahead, or "on top."

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They "tend" to? That is pretty vague. Relative to who? Did they record with a click reference? I might be inclined to say they also tend to rush, but I would not know unless I heard it or was in the group. Perhaps they felt dragging going on and wanted to keep everyone in line. Relative to the draging they heard, their beat might have felt right on. But I would say, since they did not do it invariably, that they probably meant to play right on time. The point of practicing with a metronome, is to play right smack on time as much as you are capable. Practice being off time a hair, I don't really get it? Practice like that, and you certainly will be off time.

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On the other hand, the tumbao (low conga drum) had a much broader distribution, nearly as often late as early. It should be noted that here the precise moment of the beat was not determined by the norm set by these three instruments themselves, as it was in the case of the string trio. Rather, the beat was established by a reference instrument, in this case a clave or a guagua.

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Three Types of Time
Although this article is aimed at beginners to the metronome, you should know that there are actually three distinctly different types of time that experienced players use. This article covers playing directly On the Beat but you can also play slightly On Top of the Beat (for a more exciting feel) or slightly Behind the Beat (for a more laid back groove). I suggest that you first become comfortable playing directly On the Beat before attempting the other two time feels.

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BEAT PLACEMENT

After a certain degree of accuracy of pulse is established I urge the student to purposely try to play ahead and behind the beat. At first just use simple scales, licks or forms such as the blues that are automatically under the fingers so you can concentrate on the task at hand, which is feeling the “area” of the beat in order to get that part of the body which is responsible executing what one feels and hears. Using a playalong record can help since whatever the rhythm section feels like, at the least it remains in the same place time after time, so you can use this as a sort of barometer to play with in order to habitualize the sensation. This is really more of a physical exercise than just musical. One must feel the beat as a rubber band—expanding and contracting at will, but never so far as to drag or rush the beat!!

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One must feel the beat as a rubber band—expanding and contracting at will, but never so far as to drag or rush the beat!!

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And while it's true that no human can keep a tempo as steady as a machine, a tempo that varies noticeably will quickly destroy any groove.

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Ricardo:
"after a certain degree of accuracy of pulse is established....". Um, don't you think the student should be a little more rock solid before trying to be "loose" or play around with the "micro time" of the metronome? I would think so, otherwise there is a danger of the student thinking he is really good and playing ahead or behind deliberately, when in fact he could not keep a rock solid beat if he needed to. Dangerous IMO for a student.