What is Backbeater?
By Jason Renfrow
What is Backbeater and why do you need it?
In order to properly play the drums you first have to understand time. As drummers our primary job is to keep time. If we don’t have good time then the band will not be cohesive. If the band doesn’t play well, then nobody is going to want to listen to listen to us.
As drummers we need to understand and have a firm foundation of note values such as quarter notes, 8th notes, 16th notes, triplets, etc. To a beginner it can seem overwhelming. I know because I was that beginner drummer at one point. One of the hardest parts of learning the drums is understanding and keeping time. Every drummer struggles with it. Nobody can pick up the sticks and just play. It takes years of practice to finally feel comfortable behind the kit.
When I started playing drums there were no drum apps I could download. There were no products like Backbeater that could assist me in getting my time right. Like many drummers in those days we put on a record and we played along with our favorite bands or maybe we had a metronome we used to help with time. To this day I still use both during every single practice session and have been doing so for years. Guess what? It works.
So then you might be asking yourself, “Why should I purchase the Backbeater Drum Tempo Sensor?” The answer to that question is very simple. “Time.”
Not to be confused with the keeping of time in our drumming, but instead the time we have to actually play the drums. For some of us it’s limited to 30 minutes a day, for others maybe more. So we have to make the most of the time we have.
Sitting behind a kit or practice pad hour after hour playing to a metronome is so monotonous. Backbeater is different and, boy, do I wish I had this technology when I started playing. I would have progressed so much faster. Instead of just playing along to a metronome Backbeater allows you to play along with your favorite band or drummer while at the same time letting you know if you are in time or not.
So how does it work exactly? There is a lot of technology at work here but the set up couldn’t be easier. You attach the drum tempo sensor directly to your snare drum, download the app for phone or tablet and start playing. The sensor reads your tempo and displays it in beats per minute (BPM). This way you can play along to your favorite songs no matter the tempo.
The display shows you in real time if you are in time or if you are playing in front of or behind the beat. If your goal is to play “in the pocket,” which is the goal of every aspiring drummer, then Backbeater is for you. I can’t say enough good things about this product and how it can help you in your drumming. Don’t just take my word for it though give it a try yourself. It’s only $39 and, 100% of profits go to charity. How about that? A great product for a great cause. Doesn’t get much better than that.