The allusive term Playing in the Pocket may sound like nonsense to the beginning or intermediate player, but to any serious bass player or drummer it is an absolute necessity. Playing in the pocket is where a good rhythm section lives.

Let’s discuss exactly what playing in the pocket means

Some may say the pocket is a place of consistency. The place where the kick drum rhythm and the bass line come together to lay the same rhythm pattern. Keeping the groove consistent and locked into the same time and feel.

Others say the pocket “Is nothing more than keeping good time and playing a part that sounds good for the song.”. It’s much more than that. The pocket is the rhythmic glue that holds a band together and drives the pulse of the song.

Nothing gets an audience moving like a solid rhythm team. Most audience members will not be able to point out if a band is “playing in the pocket”, but they sure know if the music is making them move. Good grooves are created from a solid pocket.

First, a great pocket has great time. Be aware that defining “time” can be as much of a problem as defining “groove” or “pocket.” So, let’s break it down into a couple musical ideas: tempo and subdivision.

Tempo is obvious – everybody should be playing at the same speed. If you’re speeding up or slowing down compared to the people you’re playing with or playing ahead or behind the other players, it’s impossible to develop a groove.

Beyond tempo, you need to consider subdivisions of the beat. The main division occurs on beats two and four. If you’re placing the beat in the right place, then you and the drummer’s snare will be driving the groove of the band.

Accuracy

Precision in your playing is integral to the groove. You’ve heard bands where the drummer’s downbeat is in one place, the bass player is ahead or behind the drummer, and the guitarist is not with the others.

That inaccuracy will interrupt the groove and keep the pocket from developing. What is meant by accurate? Studies have shown that discrepancies as short as 5 milliseconds are noticeable. That means if you can hear any timing differences between your downbeat and the other musicians, then it’s too much.

Timing differences can be very noticeable at the end of sections where one or more musicians would play a fill to move the music into the next section. Rushed drum fills or bass fills that drag a little (or worse yet don’t come back in on the one) will kill the pocket.

Listening

You must listen to the other musicians. It’s the only way music will work. Only when you listen to the drummer and the other players, can you groove together. The other musicians must listen to the bass and drums, so they hear the foundation of the song.

This is also true for the bass player and drummer listening to the rest of the band. When musicians play together, they will make small adjustments to their own parts so they work better. When that happens, musicians are playing in the pocket.