precision is without doubt one of the most important aspects in making music. and this matters not only to the actual musicians but to the listeners as well. when it comes to recording, it’s not about being all freaky and wild – it’s about precision. although it’s not exactly the same for the differents instruments, the basic principle is something all participants need to must have in common. for a drummer precise timing is the most important thing, simply because he has the sharpest sounds available. it doesn’t get any clearer as a snare-backbeat, so it better be exactly where it should be. for a guitarplayer it might be more about not making any noises that aren’t meant to be on the record (use your imagination…) and a singer’s holy grail is being clear (more on that in a future entry).

this is where music becomes a craft. if you’re not absolutely precise about virtually anything during the making of a recording, it just won’t fit together in the end. that’s why there is a whole class of specialized musicians you can find on hundreds and hundreds of records. go ahead, check out the credits in your cd-booklets. chances are, you will find some names appearing unusually frequently, maybe even over and over again. those are the guys that are simply the most precise (and easy to work with…), so they get hired over and over again. to give you an example: Bernard Purdie (drummer) mentioned in an interview back in the late 80s that he appeared on over 2,000 records, that was 20 years ago – and as far as i know he’s still playing, so go figure…

now if you are a musician, spend some time thinking about precision. listen to anything you can get your hands on with precision in mind. try to figure out why some songs grab you and others just don’t seem to work.

as a listener this will work for you either, because by concentrating on precision you will start to notice things that just weren’t there before. this works both ways, it can be flaws you never noticed but it can also be moments of great intense or density that went by undiscovered until now.

it’s an important step in becoming a connoisseur (sorry, couldn’t think of a more appropriate term) and it’s great fun as well…