Set the metronome to slow and put your sticks on a practice pad. Count “one two three four” before striking a note. Add in one hit on each number. It can be silly at first, but counting keeps your hands on the beat, instead of your hands leading you into the wrong timing.
Saying the numbers gives the rhythm an identity. If you’re just starting, it can be easy to count for a few bars, get off track, and lose the beat, especially when you introduce the snare, hi-hat, or bass drum. Counting keeps the beat outside of your hands.
This is crucial, especially when you go from quarter notes to eighth notes. If you only count on quarter notes, then there isn’t really anything to count between the beats. So count “and” between every number: one and two and three and four and. Then, count each eighth note and then quarter notes and then just the “ands” on the pad. It all teaches the different parts of a beat.
Most rushes come from stopping the count when you get to the tricky part. It’s when you get a new fill, a kick on the beat, or a snare accent. If the counting stops, it’s easy for the band to rush. The easiest fix is to reduce the pattern to a two-bar loop. Say the count at the same time you play. If the tempo is too fast, you will not be able to count.
It is just as useful when you have rests. A rest is not just a break when you stop paying attention. You have to keep counting through rests. This teaches your body where the next note is supposed to come. For example, when you have a bass drum on the off beats but your snare drum is on beats 2 and 4, and you have hi-hats on every beat, it’s hard to remember where each beat is without counting it.
You do not need to speak out loud forever; eventually you get it in your head. You want to practice the counting so that it gets into your head. The metronome, speaking the beat out loud, and keeping the time with your sticks all work together. The easiest way to tell if you’ve mastered the rhythm is to practice the count. Play a 4-bar groove counting out loud and stop drumming, while you count through a rest for a beat. If you come back in on “one” it is going in the right place and getting you closer to being in time with the music. If you come back in early, then slow the groove down and let the voice count it.