The Counterintuitive Truth About Playing in Time: Why "Try to Be Slower" Actually Works

Here's a scene that happens almost weekly in my Bristol drum lessons:

A student is playing along to a backing track. They're focused, working hard, trying their best to stay in time. But every time, they're rushing—consistently ahead of the beat, pushing the tempo without realising it.

They might say, "I'm trying so hard to stay in time. Why do I keep speeding up?"

Then I give them what sounds like the strangest advice: "Stop trying to stay in time. Instead, try to play slower than the music. Aim to be behind."

They sometimes look at me like I've lost my mind.

But then they try it. And suddenly—they're in time.

This isn't just a teaching trick. It's backed by actual neuroscience and psychology research. Let me explain why this counterintuitive approach works, and how you can use it.

The Problem: Your Brain Makes You Rush (Even When You Don't Want To)

First, let's understand what's actually happening when you play along to music or a backing track.

Research published in Scientific Reports has identified a phenomenon called "joint rushing"—when people engage in rhythmic activities together (or with external timing cues like backing tracks), they unconsciously speed up. This happens even to professional musicians who are actively trying to maintain tempo.

The fascinating part? It's not a lack of skill. It's biology.

The Two Mechanisms That Make You Rush

Scientists Wolf, Knoblich, and their colleagues have identified two separate mechanisms working together to create joint rushing:

1. Phase Advancement

This is a biological mechanism that shortens intervals to achieve synchrony. When your brain hears the backing track, it unconsciously adjusts your timing to "catch" the beat—but it does this by shortening the time between your notes, which makes you rush forward.

This same mechanism was first discovered in synchronously flashing fireflies and chorusing insects. It's an automatic response to external timing cues.

2. Period Correction

Your brain has an internal timekeeper. When the phase advancement mechanism shortens individual intervals, your brain's period correction system adjusts that internal timekeeper—translating those shortened intervals into an actual tempo increase.

The result? You're genuinely trying to stay in time, but your biological mechanisms are pushing you ahead of the beat without you realising it.

The research shows this happens regardless of musical training. Professional musicians rush just as much as beginners when playing along to external timing.

Why Traditional Advice Doesn't Work

When students rush, the typical advice is: "Just stay in time" or "Listen more carefully to the backing track" or "Focus on the metronome."

But here's the problem: focusing on "staying in time" creates performance anxiety, which makes rushing worse.

When you're desperately trying to keep up with the backing track, your brain is managing:

• Your own playing
• The backing track timing
• Trying to synchronise (which creates anxiety)
• Fear of being off-beat

That anxiety triggers what psychologists call recursive anxiety—fear of the fear itself. You become anxious about rushing, which makes you tense, which makes you rush more, which makes you more anxious.

It's a vicious cycle.

Enter: Paradoxical Intention

This is where the psychology gets fascinating.

There's a therapeutic technique called paradoxical intention—deliberately trying to do the opposite of your goal to actually achieve it.

It was developed by psychologist Viktor Frankl and has been successfully used to treat performance anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions where "trying too hard" prevents success.

The principle is simple: when you stop trying to force the outcome, you paradoxically achieve it.

For insomnia:

• Tell the patient to try to stay awake → anxiety about sleeping reduces → they fall asleep naturally.

For drumming:

• Tell the student to try to play behind the beat → anxiety about rushing reduces → they play in time naturally.

Why It Works

Research on paradoxical intention shows it works by:

1. Removing performance anxiety

• When I tell you to "try to be slower," I'm giving you permission to be behind. That eliminates the anxiety of "keeping up." Without that anxiety, your internal timekeeper relaxes.

2. Counteracting phase advancement

• The phase advancement mechanism automatically shortens intervals to catch the beat. By consciously aiming slower, you counteract this biological tendency. You're essentially pre-compensating for your brain's automatic rushing.

3. Shifting attention

• Instead of anxiously monitoring whether you're "keeping up" (external focus), you're now focused on your own playing and executing controlled movements (internal focus). This reduces the mental load and paradoxically improves timing.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Let me give you a real example from a recent lesson:

A student was working on a song from the Rockschool Grade 2 syllabus, but they were playing everything great without the music, but with the music it all fell apart.

After a few tries, they were frustrated. "I'm listening to the track! I'm trying to stay with it! Why do I keep rushing?"

I said: "It's time, to forget about staying in time. Your new goal is to play behind the beat. Try to drag the tempo. Aim to feel slow."

"OK!"

Suddenly—they were in time. Not behind. Not ahead. Right in the area they needed to be in. It wasn't 100% there, but they at least knew what they were aiming for now.

The Counterintuitive Truth

Here's what I tell students:

Trying to stay in time makes you rush. Trying to be slow makes you land in time.

It sounds backwards. But it works because:

• "Stay in time" = anxiety + phase advancement = rushing
• "Aim to be slow" = no anxiety + counteracting phase advancement = actually in time

It's like catching a ball. If you grab too early, you miss it. You have to wait, let it come to you, and then catch. Same with timing—you have to create psychological space to let the beat come to you, rather than chasing it.

How to Apply This in Your Practice

Step 1: Identify if you're a rusher

Record yourself playing along to a backing track or metronome for 2-3 minutes. Listen back. Are you consistently ahead of the beat? That's phase advancement at work.

Step 2: Try the paradoxical approach

Play the same passage again, but this time your goal is to play behind the beat. Not wildly behind—just aim to feel slightly dragged, relaxed, laid-back.

Step 3: Record and compare

Listen back. Chances are, what felt behind actually landed right in time. That feeling of "dragging" is what being in the pocket actually feels like when you're not rushing.

Step 4: Make it your default mindset

Whenever you play along to backing tracks or with other musicians, adopt the mindset: "I'm going to play relaxed and behind."

Paradoxically, this will make you land in time.

For Parents: What to Listen For

If your child is practising along to backing tracks and you hear them consistently getting faster, the instinct is to say "Slow down! Stay in time!"

But now you know that creates more anxiety, which makes rushing worse.

Instead, try: "It sounds like you're working really hard to keep up. What if you tried to feel relaxed and lazy with the timing? Aim to be behind the music, and see what happens."

This removes the pressure, which removes the anxiety, which removes the rushing.

For Students: This Applies Beyond Timing

The principle here—that trying too hard prevents success—applies to many aspects of drumming:

• Trying to play quietly often makes you tense and inconsistent. Trying to play "lazily" produces better control.
• Trying to play fast creates tension that limits speed. Focusing on relaxation allows genuine speed.
• Trying to be perfect creates anxiety that causes mistakes. Accepting imperfection allows better performance.

It's a counterintuitive truth: sometimes less effort produces better results.

The Research-Backed Bottom Line

Your brain has biological mechanisms (phase advancement, period correction) that unconsciously make you rush when playing along to external timing. Fighting against these mechanisms by "trying harder" to stay in time creates anxiety, which makes rushing worse.

The solution isn't more effort. It's a psychological reframe.

By aiming to play behind the beat, you:

• Remove the performance anxiety that triggers rushing
• Counteract your brain's automatic phase advancement
• Create psychological space to land in the pocket

It sounds backwards. But it's backed by research on joint rushing and paradoxical intention—and more importantly, it works in real teaching situations every single week.

So next time you're rushing along to a backing track, stop trying to stay in time. Try to be slow instead.

Paradoxically, you'll land right where you need to be.

If you're in Bristol and looking for drum lessons that teach the psychology of timing, not just the mechanics, get in touch. I work with students who want to understand why techniques work, not just what to practise.

Research References:

• Wolf, T., Vesper, C., Sebanz, N., Keller, P. E., & Knoblich, G. (2019). Combining Phase Advancement and Period Correction Explains Rushing during Joint Rhythmic Activities. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 9350. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-45601-5
• Wolf, T., & Knoblich, G. (2022). Joint rushing alters internal timekeeping in non-musicians and musicians. Scientific Reports, 12, Article 1190. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-05298-5
• Society of Clinical Psychology. (2017). Paradoxical Intention for Insomnia. https://societyofclinicalpsychology.org/psychological-treatments-archive/paradoxical-intention-for-insomnia/
• Ascher, L. M. (2002). Paradoxical Intention. In M. Hersen & W. Sledge (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy (pp. 341-347). Academic Press.