The Field Timing Playbook

Andrew McAfee
Sep 2
6 min read

Updated: Oct 7

Train your ensemble to stay in time without the metronome

The challenges of field timing:

Marching bands often struggle to stay together without a metronome. That’s not because the performers aren’t trying, it’s because the field itself creates challenges.

Sound moves about 1 foot every 1 millisecond. On a football field that’s 160 feet deep, the sound can be heard almost a full beat late by some performers.

Once you understand how sound delay really works, you can train your group to stay together without relying on a click.

This playbook gives you simple rules, easy exercises, and smart edits that will make run-throughs less stressful.

Let’s look at two challenges:

Drum Major Challenge

A drum major standing only 10 feet from the front sideline will hear sounds from the back sideline an entire 8th note late at a tempo of 180. If their hands adjust, the band follows, and everything keeps slowing down.

Battery Challenge

The pit starts the show. 16 measures later, the battery enters on the back hash, 30 yard line. At 180bpm, the battery hears the pit almost a dotted 8th note late. This makes lining things up very hard.

The Good News

These aren’t rare problems, they’re normal. With the right rehearsal tweaks, training habits, and score edits, your group can play together, stay together, and save valuable rehearsal time.

Training the drum majors:

Drum majors usually hear the band about a 16th note late. To prepare them, I like to start with exercises that feel a little easier - an 8th note late

Exercise #1

Use a metronome that shows the beat (I like using Tonal Energy with the bouncing happy face)
Set it so the downbeat plays once every 8 counts, but plays the offbeats every count.
Have the DM conduct and “dut” out loud while watching the visual
Start slow, then build up to the fastest tempo in your show

Exercise #2

Change the metronome so it plays the second 16th note of every beat
At first, I suggest letting it play beat 1 of every 4 counts (“a cheater beat”).
Gradually remove those cheaters and raise the tempo.

If a DM can pass both exercises, your band is already ahead of most groups.

Training the battery:

The battery has to lock in while ignoring late sounds from the field. Subtractive metronome work is key.

Try these challenges:

Play full phrases with only half-note clicks or whole-note clicks
Use a metronome that plays for 2 measures, then is silent for 2 measures.
Bonus: Do this while another section nearby plays to their own metronome. That chaos is what the field actually feels like sometimes!

Training the front ensemble:

The pit must become self-sufficient without the met.

Steps to try:

Choose one clear “listening point” (drum set, timpani, xylo, etc.). Keep it the same unless the arrangement forces a switch
In sections with rests, give players a visual cue to line up on re-entries.
Even if there’s a musical cue from the band or battery, double it with a visual. Redundancy saves time in rehearsal.

Recipe for success:

Drum major in training

Have one student march with the metronome behind the battery.
This spot teaches field timing faster than any other role.
If that same student also conducts backfield once the metronome is gone, they’ll specialize in trusting the front DM’s hands even though the sounds they hear will sound even later.
After one season, this student will be ready to be an amazing front field DM
If you don’t have a student to fill this role, rotate staff members through it. Just be clear about where to stand and move with the metronome during each section of the show.

Watching the feet

The lead DM succeeds most when they watch one person’s feet - usually the center snare.
If the center snare is standing still, it’s helpful to use a visual cue. This can be:
Their sticks
Some type of visual
The metronome operator conducting what they actually hear from the met they’re holding

Listening vs. Watching

Think of the drumline like a flashlight pointing at the press box.
Winds inside the beam can safely listen back to the battery
Winds outside the beam should watch the DM’s hands
Even when the metronome is on, they will hear it slightly late
Remember, some players (like mellophones) literally can’t see the DM past their horn sometimes. Make sure there’s a plan for them during these times.

Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal:

1. Full Metronome Rep

Everybody plays
Establishes the baseline: how well the ensemble executes this phrase when everything is lined up

2. Reduced Metronome Rep

Try whole notes, half notes, dotted halves - whatever is appropriate for this phrase
This rep will check the percussion ensemble’s ability to maintain tempo without the aid of the metronome
It will also help them develop their ability to micro-adjust as tempo fluctuations begin.

3. Add-on Reps - No Metronome - Battery in place

Have the battery stand in a page of the drill that represents the general area they’ll be marching in for the phrase
First rep: battery only
Add in the primary front ensemble listening point for that phrase.
Layer in the rest of the front ensemble by section until full percussion is in.

4. On the move - No Metronome

Whole percussion ensemble plays while battery marches their drill.
If needed, repeat the add-ons process until everyone is solid.

Music Ensemble Rehearsal:

1. Metronome Rep

Everyone plays
Baseline standard for musical clarity

2. Winds and battery, no metronome

Tests whether marching members understand their roles.
Listening players will lock in with the battery
Watching players should line up with the drum major’s hands
If watchers don’t match the battery, either they aren’t watching, or the DM’s hands aren’t correct.

3. Full ensemble, no metronome

Final test.
Adding the front ensemble will challenge the marching members who now hear “extra” sounds from the front that arrive late from their perspective

Trouble Shooting if your ensemble is stuck on step 2

Battery + Watchers: Test the formula

Run a rep with only the battery and the wind players who are assigned to watch the drum major.
If necessary, go one step farther and have those wind players “bop” the rep.
This isolates the core timing relationship
If it locks in, your formula is correct. If not, you’ll know the strategy or conducting needs adjustment.

The Invisible Circle

Think of the battery as a point on a circle, with the press box at the center. Any performer standing on that circle is the same distance from the press box as the battery. That means:

On the Circle - Play exactly with the drum major’s hands. The sound will align at the press box.

Outside the Circle - Play slightly ahead. A front field DM can conduct just ahead of what they see to help lock this phrase in.

Inside the Circle but out of the Listening Zone - Play slightly behind. Once again, having a DM conducting slightly behind for these players can help a lot.

Quick Rule for Drum Majors: If it lines up from the podium, it will probably line up in the audience. If it doesn’t, adjust slightly earlier or later until things lock in.

Front Ensemble phrases

There will be times when the front ensemble is in charge of tempo. These can be the most challenging sections of the show. Let’s look at the scenario that was mentioned at the beginning:

Front Ensemble starts the show - battery enters later

Option 1 - the front ensemble is in charge of the tempo (recommended)

The front ensemble sets the pulse
The drum major conducts slightly ahead of what they hear from the pit
If the DM anticipates correctly, the battery will line up perfectly

Option 2 - the drum major is in charge of the tempo

The DM conducts perfect tempo and tunes out the front ensemble
The front ensemble listening point watches the drum major and plays deliberately behind the beat
When done correctly, the battery will align when they enter

Rehearsal Tactics

Battery + DM only

Give the DM a metronome in headphones
DM practices conducting slightly ahead of the pulse
Battery enters by following only what they see
If they line up, the DM found the right anticipation

Percussion Ensemble + DM

Place a metronome at the front ensemble’s listening point (headphones or a quiet speaker).
Rehearse with pit + battery while the DM adjusts until the entrance sounds together

An Easier Solution

You can often avoid timing disasters by building in a musical space for alignment

Example: Have the front ensemble stop on beat 1 while the battery enters on beat 3.
For the next few measures, write open rhythms and simpler textures in the pit, leaning into the listening point.
This gives the pit a chance to settle into the battery’s tempo, and avoids 99% of the potential for tears.

Final Thoughts

Most of the time, alignment challenges can be solved quickly using the techniques in this playbook. But every show has a few tricky moments. When you run into those:

Weigh the trade off - Is it worth hours of rehearsal time, or would a small musical edit solve the problem faster?
Edit smart - A quick tweak in the music is almost always easier than re-writing drill

When I arrange, I always study the drill video as soon as it’s written. I flag potential problem spots, and most of the time, a tiny musical adjustment keeps things clean without sacrificing effect.

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