|
Post by Onechordtrick on Jul 30, 2018 9:06:19 GMT
I've always (in my 18 month playing career) avoided playing with a metronome. I'm convinced of the benefits but always find it a distraction like if someone talks to me when I'm trying to play but I bit the bullet at the weekend and "liberated" my son's metronome.
At the moment I'm just playing simple patterns, either arpeggios or variants (e.g. 4-2-3-1*) first as crochets and then as quavers at an initially slow tempo and gradually increasing. Plan is to get used to "the distraction" and then try to incorporate into general practice.
Any other tips or exercises that I could try?
*I play mandolin rather than guitar
|
|
|
Post by martinrowe on Jul 30, 2018 11:50:56 GMT
I've just been looking into this. I went through a spell of using one and am just getting back into it. Timing is the big thing - so you can play with others Bryan Sutton (if you don't know, he's a Bluegrass guitarist and a bit good) says that using a metronome is about consistency of tone and internalising the distance your hand has to travel to strike each string to get the tone you want - every time. A change of speed of the metronome may need an adjustment of the distance. And about it being a liberating thing as once that's out of the way you can concentrate on the music. As I said - he's bit good. Here's a Sierra Hull workshop where she talks about metronome use Here's Victor Wotton - a bit mindblowing On-going for me - any other ideas appreciated. Just though I'd add this Martin
|
|
|
Post by bleatoid on Jul 30, 2018 17:15:28 GMT
Playing to a backing track might be less distracting than having the metronome going all the time - though you'll obviously need something to get the backing track tempo right when you record it first time round - I've used garageband and my looping pedal this way to try and correct my tendency to speed up through a song.
Peter
|
|
|
Post by Onechordtrick on Jul 31, 2018 16:47:39 GMT
Playing to a backing track might be less distracting than having the metronome going all the time - though you'll obviously need something to get the backing track tempo right when you record it first time round - I've used garageband and my looping pedal this way to try and correct my tendency to speed up through a song. Peter Thanks, that really helped. Or rather made me realise how poor my timing is . I put my tunes into Tabledit which will also play it back for me so I can play along. Finding it really hard, but it’s early days
|
|
|
Post by andyhowell on Aug 3, 2018 15:56:42 GMT
I’d just use them in your normal playing. Work out the rhythm to pieces you play a lot and then use that setting each time you play for a while. It can give you consistency but it also can show up the limitations of a strict tempo!
For example, the old blues guys varied time all over the place and through songs - one of the things that gave them their sound! It’s a bit like playing with somebody else - the tempo and rhythm if your piece becomes quite strict. Even in pieces where you thought you were consistent.
One thing to watch doe. I often find I set the tempo to be too high! I have to reign it back over time. But that just be my crap timekeeping.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2018 17:52:18 GMT
Since taking playing seriously 2 years ago, I have only ever played WITH a metronome, and find it very disconcerting to play without now! I do think it has improved my rhythm a lot, but instead of a regular metronome I am usually using drum loops for a bit more realism (in timing and sounds). You can crank them up louder and they still sound good! I can't conceive of doing my scales or rhythm practice without one though.
|
|
|
Post by vikingblues on Aug 11, 2018 13:28:04 GMT
I found backing tracks far more of a fun experience than a metronome in tightening up on rhythm.
It doesn't help that the sound of a metronome is pretty horrible. I find having a metronome playing on every beat is also very distracting and it makes what's played sound very dull and soulless. It gets a bit better with it only sounding every other beat - gives a bit more room for feeling and life in the playing.
Mark
|
|
ocarolan
Global Moderator
CURMUDGEONLY OLD GIT (leader - to join, just ask!)
Posts: 34,043
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"c0cfe1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 182a3f
Mini-Profile Text Color: 733a1c
|
Post by ocarolan on Aug 11, 2018 18:06:13 GMT
You only ever need to know where the "ONE" is.
Keith
|
|
Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
|
Post by Riverman on Aug 11, 2018 22:35:58 GMT
You only ever need to know where the "ONE" is. Keith Amen to that...
|
|
|
Post by ukpacker on Sept 1, 2018 18:38:25 GMT
Any other tips or exercises that I could try?
How about this , practice your exercises at a selection of speeds say 70bpm 90 bpm and 120 bpm, then record yourself playing the same exercises without using the metronome then measure your practice speed tempo by clicking the metronome along to the recording and see if you can internalize a consistent speed? Some metronome apps are available for phones which have variable tones, the problem I have with most metronomes is the difficulty of finding one with a good strong accent on the first beat of the bar.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2018 8:28:48 GMT
The JustinGuitar metronome app is great, not expensive, and has modes where you can program it to randomly drop out for certain numbers of beats or bars, and randomly speed up and slow down etc. I use it all the time when I am not at my PC and can’t have proper drum beats running.
|
|
|
Post by ukpacker on Sept 2, 2018 12:17:57 GMT
I think Keith's comment about only needing to know where the 'ONE' is very apt. In the Sierra Hull video when she halves the count a second time the metronome is making a click on the first beat of each bar, I find it very useful to practice with a stress on that first beat. So when doing your exercises play the first beat of the bar a little louder than the others and see if that coincides with the ONE click on the metronome . I sometimes find the other metronome beats to be distracting.
1234223432344...5...6...etc
|
|
Akquarius
Cheerfully Optimistic
Posts: 2,509
My main instrument is: Towet Fingerpicker, Dreizehnter SJ15 "Akquarius"
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"020202"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: f9a507
Mini-Profile Text Color: f9a507
|
Post by Akquarius on Sept 2, 2018 17:33:20 GMT
what kind of phone do you have ? iphone or android ?
I'm not able to recommend anything comparable for iOS, but for android know quite a few apps that allow you to replace a metronome with some more entertaining drum and percussion stuff. for example, MetroDrum does quite a good job. my fav is Drum Beat+ .
|
|
|
Post by creamburmese on Sept 3, 2018 21:25:18 GMT
One additional thing - I recently had to record nearly 20 minutes of technical exercises in time to a metronome (don't ask!) - when I listened back I discovered I wasn't nearly as "with" the metronome as I thought I was. so it might be worth recording yourself playing to a nome or backing track to make sure you aren't fooling yourself (like I was!) Julie
|
|
|
Post by vikingblues on Sept 4, 2018 19:28:20 GMT
When you've been practising the metronome for a while ...... If you have a multi track DAW it's an interesting test to play the same shortish piece of music on each of 3 or 4 different tracks without listening to the others when recording and then play them back together. Indicates how good your internal sense of rhythm is coming along. Mark
|
|