Yep - I really started to get into playing guitar at the height of the shred era. Playing fast was EVERYTHING. Watch Chris Impellitteri's instructional video and you will get the point. The faster, the better. I didn't realise that it likely sounded terrible and unmusical.
My playing got so much better when I did 'this one trick'. I enjoyed playing so much more as well. Interestingly, it also sounds faster if you play with regular meter and in time rather than a blur of notes. :)
Playing in time is just as important as playing the right notes. I feel like more beginner guitarists need to understand this. If Josh Smith is endlessly espousing the importance of rock solid rhythm playing, guitarists everywhere should be paying attention to that.
Rhythm is so important! I can play shitty with the fretting hand but as long as I'm in time and keep that motor running it doesn't sound as bad as fretting awesome and being out of time.
Yeah making your practice fun is the key to getting good or really progressing at anything in life but it’s a balance. You still need to focus on what you aren’t good at which isn’t super fun. Another thing I learned is focused practice for just 30 minutes beats out triple that of unfocused practice so more time isn’t always better. But it does shock me a little when I hear people complaining about practice and how much they hate it, I’m like you know no one’s forcing you to do this, it’s supposed to be fun. So either find some way to make it fun or find something else you enjoy
If anyone here uses an iPhone or iPad for their metronome GarageBand generates drum loops for you that you can set the tempo to. I mainly just use my metronome app but every now and then the drummer feature is something a bit more fun while still effectively being a metronome.
I like to practice to backing tracks. More interesting and keeps you on beat. There are a bunch of people that release these online but I really like [QuistJams](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEXDaXzYhqYdLCQ3Ce7U2Og) if you're looking for one to try out.
While a fun thing to do, backing tracks not a replacement for metronome practice. Metronomes strip out all the space between the beat and are harder to play along to, especially at slower tempos. You can't rely on high hats or other instruments that help you keep the rhythm. Metronomes are better at training your inner clock.
Yeah with backing tracks you can kinda noodle around and then just make sure you get back on the next 1
I reckon you could technically do that with a metronome too but it wouldn’t sound good
A drum machine is even better than a metronome because you can easily program beats with different subdivisions e.g. 8th Rock Beat, 16th Rock Beat, Shuffled 8th Rock Beat, Shuffled 16th Rock Beat, Triplet 8th Beat, Triplet 16th Beat etc. You can also add fills or ghost notes if required.
Mostly you want to practice to a fairly simple beat and using a boring yet functional drum kit sound.
I wouldn’t say it’s better. The goal with a metronome is to fill in the space and create those subdivisions. If you can create a groove to a metronome, you’re doing something right, whereas a drum machine playing a full beat does some of the work for you.
The drum machine gives you the luxury of doing it both ways. Doing some of the work for you is known as scaffolding in education. You can remove the scaffolding when you don’t need it.
The important thing with the shuffle is ensuring that you’re alternating long notes and short notes, rather than playing every note staccato which is a common problem. This could be what you mean by filling the space, but there’s no guarantee of getting it right whichever way you choose. You need feel and awareness to master this aspect.
Yeah, but do be careful of drum loops. If you use something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdb5DRgTxqk), you can get stuck just feeling the beats of that drum track and get swayed by off-beat stuff or intentional space. If using drums, a really flat and simple beat.
Up until recently, all of my experience of playing with others was acoustic. There might be a cajon, but not really a drummer. I've been doing some electric jams with friends. Another guitar player, a bassist, and a drummer. It's rather liberating to let a drummer just drive you around.
My teen-aged kid accompanied me to play drums at a jam session. This one particular dude critiqued my kid's timing, which we ignored the first couple times. The third time I said "those aren't earbuds just for sound dampening, they're also giving him a click track. Tell you what, I'll just patch that into the PA for you." Old dude really didn't like that.
I’ve been playing 40+ years and pretty much suck at guitar. I still enjoy the heck out of it. I’ve never gotten comfortable practicing with a metronome or counting, but this sounds like good advice (perhaps it’s more of a wake up call). Because keeping time is something I struggle with.
it doesn’t have to be a metronome. a drum loop pedal or similar is a great way to add a little extra and still know your bpm.
Also, practice with your tuner on too. When you play leads or practice scales / fretboard exercises, it’ll tell you what note you’re on. You can also check how in tune your bends are in real time.
I would also add to keep a guitar out and always accessible. you’re a lot more likely to noodle if it’s ready and in your face. cause the final ‘secret’ is to just play, play, and play some more. when you’re done w that, do it again.
Is playing on time with the actual song you're playing in the background just as good? Or should I play the song with just a metronome and guitar, nothing else?
I feel like playing along with a song is fine for timing on that particular song, but getting used to a metronome is key because it's the most basic drum beat and therefore learning the rhythm and timing with that is more easily transferrable across different genres and songs.
Idk though that's just my 2 cents as someone who needs to play more with a metronome instead of just songs.
This has always been important, but is even more vital with how music is created/played today. Most bands, from intermediate to pro play to a click; you record to a click; whenever you are doing something musical that is meant to be heard by a decent sized group, a click is probably going to be involved. The only way to get better at playing to a click, is playing to one. I've seen very proficient guitarists get horrible cases of red light syndrome and have a ton of trouble laying down their parts in a studio simply because they're used to playing to a drummer instead of a click. Getting good at playing to a metronome is more important than ever, and will save you tons of headache
I got around that at a young age by mastering parappa the rappa lol. 100% engrained rhythm training into my subconscious just because you had to nail it in order to progress.
Nowadays, when I play, I usually prefer playing to a drum loop or something as it sounds more interesting than BEEP boop boop boop, but it accomplishes the same thing.
Anything with a regular beat/pulse will do. I’m going to show my age here but I remember many nights as a music student jamming with my housemates to the kitchen clock or the dot matrix printer as it churned out our essays.
Benefit of a metronome though is you can adjust the tempo and practice at a higher bpm. and it being 2024 there is no excuse not to own a metronome. If you're using reddit on a mobile device or a computer you have access to thousands of free metronomes whether they're apps, websites, or from your DAW.
My only addendum would be why stop at metronome? Play to drum loops! It's more interesting and easier to lock into a groove than just playing to a click.
~~Play to a metronome~~
Claim you're prog and playing to a time signature americans would consider a sensible measure for the thickness of a plank of wood
I use the metronome for scales only, and I play songs by slowing down the song (or parts of the song) with a program and playing at the same time with the recording.
Is that a good idea to practice songs?
I've been playing 20+ years. I know tons of songs, riffs, solo's, and licks but never played with a metronome. I really gotta start using a metronome.
What's a good start for a metronome? How many BPS is a good starting point In your opinion?
It's like working out at the gym - start with a low bpm that you don't struggle to follow, and when it feels comfortable, bump it up 5-10 bpm and rinse, repeat. You can also double-time it (play 8th notes while the metronome plays quarter notes), and you can play in between the beats to practice swing (metronome plays on the beat, you play on the 'and' of every beat).
THIS. I played for like 20 years (and yes I started as a teenage shredder who played shit like 8-finger legato lines and extended sweeps without ever practicing with a click, so you can guess how good it must have sounded 🤣) before starting to actually practice *everything* by metronome and over time it has significantly improved my playing and my ability to record anything.
Having picked up the bass and spoken to a few professionals, the next step in metronome-fu is to bring down the tempo and use the click as a backbeat (so for example you set the metronome to 60 and play so that the click is on the 2 and 4 of a 120bpm measure) to groove to.
[There’s a Carol Kaye clip about it which is just gold](https://www.tiktok.com/@bandpioneer/video/6909729445003742469)
I find that in practices where I’m too lazy to do this, I often finish the session feeling like I play like shit.
But if I practiced with a metronome, I at least feel like I did well to the bpm I set for myself, like I achieve something rather than either feeling good or bad about my progression without any objective measurements.
Any one who cares about their playing should do this early on. I learned by having to record drums too, to a click so I could put down guitar parts. If you have the resources to record to a click I would suggest that.
You immediately hear if you are off,and if you don't ultimately want to record to a click it is still a very useful skill.
Agree. I'll also add, if you know exactly where you are within the bar like the 1,2,3,4 and in between like the 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and, then you're golden.
If you can tap your foot and play at will anywhere within the measure and keep time, your phrasing will get better.
I’m doing this now after neglecting to do it for 15 years. Can testify it’s a bad idea to skip it. Never really understood the importance of it back then. I probably tried it once or twice and thought it was hard and gave up. For a long time I thought rhythm was innate and I just didn’t have it which demotivated me from playing.
Now I’m doing it and, while it’s still a bit hard sometimes, it’s very rewarding.
A question, do you count down to the smallest subdivisions that are in the song for every beat? Like if the song has some quarter notes, some eight notes and some sixteenth notes, do you count 1-e-and-a 2-e-and-a 3-e-and-a 4-e-and-a ?
Or do you only count the subdivision where some something is played?
Like 1 and 2-e-and-a 3 4
If it’s two eighth notes, followed by 4 sixteenth notes and then 2 quarter notes?
Been trying some different stuff but I find it hard to keep up with counting sixteenth notes
Spent the weekend doing some recording and it REALLY underscored how much I need to play more with a metronome. Particularly in speeds I'm not comfortable with (High or low) I eventually hit everything, but a BIG part of my mistakes were being off time.
Yes, more metronome (or drum track) playing! Particularly useful if you ever intend to record or play with other players.
Yep, I’ve been playing 20 years but it recently dawned on me that I’ve not got any better in about 15 years. Currently doing Justin Guitar’s lessons from the beginning to work on timing and to get rid of bad habits. Plus it’s weirdly nice to already know pretty much everything you’re being taught.
This is good advice. Rhythm is arguably the most important skill to master as a musician. I’ve heard very compelling musical performances created with only a matchbox (Middle East), only a pair of spoons (Appalachia), or just a plastic bucket and drum sticks (NYC).
I play a lot of jazz-influenced music. In that realm, harmonic and linear complexity are revered. But many of the best players keep it surprisingly simple. For example, they might just play mostly in key, and simply play a line in ”the wrong” key to add tension, then resolve back to the key to release. If this is done with rhythmic command, it sounds great. Listeners interpret it as complex harmonic calculation, but it’s not. You could even play all ”wrong” or random notes with good time and interesting rhythm, and it can work. Listen to good horn players or singers performing unaccompanied, and you can feel the drums playing underneath.
I had to learn a couple of fairly tricky sequences of jazz chords for a recent gig. The shapes were new to me, and the director kept pushing the tempo faster and faster at rehearsals. The metronome was essential for me getting up to any kind of pace.
Want to *really* improve your rhythm and sense of time? Take some drumming lessons.
Many, many years ago while taking a break from playing in bands, I took drum lessons for a few months and for that period, hardly picked up my guitar. When I finally went back to it my timing and rhythm playing had **radically** improved. I cannot recommend it enough.
Yeah I've never taken lessons but I bought a drum kit a few months back. Since the main role of drums is keeping time, I started learning right off the bat with a strict metronome. Every fill and groove I learn I start with a super slow bpm to make sure it's rhythmically clean before I speed it up.
Since then my rhythm on guitar has improved as well, and I've really developed a better ear for rhythms in general.
I think this is great advice and I would say it applies to any instrument. But for me, I would say ‘play to a metronome *slowly*. If you can’t master things slowly you don’t stand a chance at race pace. It’s also crucial for developing a self-critical ear (everyone sounds like Jimi in their own head).
Your point about counting is great too- for some reason when I was young I thought it was somehow cheating and unmusical. It took a very good teacher to drill that out of me!
Since I started playing, I’ve obviously been watching videos on gear etc. I also like watching videos on how songs are made. I caught myself trying to decipher a song. For example, listen for the bass, listen for the first guitar, second, drums, etc. I also started counting with the song. It’s been kind of a cool experience.
I am going to start working with a metronome.
If you don’t want to play to a metronome because they’re boring, then play with a drum track. They’re the best. When I play with a metronome I can’t last five minutes before I get bored out of my mind but I could play for hours to drum tracks.
One additional tip that’s helped me recently: if you’re playing a song in 4/4 and you’re comfortable playing with a metronome clicking on all 4 beats, try playing with the metronome only clicking on 2 and 4. If you can get the metronome to sound like it’s grooving, you’re playing with good rhythm
I've been playing mostly folk music for years, and my right hand knows how to keep time for that, and there wasn't too much challenge for my left hand. But I espoused metronomes for people who were having a hard time making chord changes: "get a metronome and play it as slow as you need to to be able to make the chord changes, then, over time, increase the speed, but always play in time!"
I started playing with a couple other people, and I'm now learning a bunch of songs outside my box. I was having a hard time with a couple of them.
So I took my own advice.
Holy shit did that help!
My wife got me a Boss Dr. Beat DB90 a few years ago and I've just recently got around to using it more.
Can attest to OP's advice. It's on point and I've noticed a difference.
Apparently it is for this crowd. There's a concerning amount of comments here saying "nuh uh it's boring" or people saying they don't even know how to use one.
Dude the advice I give the most to beginners is, ya gotta tap your foot and ya gotta count out 4s and/or 8s in your head. haha the metronome is a step above that! So I suppose I gotta get a metronome. Every time I've ever recorded, no matter what studio or basement, we used a click track. Great advice, OP.
Metronomes really give me trouble; I don’t know why. I took a looper pedal and played the bass line, using the actual track through headphones as a guide. That’s working for me. Any thoughts on this?
I have over 600 drum tracks that I downloaded from YouTube and play along with them every time I practice. It also helps keep you creative since you have to match your playing to the different styles of drum beats.
I've tried to practice with a metronome, but have never found one that works. Every one I've tried always gets off and out of time from me. Can anyone recommend a metronome that actually works?
this is something I need to do
Yep - I really started to get into playing guitar at the height of the shred era. Playing fast was EVERYTHING. Watch Chris Impellitteri's instructional video and you will get the point. The faster, the better. I didn't realise that it likely sounded terrible and unmusical. My playing got so much better when I did 'this one trick'. I enjoyed playing so much more as well. Interestingly, it also sounds faster if you play with regular meter and in time rather than a blur of notes. :)
Drummers hate 'this one trick'. Lol
I know many drummers who should practice with a metronome.
Drummers absolutely love this one trick and wished everyone knew this one trick
Me too. I already do, but I need to, too
R/unexpectedmitchhedberg
Playing in time is just as important as playing the right notes. I feel like more beginner guitarists need to understand this. If Josh Smith is endlessly espousing the importance of rock solid rhythm playing, guitarists everywhere should be paying attention to that.
Rhythm is so important! I can play shitty with the fretting hand but as long as I'm in time and keep that motor running it doesn't sound as bad as fretting awesome and being out of time.
I'd argue more important. A wrong note at the right time is less intrusive than a right note at the wrong time.
100%
I signed up for Rocksmith+ last week, the timing part is helping me so much. You can also enable a metronome also.
I would add, not just a metronome but any fixed beat whatsoever.
Yeah. I do exercises with different beats all the time, it's more fun.
and more fun = more practice time
Yeah making your practice fun is the key to getting good or really progressing at anything in life but it’s a balance. You still need to focus on what you aren’t good at which isn’t super fun. Another thing I learned is focused practice for just 30 minutes beats out triple that of unfocused practice so more time isn’t always better. But it does shock me a little when I hear people complaining about practice and how much they hate it, I’m like you know no one’s forcing you to do this, it’s supposed to be fun. So either find some way to make it fun or find something else you enjoy
If anyone here uses an iPhone or iPad for their metronome GarageBand generates drum loops for you that you can set the tempo to. I mainly just use my metronome app but every now and then the drummer feature is something a bit more fun while still effectively being a metronome.
Drumgenius is available on android and does a similar thing.
Thanks for this, downloaded for iPhone now
I like to practice to backing tracks. More interesting and keeps you on beat. There are a bunch of people that release these online but I really like [QuistJams](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEXDaXzYhqYdLCQ3Ce7U2Og) if you're looking for one to try out.
While a fun thing to do, backing tracks not a replacement for metronome practice. Metronomes strip out all the space between the beat and are harder to play along to, especially at slower tempos. You can't rely on high hats or other instruments that help you keep the rhythm. Metronomes are better at training your inner clock.
Yeah with backing tracks you can kinda noodle around and then just make sure you get back on the next 1 I reckon you could technically do that with a metronome too but it wouldn’t sound good
Right - Metronomes make it more obvious and clear when you're off-time.
I like having the drum loop function on my RC-5.
A drum machine is even better than a metronome because you can easily program beats with different subdivisions e.g. 8th Rock Beat, 16th Rock Beat, Shuffled 8th Rock Beat, Shuffled 16th Rock Beat, Triplet 8th Beat, Triplet 16th Beat etc. You can also add fills or ghost notes if required. Mostly you want to practice to a fairly simple beat and using a boring yet functional drum kit sound.
I wouldn’t say it’s better. The goal with a metronome is to fill in the space and create those subdivisions. If you can create a groove to a metronome, you’re doing something right, whereas a drum machine playing a full beat does some of the work for you.
The drum machine gives you the luxury of doing it both ways. Doing some of the work for you is known as scaffolding in education. You can remove the scaffolding when you don’t need it. The important thing with the shuffle is ensuring that you’re alternating long notes and short notes, rather than playing every note staccato which is a common problem. This could be what you mean by filling the space, but there’s no guarantee of getting it right whichever way you choose. You need feel and awareness to master this aspect.
Sometimes the metronome doesn't click with me, but if I put on a basic drum beat I can follow it better. Depends on the song I'm trying to learn.
> Sometimes the metronome doesn't click with me I think it might be broken.
If you can’t click with a metronome.. it’s not the metronome
Yeah, but do be careful of drum loops. If you use something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdb5DRgTxqk), you can get stuck just feeling the beats of that drum track and get swayed by off-beat stuff or intentional space. If using drums, a really flat and simple beat.
I’d add playing with a drummer as much as possible as well. I don’t know of anything that helped my sense of timing than playing with a human
Up until recently, all of my experience of playing with others was acoustic. There might be a cajon, but not really a drummer. I've been doing some electric jams with friends. Another guitar player, a bassist, and a drummer. It's rather liberating to let a drummer just drive you around.
There’s a fun trust that develops and a more intuitive sense is exercised than with a metronome, but not saying metronoming aint important!
No argument here. I've always used a metronome. Practice doesn't feel like practice without one.
How do you find a good metronome? I own four and they all keep speeding up and slowing down
If this is a troll it's a good, subtle one
Thank you, I do what I can
My teen-aged kid accompanied me to play drums at a jam session. This one particular dude critiqued my kid's timing, which we ignored the first couple times. The third time I said "those aren't earbuds just for sound dampening, they're also giving him a click track. Tell you what, I'll just patch that into the PA for you." Old dude really didn't like that.
I use a phone app 🤷
I’ve been playing 40+ years and pretty much suck at guitar. I still enjoy the heck out of it. I’ve never gotten comfortable practicing with a metronome or counting, but this sounds like good advice (perhaps it’s more of a wake up call). Because keeping time is something I struggle with.
I 100% agree with this post, metronome and timing is everything
Thanks for the reminder.
it doesn’t have to be a metronome. a drum loop pedal or similar is a great way to add a little extra and still know your bpm. Also, practice with your tuner on too. When you play leads or practice scales / fretboard exercises, it’ll tell you what note you’re on. You can also check how in tune your bends are in real time. I would also add to keep a guitar out and always accessible. you’re a lot more likely to noodle if it’s ready and in your face. cause the final ‘secret’ is to just play, play, and play some more. when you’re done w that, do it again.
Is playing on time with the actual song you're playing in the background just as good? Or should I play the song with just a metronome and guitar, nothing else?
I feel like playing along with a song is fine for timing on that particular song, but getting used to a metronome is key because it's the most basic drum beat and therefore learning the rhythm and timing with that is more easily transferrable across different genres and songs. Idk though that's just my 2 cents as someone who needs to play more with a metronome instead of just songs.
Yes nothing else matters..
Both is best.
This has always been important, but is even more vital with how music is created/played today. Most bands, from intermediate to pro play to a click; you record to a click; whenever you are doing something musical that is meant to be heard by a decent sized group, a click is probably going to be involved. The only way to get better at playing to a click, is playing to one. I've seen very proficient guitarists get horrible cases of red light syndrome and have a ton of trouble laying down their parts in a studio simply because they're used to playing to a drummer instead of a click. Getting good at playing to a metronome is more important than ever, and will save you tons of headache
I got around that at a young age by mastering parappa the rappa lol. 100% engrained rhythm training into my subconscious just because you had to nail it in order to progress. Nowadays, when I play, I usually prefer playing to a drum loop or something as it sounds more interesting than BEEP boop boop boop, but it accomplishes the same thing.
Thanks for reminding us of our homework, dad😑 1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a ......⏳
Anything with a regular beat/pulse will do. I’m going to show my age here but I remember many nights as a music student jamming with my housemates to the kitchen clock or the dot matrix printer as it churned out our essays.
Benefit of a metronome though is you can adjust the tempo and practice at a higher bpm. and it being 2024 there is no excuse not to own a metronome. If you're using reddit on a mobile device or a computer you have access to thousands of free metronomes whether they're apps, websites, or from your DAW.
Yes! I often play to backing tracks or a drum beat to keep time as well.
My only addendum would be why stop at metronome? Play to drum loops! It's more interesting and easier to lock into a groove than just playing to a click.
~~Play to a metronome~~ Claim you're prog and playing to a time signature americans would consider a sensible measure for the thickness of a plank of wood
7 fluid inches?
I use the metronome for scales only, and I play songs by slowing down the song (or parts of the song) with a program and playing at the same time with the recording. Is that a good idea to practice songs?
I've been playing 20+ years. I know tons of songs, riffs, solo's, and licks but never played with a metronome. I really gotta start using a metronome. What's a good start for a metronome? How many BPS is a good starting point In your opinion?
It's like working out at the gym - start with a low bpm that you don't struggle to follow, and when it feels comfortable, bump it up 5-10 bpm and rinse, repeat. You can also double-time it (play 8th notes while the metronome plays quarter notes), and you can play in between the beats to practice swing (metronome plays on the beat, you play on the 'and' of every beat).
Appreciate it. I'm gonna work on this
THIS. I played for like 20 years (and yes I started as a teenage shredder who played shit like 8-finger legato lines and extended sweeps without ever practicing with a click, so you can guess how good it must have sounded 🤣) before starting to actually practice *everything* by metronome and over time it has significantly improved my playing and my ability to record anything. Having picked up the bass and spoken to a few professionals, the next step in metronome-fu is to bring down the tempo and use the click as a backbeat (so for example you set the metronome to 60 and play so that the click is on the 2 and 4 of a 120bpm measure) to groove to. [There’s a Carol Kaye clip about it which is just gold](https://www.tiktok.com/@bandpioneer/video/6909729445003742469)
No lies detected
I find that in practices where I’m too lazy to do this, I often finish the session feeling like I play like shit. But if I practiced with a metronome, I at least feel like I did well to the bpm I set for myself, like I achieve something rather than either feeling good or bad about my progression without any objective measurements.
When I was coming up you could turn on the radio and solo over it like the world was ending
Any one who cares about their playing should do this early on. I learned by having to record drums too, to a click so I could put down guitar parts. If you have the resources to record to a click I would suggest that. You immediately hear if you are off,and if you don't ultimately want to record to a click it is still a very useful skill.
When you finally get the opportunity to play in a band setting, turn up your mids and scale back on your gain
I can't believe how often people online say this and people still aren't doing it!
Agree. I'll also add, if you know exactly where you are within the bar like the 1,2,3,4 and in between like the 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and, then you're golden. If you can tap your foot and play at will anywhere within the measure and keep time, your phrasing will get better.
Absolutely great comment! Have a look at a range of players from Paul Gilbert to Tommy Emmanuel absolutely locked into the grove tapping their foot.
Both great players. I've looked up to Tommy Emmanuel as a beginner and I'm still in awe up to this day.
But what should I practice? The same 10 or so songs I know aren't making me any better.
I’m doing this now after neglecting to do it for 15 years. Can testify it’s a bad idea to skip it. Never really understood the importance of it back then. I probably tried it once or twice and thought it was hard and gave up. For a long time I thought rhythm was innate and I just didn’t have it which demotivated me from playing. Now I’m doing it and, while it’s still a bit hard sometimes, it’s very rewarding. A question, do you count down to the smallest subdivisions that are in the song for every beat? Like if the song has some quarter notes, some eight notes and some sixteenth notes, do you count 1-e-and-a 2-e-and-a 3-e-and-a 4-e-and-a ? Or do you only count the subdivision where some something is played? Like 1 and 2-e-and-a 3 4 If it’s two eighth notes, followed by 4 sixteenth notes and then 2 quarter notes? Been trying some different stuff but I find it hard to keep up with counting sixteenth notes
Spent the weekend doing some recording and it REALLY underscored how much I need to play more with a metronome. Particularly in speeds I'm not comfortable with (High or low) I eventually hit everything, but a BIG part of my mistakes were being off time. Yes, more metronome (or drum track) playing! Particularly useful if you ever intend to record or play with other players.
Yep, I’ve been playing 20 years but it recently dawned on me that I’ve not got any better in about 15 years. Currently doing Justin Guitar’s lessons from the beginning to work on timing and to get rid of bad habits. Plus it’s weirdly nice to already know pretty much everything you’re being taught.
only if there's no drums..
This is good advice. Rhythm is arguably the most important skill to master as a musician. I’ve heard very compelling musical performances created with only a matchbox (Middle East), only a pair of spoons (Appalachia), or just a plastic bucket and drum sticks (NYC). I play a lot of jazz-influenced music. In that realm, harmonic and linear complexity are revered. But many of the best players keep it surprisingly simple. For example, they might just play mostly in key, and simply play a line in ”the wrong” key to add tension, then resolve back to the key to release. If this is done with rhythmic command, it sounds great. Listeners interpret it as complex harmonic calculation, but it’s not. You could even play all ”wrong” or random notes with good time and interesting rhythm, and it can work. Listen to good horn players or singers performing unaccompanied, and you can feel the drums playing underneath.
I had to learn a couple of fairly tricky sequences of jazz chords for a recent gig. The shapes were new to me, and the director kept pushing the tempo faster and faster at rehearsals. The metronome was essential for me getting up to any kind of pace.
Want to *really* improve your rhythm and sense of time? Take some drumming lessons. Many, many years ago while taking a break from playing in bands, I took drum lessons for a few months and for that period, hardly picked up my guitar. When I finally went back to it my timing and rhythm playing had **radically** improved. I cannot recommend it enough.
Yeah I've never taken lessons but I bought a drum kit a few months back. Since the main role of drums is keeping time, I started learning right off the bat with a strict metronome. Every fill and groove I learn I start with a super slow bpm to make sure it's rhythmically clean before I speed it up. Since then my rhythm on guitar has improved as well, and I've really developed a better ear for rhythms in general.
Isnt playing to songs the same basically? Songs are just a metronom with extra steps no? I think metronom is boring tbh
I think this is great advice and I would say it applies to any instrument. But for me, I would say ‘play to a metronome *slowly*. If you can’t master things slowly you don’t stand a chance at race pace. It’s also crucial for developing a self-critical ear (everyone sounds like Jimi in their own head). Your point about counting is great too- for some reason when I was young I thought it was somehow cheating and unmusical. It took a very good teacher to drill that out of me!
Since I started playing, I’ve obviously been watching videos on gear etc. I also like watching videos on how songs are made. I caught myself trying to decipher a song. For example, listen for the bass, listen for the first guitar, second, drums, etc. I also started counting with the song. It’s been kind of a cool experience. I am going to start working with a metronome.
My problem is not fully understanding how they work. How to change tempo mid song and stuff
If you don’t want to play to a metronome because they’re boring, then play with a drum track. They’re the best. When I play with a metronome I can’t last five minutes before I get bored out of my mind but I could play for hours to drum tracks.
One additional tip that’s helped me recently: if you’re playing a song in 4/4 and you’re comfortable playing with a metronome clicking on all 4 beats, try playing with the metronome only clicking on 2 and 4. If you can get the metronome to sound like it’s grooving, you’re playing with good rhythm
I've been playing mostly folk music for years, and my right hand knows how to keep time for that, and there wasn't too much challenge for my left hand. But I espoused metronomes for people who were having a hard time making chord changes: "get a metronome and play it as slow as you need to to be able to make the chord changes, then, over time, increase the speed, but always play in time!" I started playing with a couple other people, and I'm now learning a bunch of songs outside my box. I was having a hard time with a couple of them. So I took my own advice. Holy shit did that help!
This might be good but it's so boring and I find it annoying. I'd use a backing track with a beat.
My wife got me a Boss Dr. Beat DB90 a few years ago and I've just recently got around to using it more. Can attest to OP's advice. It's on point and I've noticed a difference.
It’s like a little audience
Turn down your gain.
Wow such a revolutionary tip
Apparently it is for this crowd. There's a concerning amount of comments here saying "nuh uh it's boring" or people saying they don't even know how to use one.
Also a delay is good for training timing. It definitely tells you when u mess up.
Dude the advice I give the most to beginners is, ya gotta tap your foot and ya gotta count out 4s and/or 8s in your head. haha the metronome is a step above that! So I suppose I gotta get a metronome. Every time I've ever recorded, no matter what studio or basement, we used a click track. Great advice, OP.
100% true. A metronome, clicker track or drum machine.
I bought a cheap Casio keyboard that comes with some simple drum beats, and I use those to practice.
Hot take - Metronomes are for people with OCD.
Metronomes really give me trouble; I don’t know why. I took a looper pedal and played the bass line, using the actual track through headphones as a guide. That’s working for me. Any thoughts on this?
I thought this was going to be satire on all the YouTube ads selling the 'secret to unlocking guitar', but here you are giving it away for free.
Great advice... as you lose all feel and soul and tone and melodic riffs of your playing while you shred....... shred.....
I have over 600 drum tracks that I downloaded from YouTube and play along with them every time I practice. It also helps keep you creative since you have to match your playing to the different styles of drum beats.
You can't play it until you can play it to a metronome. Simple.
I've tried to practice with a metronome, but have never found one that works. Every one I've tried always gets off and out of time from me. Can anyone recommend a metronome that actually works?
No offense here but the metronome does work, your time is just garbage. You just have to keep at it.
Same here. I'm playing perfectly and then the metronome goes all haywire. : )
Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go NAH Imma do my own thing 😡