Need Help!

[Doulos]

I need to improve on my
1)timing
2)hearing
3)strumming(my leader said that i lack variety in my strumming)
please help me by giving tips....etc.........thank you in advance!

[Ninjato]

Just curious...do you practice w/ a metronome?

I use to never practice w/ my metronome and thought my timing was ok until I started playing w/ people that have really good timing.

So here we go...how to get better at timing: (These are probably going to be the most boring, yet most neglected part of playing guitar. Everybody wants to jump in and strum like the pros. Trust me on this, do this and over the course of 1 month (every day practice), you will have built in a metronome in your head.)

I will assume you have a metronome. Set it to 80bpm (or slower NOT FASTER) w/ every beat being 1/4, so you get 4 beats per measure in a technical sense. I am going to assume a lot of what you play is in 4/4 time.

so let's start: pick a chord..any chord and start the metronome. Get the feel for the beat and just strum w/ downstrokes to the beat. One strum per beat.

D D D D / D D D D / D D D D / D D D D do this until you just can't stand it anymore.

Next excercise: Let's add an upstroke strum to the picture as 1/8 beats, so for every beat of the metronome you have a downstroke and up stroke. Note the UPSTROKE is denoted w/ a small "u" since most of the time upstrokes aren't played as loud.

Du Du Du Du / Du Du Du Du / Du Du Du Du / Du Du Du Du do this until you feel very comfortable.

Notice that without speeding up the metronome you have doubled your strummin speed to keep within the beat. Make sure you come in w/ the downstroke on the beat.

Next excercise: Let's add 3 strums to the picture.

DuD DuD DuD DuD / DuD DuD DuD DuD / DuD DuD DuD DuD/ DuD DuD DuD DuD

This is getting on the fast side but still manageable. You are still at 80bpm but now you have to squeeze in 3 strums. DO NOT DEVIATE FROM THE PATTERN. There is a tendency at this speed to chunk out 3 strums recklessly to try to keep up. If it is so, slow the metronome down a bit.

You know what's coming :

DuDu DuDu DuDu DuDu / DuDu DuDu DuDu DuDu / DuDu DuDu DuDu DuDu / DuDu DuDu DuDu

This will feel really fast even at 80bpm (I know, I do this kind of practice for my scales) but actually easier than the previous 3 strums per beat. Something about even numbers is easy.

After you are cool w/ all of this start omitting some of the strums for variety.

Again w/ only downstrokes:

D _ D _ / D _ D _ / D _ D _ / D _ D _
Every other beat strum

Play around w/ it and work up to:

D D Du D / D D Du D / D D Du D / D D Du D or

Du D Du D / Du D Du D / Du D Du D / Du D Du D or

Du Du DD Du / Du Du DD Du / Du Du DD Du / Du Du DD Du or

DD Du DD Du / DD Du DD Du / DD Du DD Du / DD Du DD Du or

D D D Du / D D D Du / D D D Du / D D D Du and a hard one

DuD DD DuD DD / DuD DD DuD DD / DuD DD DuD DD / DuD DD DuD DD

Once you get used to this start changing chords after every 4 beats and make sure you change fast enough to come in ON THE BEAT of the next measure.


This has got to be the MOST BORING crap a person has to do to develop timing. I hate it, but I understand the value of it. I have to do it anyways since my grade depends on it for school (talk about motivation ).

As far as hearing goes....I think that is a nice way to tell you that you are crowding the music. In essence, you are not listening to the rest of the "band" and get into your own little world of playing. Many of us guitar players play by ourselves so much we tend to do a lot, but in a group setting, we have to learn to lay back a little and not do so much and let the bandmates have their spotlight.

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY. 14 weeks in my first semester in school proved it to me. Good luck and let me know how it works for you.

[A1rh0pper]

Well, I was gonna post a reply (oh wait I just did)...but Ninjato has said it all....great feedback.

[AlwaysADr3mr]

Like Ninjato said... Play the most basic chords, with the most basic of strum patterns, until you literally can't take it anymore, and are pulling your hair out. It's torture, but it helps. When I was first learning, years ago, my father had me do the same thing. I've been told by many a people that my fast, rhythmic strumming patterns is the thing they like most about my music.... so torture is good.

[troubleman]

Get a good drum machine - one with lots of patterns in lots of different styles and time signatures. Start playing with the drum machine - chord changes and progressions, scales and single note leads. Play everything with the drum machine. That'll help your timing and eventually your strumming as well (different genre in multiple time signatures will force you to change your strumming). As for your hearing - I'd recommend a course in harmony theory...

[Ninjato]

Originally posted by troubleman
Get a good drum machine - one with lots of patterns in lots of different styles and time signatures. Start playing with the drum machine - chord changes and progressions, scales and single note leads. Play everything with the drum machine. That'll help your timing and eventually your strumming as well (different genre in multiple time signatures will force you to change your strumming). As for your hearing - I'd recommend a course in harmony theory...

I agree w/ the drum machine but much later. A drum machine will add too much in the beginning and could lead to confusion. I think a metronome w/ a basic beat would work a lot better starting out.

Your talking multiple time signatures and stuff, but I think DOULOS is playing church music. I doubt it changes rhythm that drastically.

[Doulos]

Thanks ninjato!great post!!
troubleman what is harmony course theory?
hehe ninjato even though i play church music but i want to improve futher than that


keep it coming guys!