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  #16  
Old 01-05-2017, 08:36 AM
dkstott dkstott is offline
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Eric, your video is great after I got past the 1st 5-6 minutes of discussion. I just have a pet peeve of mine that instruction videos need less discussion and more instruction.


Practicing with a metronome can be good and I have used it in the past while playing scales, etc.. Unfortunately a lot of lessons with a metronome are typically based on improving speed. Play this at XY beats for a week or two; now increase the speed to X.... keep increasing over time. Speed playing was never a desire for me.

I've found more success in improving my timing by playing with others than with the Metronome. Perhaps it's because playing with others is more enjoyable than spending time with a metronome.

My routine has been to play songs over and over and over along with MP3 or videos until the timing for a particular song is imbedded into my brain. "Don't Practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't do it wrong"

Whatever works best for each individual is the right tool to use.
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Last edited by dkstott; 01-05-2017 at 09:01 AM.
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  #17  
Old 01-05-2017, 03:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkstott View Post
Eric, your video is great after I got past the 1st 5-6 minutes of discussion. I just have a pet peeve of mine that instruction videos need less discussion and more instruction…
Hi dkstott

My whole Thirty Day Guitar Challenge series of videos is based on my opposite opinion. They are intended as essays, not instruction. My goal was to not have any new chords, scales, exercises, etc for anyone to learn, but to share some thinking about overall musicianship. They may or may not be what people are after, but for the record that’s what it’s about.

I like your idea of playing along with others -can’t ague with the value of that. But I would say, in my mind, playing along with others, or with recorded tracks, or a drum machine is problematic as a sole means of improvement because they're doing all the work for you. It’s not really developing your command of time and of the math, or at least it's taking a longer way around. Moreover, I think for many people, they can play along with others or recorded tracks for years blissfully unaware that they are rushing, that what thier playing on it’s own doesn't feel all that great.

Incidentally, here's a little exercise that's great for showing yourself exactly where you really are with your sense of time. Get a metronome that goes fairly slow. Many conventional metronomes only go down to 40, but most apps these days like go down to 20 or below. Pick a small segment of a tune and you know well, perhaps just strumming two simple chords to a medium slow blues. Set the metronome at 80 and just play along until you feel like you're in the pocket. When you feel comfortable, set it to 40 but continue to play at exactly the same tempo. Now the metronome is giving you half the help that it was before. When you are confident with this, set the metronome to 20, and continue to play at the same tempo. The metronome is now just marking each measure for you ( you can even go to 10 with it marking every-other bar). Use your iPhone or whatever to quickly record this exercise and then objectively listen back. For most people this is one very humbling and sobering experience. I know it seriously is for me every time!
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  #18  
Old 01-05-2017, 05:45 PM
EllaMom EllaMom is offline
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I love that idea....slowing down the metronome until it is only "counting" each measure. Thanks for the tip!
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  #19  
Old 01-08-2017, 06:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by min7b5 View Post

My whole Thirty Day Guitar Challenge series of videos is based on my opposite opinion. They are intended as essays, not instruction. My goal was to not have any new chords, scales, exercises, etc for anyone to learn, but to share some thinking about overall musicianship. They may or may not be what people are after, but for the record that’s what it’s about.

I have listened to all of Eric's 30 essays at least once and several 4x-5x. His tip in counting every other beat in "Groove" is now a habit in my practice/play. It made my music flow more. I need to take that tip to the next level as he suggests in this thread. I'm learning Mark Hanson's version of Windy and Warm right now focused only on the first section and employ Eric's tips on groove, tone, and playing it slowly and correctly. Very appreciative of what he did for the guitar community.

BTW, Portland sure seems to be the place to live if you are an acoustic guitar player with all the local talent around like Eric, Mark Hanson, Peghead Nation, etc.
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  #20  
Old 01-08-2017, 10:31 AM
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His tip in counting every other beat in "Groove" is now a habit in my practice/play. It made my music flow more.
and then once a measure, and then not at all. That should tell you something about wearing a tight straight jacket versus having freedom to breathe.
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  #21  
Old 01-08-2017, 02:06 PM
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You are so right, I need to learn how to internalize the beat.

"I can hear clearly now", pardon the pun!
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  #22  
Old 01-08-2017, 03:15 PM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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Using a metronome while you are learning a piece is very difficult, as it distracts from the primary effort really quite a lot. Using a metronome while you are practicing a piece is very good, and really helps mastery of the piece, as well as emphasizing good time. Using the metronome with the clicks on 2 and 4 (in 4/4 time) can be really useful if you are practicing a jazz piece.
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  #23  
Old 01-08-2017, 03:36 PM
EllaMom EllaMom is offline
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MC5C, I totally agree with you. At first, I just want to get the fingering right...with both hands, since I'm playing fingerstyle. I might not get it down perfect, but once I've figured it out and can play through with relatively few mistakes, then I bring in the metronome. It highlights where I am hesitating to play the next bit. In other words, it shows me the weak links, so I can work on those more.
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  #24  
Old 01-09-2017, 07:17 AM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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Cognitively, as you think, the metronome is a distraction. It forces you to do two things at once, so that you cannot concentrate on just playing. So once you learn a piece you need to memorize it physically, and improve it musically. You really can't play a piece with metronome until it's really quite under your fingers, and it's a great aid to memorization. As is, oddly, playing your pieces while watching television. If you can do that, you probably know the piece!

If you want to improve time sense, play very simple tunes, far less complicated than your normal style. At this time playing the instrument is secondary, and time is primary. Different tempos, time signatures, click on 2/4, 1/3, just 1, just 4, 5/4, 6/8, etc. Just play scales and arpeggios.
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  #25  
Old 01-21-2017, 01:20 PM
harleycaptain harleycaptain is offline
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Using one will let you know immediately what parts of a song need extra work. We tend to play "to death" the parts we are comfy with, and then stall and stutter when we hit that "spot". Set the metronome very slow and work through the tough spot with complete accuracy, then slowly bring it up to speed. Set it as slow as necessary to play it correctly before speeding up.
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  #26  
Old 01-21-2017, 03:01 PM
EllaMom EllaMom is offline
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Yes, harleycaptain, that is exactly what I'm doing. And it works!
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