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Old 02-21-2020, 10:39 AM
numb fingertips numb fingertips is offline
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Default What's a good way to practice with a metronome?

Please assume I know nothing because I know nothing. What's a good way to practice with a metronome? Do I do my usual practice with it on? Do I have to do a certain tempo. Do I need to switch tempo on it during the practice?
Thanks for your help.
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Old 02-21-2020, 11:11 AM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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Lots of ways to practice with a metronome. The first thing is to select a tempo that you can play your chosen piece at easily. Next, the point is not to learn the piece, or to even practice the piece, it's to learn and practice how to play with a metronome, which some (me) find quite difficult. So pick something easy that you already know. The next thing is to try to hear the metronome on different beats of the bar. You can play it on 4 beats for a tune in 4/4, one beat per quarter note, or you can set it at half speed on 1 and 3 for straight time pieces, or just on 1 or just on 4. I like to have it on 2 and 4 for jazz pieces that swing, because a jazz drummer about always has his hi-hat keeping time on 2 and 4, so you lock into that. For pieces in 3/4, try it on 1, for piece in 6/8 try in on 1 and 4. Good luck! Keeping good time is essential to musicianship if you play with other people.
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Old 02-21-2020, 11:11 AM
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guitargabor guitargabor is offline
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This is my routine:

During each practice I will perform scales with the metronome at 60 beats per minute in 4/4 time.

Start with a G scale open then another G scale on the 7th fret.Crank the metronome up to 80-100 beats per minute and repeat those scales.Also do a C scale and minor pentatonic.

Then I'll strum chords at 80 per minute beginning with open chords and then add barre chords.

I'll continue with songs and adjust the number of beats per minute depending on the type of song in both 4/4 and 3/4 time.

The Metronome stays on during the entire practice.Except when playing "Classical Gas" which has different timings within the song if played according to the original.
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Old 02-21-2020, 11:15 AM
vindibona1 vindibona1 is offline
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There are different ways to practice with a metronome, and often with different purposes. I assume you have a basic one, possibly a phone app, but that's ok.

Some people use a metronome to keep constant time. Some people use it to practice difficult sections of music. I'll see if I can describe how it may be used on both instances.

For just keeping time, find the tempo you want to play at. You *could* just set the metronome at that. As an example, you'll find a lot of tunes that are played at 90-100 bpm. One of the most difficult things in terms of keeping solid time is to stay steady when the beat is slow because of the time-space involved between each beat. What professional musicians often do in their heads is "subdivide" the beats. Instead of 1-2-3-4, they think 1&2&3&4&. To do that with a monitor is simply to double the BPM's so it takes two clicks for every beat. Just try to be precisely with it, butnever-ever get ahead of the metronome. There are more advanced metronomes that have more complicated features, but I'll leave it at the above for now.

Other ways that metronomes can be used in practice is to keep the tempo down for slow practice. There are some licks that are difficult to get under the fingers. One practice is to slow the metronome WAY down. Something that may be listed at 100bmp might be slowed down to 40bmp (here's where the double/subdivided trick works well). When I practice I start at a super-low tempo. Then after 5 repetitions with NO mistakes, I'll bump the bpm's up by 1 click (sometimes more than 1). If I make a mistake 2 times I'll bump it down 1 click. I'll keep moving it up as I get better until I'm at full speed. Sometimes I'll bump the metronome a bit faster than the listed speed rating so that when I dial back to the listed speed it feels more comfortable.

FWIW, my main metronome is a Boss DB-90. It's pricey and a little big but well worth the cost. Drummers use this one because it has different beats, different styles and patterns and is great for complicated rhythms. When I travel or teach I'll usually pack my small Matrix dial metronome. While I have metronome apps on my phone, I just find a dedicated metronome easier to adjust on the fly.

Good luck.

That's the short version of how to
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Old 02-21-2020, 12:29 PM
Joe Beamish Joe Beamish is offline
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It’s easiest to start with a click on every beat, four to the bar, and reduce the number of clicks as you get used to it. Eventually, you may want to play with the metronome on the 2 and 4, like a snare drum.

Lots of Youtube videos along these lines, of course.

Drum machine apps are cool, too.
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Old 02-21-2020, 03:00 PM
BlueStarfish BlueStarfish is offline
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Lots of ways to do it.

Here’s what I do: I use a metronome primarily to help me through the “get it in my fingers” phase on anything new. Could be an entire progression, but more often a single new chord or chord change, or maybe a lick.

Let’s use an example of a new chord. I’ll take the new chord, plus whatever the preceding chord is in the progression. Let’s say it’s an X chord to a Y chord.

So I start at 60 BPM, and play X as a whole note (4 clicks), then Y as a whole note, and repeat until I’ve got it down perfect at that speed.

Then speed to 70 BPM and repeat.

80 BPM and repeat

Up to 110 BPM.

Then back to 60 BPM, but now as half notes (two clicks per), repeat until I can do it again at 110 BPM.

Then back to 60 BPM, but now as quarter notes. Again repeat and move up, to 120 BPM.

OK, let’s raise the bar. Let’s start over. This time, goal is to play it perfect, without looking at either my fretting fingers or my picking hand. So eyes closed, or focused on something across the room, or whatever.

If I can change X to Y at 120 BPM, no looking, then I’ve got the chord mastered to the point I can use it at game pace in a progression.

If it’s a lick or scale or strumming pattern, I’ll push the tempo higher, I’ll try to get up to 160 BPM.

If it’s a truly new skill, I have never been able to get to that end point in a single day. It’s often a matter of at least a week or two (any many weeks for really new or tough skills).

This probably seems tedious. But for me it works ... if I want to master a new skill, this is what I need to do.
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Old 02-21-2020, 03:23 PM
tippy5 tippy5 is offline
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I like to use a digital metronome in headphones. Most beats are annoying, and some downright pummeling, so I make my own beat. I use Abbey Road Suite software and get the sampled Ringo early kit. I apply his bass (kick) drum to my click on my DAW (Ableton) recording software. A very musical, soft click to play music to.

My metronome is Ableton's click - even when I am not recording tracks. With the headphones on I carefully drape the thin wire headphone cord over my back out of the way into an Apogee Duet interface.

I then change BPM rate per tune on Ableton. Sometimes I adjust the volume lower after I learned the cadence accurately.
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Old 02-21-2020, 04:26 PM
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Maybe it’s just me - I find it distracting to have to process the metronome sound along with the guitar sound. I prefer a metronome app with a silent mode, that flashes a light, instead.
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Old 02-21-2020, 05:38 PM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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The main reason for metronome practice is to train your time-keeping.
Our natural sense of time is flexible, it's not clockwork. It varies depending on our mood or stress level. Our brain can "shift gear" to enable us to think faster in dangerous situations.

But to play music we need to be able to keep a steady tempo, no matter what's going on. Changing between simple and complex passages can cause timing problems, and playing live is particularly stressful, which can make us play faster without realising it (and therefore make more mistakes).

To start metronome practice, start at a comfortable bpm. Play a variety of stuff at that speed. You can set it to the beat (quarter note) or double the bpm (8th notes).
Change the bpm a little either way depending on the tune or the exercise, but practice until you have no problem staying with the click, whether you're strumming a simple chord, playing a scale, or improvising a solo. You need to feel relaxed, not tense because you're worried about losing the click. That can take a long time. Maybe months.

Once you're totally confident, you can sit right on that click with no trouble - then you halve the rate. Feel it as either beats 1 and 3, or 2 and 4 (2 and 4 is better). Now you have to supply the missing beats accurately.

Again, continue until you find that easy - at a range of different tempos.

For more challenging exercises, check this out:

- especially the crazy stuff after 5:00

One good test of your time-keeping (without a metronome) is to listen to a song you know well enough to play along with. Play along with it for a while, then turn the volume right down. Keep playing along and turn the volume back up after 10 seconds - or 15, 20 or 30. Still in time? Well done! (Yes, you may need three hands for this task.... Alternatively, just try clapping along or singing along in the gap.)
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Old 02-22-2020, 02:10 AM
Yendoggy Yendoggy is offline
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Think of it as a drummer u are jamming with. If you “hear” it you’re probably off.
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Old 02-22-2020, 04:10 AM
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A metronome is probably good to use in practicing scales (never done that though), but for a tune I will play along with the original recording.
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Old 02-22-2020, 06:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TBman View Post
A metronome is probably good to use in practicing scales (never done that though), but for a tune I will play along with the original recording.
For me, scales are the most difficult to play in time. I've been practicing heavily with a metronome and it has helped a lot.

I can play do re mi fa so la on time repeatedly at almost my top speed but when i have to play an elongated scale, I can only do it on time with approximately 70% of my speed.
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Old 03-03-2020, 09:46 AM
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I use a metronome when working on short more complex things. But not for practicing tunes. In my case using a drum machine or "Band in a Box" software feels closer to real time playing than the metronome, and is more enjoyable.
You can go to the "fbbts.com" website and listen to some rhythm tracks that were created using "Band in a Box". They are free and downloadable. You can do a lot more with BIAB than you can the metronome.
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Old 03-03-2020, 11:43 AM
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I believe the most important thing is to listen to yourself as you play and sing. If an audience can hear a performer speeding up or slowing down> Or singing out of key then the said performer should be able to hear it also.
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Old 03-06-2020, 08:23 AM
Gottaplay Gottaplay is offline
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Using a metronome for guitar practise is something I recently started doing. I saw a video of Tommy Emmanuel explaining that when he's playing along with a metronome he`ll listen carefully to not only match his tempo to the metronome but to make the sound of the metronome swing musically. If you don't quite get what I`m saying think of the metronome as a drummer. If your tempo and the super exact drummer (metronome) sound "better" sometimes and not as good at other times then try to lock into the "better" rhythm.

Some of the much more experienced AGF members here can probably explain this better. I just find that for me sometimes I click into the groove and me and the metronome share a time relationship that's a lot more musical than just banging away in locked rhythm.

The concept of how and where to play in relation to the beat is a bit above my pay grade but I can sometimes achieve this albeit without really being able to explain it and reliably replicate it immediately.

Boiled down to the basics. Try to make the metronome beat sound good with your instrument.
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