TheRedd: Congrats on your improvements! :D
Keep practicing the Horse and the other chords this week, don't be in a hurry. The Horse is a very funny song and the David's lessons is very cool. As it has two very easy chords, you can focus on your strumming hand and improve your rhythm, the downstroke and the upstroke. Also you can start to practice some easy bass runs. It is incredible the way in which David can arrange a simple song as that.
The metronome is the devil, it is one of those things that musicians use for self-torture. Don't worry if you have problems but start very slow. If you have problems with a tempo, reduce it. You must sound perfectly clean, if not you aren't practicing in the correct way.
And remember: Have fun!
That aside, I tried using a metronome today. It actually messed up my rhythm! Is that normal to start?
:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
I still can't use a metronome, it makes me either speed up far to much or slow down the same sort of amount. But practise makes perfect so i keep trying.
JackDo what I do, Tap your foot first at 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 and after you got that down then go for soemthing like 1, 2, 3, 4, with your foot.
As soon as your toes come off the ground that's beat one then when your toes hit the ground that would be the start of beat 2.
Ive found counting out loud works good for me; especially while learning the upstrokes. "One AND Two AND. . . ."
That aside, I tried using a metronome today. It actually messed up my rhythm! Is that normal to start?
:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
I still can't use a metronome, it makes me either speed up far to much or slow down the same sort of amount. But practise makes perfect so i keep trying.
JackDo what I do, Tap your foot first at 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 and after you got that down then go for soemthing like 1, 2, 3, 4, with your foot.
As soon as your toes come off the ground that's beat one then when your toes hit the ground that would be the start of beat 2.
I can keep time with foot tapping, but one look at a metronome and it all goes out the window. Its kinda like a phobia.
Jack
I can keep time with foot tapping, but one look at a metronome and it all goes out the window. Its kinda like a phobia.
Jack
I'm not sure that it's a phobia. Using the metronome forces you to keep an even tempo. You may be varying your foot tempo unconsciously so that you slow down for the harder parts and the metronome won't do that for you.
If you have trouble playing with the metronome slow it down. Also break out the harder pieces (1 to 2 bars at most at a time) for focused practice - loop them over and over with no metronome and then play just those little loops with a slow metronome. Finally bring it all back together with a slow metronom and then gradually speed it up.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
I'm not sure that it's a phobia. Using the metronome forces you to keep an even tempo. You may be varying your foot tempo unconsciously so that you slow down for the harder parts and the metronome won't do that for you.
If you have trouble playing with the metronome slow it down. Also break out the harder pieces (1 to 2 bars at most at a time) for focused practice - loop them over and over with no metronome and then play just those little loops with a slow metronome. Finally bring it all back together with a slow metronom and then gradually speed it up.
Well I had it set on about 40 bpm; the problem I was having was, I was trying so hard to stay in time with the metronome that I couldnt pay attention to the guitar.
I wonder if there is some place on the net where I could download a loop of something "natural", like drums. Id probably do better keeping time with that . . .
http://www.pinkandaint.com/weirdmet.shtml , try this site, it may help
Jack
That one is much better, easier to follow along with. Timing is still going to take me a while I think. 8)
Hey Redd
Ahhhh, I remember as if it were yesterday....hang about - sometimes it DOES still feel like yesterday... :roll:
Once you've got a few chords down, there's another zillion to move to. I still get frustrated with my chords, but not as much now 'cos I know my limitations - running before walking, chicken egg that sort of thing....
I learned the basic open chords then set about playing a bit of America, Eagles, Dylan - when you actually could hear a tune you knew coming out it put a BIG smile on my face...
I'm 8 months in and just about getting my first barre chords sorted. I hear a song and say to myself - I like, I want to play - I have a look at the tabs and find there's a chord which you cannot humanly perform without dislocating your pinkie, so I just put it away and find an easier one...there's plenty out there.
Believe me, it does get easier and it's such good fun - let us know when you get that first big SMILE on your face... :D
Rock on!
D 8)
I'm nowhere near Chicago. I've got six string, 8 fingers, two thumbs, it's dark 'cos I'm wearing sunglasses - Hit it!
Doesn't matter how long you've been playing, there will always be days when nothing seems to go quite how you wish it would. That riff you had nailed yesterday is but a memory....those chord changes that were smooth are now fumbling and choppy....those licks that came so naturally now feel like you're strumming a brick.
The one consolation is that in time, and with practise (musn't forget practise!) those days DO decrease in frequency.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Timing is still going to take me a while I think. 8)
It will. Sometimes it seems like you've finally got something worked out and you can play it but then you just can't play it in time with the metronome. It can take almost as long to get it going with the metronome as it took you to get playing it in the first place. Treat it almost as if you were learning it again - break it apart and work small sections with the metronome and then piece it back together.
It does get easier the longer you work on timing though. The more exposure to different rhythms you get the easier it will be to get other pieces playing with the metronome. One of the things my instructor has me doing weekly is a new rhythmic/reading study. It's only 8 bars long but each one has some interesting rhythm pattern to work through. You can find books of these that you can work through. These will also help your reading skills. For example - Melodic Rhythms for Guitar by Leavitt.
Whatever you do though keep working at the timing. If you want to play with others or only with backing tracks it's critical that the timing be tight.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
I get frustated everyday and then cauz I am not able to get one particular chord sound right or rather find the fingering for a particular type of sound.
But, so what ? Just play, have some patience and all will be fun then.
Good Luck !
I do have to say one thing . . .
When in school, I played in the band-trumpet, coronet and occasionally bugle. I never thought about it at the time, but I can now see just how important a conductor and a rhythm section are!
And maybe I need to back up and learn chord progressions better before I do anything else-thats where I lose it, when I have to change chords.
Finally, one beginner lesson I cant find anywhere: strumming! Im sure Im doing it wrong, since I dont hit the strings consistently. Sometimes Im too low and the pick gets tangled up in the strings, sometimes Im too high, sometimes I go too far past the strings, sometimes I dont strike all 6 , etc.
Redd, take a look in the News forum, under "Announcements" and look under Podcasts (I think it's the 2nd thread down) - I'm sure one of the podcasts lessons covers strumming.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Redd.......take it easy on yourself......its early days and what your describing is the 'norm'
we all start guitar thinking its the fret hand that makes you a guitarist.....sure it creates chords and frets notes...but it soon dawns on us that the strumming hand is the business end of things!
http://www.guitar.gg/strumming.html
give this link a look and learn to relax my friend
Thank you bally, those vids are pretty helpful :-)
