I took Chris' advice and worked on my timing. The song I'm using to do this is What I Always Wanted by Kittie. The intro to the song starts at 124 bpm, so I set the metronome to that and played the intro. I was pretty much dead on. I might have had to speed it up just a bit. For the verse, it slows to 68 bpm. It took me a bit of practice to play at that speed but when I finally got it, something didn't seem right. I put the song and the verses sounded faster than what I was playing, so I sped it up more to the CD.
My biggest fear about using a metronome or a CD is, learning the rhythm of a song then not being able playing in tune without the metronome or CD. How do I make sure this doesn't happen?
Count in your head, and tap your foot to the beat when using the metronome. Eventually this will become second nature, and you can stay in time just by hearing the click click click of your shoe hitting the floor. Really, it shoudn't be a worry at all, because if you play live, you'll be playing with a drummer, who then acts as your metronome.
OWA,
it's not uncommon for songs to be slightly speeded up, to make transcription more difficult. When the song is played, no-one is going to notice everything being 25 cents sharp or 5bpm faster than it's supposed to be (I'm not saying that 25 cents = 5 Bpm).
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
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Taso hit the nail right on the head.
Once you get a song down either with a metronome or the CD or for that matter playing it with someone else it sticks with you. Gets ingrained in your brain just like knowing where the frets and strings are without looking and automatically forming your hand for the next chord.
If you don't play it for awhile it may seem off when you first start then you brain kicks in, searches for the memory, then helps you adjust. Sometimes your right hand will remember it one way and the left another. Hopefully the one that is right wins.
In a band setting, timing is like tuning. It's not vital that you're exactly in tune, as long as you're in tune with the band.
As far as timing, you could be a metronomic 148 BPM throughout an entire song, but if your drummer slows down or your bassist speeds up, the sound will suffer.
One of the best bits of advice I've ever heard is to take a metronome with you into a quiet dark room. Put it on x bpm, and just listen to it.
When I first heard this advice I thought it was goofy. But I tried it anyway and pretty soon, sure enough I found I could dial in to "x" bpm whenever I wanted.
I think it was someone from this forum that suggested that, I wish I could recall who 'cause I'd like to give 'em the credit.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
Off subject OWA,
I was going to reply to where do I go from here but the thread is locked.
You mention that I suggested getting a low end acoustic but didn't understand what I meant by playing cleanly.
What I mean is:
When you play with an electric guitar and amp some of your mistakes (like muted string or poor fingering) can be hidden. (you can't fix a problem if you don't know you have it.)
You also mentioned some buzzing on some chords, This may be your setup or your technic. If it is your technic an acoustic will help you bring this out and work on it. (an acoustic will not hide any mistakes)
As for the timing?
Taso hit the nail on the head.
Best of luck :D
I think it was someone from this forum that suggested that, I wish I could recall who 'cause I'd like to give 'em the credit.
I don't think I recommended anything like that but I do think it is a good idea.
I use to sit with the electronic metronome next to my leg while watching TV and let the beat sink in. 60 or 120 BPM is a good start because you can sort of adjust from that in increments of 10 or 20 or so.
Just one more weird way of learning timing.
Oh boy, that's two nails I hit on the head just in this one thread. I'm going to stop using my guitar as the hammer, because the nails are leaving dents!
Oh boy, that's two nails I hit on the head just in this one thread. I'm going to stop using my guitar as the hammer, because the nails are leaving dents!
I am going to refrain from calling you a hammer head OK?
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Thanks for the help everyone. Playing with a metronome, or a CD isn't too hard. In fact, rhythm is something that comes easy to me. I just was worried that a metronome or a CD would become a crutch. But those fears are gone. Thanks again.
