Metronome Tips

Sounds to me like you are on the right course. Playing with a metronome is a very good way to increase your speed while perfecting your technique. Keep playing at your current bpm until you feel you are ready to move on. Gradually increasing the speed will help you get better as time goes on.

I have a couple of things to add. You list a whole lot of stuff that you are focusing on but really it is difficult to really focus on more than one or two of those items you list at a time. Pick one or maybe two to work on each practice session.

Also, while keeping the metronome slow as you learning new things there is also a tempo at which it is "too slow" and it makes it harder to play. Where that too slow tempo is differs for everybody. There's kind of comfortable tempos for everybody and it's important to push at the bottom of your tempo range as well as the top but not when you are first starting out. So. if you are having real difficulty at 40-50 (which is kind of slow) then try picking the tempo up a little to maybe 60. Give it a try and see if it's any better there. If not then just slow it back down again.

Thanks for the suggestions, I think you might be right about playing a bit too slowly. I'll try and find the sweet spot to start at and keep working at it. I definitely regret not practicing with one sooner!

Start with a low tempo and be totaly precise. Increase the tempo by 1bpm daily, provided you have been successfully precise. Sounds like little improvement in speed, but that is 365bpm in a year. It adds up.

Also, youtube search Victor Wooten Metronome - he does a great demo. Just don't listen to him for being precisely on the beat, even when he claims to be trying for that, he's all over the shop. But the groove is good, and his basic approach is spot on. That's for working on groove stuff, tho. Combine that with practice playing four beats to the bar with being precise as your goal.

Also (this is for later), check Mike Outram's blog. He has a lesson on metronome tips that is just awesome. Actually, all his lessons are awesome. Great teacher and a great guy. Studied under my current tutor, and got me the connect with him, which I massively appreciate.

I've never used a metronome; I've always trusted my ear from day one of playing guitar. My suggestion would be, try playing along to songs you know - put the CD on, play along with it and FEEL the music. It might sound a little zen, but as I say, feel the music - get into the music - be as one with the music.

That's the way I've always played, and, hey, I might not be a great guitarist yet, and probably never will be - but, I can get into the mood of a song, I can feel the music flowing through me, and I'm part of that music - it's all about timing. Might take me a few goes to get a song right, but you can FEEL the strumming pattern, you WILL get a feel for the chord structure, and eventually you WILL begin to recognise different patterns - single notes, double stops, partial chords - it'll all come with time and practise.

:D :D :D

Vic