Timing?

I dont know.. In terms of music.. I dont think so.. Have you ever been to one of those musical circles or drum circles? The beat might not be in perfect time.. but man it is beautiful and musical. I know for myself, that I dont often listen to the ticking of my clock for enjoyment.. but I got the radio on all the time.

Thing is.. I think its good to use the metronome as ONE of your tools for learning. But I wouldnt want to play everything by it.. not me personally anyway.

Jim

I find practicing with both (in addition to a drum machine) is helpful. When its a new and/or particularly difficult part, I'll just worry about getting the fingering down first, then practice with my foot since, as geoo mentioned, its a little more forgiving but still keeps me concentrating on my timing (alot of times, I'll actually use my foot to work out the proper timing), then work it with a metronome/drum machine. I try to do the same thing with practicing scales and chord changes/progressions, although I tend to alternate more (ie. some days, I'll only work on playing the notes, chords cleanly, other days I'll work on playing them in time with a metronome, etc.).

I use my daughter's Yamaha Keyboard. It has drum loops in it and you can set the tempo to anything you want. Found it does help alot. HOWever, sitting there late at night in my living room, taping my foot as I play and make believe that I am Buddy Guy or Howlin Wolf, is much more enjoyable... 8)

I'd imagine that is cause your foot is a bit more forgiving than that damndable mother of a slavedriver.. the dreaded metronome..

JimTrue true it is but does that make you more sloppy in time then?

Yes and no.

There are musical pieces that are supposed to have tempo changes in them that are very hard to do with a metronome. They won't sound right musically if you stick to a metronome's tempo even if you can make it change tempos with a tune, precisely because such changes will be mechanical.

But in terms of keeping a steady beat, few people can play as solidly without a strict beat to follow. So in the majority of situations you are going to be sloppier without one.

Further, practicing with a metronome regularly (and tapping your foot to it) will get you much more attuned to playing in rhythm. You'll eventually get to the point where you can start tapping your foot to within a few bpm to any stated (reasonable) rhythm. So you'll get a piece of music that says "145 bpm" and you're best guess tapping your foot might be 143 or 148, but you'll be very, very close. Without significant practice with a metronome you'll not be able to do that.

I prefer a drum maching to a metronome too. I just can't "feel" a metronome. For me to play well I have to feel the music, I need accents. I always tap my foot when I play whether using a drum machine or not.

When playing with other musicians, everybody has to get in a groove. It is hard to explain, but you know when you are in the groove, and you know when you are not. It is a feeling. And it is also easy to feel if someone speeds up or slows down, it disrupts the groove. It is sort of a hypnotic feeling for lack of a better description.

I agree on the drum vs. metronome. A drum track is much easier to play to than a metronome. When I do use a metronome, I set it to match my playing, so I end up with a lot of 117 or 93 bpm.

you bet Wes. Last week I was jamming with 2 good friends. 1 on drums, the other on guitar. The drummer was trying to get creative and was changing tempos , etc...Man, did I get messed up. On the other hand, we started playing Nantucket Sleighride(an old Mountain tune) and man.... I gotta tell ya, it felt awesome. Everyone was in the groove.