Timing issues

It's great you're doing both. I like playing with the CD because it also helps you practice listening to what the rest of the band is doing and fitting in.

Hi,

On the second question.

I think that probably throws most of us at some stage.

I can do the strum you suggest without any trouble - until the metronome starts banging away! Then the clang at the downstroke demands my attention, just when the strum is calling for silence. :?

The only way that seems to work for me is to slow the metronome right down until I can do it, and then slowly raise the speed.

I also practised a few simple ones first - slowly. Started with DU,DU,DU,DU and then dropped just one Down-stroke, until I got a feel for where the Upstroke was happening in the middle of the swing of the pendulum. Then I mixed it up a bit, still keeping the variations very simple.

All of this just on one chord - just straight practice at strumming to a metronome. After a whole it just seemed to "click" and I could throw in more variations without being knocked off my trolley. :D

The biggest trap seemed to be getting mesmerised by the pulse of the metronome and unconsciously trying to make the Upstroke a full beat instead of a half beat. Once I got over that and the brain got used to matching a "beat" and an "off beat" position to the metronome it seemed to go much easier. :wink:

Took a bit of practice to get it to click though. Good luck. :)

Cheers, Chris.

...until the metronome starts banging away! Then the clang at the downstroke demands my attention, just when the strum is calling for silence...

...The biggest trap seemed to be getting mesmerised by the pulse of the metronome and unconsciously trying to make the Upstroke a full beat instead of a half beat...

Wow! You've described my problems so well it feels like you're inside my head. If I try and concentrate to avoid the downstrum on the metrenome tick, I end up squeezing/stretching my rythm so the upstrum occurs with the tick. Metronome...ticks...must...strum...

But I think I could slow it down to about 30bpm and work the speed up from there...perhaps counting at loud as well. Except then I can't concentrate on strumming. Damn this guitar...it'll be the death of me :D

What I do, and it works for me, is to count the piece out loud without the guitar at first and then as I play. Count out loud what you are playing and silently in your head cound the beats that you dont play.
Like,
1, and, (2) and, 3, (and) 4, and.
The 2 and the "and" after 3 count silently in your head, the rest out loud.
Hope that helps, works for me.

Sorry to hijack this thread but as long as we are on the subject...one thing always confused me about learning songs to metronomes...how do you know where to set the metronome? Obviously if you are ear trained it's fairly easy to figure out. But if you're a beginner you don't have a starting point. I am decent at listening to a song and picking up the tempo but I couldn't tell you if it was 80bpm or 120bpm...just fast or slow...

How do you figure out the tempo so I can then take the tab and learn with the metronome instead of the CD?

Thanks

Start with a too slow tempo, in other words start slow enough that you know the song is suppose to be faster but you can play it well.
Then gradually increase speed until it sounds like YOU want it to sound.
ALL songs can be played at a tempo you are comfortable with and a sound you like.
Remember, when you play a song it is your song no matter who first recorded it.

Most tabs won't have the tempo and most sheet music will. Power Tabs helps because it is required so it is there.

Getting a feel for what 60, 80 100 etc BPM feels like you will soon be able to decipher the speed of a song by listening to it. I have gone as far as timing a known piece of a song with a watch second hand then counting the notes/strums in that known piece to figure it out. Gets you in the ballpark anyway. But like Missleman said close is good enough.

Thanks missleman and nils...but my biggest problem is also know whether the song uses 8th, 16th's, 32nd's, etc...my ear just listens to the song and then I can get my way through the rest but I don't KNOW exactly what I'm playing..kind of like a parrot. It can speak but it doesn't know what it is saying...

When using a metronome you have to KNOW what kind of notes are being used in order to know how many in a measure etc...

Thanks

Thanks missleman and nils...but my biggest problem is also know whether the song uses 8th, 16th's, 32nd's, etc...my ear just listens to the song and then I can get my way through the rest but I don't KNOW exactly what I'm playing..kind of like a parrot. It can speak but it doesn't know what it is saying...

When using a metronome you have to KNOW what kind of notes are being used in order to know how many in a measure etc...

Thanks
One of the benefits in learning atleast the basics in reading music (Theory) is you can get that info from the sheet music if the tab does not have it.

You can also figure out how many notes are played in a period of time and when the note is hit on a click and when it is not and play it that way.

There is no easy answer to what you are asking other than learning all the pieces which takes a long time.

One of the benefits in learning atleast the basics in reading music (Theory) is you can get that info from the sheet music if the tab does not have it.

You can also figure out how many notes are played in a period of time and when the note is hit on a click and when it is not and play it that way.

There is no easy answer to what you are asking other than learning all the pieces which takes a long time.

Thanks nils..that's my problem..when I learn something new I find breaking it into its smallest pieces and learn the parts first then assemble them later is beast for me. That's what I did with the shuffle...now I will add the right chords/progression and not just play it haphazardly...

I have a few questions on timing. ..... Any tips?

Check out the lesson: "Keeping Time" on this website.