metronome efficiency

paradigm_shift · #1 12-08-2008, 03:33 AM

Now on here I see constant people quoting "use a metronome" Definantly a good thing. I find few however explaining how to use it,indeed how to maximise it to help your abilities. What resources are there out there dedicated to understanding a metronome and making it work for you?
DVD's ,Books. Is there any resource dedicated on how to use a metronome exclusively?

phatbass · #2 12-08-2008, 04:05 AM

Get Victor Wooten's "The Music Lesson".

I find bits of it a little too hippy-trippy (I still can't find "my" rock) but there is a good chapter on working with a metronome/drum machine.

JTE · #3 12-08-2008, 08:07 AM

Ed Freidland's "The Bass Players Toolkit" has a GREAT section on using a 'nome. Bottom line though is to use it so it checks you, not so it supplies everything. That means instead of setting it for every beat, set it for only some of them (Ed's got a lot of variations in his book) so you have to supply the rest. The point is that YOU have to keep time, and the 'nome is there only for you to check yourself against a standard.

One of the best things to start with is to set the 'nome so it's only clicking on 2 and 4. If you're playing a piece at 120 BPM, set the metronome to 60 BPM and count each click as 2 or 4. YOU have to supply the 1 and 3 in time. Play the same piece and see if you can execute it correclty without moving the time.

jte

Lichtaffen · #4 12-08-2008, 10:20 AM

JTE,
That IS a great way to do it. I read that too in his book "Walking Bass Lines".

Here's something I tried the other day. I'm sure I'm not the first to do this, but I set the metronome as slow as it would go and tried to be as accurate as possible. It's not as easy as it sounds. I'm going to keep doing that for a while and see what happens to my playing.
Ara

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #5 12-08-2008, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

One of the best things to start with is to set the 'nome so it's only clicking on 2 and 4. If you're playing a piece at 120 BPM, set the metronome to 60 BPM and count each click as 2 or 4. YOU have to supply the 1 and 3 in time. Play the same piece and see if you can execute it correclty without moving the time.

jte

Here's a good explanation on video.