Odd Time and The Metronome

[DrBone]

When practicing things in 4/4 times I usually set the metronome my metronome to click on the 2 and 4 of each measure. I'd like to start using it to practice odd time signatures, like 5/4 and 7/8, but I'm unsure of how to set it other than on every quarter note or on the one, both of which are not that helpful.

[JTE]

Hmm, you could set it to click only once per measure, and call that click different beats. Instead of calling it one, make the click be the 2 or the 5. The point is to give you one reference to make sure you're keeping time. If it clicking only on the one doesn't bust your chops, then make that click the 3 in 5/4 and see if you can still play without falling apart.

jte

[BassChuck]

Time to buy a drum machine or computer based drum/click software.

[Deacon_Blues]

Originally Posted by BassChuck

Time to buy a drum machine or computer based drum/click software.

Yes.

Or...

Just let it keep pumping out straight quarter note clicks. Drummers sometimes play straight quarter notes on the ride cymbal over a 7/8 beat and you can try emulate that. In every second bar the beat is on the even quarters (1 & 2 & 3 & 4) and in the other bars, it's on the & (1 & 2 & 3 & 4). IOW, you get 7 clicks for every two bars. I think this is a very good exercise and I do it myself from time to time.

EDIT: The 5/4 shouldn't cause any problems, right? 9/8 you can practice in the same way as described above. Or just play along to Sting records, he's got many songs in odd time signatures.

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by JTE

Hmm, you could set it to click only once per measure
jte

That is a great way to work on your inner clock no matter what the time sig' is. Just hearing one leaves you on your own for rest of measure and you check in again at one.

[bongomania]

I like to just use steady quarter notes and count them aloud. It makes me thirsty, but it's a good way of ingraining the "meaning" of the beat.

[bassrique]

This may be what the OP is looking for:

http://www.webmetronome.com/

Edit: Feel free to hook the cat up w/a donation, as he's done something that's very cool.

[DrBone]

thanks for all the input. I've tried putting the beat on just the 1 but I feel like it doesn't make me enforce the accents within a measure and really get the feel of the time sig (can't do it well enough on my own quite yet).

The site posted by bassrique (webmetronome) is exactly what I was looking for. I guess I finally found something that the good ol' basic metronome can't quite cut it for (*nostalgic tear).

Anyways, I'm off to practice, thanks for the help