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Metronome

C

Currens1

Oct 30, 2012
9
0
#1
Hi All,

Hope all is well :D I am practicing bass exercises and major and minor scales at this point and I really want to get this stuff down pat before I continue on with other things/songs/whaever. I currently start my metronome at 30 bpm (quarter notes 4/4) and increase it 1 at a time until I feel like I can do it comfortably. I am trying to get good finger independence, strength and tone so perfection is key. At what speeds do you play up to until you've said "Great! I can do this!" and continue on?I dearly love my metronome! :D
 
#2
Whatever I perceive as appropriate... For sixteenth note exercises I usually aim for about 100 or 110 bpm because beyond that chances are slim I'll do much in the way of sixteenth runs. Or at least very rare.

And I guess that roughly translates to eight note exercises as well like the spider and the likes. 180 to 200, never had to play anything faster. Usually the musical tempos I play cap at 160 which can be quite a handful already (try 21st century schizoid man by King Crimson, I think it's between 140 and 150 but it breaks my fingers especially with some crazy position shifting etc)

I never practice scales or arpeggios on a specific tempo, or with a specific tempo goal.

When practicing songs, 10 to 20% over actual tempo is for making damn sure you can play it easily, reserves are sometimes crucial.
 
#3
Lots of wisdom with Nashrakh's post.

I usually start the kind of drills you're talking about at 50-60 bpm, increase by 5-10 clicks a pop. When I hit 120, I drop the metronome to 65 and put the clicks on beats 2 and 4, and keep increasing. About 110 I drop the 'nome to 30 and put the click on beat 4.

Jeff Berlin has a point. To be a good musician you've got to have an inner clock running the tempo and rhythm. The sooner you can build that and rely less on the metronome the better it will be for you.
 
#4
BassChuck said:
Jeff Berlin has a point. To be a good musician you've got to have an inner clock running the tempo and rhythm. The sooner you can build that and rely less on the metronome the better it will be for you.
Click to expand...
Word. Like if you can play 16th notes at 200 bpm, that's all well and good, but now play this really ridiculous riff I wrote that's nothing at all like your exercises using 16th notes at 200 bpm. You probably stand a better chance than I do at nailing it eventually ;) but it's still going to take you some time to work it out at a slower speed before you nail it.
 
#5
FWIW, sometimes I find it harder to play really slow.

Currens1 said:
Hi All,

Hope all is well :D I am practicing bass exercises and major and minor scales at this point and I really want to get this stuff down pat before I continue on with other things/songs/whaever. I currently start my metronome at 30 bpm (quarter notes 4/4) and increase it 1 at a time until I feel like I can do it comfortably. I am trying to get good finger independence, strength and tone so perfection is key. At what speeds do you play up to until you've said "Great! I can do this!" and continue on?I dearly love my metronome! :D
Click to expand...
 
#7
Anyone have any other good metronome exercises? I've been having trouble with my sense of time.... When I'm playing with a drummer I have no problem locking in, but I rely entirely on the drummer to set the tempo. For instance, I had a quick practice with the two guitar players in my band (drummer was out of town) last night to get ready for our gig on saturday, and I had a huge brainfart. I was adding and dropping beats like a maniac. At one point I was somehow a half a beat behind. It was really odd. If I had done it on purpose it would have been great, but ... well it wasn't on purpose.
I play scales with a metronome, and, on occasion just jam along with one. But what else can I do to get my individual, independent sense of time feeling better? (My main problem is that I try to follow whomever I'm playing with, regardless of how much their sense of time changes)...
 
#8
Think of the metronome as something you use to practice 'paying attention' as opposed to just keeping time or the beat. When you practice with a metronome you should be focusing on being alert and aware and with it. practicing paying attention. Drummers speed up, slow down etc. But if you practice paying attention you can go wherever the music goes.
 

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