Timing tips

[Willrocks]

Hello

I have been working on timing for some time now and it has come far. However, I still have a hard time hitting the beat perfectly. I like using garageband to see if I was early or late, and wondered if there are any apps or tricks that exist on the computer to improve timing. Even something as simple as a beat playing, then I record the guitar and it tells me if i'm early or late would be awesome.

[1001gear]

There are devices for drummers that indicate latency. There's a box called the Russian Dragon that compares a signal to a click - it may be more sophisticated than that I forget - and indicates, you guessed it rushing or dragging. You can also record yourself on a DAW and check graphically. There's a free download for a multitrack recorder someplace on HC that'll do it.

 

As to nailing a click; no such thing. You do want to be consistent and musically flexible and only practice makes perfect. Anticipating is the key. Every note you play has physical and procedural latency so making sure it's all loaded and primed to go when it's time is crucial. This doesn't mean tense up:

 

Subdivide the pulse into 16th notes. This alone gives you 4 ticks to wind up and land on the click. If you do this enough you become aware of all the latency in your playing and be able to offset this cycle to coincide with the clock and also prevent/minimize any jerking to catch the clicks.

[time2kill]

Hello I have been working on timing for some time now and it has come far. However,......

 

 

If you poke around the Lesson Loft, there are some posts about working on timing that have a lot of great advice.

 

You don't need software to tell you if you are exactly on the beat. You need to feel it inside of you. Take a look at this FREE lesson from Troy Stetina that I am sure you will like. Some really good stuff from a really good guitarist. (Oh yea, at the end of the article, he recomends a metronome that will probably do what you need)

 

http://www.stetina.com/lessons/metronome.html

 

Enjoy

[Lee Knight]

Here's page 4 from Modern Reading Text in 4/4 by Louis Bellson - FOR ALL INSTRUMENTS. Play this with the metronome on 4 quarters until you can make the metronome disappear when you land on a quarter. But get the book and start on page 1. Move the metronome to 2 + 4. Then just 1. Then just 4. Or not... more important is on 2 + 4. That's where the groove comes from. If you can't nail quarters yet, don't be trying 8ths.

 

[Jasco]

Hello I have been working on timing for some time now and it has come far. However, I still have a hard time hitting the beat perfectly. I like using garageband to see if I was early or late, and wondered if there are any apps or tricks that exist on the computer to improve timing. Even something as simple as a beat playing, then I record the guitar and it tells me if i'm early or late would be awesome.

 

 

I'd advise not to rely too much on computer app visuals to work on timing, but rather learn to use your ears better to determine by listening if something is early or late against a click.

 

And being computer perfect on the beat isn't really groovin'. You want to have control to play on, late, or early, and have the ear to determine when and how much of each is appropriate.

 

Recording yourself a lot and listening back is the best way to work on this.