metronome help

[MurderbyDeath]

I finally bought a metronome despite 4 years of guitar and 8 years of voice. Anyway, I really feel like I'm a beginner again. I feel like I can't read music or count when the metronome is on. Especially when I get to 16th notes and triplets my counting is just completely lost. Its all mental and I know it, I'll be on time but in my head I'll say 1 instead of 3 and then because I stress about that I just {censored} up. And I even have trouble forming chords too. I don't know what do to. Idk, I guess just more practice, but did anyone else have this problem?

 

Also, I use the beat of the metronome to count the up beat in more advanced peices, and I do it by accident...is that bad? God this is just so frustrating, I hate it. Oh and my metromone make a different sound for the first beat, and some how I always end up having that beat (the weird sound) as my last beat. Is this wrong too?

[paulodumb]

Man, I know exactly what you're talking about. I finally got one after like 6 or 7 years of playing. Those things really expose you for the hack that you are. Haha! Just keep at it, though, and it will become more natural feeling, and it will definitely improve your rhythm. I'm still about a thousand times more comfortable playing with a drum machine than the metronome, but I am more comfortable with the metronome than when I first got it.

Good luck.

[SourNote]

I suffer from the same problem - but I did get some great suggestions when I posted this thread:

"Born without Rhythm"

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1327947

Take a look, the ideas are really helping me.

[MurderbyDeath]

Originally posted by SourNote I suffer from the same problem - but I did get some great suggestions when I posted this thread: "Born without Rhythm" http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1327947 Take a look, the ideas are really helping me.

 

 

Thanx for that link, the ideas are good. Most of that stuff I already know from violin though...violin teacher give the same exercises: 1 per beat, 2 per beat, 3 per beat, 4 per beat, 6, then 8...6 and 8 such cuz I have no idea how to count 32nd notes, I don't have any actual form of counting besides 12345678 haha.

 

It sux though because I do have a decent sense of rhythm, I just don't count it right. I count everything 1-2 unless I'm in 3/4 then I can count 3. But 4/4 forget, its all 1-2. Its wierd though, usually they assign numbers because 1st beat is the strongest, but when I know a song/sight reading (standard notation, sometimes tabs) even though I'm repeating numbers I always know which beat is strongest. I don't even want to know how bad its gonna suck when I work my way up to 6/8 and all those time because I don't know how to count an eigth note as one beat, its just natural to count it as half a beat. Just more practice I guess.

[Orr Didi]

Learn to embrace the click, always work with the bastard, even when playing with others. The little devil will improve your playing beyond your dreams. You'll be able to accompany singers as a solo instrument, play complicated solo pieces and have great rhythm in general. Practice every piece you learn with it, take it everywhere, and you'll see how better you'll get. I wrote about a great way of using it at "when is an excercise enough?".

[pirate71]

I bought a metronome about 2 months ago....I was all motivated to start using it regulary.....until I used it the first time....now I'm afraid to ever use it again even though I know it will help in the long run.

[LightningFast]

Yep, the metronome became my enemy. But I kept it up. I can already play 100 MPH. After a few weeks with the metronome my speed increased to 120 MPH. It also helped greatly with going from one speed to another, and in my choice of notes to use over any given rythmn. I'm still struggling with 4 triplets in one beat.