The value of metronomes & a light touch...
Ross Edwards
the test in tonight's practice:
I've just been working on Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"... Jeez! That
horn/bass/guitar unison riff is a killer!
I'm playing it with much less pressure (thumb behind the neck), so the
fingering's not too bad - but the syncopation!
So, I whipped out my trusty Wittner & set it for half speed... then
three-quarters... Two hours later & I'm up to full speed! Just hope I can
still do it tomorrow :-)
Folks: if you haven't got a metronome, go & buy one - it's the best bit of
kit you'll buy.
Oh - and if anyone wants the tab to that section, let me know - I've
arranged it for guitar :-)
Ross
(in need of beer)
--
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Error in operator: add beer
Mike Edmunds
"Ross Edwards" <ro...@rossedwards.net> wrote in message
news:altjp5$vigo$1...@ID-121403.news.dfncis.de...
> Thanks to all who replied to my post about finger pressure - it got put to
> the test in tonight's practice:
>
> I've just been working on Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"... Jeez! That
> horn/bass/guitar unison riff is a killer!
>
>>
> arranged it for guitar :-)
>
> Ross
> (in need of beer)
And I've got the Tab/notation for the bass section too if anyone wants it.
Mike E.
Frank A Muller
> I've just been working on Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"... Jeez! That
> horn/bass/guitar unison riff is a killer!
Absolutely! That one and Superstition. Of the two I think I'd lean
towards Superstition. The guy's more talent in his dreads than I've
got in my webs!
> Folks: if you haven't got a metronome, go & buy one - it's the best
bit of
> kit you'll buy.
Hmm. That's not a bad suggestion at all.
Frank A Muller
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icarusi
news:altjp5$vigo$1...@ID-121403.news.dfncis.de...
> Folks: if you haven't got a metronome, go & buy one - it's the
best bit of
> kit you'll buy.
Get a metronome which includes a tap tempo button. It saves ages
of time, than trying to guess what the tempo is off a recorded
piece.
Icarusi
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Vince Suttle
icarusi wrote:
>
> Get a metronome which includes a tap tempo button. It saves ages
> of time, than trying to guess what the tempo is off a recorded
> piece.
>
> Icarusi
> --
> remove the 00 to reply
>
>
>
I recently bought a little Korg MA-30 digital metronome. It has a tap
tempo function, adjustable volume, 0-7 beats plus duplets, triplets,
triplets with middle one missing, quadruplets, quadruplets with inner
beats missing and twelve tuning notes.
In my opinion excellent value for money at just £14.95 from
http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/commerce/catalog.php?action=details&pid=1317
Vince
Justin P
and pendulums, it just defeats the purpose which is to get you 'feel' time,
not see it.
Still, looks good and you can always ignore the pendulum!
Vince Suttle <v.su...@btinternetNOSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:3D8323A9...@btinternetNOSPAM.com...
tonyw...@hotmail.com
> I recently bought a little Korg MA-30 digital metronome. It has a tap
> tempo function, adjustable volume, 0-7 beats plus duplets, triplets,
> triplets with middle one missing, quadruplets, quadruplets with inner
> beats missing and twelve tuning notes.
All those things are great, but having too many beats going on can miss the
point of using a metronome - to develop your inner time.
A good trick to try is just having it beep on the 1 of each bar and see if
you keep in time. And then the 1 of every other bar - you can do this by
setting the tempo to a half/quarter/eighth of the actual tempo.
And set it to 30bpm and try and play a single muted chord every time it
beeps - do this for twenty minutes a day for a week and see what a
difference it makes to your timing. Hell, if I have to do this on drums, I
don't see why you people should get away with it... :P
Adrian Clark
> A good trick to try is just having it beep on the 1 of each bar and see if
> you keep in time. And then the 1 of every other bar - you can do this by
> setting the tempo to a half/quarter/eighth of the actual tempo.
An exercise used by a lot of jazz players (I first heard of this in a
Vernon Reid interview, and his phrasing is wonderful) is to set the
metronome to click/beep on the 2 and 4 of every bar... the snare drum
hits in most rock/jazz/blues rhythms.
>
> And set it to 30bpm and try and play a single muted chord every time it
> beeps - do this for twenty minutes a day for a week and see what a
> difference it makes to your timing. Hell, if I have to do this on drums, I
> don't see why you people should get away with it... :P
Damn, these born-again drummers... they're so evangelical!
Adrian
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tonyw...@hotmail.com
> <tonyw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> And set it to 30bpm and try and play a single muted chord every time it
>> beeps - do this for twenty minutes a day for a week and see what a
>> difference it makes to your timing. Hell, if I have to do this on drums,
>> I don't see why you people should get away with it... :P
>
> Damn, these born-again drummers... they're so evangelical!
Getting serious for a moment, I've been able to concentrate on practising
simple stuff (eg jazz swing beats with various snare and bass drum
combinations) more than I ever was on guitar or piano - I just used to sit
down and play stuff, but could never stick with, say, a picking exercise for
more than six seconds. I don't know whether this is the nature of the
instrument - ie an average drummer sounds worse than an average guitarist so
you have to work at it more - or just that I prefer the sound and feel of
drums, so it's fun practising simple patterns.
Who here really practises stuff they know they need to improve? Do you
enjoy it, and is it difficult not to start widdling away?
"Drummers - keep good time... so you don't have to"
Karl 'Second Career' Howman
Adrian Clark
> Who here really practises stuff they know they need to improve? Do you
> enjoy it, and is it difficult not to start widdling away?
Having not practised "properly" for about (rough estimate) five or six
years (oh, so that'd be since I got a computer and internet connection,
then...) I've started trying to fill in a few gaps recently.
I know my musical understanding and arrangement/writing abilities have
improved in leaps and bounds since, say, 1996, but my technique has gone
downhill a lot. Most of it is just basic motor skills - accurate
picking, clean legato playing, etc - which form the basis of everything
else.
However, I'm finding I can't just go into that "zone" any more, where
I'd be able to patiently practise a picking exercise for several hours.
So there's always the temptation to just jam. However, I'm hoping that
this impatience will actually lead to me being more efficient and
getting more out of each exercise.
And there's the added problem that I seem to have some sort of RSI-type
thing in my right elbow... hopefully this is due to bad typing posture,
rather than guitar playing. :-0
Grant
<tonyw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:am0af3$g3s$1...@wisteria.csv.warwick.ac.uk...
> Vince Suttle <v.su...@btinternetnospam.com> wrote:
>
> > I recently bought a little Korg MA-30 digital metronome. It has a
tap
> > tempo function, adjustable volume, 0-7 beats plus duplets, triplets,
> > triplets with middle one missing, quadruplets, quadruplets with
inner
> > beats missing and twelve tuning notes.
>
> All those things are great, but having too many beats going on can
miss the
> point of using a metronome - to develop your inner time.
>
I heard another technique for this, attributed to Pat Metheny. You set
the metronome at a slow tempo, eg 90 bpm, then play the same note on
every click for a couple of minutes.
The second step is to play the note just before the metronome clicks -
try to get as close to the click as possible but not actually on it.
Repeat this with a note just after the click, again get as close to the
click as possible without actually hitting it.
Finally you play on the click again: there should be a noticeable
improvement as you have trained your brain to perceive where the click
is - and where it isn't - with more precision.
Steve White
>I heard another technique for this, attributed to Pat Metheny. You set
>the metronome at a slow tempo, eg 90 bpm, then play the same note on
>every click for a couple of minutes.
>
>The second step is to play the note just before the metronome clicks -
>try to get as close to the click as possible but not actually on it.
>Repeat this with a note just after the click, again get as close to the
>click as possible without actually hitting it.
>
>Finally you play on the click again: there should be a noticeable
>improvement as you have trained your brain to perceive where the click
>is - and where it isn't - with more precision.
Plus, if you practice this for a while, you'll be able to weave your way
around the beat and choose when to lay back, sit right on top or push the
time.
This same skill is important for rhythm, bass and drums - it can make or
break your ability to groove.
Cheers,
Steve White
Rick Booth
> Who here really practises stuff they know they need to improve? Do you
> enjoy it, and is it difficult not to start widdling away?
I have spells lasting a few months of being very disciplined about
technique practice, and really enjoying it; and then I have a few months
where I do little or no serious practice. I have no idea why.
- rfb
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icarusi
news:3d85...@news.umist.ac.uk...
> I have spells lasting a few months of being very disciplined
about
> technique practice, and really enjoying it; and then I have a
few months
> where I do little or no serious practice. I have no idea why.
Planetary motion?
dave @ stejonda
<richar...@umist.ac.uk> writes
>I have spells lasting a few months of being very disciplined about
>technique practice, and really enjoying it; and then I have a few
>months where I do little or no serious practice. I have no idea why.
maybe you're human?
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Rick Booth
> Rick Booth <richar...@umist.ac.uk> writes
>>I have spells lasting a few months of being very disciplined about
>>technique practice, and really enjoying it; and then I have a few
>>months where I do little or no serious practice. I have no idea why.
>
> maybe you're human?
that'd be it, yeah. Damn!
- rfb
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