Metronomes…

Hey Dan,

Firstly, what happened with your guitar teacher?

Basically, if you want to have an exceptional sense of rhythm with the guitar, then practicing with the metronome is highly recommended. We all have certain types of weaknesses with our rhythm, but the metronome has perfect timing. So naturally, if we practice while referencing something that has perfect timing, we’ll slowly but surely develop that perfect timing in our own playing.

You’ll definitely want to figure out ways to make it fun though. I have a feeling your guitar teacher may have just drilled it on you in monotonous, boring ways maybe. Take anything you enjoy playing, riffs from songs, scales you like, whatever, and apply that to the metronome in ways that interest you.

You’ll of course have to have a good understanding of notes and their rhythmic values. I’m not sure if you already do, but be sure to check out some of our theory lessons if you need a refresher with that stuff.

Anyway, that’s my take. 😀 Hope that helps a bit!

Sean

I used to practice with a metronome but then I heard two guitarists I greatly respect (Dave Kilminster and Guthrie Govan) say that they almost never use them and never had. When I stopped using them I focused more on the mechanics of my technique and got a much more fluid yet consistent result. I only use a metronome now when i want to test my ability to play at higher speeds.

Still, one of the things I find with metronomes is that the bleeping ones tend to be harder to follow at high speeds than the ones that actually produce a ‘click’. I’m not entirely sure why this is so.

Thanks for those links Mandz!

I have never(save for the very odd occasion) used a metronome but I do feel it is an invaluable practice tool so should be experimented with at least a little.

Hey IG-ers!

Just though I’d chime in on the use of metronomes.

I had a teacher who insisted that I get one back in my formative years, and I “blew it off” for about a year, before finally he said at a lesson “You don’t use a metronome yet?” So, I LIED and said, “Actually, I just got one, so you should hopefully see some rhythmic improvement soon.” Well, I HAD TO go get a metronome then! So I did, and WOW, did it make a difference for me. I mean, my natural pre-metronome tempo/rhythm was pretty good, but now I had a way to really solidify my rhythm and also, guage my progress as it pertained to speed/chops! I swear by the metronome now for the most efficient use of my practice time!

As far as the comment someone made about Guthrie Govan’s aversion to metronomes, maybe he did say that, but I’ve read BOTH of his “Creative Guitarist” method books (more than once!) and in Book 1 he has a section on metronome usage, and although he doesn’t think that they should be considered the “end-all-be-all” of guitar pursuits, he does outline some excellent ways to utilize a metronome, AND he talks about his own use of the metronome (albeit briefly.) Another point to be made is that if you do any playing along to recordings and/or transcribing licks/riffs/solos, then you’re essentially playing along to a perfect (or near-perfect) rhythm/tempo reference. So indirectly, a lot of non-metronome users have INDIRECTLY practiced in ways similar to using a metronome.

One area where I do think a metronome can be psychologically NEGATIVE, is when a player reaches a threshold/plateau to their top-end speed. I’ve heard first-hand accounts from the late-great Shawn Lane (anyone care to doubt HIS opinion about speed/chops?!?)and from the well-known instructor Tom Hess, who both believe there’s a method (for more advanced students I believe) to break-down some of those speed-barriers and greatly increase one’s top-end speed! Shawn Lane talks about a method he used whereby he would try things (usually shorter phrases, which is important!) WAY beyond his threshold of clean-execution. Although it was messy and “out-of-synch” Lane claimed that this helped to broke down those “mental-barriers” that we sometimes put up when we keep seeing the same number on our metronomes. He then said he would “clean-up” the messiness at the higher-tempo through repetition, but atleast he got to hear/see/experience his own hands “moving that fast” albeit asynchronously. As I said, Tom Hess promotes a similar “beyond-threshold” practice technique (only to be used sparingly by more advanced students, and certainly not as a full substitute for standard practicing techniques.) If anyone is interested, Hess calls his routine the “Ladder-System” for developing speed. I’m sure you guys can find it if you poke around a bit.

Bottom line: It may not be for everybody, but I believe the metronome can benefit the mere mortals among us. Now guys like Rick Graham who don’t use metronomes and hardly practice anymore AND STILL manage to KICK MAJOR ASS on guitar, well they need to be bound-and-gagged and forbidden from shaming us on our instruments ever again! (LOL – of course Rick!!!)

~Bill Meehan~

I saw (and spoke to) Guthrie Govan at MusicLive in Birmingham yesterday. I was actually very surprised to see him there as he wasn’t advertised as such. He was at the Rotosound stand jamming with Ben Poole.

I asked Guthrie about his use of a metronome and I mentioned that Rick (Graham) doesn’t really use a metronome to practice and that since I stopped using one my technique has improved. He said that he didn’t really see the point in metronomes unless you don’t have a natural feel for time or you actually enjoy it, at which point he did a spot-on imitation of a metronome on his guitar using palm-muted harmonics :).

He went on to say that some people have “got it” with timing, and some people don’t, and that Rick is obviously one of those. I mentioned that when I’m teaching I seem to have a lot of students who “don’t got it”. He said that those students obviously need something to keep time for them (he suggested tapping your foot while they play). He also said “I’m aware of Rick” and that basically whatever Rick thought of them was right.

He also said that shredders who like using metronomes are usually the sort of people who see music as a race and want to see how fast they can get. He didn’t say it but I’m pretty sure he’d rather use a drum machine if he had to of just play along to backing tracks.

Also, I want a Cornford Roadhouse 50 – it sounds fantastic!

MusicLive this year was pretty poor I thought. No Dean stand (therefore no MAB), no dedicated Ibanez stand, no Fender stand, no Cornford stand (which was really annoying) and, most surprisingly, no Line6 stand – those guys are always there.

There were loads of technology stands and seminars (Cubase, Logic, Pro-tools etc) and university/education stands. No “classical” instrument stands at all this year. Not much in the way of acoustics or basses either. Really not much of interest for the average guitar nerd, like me.

I missed Thomas Blug at the PRS stand and I didn’t have time to stick around for the Joe Bonamassa gig after the show. I didn’t realise that there was special Guitarfest show on the Friday night which included, amongst others, Vinnie Moore who I would’ve loved to have seen. Dave mustaine was supposed to appear on the Saturday but I didn’t see him and there were no times posted up for him.

It seems to me that year-on-year the show is getting smaller and there are less and less of the big stands and more and more of the technology and small business stands appearing. I remember going a few years ago and meeting Steve Craddock, Richie Kotzen, MAB, Paul Reed Smith and a bunch of amazing demo-guys all in one day. I think Guthrie was the only “name” i saw this year. I was bored and there really wasn’t much of interest on. The london show was much better, and i got pretty bored there too.

There weren’t really any good deals to be had, or at least nothing you couldn’t get on the internet for the same price. I spent £17 pounds to get in + £8 pounds to park (and £7 on 2 really nice ice cream cones) and left empty handed and bored after 3 hours. There’s only so many times you can watch Guthrie play before you start looking like a stalker 🙂 .

I’m not sure i can be bothered to go next year. Then again, i’m a hopeless optimist and maybe it will be better next year (I know deep down it won’t).

If you’re going next year then I might go too. Maybe you could set aside some time to give me a lesson too 😀