Q&A Lesson: Practicing with a Metronome and other Rhythm Tips. Thanks to all my patrons and supporters who submitted questions. If you enjoyed this lesson please consider supporting the site.
Here’s the YouTube link if you want to watch the video there.
If you are looking for organized rhythm exercises you might check out my 60 open string rhythm exercises at the end of my Classical Guitar Method Volume 2.
In this question and answer lesson I discuss tips for playing with a metronome in music practice. My main advice is to make sure you practice rhythm in a variety of ways to ensure that you are building a foundation for your skills and internalizing the feeling of the pulse in your body. Count+Play, Tab+Play, Tap+Sing, Clap+Sing, Metronome+Sing, Metronome+Clap, as many ways as you can manage. It’s the variety that will build the foundation. The metronome is simply a tool for helping with our consistency of the beat. You must always be feeling the beat inside your body/mind and then syncing with the consistency that the metronome provides. You can’t be trying to listen to the metronome and placing notes in a spatial grid. Without an internal feeling of the beat you are really shooting in the dark.
Question & Answer Times
- 0:00 – Intro & Advice
- 5:16 – How slow when starting a piece?
- 7:16 – Working on pieces with rubato.
- 9:04 – Slowing the tempo for emphasis.
- 11:41 – How to approach a piece with a variety of rhythms.
- 14:43 – Syncing with the metronome and guesswork.
- 19:25 – 6/8 time signature with the metronome
- 22:56 – Variety of pulse settings (accents, drum machines, ensemble)
- 24:30 – Wearable metronomes, vibrating devices, etc.
- 26:23 – Boredom in slow metronome work.
