Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:01 am Post subject: Metronome
i have a question...does anyone use a metronome to help with their chops?
i have been using one since i began to play jazz and its going really well....my goal is to play 16th notes at 205 bpm right now im at 150 bpm
I used to use a metronome whilst learning new scales and arpeggios etc, but it gets a bit boring and mechanical after a while.
I tend to just stick on any old mp3 on my computer and practise over it in the correct key. I think its better to play to a drum beat than a metronome. Some of the tracks off the fellowship cd are great to play along to, just transcribe some of it (ie, chords etc) and practise the appropriate scales - but in the form of improvisation - not up and down a scale.
This is only a personal preference, as i've taught myself completely by ear from scratch. (learning other instruments/reading music has obviously helped)
I've always thought the only time you need authentic rythym skills APART from playing a band - is when you record to a click track in a studio, or if you are part of a duo etc. The rest i presume must come naturally.
But i can wholeheartedly agree - about 3 yrs ago, i was alternate picking as fast as i can to a metronome, but then again i was at a music college and that sort of thing mattered then!
After reading that post (and realising i've had a few beers tonight) i'd like to add that if there is something you or someone else considers wrong with your technique (left and right hand.... even posture) Then maybe thats the time to sit down with a metronome at a slow... then gradually faster speed and correct.
Once again, just my personal opinion - but hey, everyone thinks differently. I have a belief in music purely by ear - my Grandad was a jazz pianist and couldn't read a note of music - i guess I get it from that.
yet again i've just gone back and read the question - and i don't think my reply was that much of a use! tell you what - i'll come back on tommorow when i'm more clear headed
Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 8:44 pm Post subject: Re: Metronome
ARUjeff wrote:
i have a question...does anyone use a metronome to help with their chops?
I use a metronome everyday when I do my warmups and certain things that I need to start slow and gradually increase the tempo as I get the hang of it. For praticing jazz standards or improv I suggest that you invest in a looper like the Boss RC20 or something like it. They allow you to put down the rhythm tracks and practice over the loop (adjusting tempo as needed). I find that you get a more natural feel for the music doing this than practicing over a metronome. There is a click track on the Boss which you can use if you need it or you can silence it.
Buying a looper has helped out my ability to improvise more than anything else. I would always get very nervous when I had to play my solo part and would sound very sterile. The looper allows me to exhaust all the melodic ideas over various progressions or chords....opens my mind to new sounds, textures and ideas.
EX 1 - I vamp a single chord and proceed to jam over it for an hour using every mode, arpeggio, scale that I can think of. I try to play inside, outside, sideways, etc until I feel satisfied that I have played that sound to death.
EX 2 - Learning Standards I usually break the song down into the parts and do them one at a time. If I have a problem with a particular part, I loop just that passage and play it until I can do it flawlessly and then go back to the full part. When each part is mastered, I loop the whole song and play over it until I am comfortable with the notated melody and improvising in several ways.
I am just learning jazz and I find the looper to be invalueable for learning and instilling confidence in my playing.
Sorry, I got a little of track...YES I like to use a metronome when I don't have a beat to follow.
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