16
votes
Accepted
On Which Beat Should I Do Down Strokes?
The usual strum pattern for this is downstrums are on the beat. Thus your hand goes in a downwards position on 1, 2, 3 and 4. This also means that the upstrums will come on the & so will occur on ...
- 196k
14
votes
Metronome with built-in microphone
There is some amazing music technology available in this day and age. There is actually computer software that can analyze and detect a tempo in recorded music but that is after the fact. There is no ...
- 28.1k
13
votes
Were there any automatic timekeeping devices prior to the metronome used for setting and maintaining tempo (BPM) and pulse?
One consideration is: Asking "What did people use to keep the musical pulse steady before the technology was available" might be an anachronistic angle. Richard Taruskin talks about an "...
- 18.7k
12
votes
How precise should I expect to be with metronome?
Legend has it that the best rhythm players achieved accuracy on the order of 1 millisecond... Although I'm not sure how true that is.
Accuracy to ~10ms is achieved by world-class drumlines (top 10 DCI ...
- 9,150
10
votes
Metronome markings and 3/8 time signature. How should I interpret the metronome markings if the time signature is 3/8?
Quite simply,
Since the tempo marking is , you have 76 eighth notes passing every minute. You can set the metronome to 76, and each click is an eighth note. That is 3 clicks per bar. You could ...
- 9,150
8
votes
Can't stop looking at the metronome when I'm practising with it
Ideally you want to feel the beat rather than see it, so yeah watching it is not a great habit. Some people would say the goal is to INTERNALISE the beat.
How long have you been practicing with a ...
- 2,066
8
votes
Can't stop looking at the metronome when I'm practising with it
Set a moderate tempo. Playing very fast ...and very slow tempos is hard.
Set the metronome behind you or behind something so you don't see it.
I find it extremely hard to play in time with or without ...
- 58.7k
7
votes
Help With Dragging
If you're working alone, then there's no-one to pull you along, only your own perception of time against a rigid [& pretty boring] click.
I'd suggest working with others, or at least play along to ...
- 27.9k
7
votes
Help With Dragging
The fact that you have recognised the problem is at least half way there.
Playing with others, as Tetsujin advocates, could bring salvation, but, as portrayed in the last paragraph, could even ...
- 196k
6
votes
How to count 6/8
this is a really nice one, I would proceed as follows:
would you mind adding the title and maybe the Op.Nr?
- 1,969
6
votes
Accepted
How to count 6/8
Wow, that's a good one! Triplets on triplets! It's sort of compound compound time.
6/8 is 1 2 3 4 5 6, taking three counts from each of the two main emphasised beats in each bar. So 1** 2** becomes 1 ...
- 196k
6
votes
Accepted
How can I test my strumming accuracy
Easy, but won't work: Record yourself, then play the recording back with a metronome running. This isn't very helpful, though, because if you set the metronome to 60 bpm but play perfectly in-tempo at ...
- 18.7k
6
votes
Were there any automatic timekeeping devices prior to the metronome used for setting and maintaining tempo (BPM) and pulse?
It is a simple question and the answer is yes. Thomas Mace suggested using a pendulum for specifying pulse in late 17th century. An early attempt at a timekeeping device was made by Abbas ibn Firnas ...
- 22k
5
votes
What tempo is andante con moto?
Andante means at a walking pace, Con means with and Moto means movement. So it basically means... At a walking pace with movement.
So you would probably have a slight accent on the strong parts of ...
- 15k
5
votes
On Which Beat Should I Do Down Strokes?
It's so awkward to describe this stuff with words. Here's how this pattern, as it's usually played, should be written:
X:1
L:1/8
M:C
K:C
%%score T1 T2 A B
V:T1 clef=treble-8
% 1
[V:T1] vB2 ...
- 35.6k
5
votes
Performing drums with my band while listening to metronome?
Good question! None of the bands I've worked with had drummers that used metronomes while playing live - but most are good timekeepers anyway.Except one where we used backing tracks, but he was at the ...
- 196k
5
votes
How can I test my strumming accuracy
A simple but very efficient method for assessing your own playing is recording yourself. It doesn't need to be a nice clean recording -- just use whatever tool currently at your hand (phone, computer,....
- 6,675
5
votes
Were there any automatic timekeeping devices prior to the metronome used for setting and maintaining tempo (BPM) and pulse?
When music is played for dancing, usually the musicians have a pretty good sense of the tempo the dancers will want. The optimum dancing tempo depends on the nature of the dance movements and the ...
- 8,810
5
votes
How precise should I expect to be with metronome?
A trick that's used with the slower bpms is to speed up the metronome. in your case, 120, 240 or even 180, etc. You'll still play at the same speed, the tempo will remain the same, but it will be sub-...
- 196k
5
votes
How precise should I expect to be with metronome?
To add to other answers, the best tool I've found for tightening up my timing is a delay (echo).
On a synth/keyboard, you can usually set this up in the built-in FX; on a guitar or bass, most multi-FX ...
- 1,667
5
votes
Metronome settings for 6/8
You can use a metronome in a lot of ways; it's not really a matter of "correct." But the short answer is "this probably isn't what you want."
6/8 is a somewhat problematic time ...
- 18.7k
4
votes
I am bored with a metronome, should I get a drum machine?
Both have their uses. As stated in just about every answer so far, a drum machine is far less boring, and gets you ready for playing in a band with a real live drummer.
However, it's a poor relation ...
- 196k
4
votes
What's the delay for per tick for 60 bpm in a metronome
x bpm = x beats per minute = x/60 beats per second
So the time between two beats (period in seconds) is:
p = 60/x
You see that at 60 bpm:p = 60/60 = 1 second. At 120bpm, p = 60/120 = 0.5 second.
I ...
- 141
4
votes
Accepted
Sweep Picking WIth Metronome
Sweep picking is an interesting one to practice. Everyone has a sweet spot with sweep picking when they are starting, where the metronome is slow enough that they can hit each note properly but fast ...
- 1,591
4
votes
Accepted
How can a metronome with a bell help with my practice?
Different people have different feelings about how to use a metronome.
I personally don't like the bell when I'm using a metronome, and always turn it off. I think its usefulness is limited, since I ...
- 9,326
4
votes
Accepted
Should my metronome be stored wound or unwound?
The whole thing about spring steel is... it's springy.
There are working clocks that have been running for a hundred years without needing a new spring. They might need winding fractionally more ...
- 27.9k
4
votes
Accepted
DAW tempo vs score tempo signature
Based on your description, it seems there is a problem on how you treat the tempo on score and on the DAW. The easy fix is to treat half notes in score as quarter notes in DAW. (I will be using FL ...
- 399
4
votes
Performing drums with my band while listening to metronome?
Yes, definitely. There might be a "click track" or some sequenced backing that the live drummer plays along with. Just about every pro drummer in the pop world does this at some point. (If you look ...
- 3,529
4
votes
Metronome with built-in microphone
As John says, the band should be following you, not you trying to follow the rest of the band.
However, churches were never built acoustically for drums, which does make playing in time difficult in ...
- 196k
4
votes
How precise should I expect to be with metronome?
It's an important clue that you can play more in time when playing quarter notes than when playing longer durations. That means your brain can accurately track the metronome's speed and predict when ...
- 18.7k
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