The beat? Isn't that the drummer's department? Come on, what else are those guys for?
Well, besides giving drummers a friendly run for their money, delivering a long-winded lecture about timing is another one of those things that I consider fun. I really need to get a life. The beat, ladies and girlymen! Possessing a good sense of time in music is what separates the wannabes for the gods, and makes a mediocre guitarist sound dynamite. That “secret sauce, ” if you will. And, let's face it, drummers and bass players, the stereotypical time-keepers of the band, mess up every now and then. If they can turn to a guitarist with a rock solid sense of time for a reference, the song will go on without too much pain and suffering.
One of my music teachers pointed an interesting thing out to me once: Guitarists and piano players are often bad at keeping a rock solid rhythm, and for good reason. We are allowed to get away with more. If we're jamming around the campfire, or playing piano in a hotel lobby - time may be interpreted a bit more loosely. However, if a drummer did that on a gig, he or she would be promptly fired. Hey, why am I going on about this? You gotta be on beat, bro! End of story! If you need more explanation, soldier, do fifty arpeggios and then fifty push ups... And then fifty more arpeggios!
How To Do So
OK - now that we're all convinced... Here's how we can get started to being a human metronome! (Just imagine the great conversation you can have. I bet you'll really “click” with a lot of folks.) First off - buy a metronome. It's a super important investment, and I don't wanna hear no squabblin' - buy one. If I read something in the comments on this article about how you don't need one, I'm gonna pay you a little visit, and shove a metronome in your ear, sucka - so be warned!
Whew, I must have been channeling Mr. T. there - that happens once in a while. 'Scuse me. Now, before the wail goes up from the lead guitarists saying “but a metronome is just for the rhythm guys!, ” let me remind you that a metronome serves as a great speedometer. It allows you to see how fast you can consistently play, and lets you set goals. Just as a quarter mile time and speedometer is essential to tuning a great race car, so to is a metronome for a wicked awesome guitarist. Now, in the meantime, march on over to www.metronomeonline.com and use that till your handy dandy music box comes in the mail.
Rev. Josh Says...
I'm an ordained minister. Really! But very similar to Lyle in George of the Jungle. (Mail order.) And as a man of the cloth, and now, as a man of the beat, I'd like to introduce you to...
The Four Commandments Of The Metronome
1. Ye shall practice slower than ye thinks ye shall need to.
2. Ye shall practice perfectly.
3. Ye shall only increase the speed of the metronome only after ye can play it perfectly at the current tempo. However, ye can try to play a bit above the speed limit, and then back it down.
4. If ye finds a better way to do things, more power to ye. And God rest ye, merry gentleman.
Now What?
Pop goes the weasel, and click goes the metronome. So what, and more importantly, now what? Here's a few nifty ideas on how to practice with one. If you've got any others, send 'em along! I'd love to hear 'em.
Bury the Beat - wow, that sounds very Celtic-metal. But seriously, folks, here's a simple, yet tremendously effective way to practice. Set the metronome at a moderate speed, say, 100 beats per minute (commonly abbreviated as BPM.) Pluck a single note on every other click. If you do it right, the note will “cancel” out the metronome sound, and you'll bury the beat. Rock on! Why pick on every other note? I find that this helps me keep time, and gives me a chance to reset to what the metronome is doing. You could, of course, play on every beat. The choice is up to you. To make this more than a few notches harder, don't use a note. Simply mute out the strings with your left hand, and strum on every other beat. What's the big deal? For me, I tend to be a bit early when I play the note, something typical of rock musicians. A note rings for a split second longer than a muted strum, and covers up errors more. A strum is very unforgiving, and hence, it's a heavier weight for your chops. Don't be a girlyman!
Practice Everything With It - especially Scales Playing your exercises and working on technique with a metronome is almost a given. Do it! Play one, two, three, and four notes per click. (For a real charge, try playing five notes per click! Or seven! Odd numbers other than three seem to be tricky.) Which brings us to our next section...
Subdivide The Beat - No, no, it's not another plan to hack up the nice woods and build McMansions and other assorted houses. Since the drummer (hopefully) won't alter their tempo throughout a song, it makes sense that if we want to play faster, we need to do so in increments of quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and thirty-second notes. John Petrucci in his veritable technique bible Rock Discipline suggests starting with the metronome on a slow tempo, and instead of increasing the speed of the 'nome, simply play twice (or three or four times) as many notes per click. Makes sense!
Play Songs To The Metronome - it might be slow at first, but lining everything up to a click track is a fabulous way to tighten things up.
Obey the commandments - yep!
Drum Machines
OK, so you're ready to flush that stupid metronome down the toilet. You know it's helping you, but man it's annoying. Time to check out drum machines. Let it be noted: You need both. Don't substitute. Get 'em both. A drum machine provides more interest, and can be a great aid if you're into songwriting. Funner (I like to make up words) to practice with than a metronome, it's a great way to get into different styles of music. Moreover, learning about beats will only help your musicianship.
And the good news is - there's some awesome free programs out there. Hammerhead and Hydrogen are two of my favorites. Check out a song of mine called But What About My Life? for an example of a track recorded with Hydrogen drums. (You can find it on my myspace)
Keep in mind that Hydrogen is designed for a Linux operating system, but can be run on Windows and Mac systems. I'm running Windows (sucks to be me), and it works for me. Be sure to download the one for your operating system. If you have any problems downloading or using these programs, GIYF. (Try googling that to see what it means. The irony.)
Here's the links for software: Hydrogen, Hammerhead.
Programming them is fairly intuitive, but I'll follow up this article with a short tutorial on how to do so. Stay tuned, boys and girls!
Transcribe For Transcendence
Well, maybe it won't be that good, but our next idea is an intriguing, albeit challenging, one. The concept is this: Listen to a drum beat, and see if you can copy it on a drum machine. It's exactly like figuring out a song on the guitar, except we're dealing with drums and beats, instead of notes. This increases awareness of the beat, teaches how drummers approach different styles, and is just plain hard! The bonus is - at the end of the day, you'll have some neat beats to jam over!
Jam
Find some funky musicians to jam with. Hang out with folks with impeccable timing. Two gigs stand out in my mind that have helped me with my own sense of time. The first was being the only white fella in an all black funk band. I had eleven teachers in that band, and man, I had to learn fast. Playing next to conga and percussion players for hours was bound to sink in to my thick skull of Lithuanian descent (Latin for third world country of white people that have absolutely no sense of time.) The second gig was my summer stint as a solo acoustic guitarist on the street. Jamming for hours and being the only source of time was excellent practice. The improvement in my rhythm by the fall was encouraging, to me, at least.
Playing with musicians who are better than you is one of the fastest ways to improvement. Find some cats who know their stuff when it comes to time.
Wrappin' Up, And A Few More Ideas.
Listen to groovy music. I'm a rock musician, and I always plan on remaining one. However, listening to funk, soul, and Latin helps me a lot. You are what you listen to - so get on the good foot!
Practice with a metronome and drum machine. Now, sucka!
Download Hydrogen and Hammerhead.
Visit metronomeonline.com for a free online metronome.
Practice burying the beat.
Practice subdividing the beat.
Practice songs with the metronome.
Obey the commandments (at least loosely), and come up with new ideas.
Make a good sense of time a priority.
By applying these ideas to your practice, I feel that you'll benefit greatly. Shredders, I can see you sitting in the corner, saying “no way, Jose! ” This ain't fo' me! ” I'd counter that with the fact that a good sense of time helps in any style of music, be it disco or death metal. Plus, it's fun to practice these principles. Do yourself a favor, and make it a goal to be the “grooviest guy” (or gal) in the band.
Rock On!
Got questions? Head on over to The Doghouse (my blog), and I'll answer 'em. See ya there! And don't forget to check out my website, and I'm always lookin' for new friends on myspace.
Copyright 2008 Josh Urban - All Rights Reserved.
Josh Urban (photo) is a musician with a unique perspective on music. Always a thinker, he gains insight wherever he can find it, be it in the clubs as a working musician, busking on the city streets, or teaching in the classroom. A naturally enthusiastic fellow, Josh is always fired up about bringing the lessons he’s learned to his readers. Maintaining a website, a blog, and a monthly newsletter, he aims to make musicians stop, think, and play with a little more intensity, integrity, and inspiration. You never know who’s listening.
