'Modern' Metronome Use

General Music Discussion
#1

One of the major pieces of the CTC ethos is using actual scientific thinking with regards to guitar technique, and I really appreciate that. Is there a specific book or source that people know of that takes a similar approach to using the metronome for developing good time, not just for guitarists, but for musicians in general?

I’ve seen a few sources saying that every person who has good time musically is creating their own pulse internally and then synchronizing that pulse with the pulse of the band, which I think is a much more sensible way to express the nature of using the metronome to help your ability to play in time than the typical way it’s discussed which is “use the metronome ==> ??? ==> have good time”

1 Like
#2

Timing is a skill to develop, like anything else. Here are a couple of fun ideas to mess with:

I got this from pianist Charlie Tran: set your metronome in such a way that it is only playing beats 2 and 4. So, with a traditional metronome, if you were going to play at 140bpm, you’d set it for 70bpm, for example - with apps and such you could just mute beats 1 and 3. Then practice your improvisation or whatever you’re working on. You’ll be forced to feel where 1 and 3 are.

And this is a good, short video to watch which stresses the importance of having great command over subdivisions.