Keeping time... with Victor!

[poodlesrule]

Victor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fh...rec_grec_index) Wooten and metronome

Added the full link here, as my post preview did not look right:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fh...rec_grec_index (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fhVLVF_4&feature=feedrec_grec_index)

[Robert]

That is excellent advice. Oh man, I wish everyone would practice that! Keeping time is so important, and so many musicians suck at it. It can be hard, but this kind of practice WILL make you better at it.

Tick, Tock

[marnold]

My problem with a metronome is that I learned to play bass by locking in with a drummer. I don't know what part I actually lock in with, I just do it. It's very hard to for me to use one with the bass especially. This kind of video is helpful because it shows how to use it. Saying "set your metronome at 120" means nothing all by itself. Am I playing triplets? 1/16th notes? He's also doing jazzier stuff which uses far weirder timings than most rock, blues, or funk ever will.

[NWBasser]

Oh cool.

Thanks for posting Poodles!

Similar material is found on Victor's Groove Workshop DVD which I use.

The Groove Workshop DVD has a lot of great instructional material that would apply to guitar as well. I recommend it to any and all guitarists I know.

I mostly use a drum machine, but I'm thinking that the less-cluttered beat of a metronome might be very helpful too.

One very useful excercise that I've done is to set the metronome at a fairly low BPM, say 50 to 70, and play one note per beat, then two per beat, then three, then four, five, and back down to one. Seems to help.

Yeah Robert, I agree so much on the importance of timing work!

[Robert]

Timing is everything, no matter what instrument you play. It's often what separates a mediocre player from a great one.