Metranome Training Thread

[Tawlks]

So guys, if you've got a particular method that works for you or some scale patterns/whatever, please post them here!

(I will have some shortly)
Tawlks

 

[Jack Napalm]

Here is one that I am working with right now. I wrote this out in sextuplets but have been playing it in triplets for now. The first three bars is the complete iteration. I pick a note to start with and move it to each note on the fretboard after completing the iteration. With a 24 fret neck you can find a lot of places to start it. The pattern is pretty simple but it gets every finger involved.

Their are two gotchas for it. Starting on the G string and starting on the first fret. Changes up your fingerings. I try and pick a different starting note each time.

You can also do this in 16ths as well. Strict alternate picking.

When it gets too easy change it up by reversing the first string. In the first bar you would play G, F#, G.

I took this from Randy Rhoads solo on the Tribute album. He starts with something similar. I just expanded on his beginning lick and put it into an exercise.

 

[Tawlks]

Thanks man, I'm actually using a similar thing. four notes per crotchet, starting on the 6th string root of a scale (usually minor or major for me) play the first four notes, then play the 2nd -5th, then 3rd -6th, you get the idea. and then when I reach the end of the progression I reverse it.

 

[War Admiral]

What I found to be very "rut busting", I love that term... is to take for example a 3 note per string run on 2 strings like 5-7-8 on the b string and 5-7-8 on the e string then back down 7-5 on the e string and 8-7 on the b string then start over...you get the idea of going up and down. Now take the metronome and accent the divisions at a speed where you can easily get cleanly. Start with triplets..accents always falling on different notes in the pattern until you come around where you started.
Ex. 5-7-8 on the b string, 5-7-8 on the e string, 7-5 on the e string-8 on the b string, 7-5-7 on the b string, 8 on the b string-5-7 on the e string, 8-7-5 on the e string, 8-7-5 on the b string 7-8 on the b string-5 on the e string...etc. Always alternate pick accenting the DOWN, up, down...Up, down, up...Down, up down...etc. pattern.

Take the same run and do it in 4's accenting the DOWN, up, down, up...DOWN, up down, up...etc pattern.

Once you have this perfect and you can rattle this off like a machine gun do it in 6's always accenting the you guessed it the first down stroke on every sextuplet pattern.

When you get adventurous...do the same for 5's and 7's...always alternate pick and accent where the divisions fall. Don't just do your accents with your pick, accent with your fretting finger too, sync them up! This works wonders for the brain and your mechanics.

This is an example of just a simple pattern...imagine where you can take this further...

 

[War Admiral]

Hows this going guys? It would be nice to have some feedback so we can take this somewhere else or whatever. This is a lot of fun for me too and makes me practice what I preach! I'm sooo damn lazy its not funny...we are going to have monster chops by the end of Summer!!!!

 

[Jack Napalm]

I have to admit I haven't tried this one outside of a few minutes. I like it but I have been sidetracked by learning some songs recently.

 

[Jack Napalm]

What I found to be very "rut busting", I love that term... is to take for example a 3 note per string run on 2 strings like 5-7-8 on the b string and 5-7-8 on the e string then back down 7-5 on the e string and 8-7 on the b string then start over...you get the idea of going up and down. Now take the metronome and accent the divisions at a speed where you can easily get cleanly. Start with triplets..accents always falling on different notes in the pattern until you come around where you started.
Ex. 5-7-8 on the b string, 5-7-8 on the e string, 7-5 on the e string-8 on the b string, 7-5-7 on the b string, 8 on the b string-5-7 on the e string, 8-7-5 on the e string, 8-7-5 on the b string 7-8 on the b string-5 on the e string...etc. Always alternate pick accenting the DOWN, up, down...Up, down, up...Down, up down...etc. pattern.

I started in on this a few days ago. Easier said than done. I have had to start very slowly. The coordination is coming along. A very cool exercise. I have only been working on triplets and 16ths so far.

 

[hank]

Don't just do your accents with your pick, accent with your fretting finger too, sync them up! This works wonders for the brain and your mechanics.

Makes a lot of sense and I'm surprised I've never seen this proposed before. Going to have to try this for sure. But for those of us using jumbo frets (or scalloped fretboards) it's probably going to be harder since it will take a little extra finesse not to over press and go sharp. I guess the key as always will be to start very very slow

 

[hank]

Now take the metronome and accent the divisions at a speed where you can easily get cleanly.

are you also setting the metronome to accent the divisions or just doing that yourself in the playing? Maybe a very beginning beginner should set the metronome to accent the divisions and as you progress remove that?

 

[War Admiral]

Don't just do your accents with your pick, accent with your fretting finger too, sync them up! This works wonders for the brain and your mechanics.

Makes a lot of sense and I'm surprised I've never seen this proposed before. Going to have to try this for sure. But for those of us using jumbo frets (or scalloped fretboards) it's probably going to be harder since it will take a little extra finesse not to over press and go sharp. I guess the key as always will be to start very very slow

You're right about it not being mentioned before...it might of been but I don't recall by who. Anyways, its something I stumbled apon by seeing great players rattling off precise runs and a buddy of mine that was just fucking sick like that. It was like they were ALWAYS hammering like little pistons even when the were picking...if you know what I mean. Fast clean attack with the right hand AND the left.
As for going sharp, you don't have to hit the note harder on the accent when you have this technique down...maybe to drill it into brain when you practice slowly but once you get it, it will be more of a mental thing (syncing up the brain with that finger) than physically hitting the accented note harder.

 

[War Admiral]

Now take the metronome and accent the divisions at a speed where you can easily get cleanly.

are you also setting the metronome to accent the divisions or just doing that yourself in the playing? Maybe a very beginning beginner should set the metronome to accent the divisions and as you progress remove that?

A beginner to intermediate player should ALWAYS use a metronome. When you get the hang of it you can apply it to you favourite scale positions and patterns. You will find that it breaks up your normal behavior of how you will play certain things.
What I do is just noodle around the fretboard in 2 or 3 (4 if you slide) note per string note fashion like anyone would do usually sliding up and down and around (always alternate picking) but always accent the 1st of a 3 or 4 note pattern. The accents always fall in different places and trains your brain not to rely on a specific pattern for your accents to fall on. Everybody falls into this rut, its human nature. This is the whole point and will take some practice as you will see...its a huge rut buster!

 

[Jack Napalm]

A beginner to intermediate player should ALWAYS use a metronome.

What about advanced hacks? Do we need metronomes?

I am the poser child for not learning things correctly the first time. The last few years I have been re-learning how to play properly. I never used to practice with a metronome and it shows. Since I started doing so I have most certainly become a better player. Not a great player but a better player than what I was.

I go through periods where I use a drum machine and drum loops to just using a single click metronome with no accent. That's what I have been working with lately. That seems to translate better when playing other things. I have taken this idea and have been having fun with it all over the fretboard with different fingerings, wide stretches, and moving it up and down the fretboard in some soft of scale sequence so that you get lateral and horizontal movement.

The metronome is still set pretty slow but I can already feel the difference it makes to work on accenting with the fret hand. I exaggerate it at first to really get the feel and then lay back a bit.

This is a very cool rut-buster and overall good training.

 

[War Admiral]

I hear ya man and it was a lot like that for me up until not too long ago...I played but not very strict rhythmically. I too never bothered with a metronome...that was for pussies! Big mistake and I blame one of my heros when I started...George Lynch! Was more of a feel and pattern player. He had cool licks and his own style but when Yngwie came out, we all got a taste of playing in time with proper divisions.
I stayed lazy like this for many years and realized when listening back to myself in jam situations that I had some cool licks but I rushed alot and overplayed, crammed notes in and didn't REALLY concentrate on the time. I had bad picking habits where I would cheat lots...stuff like that.
I watched a Paul Gilbert DVD once and remember him saying..stick to the rhythm and divisions, there will be time to play your sloppy style other times...then he went on to give some examples then the lightbulb lit up in my head, shit, I got to relearn a lot of things. Strict alternate picking for example...I couldn't keep it going evenly for longer periods of time, I would cheat, there would be hiccups instead of smooth steady pick flow and lots of flubs. No stamina. Being able to stay in triplets or sixteen note patterns in time for sequences that ended correctly was a problem...I had to backup and start over on a lot of basic fundamental technique! Still backtracking sometimes like you said, on stuff I really didn't learn right the first time.

 

[ttosh]

In regards to the metronome and the different notes is the below correct?

1 Note per click : 1/4 Note
2 notes per click : 8th Note
3 Notes per click : Triplets
4 Notes per click : 16th Notes
8 Notes per click : 32nd Notes

 

[Tawlks]

In regards to the metronome and the different notes is the below correct?

1 Note per click : 1/4 Note
2 notes per click : 8th Note
3 Notes per click : Triplets
4 Notes per click : 16th Notes
8 Notes per click : 32nd Notes

That's right. assuming you have it set up to click in crotchet beats!

My metranome works in crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and triplets I think, depending on how you set it up. But you're right.

 

[War Admiral]

Nothing like a good click in the crotchet!

 

[ttosh]

Nothing like a good click in the crotchet!