Just bought a metronome - now what?

[MikeMcArthur]

My day-after-thanksgiving present to myself was a Boss TU-80 tuner/metronome. $23.99 after I used the 20% off Black Friday coupon from Guitar Center. :D

Anyhow, I bought the thing because I am totally bereft of rhythm. Now that I have it, I am still trying to figure out what to do with it.

I tried practicing some strum patterns with it tonight. I found that I can drown out the clicky noise pretty easily with the acoustic, and that I am not quite coordinated enough to keep in sync with the flashy lights or the moving needle.

Chanting "down-up-chuck-up" with David and Tim on the videos seems to work OK for me, but I can't quite get the hang of following a machine like that. Part of it is that many of the strum patterns have rests, pauses, or syncopation in them, and I have trouble keeping the pattern straight with the beat. "Is this the click where I chuck, or is it the next one?" "Which part of the pattern is the 'downbeat'? -- Oh crap! the start of the pattern is now no longer synced with the 'downbeat' indicator on the metronome."


Any suggestions on how to get the most out of practice with a metronome and how to develop a sense of rhythm will be greatly appreciated.

[ez-one]

first go here and download this free drum machine
http://www.rhythmrascal.com/
I have used it for a couple years now and it works great, and makes for a fine metronome (thats all I use it for) I just don't like the little chirp or beep that most of the electronic metronomes have. plus you can use a different drum sound on the second and forth beats which really helps with timing and beats per measure...
also it does take a little getting use to using a metronome, sometimes a chuck could be on the space between the beats, so look at it as if the beats are whole notes 1,2,3,4 just like tapping your foot, then you can also go 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 with the down strok on the number and the upstroke on the "and" from there you should be able to figure out the other stuff. Might need to slow the beat down some also

[dfa666]

the easiest way to start with a metronome is to play 1 note per beat. take a simple pattern either strum or picked and play on each beat. if you are playing in 4/4 time you will be playing quarter notes. once you are comfortable with that start playing 2 notes per beat. this is eighth notes in 4/4 time. after you get up to speed with 2 notes per beat try playing 4 notes per beat. this is sixteenth notes in 4/4 time. keep working your way up in speed on the metronome and when you add a note drop the speed back until you can play it up to speed again.