Jazz Guitar Lesson : Using the metronome and Working at Different Tempos

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Time feel and rhythms are omnipresent in jazz music. African rhythms and European classical harmonies meet in this American art form.

Yet, when is the last time you worked on time or rhythms specifically?

I believe every jazz guitarist should be conscious of the groove. As accompanists and soloists our "time feel" should be comparable to the ones of drummers, bassists, pianists and saxophonists! (feww...)

Working with the metronome is the first step in time awareness for all musicians. Use it today and you'll be rewarded!

See http://www.jazzguitarlessons.net for more lessons.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• jazz
• guitar
• lessons
• time
• feel
• rhythms

[rexmiguechidoto]

What if I wanna excercise in a song thats not 4/4 for example All Blues or Footprints but not make the metronome count all my beats?

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

@rexmiguechidoto There are several ways to use the metronome. In 3/4 I would try to use it exclusively on "beat 1" at first (set extremly slow). Then I would probably advise to try using the metronome "in half notes" ... it would click every other beats and come back on "one" after 2 bars. For example : *1* 2 *3* | 1 *2* 3 | etc. It's hard at first but worth it! Let me know if you have other questions.

[jazzadellic]

Does this technique just change the way you hear the notes or play? or both? If it affects how you play the notes, then there must be a way to explain exactly how....I've heard of this technique many times but nobody has ever been able to explain how it affects your playing. Can you?

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

@jazzadellic Nice Question. I want to answer briefly, so here it is :

-It alters the way you *hear* the time (your perception of how time passes while playing)

-It alters the way you *play* the notes (your perception of your own playing is put against the time feel).

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

@HonoluIuGuy Hey, thanks man. You should see what I can do with "in person" lessons ! ... and in my preferred language! (french, of course)

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

@HonoluIuGuy When I say "half-note" I mean the rhythmic figure that lasts TWO BEATS in a bar of 4/4. When I say "quarter-note", I mean the figure that lasts ONE BEAT in a bar of 4/4. To really "set" the metronome, you simply have to change your perception of the click. The metronome is simply clicking at even intervals in time, it's your mind that is adjusting. For instance, in this video, I'm trying to perceive the click as beats 2 and 4 in a bar of 4/4. Let me know if you have other questions.

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

@HonoluIuGuy Thanks for watching!

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

Well... I don't count when I play! I used the metronome for a long time to internalize the "swing time 2&4" thing so it just became part of me. I know instinctively where the next bar is, or where the next chord is... it takes a while. Perseverance is key. Practice Well.

[captaindomingo]

Hi Marc,

tanks for answer ...your suggestion will be very usefull to me and in some way I had already play less instintively ...but I would like o know how you count a beat in your mind how you internalize a pulse of metronome ...if you refer at the beat four to have a landmark for the chord changes or you count all beat in your mind despite the metronome is on two and four...

tanks for your lesson ..your channel is always inspiring to me

Have a nice day

Regards

[jazzguitarlessonsnet]

@captaindomingo

Hello, thanks for the comments and question.

The shortest answer is : "play less". If you loose your place, it's most likely because you get too involved at doing what you are doing with your fingers. Relax, take a step back...

Another good way to keep you place is to play a chord in each bar : play a chord on beat "one" and then improvise and little. When you get good at this, you can even play chord every other bar, and so on...

I hope this helps,

Marc-A