Improving rhythm without having a guitar in my hand...

Panama_Jack666 · September 2013

Now then,

More recently I've become very self aware about some bad timing issues with my playing, particularly lead playing. I am practicing with a metronome on a regular basis but I'm wondering if any of you have any rhythm based exercises I could be doing whilst I'm at work without a guitar? I'm assuming the classic drumming on the desk will be a good way but don't really know how to get started... Try hold the 1,2,3,4 (working on a 4/4 basis) with my foot whilst doing quarter/eighth/sixteenth notes with my hands? Drummers - do you have any patterns that would help? I literally know nothing about drums...

I listen to music for most of my day so is there any way I could try keep time with that? I also do have a metronome on my phone that I can use through my headphones but I'd like to avoid listening to *CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK* all day!

General suggestions for rhythm improvement welcome as well!

ddlooping · September 2013

Hey PJ

A very good video on how to practice with a metronome when you do have your instrument at hand...

ignore everything after 7:25 for the time being

I'll try and come with suggestions for practicing your timing when you don't.

ddlooping · September 2013

Panama_Jack666 said:

Try hold the 1,2,3,4 (working on a 4/4 basis) with my foot whilst doing quarter/eighth/sixteenth notes with my hands?

The problem is you do need a reference of some sort (metronome, drum machine...) as the tapping of your foot might drift in and out of time, for lack of a better way of putting it.

You might end up with your foot and hands being in sync but the whole thing being not "in time".

EricTheWeary · September 2013

Sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong* but I do recall something by Guthrie Govan who felt that metronome work was over rated and what you really need to be able to do is play with other musicians. So playing along with recorded music, guitar in hand, and tapping along if you haven't an instrument. Some records will be perfectly in time, some won't. You could get all Sorry I Haven't a Clue but you need help with this. Tap along to a piece of music then somebody turns the music down and see if you are still in time when they bring the level back up again. If tapping/stomping you do need to find the beat and not just a percussive version of the melody ( which is what a lot of people do).

* on the Guvan reference, not if he was right or not, you'd have to take that up with him.

ddlooping · September 2013

Ok, I've came up with something, whether it'd be useful or not I have no idea.

- use the stopwatch or clock on your phone. What matters is that it show the seconds.

- start by counting the seconds (60bpm) as you look at your phone until you feel you're pretty much in sync with it.

- next, look away from your phone (or close your eyes) for every other second and try to stay in sync with it:
Count 1, close your eyes and count 2, open your eyes and count 3, close your eyes and count 4, open your eyes and count 5 ....
Once you feel confident you can do it for a while and stay in time...

- count 1, close your eyes and count 2, count 3, open your eyes and count 4, close your eyes and count 5, count 6...

- etc etc... until you're able to count ten seconds in a row without looking at your phone and come back in sync.

Edit: if it helps, to start with, count in half-seconds, as in "1 & 2 & 3 & 4....".

Then you can try to add alternate picking (on your thigh, the seam of your jeans...) while counting.

It's something I do for fun sometimes when I use the microwave (for 1~2 minutes), getting the timing by looking at the display for the first few seconds, then walking away while doing a count-down in my head.
I normally end at 0 within a couple of seconds of the microwave going "beep-beep-beep".

ddlooping · September 2013

Another good video, this one about "visualising time".

And a pic that might be useful...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PglZOFzG0xw/T61WMvlve6I/AAAAAAAAACU/KusSVlYMpiw/s320/Simple+meter+rhythm+syllables.jpg

ChrisMusic · September 2013

Truly excellent videos ddlooping, I never did like metronomes, but I do get this. edit: dyslexia sorted KO now

ddlooping · September 2013

EricTheWeary said:

Sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong* but I do recall something by Guthrie Govan who felt that metronome work was over rated and what you really need to be able to do is play with other musicians. So playing along with recorded music, guitar in hand, and tapping along if you haven't an instrument. Some records will be perfectly in time, some won't. You could get all Sorry I Haven't a Clue but you need help with this. Tap along to a piece of music then somebody turns the music down and see if you are still in time when they bring the level back up again. If tapping/stomping you do need to find the beat and not just a percussive version of the melody ( which is what a lot of people do).

* on the Guvan reference, not if he was right or not, you'd have to take that up with him.

I don't know whether Guthrie said it or not but there's one big caveat to this theory anyway:
You'll "learn" nothing, you will not improve if the musicians you play with don't have good timing.

If playing along with a piece of music, you have to make sure it's not one of these rare records that is not perfectly on time, hence using a more reliable, if boring, metronome or drum machine (or good quality backing track).

The "Tap along to a piece of music then somebody turns the music down ..." exercise is very similar to the counting seconds one, the latter only requiring a stopwatch.

ChrisMusic said:

Truly excellent videos ddlooping, I never did like metronomes, but do I get this.

I can only be credited for doing a Google/youtube search, but thanks nonetheless, I'm glad to be of help.

Panama_Jack666 · September 2013

There is some really good information in this thread, thanks for your help guys. I'm going to give them videos a watch and certainly give the stopwatch thing a go. I like the Microwave idea as well @ddlooping ;

Those are the sort of challenges I like setting myself. Sometimes I hold my breath with the purpose of being able to beat something else (like the kettle boiling). The counting with the microwave sounds much more safe!

ddlooping · September 2013

Panama_Jack666 said:

The counting with the microwave sounds much more safe!

Indeed.

frankus · September 2013

I think Guthrie's take is "best to play with other musicians, if not play along to the radio or tracks, if not play along with a metronome".

ChrisMusic · September 2013

Hey Panama_Jack666, just a thought, but you could try some "Finger Gym" stuff.

It is a good all-round set of exercises, and you can come up with loads of different permutations too.

Great for building finger strength, co-ordination and independence, etc

If you tap to a rhythm on your legs, or the chair you're sitting on, etc, etc, then you will soon find if any individual finger or sequence is throwing your timing off.

Doing it along with music gets you into different tempos and grooves.

Drummers do this all the time, bloody irritating, so you can now get your own back, if a little more quietly.

If you are away from everything, try keeping a good steady tempo to start off with.

Slow & regular to start then build speed.

Try exercising both hands at the same time too, good for other techniques, co-ordination and timing etc too.

I do a lot of this while I am reading the discussions on here

(yes male multitasking !!! I really should be ashamed, but don't tell my Mrs.)

Check the ever generous Justin Sandecoe's "Finger Gym" lesson below, done on the guitar, but easily adaptable away from it.

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TE-001-FingerGym.php

stuglue · September 2013

As someone who plays drums there approach is some what different. We approach it by constantly counting 8th notes no matter what rhythm we are counting.

I've taken this approach back to guitar playing and its very beneficial but hard to do. Take a song and whilst playing it count out aloud eighth notes 1&2&3&4& where the song is straight forward rhythmically you'll find it pretty easy but where it gets syncopated you'll find it hard to keep counting and keep good time.

It's a very similar mind set to playing and singing at the same time, it's the brain independence.

viz · September 2013

I got a great one that improved my rhythm and accuracy no end. Finger drum on the table, left hand, the following sequence: 1234 2341 3412 4123. It's a tonguetwister but really useful. Then do 4321 3214 2143 1432.

viz · September 2013

Start just by trying to do it, and then by the end it'll sound like a machine gun. But really accurate.

octatonic · September 2013

This is why I started drumming.

I run through a bunch of drum rudiments, just tapping my fingers on a table, or even just tapping my index/middle fingers against my thumbs (for example, if I'm out walking or waiting for a bus).

It is a way of staying actively involved in music even though I don't have a guitar to hand.

The various different paradiddle types are a great way to begin.

Here are a few:

http://www.jamesrichmond.com/misc/paradiddles.jpg

stuglue · September 2013

Don't just tap, count aloud at the same time, that way you'll feel the accents from the patterns above.

octatonic · September 2013

stuglue said:

Don't just tap, count aloud at the same time, that way you'll feel the accents from the patterns above.

I actually tap the accents whilst keeping the one with my left foot.

I count it as well.

steamabacus · September 2013

I thought this was useful and well presented (1'30"ish)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=toykJwk9zmU#t=94

ChrisMusic · September 2013

Excellent video @steamabacus, do you know if he did the jam track he was talking about? That would be a good starting aid.

steamabacus · September 2013

Sorry, Chris - I'm not a regular follower of his channel so I don't know about the jam track. It was just I video I happened across about 6 months ago and remembered being quite good.

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