Recommend a Metronome.

[Monster Tone]

Hi,

Well I have managed to find a guitar teacher since my last post in the 'Playing and Technique' section so I'm starting to feel that I'm making some progress with my technique and playing.

I am now practicing with a metronome, a Korg MA-30 which is great for starting with but I would like one where I can accent different beats.

I have looked at the Boss DB-88 or DB-90 which both look great but I was wondering what metronome you would recommend that allows the user to chose which beats are accented.

Cheers,

Chris.

[Mr.Hanky]

Call me old school but I still use my 20+ year old Franz.

Do you really need one to accent the beats or is this soomething you should be doing on your own?

[dkaplowitz]

I too tend to let the metronome be the steady click that doesn't allow me much room for cheating. If you want to get fancy to keep yourself from getting bored, get a cheap drum machine. But you don't have to work as hard on your time with a drum machine filling in all the blank space a metronome leaves, at least IMO you don't.

[Monster Tone]

I certainly don't want a drum machine.

[57tele]

Maybe it's just what I'm used to, but I can't stand the sound of the electric ones for even a few minutes let alone a few hours of practice. I love the old wooden Franzes that have that nice full sound. As far as choosing the accents, I've always felt that doing the accenting yourself is a better way to train. For example, when I studied with Scott Sawyer, he had me do an exercise where you would set the metronome to exactly half the tempo you wanted to play. The beat of the metronome was 2 and 4, and you had to "hear" 1 and 3 in between.

[jdiesel77]

i know i should use a metronome more, but i get bored easily. what do u guys play when u are using the metronome? just scales? or songs?

[57tele]

i know i should use a metronome more, but i get bored easily. what do u guys play when u are using the metronome? just scales? or songs?
Pretty much everything. Scales, arpeggios, and various exercises, but I also practice tunes and specific passages with it.

[dkaplowitz]

I certainly don't want a drum machine.Really? Why not? Anyway, the DB-90 has some simple beats built in to it. It's about as feature rich as metronomes can come these days. Which is sad b/c they focus more on stupid stuff that you don't need in a metronome (like ``better'' sounds that still sound like shit and little digital dial readouts) instead of more advanced rhythms like polyrhthms, metric modulation and better sequencing capabilities. I have the DB-90 and the DB-88 as well. I actually like the 88 better for a couple of interface/design choices they made with the 90 that I don't like.

[bbarnard]

Sabine MT9000. I have one. It will also tune your guitar and will do accented beats as well as rhythm figures (duplets, triplets, etc.). Their website has a user's manual you can download to see if it does things that you want. It is in the literature portion.


www.sabineinc.com (http://www.sabineinc.com)

[Monster Tone]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Chris.

[Mr.Hanky]

Maybe it's just what I'm used to, but I can't stand the sound of the electric ones for even a few minutes let alone a few hours of practice. I love the old wooden Franzes that have that nice full sound. As far as choosing the accents, I've always felt that doing the accenting yourself is a better way to train. For example, when I studied with Scott Sawyer, he had me do an exercise where you would set the metronome to exactly half the tempo you wanted to play. The beat of the metronome was 2 and 4, and you had to "hear" 1 and 3 in between.

Exactly.

That 2 and 4 thing is still kicking my ass, very easy to flip the beat.

jdiesel77, use it for everything because all music (ok most) is in time.

[les_patlaw]

Get the Tomo video. He got me started using a metronome on the 2 and 4 and, MAN, I just love it. I can hear the "band" in my head with the metronome just clicking out the snare. Tomo's video will also give you a TON of exercises. It will begin to answer your question about what to play with a metronome. Just a super video.

[tildeslash]

I use the Adrenallin as a metronome.

[mcb]

Korg KDM-2

It's good to have one with some volume. These are really nice.

[somecafone]

I am working on a chord-melody arrangement of a song in 6/8.

Would you guys have the click on 1, 1 & 2, or 123, 123?

[dkaplowitz]

I am working on a chord-melody arrangement of a song in 6/8. Would you guys have the click on 1, 1 & 2, or 123, 123?
Why not just a click with no accents? You can choose a steady 8ths click, quarter notes, dotted quarters, whatever seems to help you the most.

[rhythmisnothing]

http://www.metronomeonline.com

[somecafone]

Why not just a click with no accents? You can choose a steady 8ths click, quarter notes, dotted quarters, whatever seems to help you the most.

I have a very simple electronic $10 metronome that does not have an accent option so my only choices are 8ths, etc.
I was just wondering what people would do.

My inclination is start w/ 8th notes, and then once I have it under my fingers, go to 1 & 2, then, when I'm really feeling brave, just the one.
All the rhythms in the piece are quarter and eights, so it is rather simple, rhythmically. The hardest rhythm I think will be a dotted quarter tied to an eight, which happens several times in the piece.
I haven't played in 6/8 in a while.

[yZe]

Get one which definitely catches the subdivisions.

MOst importantlly, you need one which starts at the lowest BPM (20-30)
and can increase digitally in 1 beat increments

The reason that this is so important is when you start practicing faster passages, note groupings or tempos - one bpm makes a HUGE difference.

I have the cheaper version of the Dr. Beat. The only reaon I don't like it is that you have to use buttons to punch in the bpms rather than a dial - and you can't wire it through an amp

The upper line Dr. Beat is great - but you can't run it on a battery

I believe that the Exacto is good in that it increases in 1 Bpms - starts at 20 bpms and you can turn quickly to a tempo w/the dial - and I believe (not sure) that it can be wired through an amp. No subdivisions, though

Perhaps you need 2 - one for the road - one at home

[GtrWiz]

Really? Why not? Anyway, the DB-90 has some simple beats built in to it. It's about as feature rich as metronomes can come these days. Which is sad b/c they focus more on stupid stuff that you don't need in a metronome (like ``better'' sounds that still sound like shit and little digital dial readouts) instead of more advanced rhythms like polyrhthms, metric modulation and better sequencing capabilities. I have the DB-90 and the DB-88 as well. I actually like the 88 better for a couple of interface/design choices they made with the 90 that I don't like.

can you do polyrhythms with these? or does it take a lot of programming?