Bpm

All this bpm talk is cramping my style. Playing scales on the piano I had to use a metronome because it was classical and precision is key. I guess the same thing stands for classical guitar and a certain kind of rock is classical based so that's why a lot of guitarists use one. If you ask me, though, it's not an absolute necessity. If fact, I'd even blame it on the downfall of rock and roll.

Too much attention to precision and speed and not enough on creativity is why the 80s sucked in my opinion. What style of guitar playing dominated the 80s - classical. How do you practice classical - with a metronome. You kids can play fast and precise but what else can you do.

Make boring tunes.

Someone sounds a bit bitter towards precision :D

I think playing with a metronome is essential whether you play rock,classical, whatever. Unless your also an ace drummer who has perfect timing then your gonna slip out of time. Especially important to practice with one if your playing with a band, nothing worse than 4 or 5 musicians all playing the same song out of time with each other.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who play fast and precise stuff on the guitar who can write good songs. The fact is, if everyone played slow chords and melodies, it would sound just as bland and tasteless. Anyone can learn a I-IV-V chord progression and sing over it.... I wouldn't call that good original music.

Personally, I learn sweep picking and legato and all the other techniques which go along with that because I want to be able to play everything I can on the guitar. I don't like not being able to do something on the guitar. When you devote your life to something you don't want to find there's something your falling behind on. I'd say as far as trading creativity for speed and precision that I think being able to play super fast and accurately just widens your options, i'd rather not play fast by choice than not have the option to in the first place.

I don't want to bring up Satriani again as though thats the only music I listen to....BUT.... I wouldn't say theres 1 song of Satriani's that is catchy because of the fast legato, it's always because of a lead line or rhythm part that is easy but creative. "Always with me, Always with you" for example, loads of people love that song, and the main riff is something a complete beginner could learn in a day.

Then again, that's just my opinion. :cool:

- J

A decent opinion at that. Guess I was lamenting the fact that I'm learning the art of 'shredding' which means working in the pinky finger. I've got to relearn how to play really, while maintaining my old style and implementing the new. Means I've got to play the same progressions over and over trying to build up strength and accuracy, for 8 months now, which is nothing in retrospect, but it's as if I feel my creativity slipping away in the progress. Thing is, I figure a lot of new artists concentrate specifically on this task while not grasping the finer points in music which is a shame. Reality is though, hopefully, musicians most likely will develop their own musicality naturally in this quest for speed, simply as a natural learning process.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps musicality is a feature one is born with. And speed measured by a metronome is a substitute for it.

..............................Actually, this is a stupid arguement of mine. Speed is speed, and a metronome is just a means of precision. A fast musician is just a fast musician, not a lousy one. I'm practicing the very thing I'm putting down. I just don't like 80s music. I want to be a blues based rock guitarist with Cooley speed. Just takes so LONG.

And I do have perfect timing. :D No need for a slow and systematic increase in speed with every riff via the metronome to get decent timing for this guy.

I mean, I feel I can learn to play fast riffs without the need for a metronome. Creativity stiffler! lol. What if every drummer played and learned all his fills to a metronome? He'd play as if he had a stick up his rear. Same on guitar in my opinion. Timing will ensue accuracy.

I think I've got the stregth and accuracy to play a riff to speed but have to play is slow to get it right. And then slower STILL to get it perfect. Monotonous, stupid guitar.

Haha, your argument seems to have gone from precision and accuracy to "I hate 80's music". :D

Im not going to try and figure out an explanation for that... best left alone.

I see where your coming from though with the losing creativity bit. I think the problem is there arn't enough hours in the day!

Considering the amount of time it takes to learn how to shred or sweep pick properly it doesn't leave much time for anything else, and even when you put 5 hours a day in your still not going to be the best. I think as soon as you learn scale positions and music theory your creativity is slipping away, unless you can ignore the fact that the song is in C major so perhaps you should play in B locrian. (not that anyone would want to)

The good thing I think about technique is once its learnt, it doesn't take as much effort to keep it. Once you can technically do everything your mind wants to hear, then you can concentrate on what really matters, the music.

It must be a pain in the ass if your mind is playing Michael Angelo Batio's music constantly. Your pretty f***** then. :D

- J

Originally Posted by: JamiephofeOnce you can technically do everything your mind wants to hear, then you can concentrate on what really matters, the music.

True enough! That sums it up right there.

I'll reply when I'm not hungover.

Originally Posted by: aiwassyou won't get better at songwriting by stopping to practice your technique, you get better at songwriting by practicing songwriting.

True enough. Playing without a metronome, though, doesn't mean I'm disregarding skill or technicality. I practice my scales pretty intensly on a regular basis, just without a metronome. It's my opinion at this time that a metronome stifles the creative process. Didn't mean to step on your toes and I also appologize for the comment there.