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By Tony Das Published on: Tue Mar 29, 2022
The metronome gives a pulse or a beat with which we try to sync our strokes. There are various convenient apps for this. If you set a count of 4, there will be a pulse of four which keeps repeating. There’s usually an accent placed on the first count, which allows you to identify the first beats without having to count.
A celebrated guitarist who has performed with well-known bands for two decades, your teacher is a professional musician who has played at some of the biggest music festivals in India, and toured the UK and the Gulf as well. As a guitarist, bassist and singer, he has worked on several film scores and movie songs.
In the previous blog post, you got familiarised with the chords G Major, D Major, A Minor, and C Major, and how to use them to play a simplified version of the song “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” by Bob Dylan. Now you will learn how to improve your technique in playing those chords and mastering that song.
While you may find it difficult initially to play chords, it gets easier to grip the strings as you practise and develop calluses on your fingers. What is even more challenging with playing songs is changing from one chord shape to another, with accuracy, and in time. This requires focus when you practise. A tool that can help you in this endeavour is a metronome.
The metronome is a device that helps you develop a steady sense of rhythm. It gives a pulse or a beat with which you can sync your strokes. Nowadays there are various convenient apps that you can download for this purpose on your phone. They are fairly intuitive and easy to use, irrespective of which one you use.
So how do you use a metronome? If you set a count of 4, there will be a pulse of four which keeps repeating. There’s usually an accent (slightly louder and sharper) placed on the first count. This allows you to identify the first beats easily without having to constantly count.
Apart from helping you fine tune your sense of time; a metronome also allows you to gauge your progress. It has a functionality called Beats Per Minute (BPM), which can be used as a measure when you practise, to progressively increase the speed/tempo as you get more comfortable.
It doesn’t matter how slow you play the song initially. The important thing is to match every downstroke with the click of the metronome, and once you get more comfortable you can increase the tempo. This will help steady your sense of time. Remember, accuracy is what matters.
Download the metronome app, start practising, and learn to switch chords in a smooth manner, without any delay or losing time. In the next blog post, we’ll cover some useful exercises that can help you build finger strength and agility – two things that can have a significant impact on how fast you progress through this journey to learn the guitar. Keep reading to improve your skills and technique.
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