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Well, actually I do use a metronome all the time these days, and it is helping a lot. The problem with the metronome, is if I just practice compas I tend to lose track of what beat I'm on. If I practice a Falseta, then of course it's much easier to know where I am.
I could not possible learn something at 180 or faster, I need to learn at 120 then once I figure something out then I can go faster. 120 seems a reasonable speed, since that's works out to 4 - 1/8 notes per second.
I'm sticking to the slow and accurate, rather than fast and sloppy method I previously used.
The problem with the metronome, is if I just practice compas I tend to lose track of what beat I'm on. If I practice a Falseta, then of course it's much easier to know where I am.
Hmm, I think you need to learn to ingrain a "pattern" of compas, or rhythm guitar strumming, that is very clearly broken down, as if it IS a falseta. Better that then improvising your rhythm strumming, and "shooting" for the accents. So metronome is still the best way to go as Duende was saying. Think like this, if you properly filling up each beat or space in between, relative the metronome click, you ARE "keeping track" of the beat you are on. If you add or subract any strum techniques, or leave too much or too little space, then you will be off. Also rushing and dragging are common problems. A compas loop won't help you learn to keep track of each little detail. So if the metronome is working for you for falsetas where you add up the notes, it should work the same for rhythm strumming patterns.
Damn Ricardo, You are the spitting image of Gerardo Nunez. The resemblence is uncanny.
Good advice, do what Ricardo says and you will be fine. I have found in my experience that students often think they are playing their falsetas in compas when they in fact are not. Just because you fit some notes in between 1 and 12 doesn't mean that it is in compas. Make sure you are playing both falsetas and "compas" accurately. Everytime you practice something wrong you are reinforcing what is wrong. Learning to play compas always takes students longer to learn than falsetas, but once a student learns to play "compas" their falsetas groove better. Compas is a groove. A beat. A feel......meaning you have to feel it. Notice Tomatito doing the chicken neck thing when he plays......that is feeling it. Now I am not saying you need to give yourself whiplash to play in rhythm, but moving your body with the tempo in a natural, unforced way can really help. It loosens a player up. You are essentially dancing in your chair. It can have another very nice side affect besides helping you play in time better.......Stage presence.
a loop is more fun than a metronome but you can give the metronome a little "life" by setting it on triplets accenting the first eight-note of the triplet
that way you´ll get the 12 and 3 kind of like knuckles on the table thing
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This is hard stuff! Don't give up... And don't make it a race. Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.
Thanks everybody! I actually have been listening, and it's helpfull. I have quite a few example's thanks to Ricardo, Henrik, etc. to look at.
When I work on something with the metronome, and something written then it's pretty easy to keep track where I'm at. It's the getting it ingrained part, that's just taking time. It's pretty clear that the solution is practice.
The "Flamenco Master" metronome is ok to. Just the computer room is next to the kids bedroom, and I can't play guitar there at night.
The "Flamenco Master" metronome is ok to. Just the computer room is next to the kids bedroom, and I can't play guitar there at night.
You can use the Flamenco Master and Audacity (free audio software) to make yourself a practice CD of any compas+speed combination you want. Then you don't have to sit in front of the computer.
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