P.M.U. Proper Metronome Usage

Each tick of the metronome requests your note to be on or between the beat. At some interval of time, you expect your playing to improve because of your metronome usage. Without P.M.U. It is pretty hard to measure any significant progress.

I venture to say the metronome has been viewed as a time keeper. I give you that one, and add that you are a time keeper as well. You, as a musician should by now be versed at keeping time with other musicians. An important process of checking this is to record yourself on several tracks with a count off, but no drums or click track, just the time of your playing. Harmonize with yourself, add a melody and embellishments. Work at it until it feels good.

Proper Metronome Usage will help you tighten up your musicianship discipline as well as your accompaniment timing.

My gift to you Christmas was the start of a year of FREE music lessons for practice, playing and understanding theory for song writing, soloing, (or improvising), and arranging. As an addition to that lesson it is important to mention a few P.M.U. techniques here.

Set your metronome at the required tempo of the piece, or your expected tempo for rehearsal. Play the piece, (song, or lesson), http://networkedblogs.com/cg1K8 After playing the piece twice through,
1. slow the metronome down 15 notches,
2. play the piece once at the slower speed,
3. stop and speed the metronome one notch.
4. play the piece twice through.
5. stop and speed the metronome one notch.
6. continue this process until you have reached five (5) notches past the required or expected tempo.
7. continue this process daily, adding a higher notch each day.

At the end of each week, having applied this technique, you will find yourself a faster, much more precise player. Your sense of time will sharpen, and you will have developed a bulls eye for each targeted note. This type of playing is what many musicians work a life time to achieve, and master musicians learn early on.

Question: do you expect to take a life time to start playing your best?

Music Memory Maxim Christmas Gift

Good day to you. There, in my statement, "Life is best for me when I give my best," before this Blog post, I had also suggested, "Practice makes "Perfect?" I would like to adjust that statement and encourage that you reach to give yourself your best, in rehearsal, and giving. As you remember, practice makes permanent, please allow me to add, as a foundation, make "Music Intervals" permanent in your music studies.

 Click the chart to enlarge

Don't forget to stop at your local music store and pick up a 'chords and scale fingering chart,' and a metronome. It is important that you begin practicing with a finger pattern that facilitates smooth movement from one octave to the next. Review the metronome rehearsal technique I mentioned in my earlier post. It is a standard practice we will use throughout.

Starting on "C," as the tonic, sing along with the interval name of each note. C is 1, D is 2, E is 3, F is 4, G is 5, A is 6, B is 7, and back to 1 as the octave C. 

 

You will notice the chart also has the titles of the number positions related to the major, and chromatic scales. You may know it, please understand, some do not. Stay with me. You will go places  musically that you never knew existed. I want to be sure to cover early music principles  so that  everyone, beginners and the experienced musician reach the goal of understanding, reading, writing, and recording music.   

The video recording above has been prepared to accompany the chart. Listen to it with the intent to memorize the sounds in relationship to the distance from each other. We will use these intervals through the year in each study of scales, chords and song arrangements. As I say in the recording, "Listen to these notes. Get familiar with their sound." Compare them with interval moves in songs you are familiar with. Each note is valuable. Remember, rehearse, rehearse and rehearse more. Try them three or four times daily . This may be sufficient to familiarize yourself with the sound. Do what it takes to get the sound of the names and moves in your memory, and I will see you back here next week.

As an added study, you may want to visit my book store and read about one young lady's approach to marketing music.  She merited millions. 

See: http://tinyurl.com/SongWriterRoyalties

"The Secret Power of True Love."