Metronome--part 1

I think every guitar player should spend at least some of their practice time with a metronome.  I know that nobody likes hearing that.  This is a three part piece.  Before you come over to the shop to yell at me; read the three short entries with an open mind, add the metronome to your practice routine for a week, and assess your progress.  

Most people think the main reason to use a metronome is obvious: practicing with a metronome improves your sense of timing. That's true, and it's a great benefit. But I actually think that's the least important reason to use one.

A Metronome Won't Let You Cheat the Hard Parts. This is is the second biggest benefit.

When you're learning a song without a metronome, it's very easy to adjust the tempo to match your ability without even realizing you're doing it.  You cruise through the easy parts. Then you get to that awkward chord change, difficult lick or tricky rhythm and slow down just enough to get through it. Once you're past the hard part, you speed back up.  Do that enough times and you can convince yourself that you know the song.  Right up until you play it along with someone who can play it right. 

If you can play most of the song comfortably at 100 BPM but one section falls apart, you don't have the whole song at 100 BPM yet. Set the metronome to a tempo where you can play every part of the song correctly, including the hardest part.  Once you can play the entire thing cleanly at 80, move it up a little. Then a little more. Eventually you get the whole song up to speed instead of having the easy parts at one speed and the difficult parts at another.  

Speed is a direct result of playing your parts correctly.  Instead of practicing as fast as you can play, practice as fast as you can play correctly.

Conversely, playing a song wrong over and over is just training yourself to play the song wrong.  Ouch!

to be continued. . .