Best way to keep time?

tm3

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Ukulele for Dummies suggests using mnemonics to keep time while strumming, then goes on to say that in pieces that contain pauses and/or single notes the mnemonics don't work as well and one should keep time by patting a foot, head nodding, or similar.

A dude on YouTube said to keep repeating one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and for every measure throughout the song.

I've read that practicing with a metronome and keeping on the beat "ingrains" the timing so that playing accurately without the metronome is eventually possible.

Is any particular way generally accepted as being the best? What is taught in formal music education?
 
Metronome ... or in this day and age a metronome "app"!

The human brain has an inbuilt capability to fool itself (or at least satisfy itself) and all the mnemonic counting and foot tapping won't help if you slow down and speed up unconsciously as you work through the difficult bits ;)

Good luck :music:
 
Use a metronome until it is ingrained. There are great apps like Tempo that work really well. Often our sense of time can drift. The metronome is unforgiving.
 
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I do everything ass backwards so that factors into everything I do, but I started out trying to use a metronome, tapping my foot, counting, everything. All that did was screw me up because I can hardly chew gum and walk at the same time, let alone play, sing, and count all three at the same time. So I gave up and just played. After a while it started coming along naturally as I got more proficient. One other thing that really helped me was playing with others. When you are just on your own there is no real motivation to stay in time. When you play with others you have to, but it is easier because you can go with the flow of the group. It is like driving on the interstate, you just go with the traffic and if you do it enough you get a feel for it. I often times play along with songs on records or on youtube and try to get a feel for the timing. Anyway, at this point I'm a toe tapper and don't even think about it.
 
Metronome.

People get overwhelmed because they jump in too fast. I just get my students to use the metronome to drill silly things like "strum only on the 1" or "pluck on the 2 & 3". By working these in many combos you're forced to PAY ATTENTION to the time.

Start by counting along with the metronome and clapping on a single beat. Then moving the beat each time around (*1* 2 3 4, 1 *2* 3 4, 1 2 *3* 4, 1 2 3 *4*). Once you get good at that, add in the eighth note "ands" and shift those around. You can alternate 1 & 3. 2 & 4 for some fun. THEN you can pick four or five random numbers from 1-8 and assign them their appropriate beat. You'll end up with some very un-intuitive patterns to clap.

95% of my students struggle with timing. It's really important. It's also a massive ego bruiser (which is silly because everyone seems to have trouble). But I tell you what, the ones who bone up, look in the mirror, and practice with a metronome sound WAY better than the rest. You'll never regret it.
 
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Thanks for the comments! Sounds like a metronome is the way to go, at least until past the beginner stage.

I'm kind of relieved to hear that, as the constant one and two and on and on seems harder.
 
In addition to wha Brad said, go slow: set the metronome at a pace you can do and bump it up gradually as you master the drill at the current pace. If you turn up too fast to handle then dial back.

I’ve been using the “Time Guru” metronome app on iOS. It will randomly drop beats so you can test that you maintain time when it comes back. Worth the price for me. I try to use foot tapping and counting along with the metronome to keep going and to manage subdivisions (and to keep my teacher happy ;) ). Unfortunately I don’t have the hair to keep proper time head banging.

A drum machine is more fun but allows for a lot more sloppiness. I’ll sometimes sub it in for song time. Metronome’s king for technique drilling.

5/4 is less fun but probably good for me ;)
 
I would of course also support the metronome suggestion. However, I also think getting a real metronome is also beneficial. They aren't that expensive and offer unique benefits. It is difficult to explain, but for me it is important to have a physical thing sitting near me instead of just a disembodied sound. It is like my accompanist and I also appreciate its nice wood and its sleek shape like a little obelisk. More important to the music, I feel the beat better. After all, there is actually a beat. There is some percussion and a sound results. For me it is more palpable than just an electrical device that makes the sound of a beat without there actually being a beat.

That's just my little point of view. It may or may not be important to you. That's cool. The real point is to get some manner of metronome.
 
It's also useful to play along to a recording (you-tube video or whatever).

That also seems like it would be more fun than the click-click of the metronome.

But, as I understand it starting at a slow speed and then building up is important -- do the apps/software that supposedly slow music down without changing pitch really work?
 
That also seems like it would be more fun than the click-click of the metronome.

But, as I understand it starting at a slow speed and then building up is important -- do the apps/software that supposedly slow music down without changing pitch really work?

The point with timing confidence, more than going slow, is to be able to know exactly what is happening and where you are in the framework of a bar. Going slow is about being able to physically play something. The whole POINT of playing with a metronome is that it's hard and you're doing the work (as opposed to playing with a song). It's great practice to play along too, but you can be much more lax about your timing when following something. If it was as simple as playing along with other music (i.e. a group), everyone would have great timing.

Re apps: yes, but they can only slow down so much before they start to get grainy sounding.
 
Keeping time is a mental endurance thing, even for seasoned musicians. But everyone usually implements something into their playing that helps them keep time. Some accentuate beats by strumming/picking stuff louder on those beats–most notably it's the first beat in each measure. Some people like to tap their feet or bob their heads. Sometimes when people strum fast stuff they'll do something like "ghost strumming" where they perform a strumming motion without hitting the strings (this keeps their strumming wrist moving at the correct tempo and helps them keep time when they're not supposed to be playing anything loudly).

Also like others have said, it really helps to know if you're playing too fast or too slow. You can use a metronome, you can play with another musician that can tell you whether you're rushing or dragging, or you can record yourself playing something and compare it to the original sound sample. You can even play something like osu! or another rhythm game that tells you whether you're hitting notes too fast or too slow lol
 
Invest in a real metronome, not an app. A good one isn’t expensive, will last years, and is quicker to set up than some app you have to open and fiddle around with.

I recommend tapping with your heel along with the beat, to have it physically in your body. Try not to tap with your toes, because this habit produces a lot of noise on stage if you’re ever in a performance setting (ask me how I know...:rolleyes:). Tapping with your heel, while toes are planted, produces almost no noise.

On why to get the real deal metronome and not an app: Your phone is a massive distraction, imho, and you’ll likely get caught up playing around with it and whatever metronome app rather than actually maintaining your practice.

Unrelated to your question, but it is the same reason my wife and I use real alarm clocks for waking up, not the app on our phones.
 
That also seems like it would be more fun than the click-click of the metronome.

But, as I understand it starting at a slow speed and then building up is important -- do the apps/software that supposedly slow music down without changing pitch really work?

Skip the gimmicks; there is no shortcut to practicing here. Practice is just that, and while it doesn’t have to be “boring”, creating distractions like playing along with slowed down audio isn’t going to help you to learn the skill of playing in rhythm. The only way to do that is through diligent, intentional practice that is free of distractions like a video you’re trying to strum along with.

Playing along with someone else’s recording can be a helpful exercise, but not for learning to play in rhythm, imho. The feedback loop between the neurons connected to your ears, eyes, and strumming hands takes too long to process while paying attention to the video recording.

I use videos to see technique being used (either my own or another person’s), but never while trying to play along. That’s like trying to cook a soufflé while also doing aerobic exercise. Is it possible? Maybe. But neither thing is going to go very well or be any good by the end. And why waste your valuable time doing something that doesn’t achieve the goal you have?

Just my 2¢
 
As a bass player I keep time in my head and at times a metronome but I have to say on Ukulele I go by feel and I am sure the timing isn't right but the pauses I choose IMHO sound better. However, if I had to keep time it would be metronome and/or someone making a beat.
 
Thanks for the additional comments! I think that I'm seeing an analogy here -- metronome work helps make a musician fit to play tunes well, just as time in the weight room helps make an athlete fit to play ball well.

I've got a metronome around here somewhere. I'll resurrect it if it hasn't been toasted by leaking batteries. If that is the case, I'll buy another. I concur about not wanting to rely so much on phone apps -- I'm now shopping for a "real" tuner so I can ditch the phone tuner.
 
Tuner - Snark
Metronome - got a smart phone use an app.
 
Tuner - Snark
Metronome - got a smart phone use an app.

I've seen other recommendations for the Snark. Do I need to get the one that is specifically for Ukulele, or will the others work? Looks like one of the non-Uke models can "hear" the note either via a mic or thru vibration which might be a nice feature.
 
I've seen other recommendations for the Snark. Do I need to get the one that is specifically for Ukulele, or will the others work? Looks like one of the non-Uke models can "hear" the note either via a mic or thru vibration which might be a nice feature.

I don't think you do but if you google the Snarks it does list which ones they suggest for Ukulele.
 
Agreed. A metronome works for most people. It really drives the time home. I kind of get tired of listening to clicking, so I tend to simply play songs with their recordings. This gives me a solid beat and also helps be practice "playing with a band." Metronomes work though. It's definitely good practice to try to use one.
 
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