How to properly use a metronome

[feilong29]

He y'all! I've been trying to work on my chops with the metronome but I feel that I don't use the device effectively. I get the concept of increasing speed as you play cleaner at the previous setting... I'm in a spot where I'm working a scale run at 110 bpm... 115 is pretty clean, but when I jump to 120 bpm, it starts sounding bad... now, should I start from 110 and go up 1 bpm, or, burn out at 115 bpms, or what? I think my question is amateur but, I just want some input THANKS!

Cullen

[Trypios]

insane pickers like Petrucci, Jason Becker, Gilbert etc do the following:

- Start at a slow comfortable speed, till your fingers learn the movement mechanically with the best articulation possible. Do this as many times possible SLOW. After you feel it's easy and you can play it let's say 4-5 times without mistakes, increase the BPM a certain amount.

- That depends on what you're playing, but let' say you'll increase 4BPM if the lick is in 16ths. Master the lick in that tempo and try to play it 4-5 times without making mistakes.

- Your best bet now is to move up 4BPM again. NO, decrease speed at half of what you increased before (2BPM) and proceed as before. Then go up 4BPM.

- 2BPM, +4BPM.....you get the picture.

- If at first you increased 6BPM go -3 +6 -3 +6 ..... or +8 -4 +8 -4.

- Now you'll reach a certain sticky point, where you'll can't go any faster and there are some mistakes, let's say at 160BPM. Now the trick is to move up a ridiculous amount like 10-15 BPM and burn your fingers. You may not play the lick correctly, but when you go down again to 160BPM voila! It's there

[feilong29]

MAN never had it broken down like that before, THANKS!

[Physicist]

Petrucci, an insane picker? He's everything but accurate at the great speeds (just tremolo picking mostly). It should be obvious to advanced guitar players... I believe he should never be mentioned in the same sentence as Gilbert when talking about picking It's blasphemy.

[Trypios]

in turn, I consider what you just said blasphemy. Yes there are other picking shredders like Gilbert, G Govan, Rusty Cooley, but it's not a competition and I think you got him confused with Herman Li The guy is as accurate as their new drummer Mike.

[morktkvelden]

Great breakdown trypios, im going to try applying this for some really technical off-rhythm+string skipping stuff...Ive always used the increase the tempo bit by bit method...but the decrease at half method added in is pure genius +1