Justin said that the count is 1… 2… 3… 4… But I am in my school band playing flute, and I learned that the 4/4 time signature/count is 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. So the 4 beats are cut in half.
P.S. Will 16th notes (the count being “1e&a 2e&a 3e&a 4e&a”) be mentioned in an upcoming module or grade?
P.S. Will different time signatures be taught in an upcoming module or grade?
It depends on the chord. Ex) For D, you strum the strings D, G, B, and E. The bottom 4 strings. For A, you strum the strings A, D, G, B, and E. The bottom 5 strings.
That would be 8th note. 1 2 3 4 is 1/4 note or 1 down strum per beat.
All in 4/4 time signature
Counting quarters
1 2 3 4
Counting eighths
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Counting sixteenths (which does come later)
1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
Just started this lesson and I find it easier to keep the right hand moving if I strum on every beat, instead of just the first beat of the four. In the latter case, the right hand wanders off. All other principles apply of course, including the changing of the chord in time for the first beat. Is there a BPM target for this lesson as there was for chord changes?
You will not learn how to avoid hitting the strings if you do this. You also need to get used to hitting them at the correct depth when coming off doing something different. You may also not learn by ear where beat 1 is. Keeping your hand moving is an important part of later lessons to maintain timing, but you also need to avoid hitting strings because when a note/chord is played is part of rhythm.
In addition, this lesson is setting up beginners to have time to make the chord change.
I took a practical approach here - it is probably not the official answer. I took a look at the songs I was interested in playing and chose that as my benchmark. No need trying to reach speed metal tempos if you only plan to play slow ballads.
Beat 1 is a different sound on my metronome app, so that lets me know, and what I try to aim for is to change chords between beat 4 and 1; with the metronome set to 30, that needs a change speed of 30 changes a minute. But I take the other points you make.
I have a question about strumming mechanics. When picking individual strings, I want to keep almost the same angle of attack of my pick on all strings (as otherwise top string sounds good but bottom string - when using for example only wrist - is difficult to pick and it just slides over the string), so when moving up and down the strings my elbow and arm make a movement so pick is correctly placed. I find it difficult to make when strumming, and I saw on the videos that the movement is with elbow and angle of the pick is different across the strings. Is that right?
Yes, that is right.
3 posts were split to a new topic: Hello folks - new beginner Brain
Hi First post. Doing the A to D changes. got 44 in a minute
Hello everyone, I’ve been practising for a couple weeks now and have made at least some progress. I can do the A & D chords pretty comfortably, and I can do just over 30 chord changes per minute. But I’m kind of stumped on this lesson, I’m not sure whether to move on yet because I’ts difficult to measure the progress. Firstly how do I know that I’m counting to 4 properly, and secondly how much do I need to know this before the next lesson? Thanks and good luck.
Certainly at the early stages, you can start by watching all lessons of the module, making sure you understand them, and start the ‘real’ practicing with the practice routine provided. It will cover all things learned in that module, and add some fun to it.
As for the ‘how do I know I’m doing it right’: the best thing is actually to just do it without thinking about it too much. Tap your steering wheel to the rhythm of the son playing on your car radio while driving, tap your hand against your leg when listening to some music while walking or sitting on the sofa, … You’ll notice you’re quickly picking up the beat, and that you can pick out that ‘1’ - ‘234’ just follows after that. It really is ‘feel the beat’. Once you start thinking about it too much, you will mess yourself up. Go with the flow!
Hi castlelady, thanks for your reply. Your advice of integrating rhythm outside of practice is very helpful. After putting in a bit of time I think I am getting the hang of it, just need to polish the chord changes. Anyways cheers
How long do we stay on each module along with practice limits? I’m sure this is a stupid comment.
Welcome @khill007 to the forums!
It is a balance of your mental tolerance and available time. I spent 4-10 minutes on any one practice item until I could drop it off my list. I used the Nitsuj practices as a guide for proficiency limits.
I would fill my practice time with as much as I could both fit and have tolerance for (some stuff is terribly tedious). Once I had gained proficiency, I removed that task from my list and replaced it with the next lesson’s thing to learn. This way I kept a full practice duration and kept new information coming in every couple weeks as something dropped off.
Hey, first post here.
Just wanted to leave these question here because idk if anyone knows the answer, and even if it’s important. For context, when im strumming and changing between D & A chords I tend to make a loud sound when I raise my fingers to change the chord, you know what I mean? It’s noticeable.
How do i stop myself from doing that?
Thanks
This can be a couple things. A recording would help narrow it down.
If you are hearing the strings ring out like open strings, then you are probably moving your fingers before lifting them off. See if you are doing that and then you may need to practice slowly lifting, then moving, then setting back down, until you get used to doing it faster.
The other noise I think is common is string scratch noise. It can be a bit of the first problem, but also not lifting all the way off while you move. It has the same basic exercise to help you correct it.
Washing your fingers before you play can help in case the strings are sticking to your fingers. It will get better as your fingertips harden with playing.
I tried to upload a video and a recording but it doesn’t let me.
I don’t think it’s that, It’s more of when I lift my fingers it creates a buzzing sorta sound. If i try to change chords before the sound of the strum dies it makes that.
Can I use a metronome or do I just count it out loud?