Thursday, July 16, 2009

Timing is Everything

I can't stress how important having good timing is. Doesn't matter if your a musician playing an instrument, or a vocalist, if your timing is off, you will stick out like a sore thumb. I played the guitar for YEARS before realizing how important good timing was, of course, when your playing in your room to CD's it doesn't matter if your off, there is nobody there listening, but when your playing in a live band, the other members depend on you to be on your game.

A few things you can do is, obviously, practice to a metronome. I know for most this isn't much fun, but those who are serious about becoming a great player, this will get you headed in the right path. Another thing to make a habit of is keeping time with your foot, once this becomes a natural habit you will be keeping time without even thinking about it. Something else that has tremendously helped me is simply playing percussion on things constantly, whether it be the steering wheel in the car, the desk at work etc etc, it will get you in the habit of keeping time and give you plenty of practice.

For those of you just starting out, new to an instrument, remember something, its always a great idea to form good habits in the beginning, that way it will be with you the remainder of your playing days. Those of you with more experience under your belt who might not have great habits, its NEVER too late, trust me, I didnt form good playing habits till after a decade of playing, and of course, it was a little harder to form these habits, but if you work at it, your determined and persistant, it will happen.

As always, I hope this opens up a few doors for ya and helps ya get on track to where you'd like your playing to be. Keep Rockin!!!

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