Beat count ( said and displayed)

[patrice71]

Hello,

i'm not a very advanced guitar player, and i am trying to count the beat while i play and it is very very hard without guidance of a physical teacher.

On of the missing feature of ireal pro is a beat count :

1 - a voice that says "one two three four" ( possible in french too )
2 - a voice that says "one and two and three and four"
3 - a big window on the screen with the number
4 - a big window on the screen with the "number" and "&" in between

It would be an amazing feature !

pat.

[dflat]

One of the missing feature of ireal pro is a beat count :

Thanks for your ideas.
For now, here are a few suggestions:
1 change the tempo, very slow tempi can be difficult to count (like 45bpm) and fast ones you can get lost easily. Find a tempo perhaps around 80bpm that works for you. You can also use Tap Tempo where you tap the beats and this sets the tempo for the song.

2 you can export the audio of the song into recording software (you might have Garageband if you have an Apple device) and use the mic to record yourself calling the beats out as the song plays. Then use this for practice. Doing this, will be good practice for you knowing where the beats are anyway.

3 check out the different playback styles. Some might be easier to find the beat than others. There is a lot of anticipation in some of them which might not help at the stage you are at (see 7 below).

4 listen to different kinds of music (radio etc.) and count along as the songs play; ignore the lyrics, they are not related to what you are learning

5 use Jazz - long notes style as this is basic. Our users use this one in many ways, learning the beats, timing and others will use it for intonation (staying in tune) etc. It is very useful.

6 if you are learning to improvise, make sure you have the Playback position On, which shows you which measure the player is playing. Again, moderately slow tempos.

7 to get used to time, don’t play, just listen to the player play the song and watch as each measure is shown. Start with simple songs, perhaps with one chord per measure, occasionally two. This way you can hear the chord changes within a measure (and at the start of each). Start with Jazz - long notes at a moderate tempo, then change the style once you get confident at following along without getting ‘lost’. When you change styles, don’t use complicated styles; medium swing, ballad, slow rock are simple ones and keep the tempo about the same. Remember don’t play, just listen and follow along. When players get lost they listen to the chords changing so they can find out where everyone is, so getting used to just listening is very important.

8 listen to the drums in some of the styles, you can hear the kick bass drum, and snare on the off-beats. Sometimes listening to the drums gives you an idea of where you are in the measure.

9 you can replace the drums to just clicks or off-beat clicks (2 & 4), and set the first and second clicks to different sounds. If you pick a distinctive sound for the first click, you can listen for this for the first beat. This is in the mixer.

If I think of anything else I will post back here. Hopefully others will post their thoughts too.

Best wishes on your playing! Thanks for posting.

[pdxdjazz]

And when you get to performing....

Nobody will be counting out loud
(except maybe just to get the song started)

(To dflat: those are great tips)
)BOB

[patrice71]

And when you get to performing....

Nobody will be counting out loud
(except maybe just to get the song started)

(To dflat: those are great tips)
)BOB

Thanks a lot. for all those tips, i will practise them everywhere !

I try play mostly bossa nova and lots of it is syncopated, my brain gets totally chaotic when counting

pat.