Lesson 1: The metronome

A basic exercise that I teach all of my students is how to practice with a metronome. It seems simple, but many people forget what a great practice tool it is. I generally tell my students to start their practice around 60 beats per minute or slower if you can bear it. You want each each of the notes to coincide with the click of the metronome. Once you feel comfortable at that speed, increase the beats gradually (5-10 additional beats per minute at each step) until you're moving just a few beats faster than you would normally play. You can use this to practice scales, change chords or play a song you're trying to master. You will see great results from spending as little as ten minutes per day on the metronome. You may even get to like it. Guitar players at any level benefit from working with a metronome.