Part 2: Give the notes time · Lesson 011 / 117
Find a pulse you can keep
Keep an even beat without changing chords.
A pulse is the regular beat you can tap underneath music. Tempo describes its speed. A metronome marked 60 BPM produces sixty beats per minute, or one beat each second.
Set a slow, comfortable pulse. Tap along before picking up the guitar. Then play one easy note on each beat. The note names are not the challenge today; the space between attacks is.
Try continuing for four beats after stopping the click. Restart it and listen for whether your pulse remained near the same pace. You will drift sometimes. Notice which way rather than treating the click as an opponent.
Keep the task small enough that you can listen while doing it. A difficult chord change can hide a rhythm problem. One muted strum or one comfortable note is plenty for this lesson.
Hear it
Pulse
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
At 60 BPM, play the open B string once per click for eight clicks. All attacks have equal spacing.
Try it, slowly
- Tap eight clicks without the guitar.
- Play one note for eight more clicks.
- Stop the click, continue tapping four beats, then compare your pace when it returns.
Check one idea
Would 80 BPM be faster or slower than 60 BPM?
Show the explanation
Faster: eighty rather than sixty beats fit into one minute. The note choice does not determine the tempo.
A good place to stop
You can follow a comfortable pulse for a short stretch without a difficult fretting task.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.