Your Friend, the Metronome (Guitar Lesson)
What are you waiting for? Get your membership now!
Your Friend, the Metronome
Jim Deeming discusses how to use a metronome for practice, skill building, and speed building.
Taught by Jim Deeming in Basic Guitar with Jim seriesLength: 24:02Difficulty: 1.0 of 5
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Basic Guitar with Jim
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsFingerstyle master Jim Deeming teaches you the basics of guitar playing. With over 30 years of experience teaching and playing, Jim will definitely start you in the right direction. This is a great series for beginners and guitarists looking to refresh their knowledge.
Lesson 1
Introduction Lesson
In this short lesson, Jim Deeming will introduce himself and talk about his upcoming lessons.
Length: 6:12 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Choosing a Guitar
Jim gives his thoughts on purchasing your first guitar.
Length: 7:09 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Goal Setting
Jim discusses the importance of setting goals. He provides some tips that will help steer your practicing in the right direction.
Length: 11:00 Difficulty: 0.5 FREE
Changing the Strings
Jim Deeming walks you through the process of changing your strings. He gives some excellent tips on this important process.
Length: 41:09 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Meet Your New Guitar
Jim introduces proper playing technique. Then, he explains how to play your first chord.
Length: 52:24 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Learning More Chords
Jim teaches you the 3 primary chords in G major. He also explains how chords relate to specific keys. A great lesson!
Length: 39:15 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Right Hand Revisited
Jim discusses a plethora of right hand techniques that are essential to guitar playing.
Length: 35:19 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
New Chords and Keys
This lesson provides additional information about chords and keys.
Length: 19:08 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Let's Play
This lesson is all about playing. Jim will start you off playing a song. You will have the opportunity to play along with him.
Length: 20:10 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Alternating Bass and Chords
Jim teaches you a few more commonly used chords. Then, he discusses a technique known as the alternating bass line.
Length: 40:54 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
A Shape Chords
Jim covers all possible fingering options pertaining to the basic open A chord shape.
Length: 17:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Basic Guitar Checkup
Jim talks about the future of his Phase 1 guitar series and where to go from here.
Length: 4:18 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Notes, Scales and Theory
Jim delves into basic music theory. He starts from square one in this lesson.
Length: 29:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Chord Fiesta
Jim Deeming invites you to a veritable chord fiesta. He demonstrates common dominant and minor chord shapes.
Length: 43:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Movable Chords
This lesson is all about movable chords. Learn the importance of barre chords and other movable shapes.
Length: 40:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Proper Practicing
Jim Deeming explains how to create a productive practice routine. Make sure you aren't wasting needless time!
Length: 30:00 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
The Pinky Anchor
Many guitarists use their pinky as an anchor. Jim explains the pros and cons of this technique.
Length: 9:00 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Palm Muting
Jim discusses an important technique--palm muting. He explains how palm muting is used by flatpickers and fingerstyle players.
Length: 7:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Reading Tablature
Jim Deeming covers the basics of reading guitar tablature. Knowledge of tablature will help with JamPlay lessons as well as learning your favorite songs.
Length: 21:12 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Tuning Extravaganza
Jim explains various tuning methods. He provides useful tips and tricks that will ensure that your guitar is sounding its best.
Length: 31:45 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Let's Play: "Red River Valley"
Jim is back with another "let's play" style lesson. He teaches the classic song "Red River Valley" and encourages you to play along.
Length: 52:38 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Drop D Tuning
Jim Deeming introduces drop D tuning. Drop D is a popular alternate tuning used in many styles of music including rock, fingerstyle and blues.
Length: 25:25 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Let's Play: "Wayfaring Stranger"
Jim Deeming breaks down the song sections to the classic tune "Wayfaring Stranger".
Length: 29:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
More On Drop D
Jim Deeming takes another, more focused look at drop D tuning.
Length: 6:27 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Your Friend, the Metronome
Jim Deeming discusses how to use a metronome for practice, skill building, and speed building.
Length: 24:02 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
About Jim Deeming
View Full Biography
Jim Deeming got his first guitar when he was only six years old. His Dad was taking fingerpicking lessons, and Jim wanted to be just like him. The Mel Bay books didn't last very long before he strapped on a thumb pick and added the Chet part to Red River Valley so it sounded better.
Most of Jim's early learning was by ear. With unlimited access to his Dad's collection of Chet Atkins albums, he spent countless hours decoding his favorite songs. They were never "right" until they sounded just like Chet. Around the age of 12, Jim heard Jerry Reed for the first time and just knew he had to be able to make that "Alabama Wild Man" sound. The styles of Chet & Jerry always have been a big influence on his playing.
More recently he has pursued arrangements by Tommy Emmanuel and Doyle Dykes, in addition to creating some of his own and writing originals.
Jim has performed in front of a variety of audiences, including concerts, competitions, weddings and the like, but playing at church has always been a mainstay. Whether playing in worship bands or guitar solos, gospel music is deep in his roots and is also the driving theme behind his debut CD release, titled "First Fruits".
Jim has been playing for about 38 years. He also has taught private lessons in the past but believes JamPlay.com is an exciting and better venue with many advantages over the traditional method of weekly 30 minute sessions.
Jim lives in Berthoud, Colorado with his wife, Linda, and their four children. Although he still has a "day job", he is actively performing and is already back in the studio working on the next CD. If you wonder how he finds time, look no further than the back seat of his truck where he keeps a "travel guitar" to take advantage of any practice or song-writing opportunities he can get.
The opening song you hear in Jim's introductory JamPlay video is called, "A Pick In My Pocket". It's an original tune, written in memory of Jim's father who told him early on he should always keep a pick in his pocket in case he ever met Chet Atkins and got the chance to play for him. That song is slated to be the title track for his next CD, which will feature several more originals plus some of his favorite covers of Chet and Jerry arrangements.
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Mario DaSilva
Free LessonSeries Details
Randall Williams
In this lesson Randall introduces the partial capo (using a short-cut capo by Kyser) and talks about how it can make the...
Free LessonSeries Details
Kaki King
In lesson 6, Kaki discusses how the left and right hands can work together or independently of each other to create different...
Free LessonSeries Details
Rich Nibbe
Rich Nibbe takes a look at how you can apply the pentatonic scale in the style of John Mayer into your playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mitch Reed
Mitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
Free LessonSeries Details
Nick Amodeo
Nick explains how to play some of the most commonly used chords in the bluegrass genre.
Free LessonSeries Details
Danny Voris
Lesson 7 is all about arpeggios. Danny provides discussion and exercises designed to build your right hand skills.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Kroos
Free LessonSeries Details
Peter Einhorn
JamPlay is proud to introduce jazz guitarist Peter Einhorn. In this lesson series, Peter will discuss and demonstrate a way...
Free LessonSeries DetailsElectric Guitar Lesson Samples
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Joel Kosche
Joel Kosche talks about creating and composing a guitar solo. He uses his original song "Sunrise" as an example.
Free LessonSeries Details
Glen Drover
Lesson 25 from Glen presents a detailed exercise that firmly builds up fret hand dexterity for both speed and accuracy.
Free LessonSeries Details
Chris Liepe
Chris brings his ingenuity to this lesson on the American folk song called "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" Also known as...
Free LessonSeries Details
David Wallimann
This is a crucial lesson that explains tablature, how to read it, and why it's important.
Free LessonSeries Details
Jane Miller
Jane Miller talks about chord solos in part one of this fascinating mini-series.
Free LessonSeries Details
Matt Brown
Matt Brown shows off some ways to add some creativity and originality to your rock chord voicings.
Free LessonSeries Details
Rex Brown
Dive into the playing of Rex Brown. As the bass player for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill, Brown's real world experience...
Free LessonSeries Details
Daniel Gilbert
Known around the world for his inspirational approach to guitar instruction, Musician's Institute veteran Daniel Gilbert...
Free LessonSeries Details
Prashant Aswani
Do you want to play more musical sounding solos? Do you want to play solos with more emotion behind them? Maybe you're the...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoin over 476003 guitarists who have learned how to play in weeks... not years!
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Unlimited Lesson Viewing
A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.Live Lessons
Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.Interactive Community
Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.Chord Library
Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.Scale Library
Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.Custom Chord Sheets
At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.Backing Tracks
Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.Interactive Games
We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.Beginners Welcome.. and Up
Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
 |
||||
| Price Per Lesson | < $0.01 | $4 - $5 | $30 - $50 | Free |
| Money Back Guarantee | Sometimes | n/a | ||
| Number of Instructors | 82 | 1 – 3 | 1 | Zillions |
| Interaction with Instructors | Daily Webcam Sessions | Weekly | ||
| Professional Instructors | Luck of the Draw | Luck of the Draw | ||
| New Lessons | Daily | Weekly | Minutely | |
| Structured Lessons | ||||
| Learn Any Style | Sorta | |||
| Track Progress | ||||
| HD Video | - | Sometimes | ||
| Multiple Camera Angles | Sometimes | - | Sometimes | |
| Accurate Tabs | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Scale/Chord Libraries | ||||
| Custom JamTracks | ||||
| Interactive Games | ||||
| Community | ||||
| Learn in Sweatpants | Socially Unacceptable | |||
| Gasoline Needed | $0.00 | $0.00 | ~$4 / gallon! | $0.00 |
Mike H.
"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J.
"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
Bill
"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."
I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Just wanted to say thank you for the beginner course Jim.. I'm sure I'll need to go back through one or two things and make sure I have it all down, but I'm officially a graduate. Great course Jim.. THANK YOU!!
thanks Jim for the lessons . its been a great beginner cores
I don't want to be too negative, but lesson 25 and we're just learning how to use a metronome?! Seems like this should have been lesson 3?
Boiling frogs in a pot?! You're sick Jim! I need to get an even tempo, I didn't realize how off I was until I watched this lesson. Thanks for the awesome teaching...and don't worry, I think frogs are tasty, too!
Great lesson. Thanks.
Nice easy laid back lesson stressing the importance of a Metronome. Thanks Jim love your style when putting it across.
You are a great teacher Jim, I love your lessons
excellent excellent lots of really good stuff with founation work like this you could not help to improve Thanks!!
where can i learn to play my favourite song?
how to use metronome 4/4 count use full coards c f g ect? how do i do that?
Couldnt get supplemental music
For fingerstyle guitar a metronome is all well and good but if you are a solo performer unless you use a visual metronome using a metronome is a great tool for practice but live you will change time unless you have a beat in the background constantly watch Tommy Emmanuel or the old Jerry Reed stuff and they change temps all the time.. for practice good for live you need a visual metronome
do you use the metronome at the same time you are playing a song?if so how do you hear both?
When printing the Supplement Content it comes out so small it's hard to read.
"...that could kill you, playing at that speed..." lol! I love Jim.
Really good lesson, thanks Jim
i love the lesson on metronome thank
Thank you so much for posting this lesson! It was very informative!
Thanks for another great lesson Jim. In defence of mechanical metronomes, they often do have a big metal bell inside which makes a loud CLANG, tick, tick, tick, in 2/4 3/4 4/4 etc. Much easier to hear than the electronics, and the big arm is also a bigger visual cue. They rock!
Thank you for explaining.
Love your lessons but can't find the sheet music you were talking about
Click the "supplemental content" tab below the video.
Hi Jim, just started your course, excellent. What are the cord progression in Lesson 25 @ 20:05 min, the funky part? Thanks a lot
There is no sheet music in the Supplemental as indicated in the lesson, thank you.
Excellent lesson Jim. I didn't realize I needed a refresher on how to properly use this most useful tool. No sheet music in the Supplemental, just chords.
Great lesson Jim
Thanks Jim This will help greatly
Thanks Jim.
You are cool and make things clear. Thanks!