RIFFS:
I can’t unsee it.
Every strength is also a weakness:
High earners waste a lot of money.
Hard workers choose inefficient methods.
Good debaters defend trash viewpoints.
Clever people reject simple solutions.
That’s ok—you can’t have it all.
And once you know to look for it, you can course-correct.
An example from my life that probably applies to yours:
Recently I went all-in on my solo show. I’m expanding my repertoire, developing new techniques, and playing a ton of gigs.
That’s been great overall, but…
…my time & feel have suffered.
After spending so much time grooving to my own clock, it’s harder to settle into a groove in a band setting.
If you mostly play guitar by yourself…
…your time & feel probably need a little help.
RECS:
These are the apps I’m using to clean up my time:
Tempo
This is still the best all-purpose metronome app:
clean layout…
…with display modes for:
basic
preset
setlist
practice
gig
usable sounds
shareable setlists
practice tools
tracker/timers
bluetooth pedal compatible
Gap Click
This one is for building your internal sense of time.
It alternates between a standard click and a silent click.
You can set the number of click bars vs silent bars.
(And if you really want to stress-test your groove, you can use a syncopated offbeat instead of a silent bar.)
Drum Genius
If you find metronomes difficult or uninspiring, Drum Genius is for you.
It’s a collection of drum loops drawn from real songs.
For example, I took the 110bpm shuffle from SRV’s Cold Shot and sped it up to 132bpm to practice Brooks & Dunn’s Boot Scootin’ Boogie:
Two more things to help your groove:
Meanwhile, over on the Better Solo Shows YouTube channel:
CHARTS:
The organizer of tonight’s gig asked to hear Fast Car.
I’m guessing he’s into the new Luke Combs version, but I transcribed the original Tracy Chapman version.
I love when cover songs get popular—you get double mileage from learning one tune.
SMARTS:
1
Tracy & Luke both play it capo II.
Only difference is that he tunes down a half-step.
The first chord is a C, which sounds as D (Tracy) or D♭ (Luke).
2
First chord ≠ the key.
Not every song starts on the I chord! This song starts on the IV.
3
There’s a half verse:
It happens twice:
It’s almost the same lyrics both times.
The first time she’s leaving her childhood home behind:
HALF VERSE 1
you got a fast car
is it fast enough so we can fly away?
we gotta make a decision
leave tonight or live & die this way
The second time she’s kicking her man out:
HALF VERSE 2
you got a fast car
is it fast enough so you can fly away?
you gotta make a decision
leave tonight or live & die this way
That’s all I got today.
See you next Wednesday,
Josh
Hey Josh, does the Tempo metronome app allow you to set different sounds for different beats (like a distinct sound on 1 to indicate the beginning of a measure)? I looked at the documentation online and couldn't find an answer.