Keep the Beat

An absolutely critical aspect of successful music-making is keeping the beat, in particular the downbeat of each measure.

Some of my rock-star students lose the beat because they’re busy filling up space with flashy riffs and fast action. I tell them that no one will want them in the band if they can’t play along with others.

Playing with a metronome helps, especially one that emphasizes the first beat of each measure, tapping one’s foot can help—unless it doesn’t, and especially I think it’s a good idea for a player to do less. The idea is to add elements as the timekeeping improves.

Simplify at first, add the bells and whistles later.