I’ve been playing music for 5 years and I have a hard time keeping tempo and understanding subdivision. It could just be a sight reading issue but it’s really hard for me to understand rhythms when I look at them without hearing an example.

I try to use a metronome to help me but the minute I start playing, singing, or even tapping along, the metronome just gets completely lost to me. There was even a time when I was counting everyone off during a sectional, and everyone was giving me weird looks but I tried not to think much of it. Then later that day my teacher was joking around with me about how I was completely off, but I hadn’t even noticed.

During private lessons, I’ll be sight reading something (or even playing a practiced piece), and my teacher will play it back to me and ask me what was wrong with it, and I will just stare at her blankly—cuz I have no clue. And she’ll do it over and over before finally telling me that the rhythm was off.

Every where I look for advice mentions how it’s a beginner’s problem, and I’m not sure if maybe it’s something wrong with me because it feels like I’ve been playing for too long to still have this problem.

Any advice (more specific than just keep practicing)? Is this common?

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NosyargKcid t1_iu77vmn wrote on October 29, 2022 at 2:05 AM

It's hard to know what's exactly "wrong" without actually hearing you try it. Are you struggling to count eighth/sixteenth notes? If so, try counting to songs you already know without playing. Just listen to your favorite music & count them the whole way through. Also try switching it up between measures. Try counting a measure in quarters, then switch to eighths for the next measure, quarters for the next, then in sixteenths. Going back & forth between the two could help you identify them better & keep time

EX) 1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - - - | 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & - |1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - - - |1 E & A 2 E & A 3 E & A 4 E & A | (repeat)

Achilles-Calm-Down OP t1_iu78jpg wrote on October 29, 2022 at 2:11 AM

Yeah, that’s probably a part of the problem, I also randomly slow down and speed up without noticing. And when I use a metronome, I’ll be behind or ahead without being able to tell. I’ll try out the counting to a song thing, that might help.

NosyargKcid t1_iu795m8 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 2:16 AM

> I also randomly slow down and speed up without noticing.

Again, without hearing I could be way off, but what I'm guessing is that you're counting the "rhythm" as opposed to the beat. Maybe counting a down beat as an upbeat because it "feels" right. Would definitely try counting your favorite songs & just getting that down ad nauseam. Another thing would be if you're counting, clap or tap something to get that physical feeling as well of doing so. It will help it translate when you're not focusing on counting but still have the beat going on somewhere in your extremities.

fredmull1973 t1_iu7a53v wrote on October 29, 2022 at 2:24 AM

Honestly, just start over. Start by playing quarter notes on the beat at various tempos. Record yourself doing this and listen back. Are there certain tempos where you get into trouble? When this has been mastered move on to eighth notes.

Next is to put eight rests on downbeats and play very short upbeat eighth notes. This will help with time a lot. It’s a process that needs to be worked through methodically. Good luck!

myleftone t1_iu7lney wrote on October 29, 2022 at 4:12 AM

I play with drummers who hear, read, and match rhythm perfectly and can pick out imperfections in a professional record.

I also know some who literally can’t count off something with an anticipation in it, and are mystified by a base three beat.

Like pitch matching, which never comes for some people, it might be something that is inherently unreachable for you. No big, there’s a bonafide trick I’ve taught people:

Turn it into words.

“Boom boom crack shakalaka boom crack.”

“Whaddaya whaddaya whaddaya say.”

“Hey, here we go, here we go we’re gonna go now.”

Its probable you’ll hear those the same way every time. You can use lyrics you know too. It could be a stepping stone to reading a series of dotted eighths and triplets someday. See if it helps.

Achilles-Calm-Down OP t1_iu95ac5 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 3:02 PM

Thank you for the advise! It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one with this problem