In this lesson you will learn some ways you can practice thinking in different time signatures. First, choose an exercise that is easy for you to play and set the metronome at a moderate tempo. (If the exercises you know are challenging, feel free to do this work using a single note.) Using a pick, play with an emphasis on the first beat of each measure. Just get in a groove and play steady quarter notes or eighth notes in 4, for example, until you’re consistently playing right with the metronome and really feeling the beat.
Here’s how the C scale would be played in 4, using quarter notes (one note per click):
C D E F G A B CD E F GA B C…
When you are ready for a change, shift to thinking in 3, emphasizing the first beat, as before:
C D E F G A B C DE F G A B C…
Then play it in 2:
C D E F GA B C D E F G A B C…
and then back to 4. The metronome and the note duration will remain constant; all the time changes will be in your head and hands!
When you listen to music, try determining the time signature. When you have a feel for the time signature, practice starting the song in the random places and determining where the first beat of each measure occurs. You can do this by listening for the strongest beat in each cycle.
Another good exercise to build not only rhythmic awareness, but also familiarity with form is to determine what measure number you are on at any given time. You can check your “guesses” either by counting the measures, if you are using written music, or by going back to the beginning of the song and counting measures, if you are listening without the aid of a visual map.