Reddit reviews Korg MA1BL Visual Beat Counting Metronome, Blue
We found 3 Reddit comments about Korg MA1BL Visual Beat Counting Metronome, Blue. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Innovative "Beat Counting" display clearly shows: Number of Beats / Current Beat / Beats RemainingTempo (30 to 252 BPM) can be set three ways: Full Steps / Pendulum Steps / Tap Tempo button9 Beats and 8 Patterns offer rhythmic diversity; Full octave (C4-B4) of reference tuning pitchesHeadphone jack with adjustable volume; Fold-out leg for easy viewingMemory backup saves your settings; Auto power-off preserves battery life
You may not like this tip but....learn how to read music and some basic theory. You can basically never be as accurate when you learn by ear compared to learning from a score, because performers might take all sorts of liberties that aren't really part of the actual music.
So to answer you question, while it took time technically to execute good phrase structures and accurate rhythms, it also wasn't really that difficult because it's all laid out on the score and doesn't really take much effort on my part.
That's not to say I don't struggle with tricky rhythms or phrases, but I can take it apart methodically and eventually get it, because I understand what is going on with the music. I personally find that way easier than trying to just learn by rote, especially knowing that my ears aren't always perfect.
Edit: Oh, and I just thought of another point with rhythm/timing -- invest in a metronome! Something like this is pretty inexpensive and can be extremely helpful for practice. It's really important to start slow and work up to your final tempo, and a metronome can help keep you in check and make sure you're keeping a steady beat, especially when you're working slowly.
I use this Korg MA-1 Metronome and it works fine for me:
http://www.amazon.com/Korg-MA1BL-Visual-Counting-Metronome/dp/B0055BMQG0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1421195961&sr=8-5&keywords=metronome
"Tempo" by Frozen Ape has been my metronome app for nearly a decade. I just absolutely love the features and personally couldn't see myself going back to a physical metronome. In your case, it has tones of different tone sets so you can likely find something that fits you needs soundwise.
Before that, I used (and abused) a Korg MA-20 for years. That that thing met an angry end at the side of a practice room wall many a times when I was young, immature, impatient, and not smart about my practice... but it survived every time. I'd just find the pieces and batteries and snap it all back together. The Korg MA-1 looks like it's the current model of that line.