Metronome Settings for Level 2 Course?

[MarkDelaware]

I'm starting Level 2 and am asking for some clarification.

For the Basic Workout, the third goal on page 2 is: "To play 1-2-3-1 pattern at a tempo of quarter notes at 90bpm."

On page 10, I find the first 1-2-3-1 open position pattern is written in eighth notes.

If I have this right, the 1-2-3-1goal is then to play 180 eighth notes per minute on the 1-2-3-1 exercises i.e. I set my metronome to 90 and pluck 1+2+3+4+

When I get to intermediate workout, the 1-2-3-1 goal is to play at 115 bpm or 230 eighth notes per minute i.e. I set my metronome to 115 and pluck 1+2+3+4+

When I get to advanced workout, the 1-2-3-1 goal is to play at 140 bpm i.e. 280 eighth notes per minute i.e. I set my metronome to 140 and pluck 1+2+3+4+.

A steady 280 notes per minute sounds way out of reach for me on my acoustic this lifetime.

Is this interpretation correct?

If not, what is?

My confusion may be tied to the column labeled "NOTES" on page 2 because it states "Quarters" for the 1-2-3-1 exercise but the actual 1-2-3-1 C example is eighth notes. 

Some later exercises state "Quarters/Eighths" in the column labeled "NOTES" which really has me puzzled as I do not see examples of such mixtures.

I'm guessing someone can quickly unlock these mysteries for me.

THANK YOU in advance for helping me!

 

 

 

 

[DianeB]

Mark, I'm well along on Level 2 Advanced. I hadn't looked at the PDF in months until just now; I play along with Steve in the video on my iPad. It's nice to have the PDF to describe what's happening, but the videos really have all the info you need. As you play along, you hear what's in quarters and what's in eighths. As for speed, if I can do it on an acoustic, you can, too. It won't take a lifetime, but it's taken me a couple of years. So far. 

When I can't quite keep up with Steve, I pause the video and repeat that section. For variety, I do the scales out of order sometimes. This works for me. Thanks for reminding me about the PDF. It would serve me well to play through these sometimes with the sheet music in front of me. 

[Plantsman13]

Mark,

90 bpm based on quarter notes does mean two eighth notes per beat (1+2+etc) that is equivalent to 180 notes per minute.

When you get to sixteenth notes; the 90 bpm will mean four sixteenth notes per beat (1 e and a 2 e and a etc) that is equivalent to 360 notes per minute.

Steve's progression does keep things relative as you practice to obtain 120 bpm using sixteenth notes.  If you have mastered eighth notes at 90 bpm; go back to quarter notes at 90 bpm and it'll feel like time stood still!

I think your confusion is Steve cycles through all bpm (60-120) using "quarters'; then "eighths", then "sixteenths".

 

[MarkDelaware]

Thank you DianeB and Plantsman13 for your help!

The pdf is very instructive for learning the fretboard patterns of each scale.

However,  the examples are 99% of the time written only in eighth notes.

In the video workouts, Steve makes double use of each fretboard pattern in the pdf.

He sometimes starts the exercise counting the notes as quarter notes (slower than what is literally written in the pdf)!  Then, he later reuses the pattern and counts it as written in the pdf (eighth notes - doubling the required playing speed). 

His reuse of each scale explains why each workout table in the pdf can have "Quarter/Eighths" in the "NOTES" column.  It signals that we are to play once counting as if example was written in quarter notes and then again at double speed counting as the written eighth notes.

Providing examples in both quarter and eighth notes would simply have doubled the size of the pdf without a corresponding doubling of usefulness i.e. Steve's method of integrating the video with the pdf works great!

I look forward to completing this course!