Metronome Practicing - Makes me feel bad

My instructor used to say that you cannot do something logically that is meant to do done creatively. Rather, when you are practicing your timing with a metronome you need to let go and just play. Relax. Feel the beat. Only when you let go and do it creatively will it become easier.

Worked for me.

Geoo

But, while playing with Guitar Pro and it's metronome it occurred to me to try the number of clicks per stroke instead of the odd way the instructor was telling me which was basically not hitting the string or chord on the click but some internally recognized beat related to the click.

Well, I think it makes some sense, but maybe the explanation from the teacher was not too clear. Maybe this is what he meant..

Let us say you want to play 1/8th notes. That means 8 notes per bar. Since you have four "beats" in 4/4 time per bar, that means two notes per beat. Usually, the metronome is set to play one click per beat. So, the metronome would play 4 clicks per bar, while you have to play 8 notes. So, for every click of the metronome, you have to play two notes (or chords if you are strumming). If you used a drum machine, you can set it up to play 8ths, or 16ths, etc .. so you can depend on the drum machine to divide each beat into sub-divisions. With a metronome, you have to do that division internally in your head. This is something you have to achieve eventually. I had lot of trouble with that initially. But, once you are able to play one note per click of the machine of your choice (metronome, drum machine ..), then it becomes easier to have subdivisions in your mind.