Keeping time

[fretdancer]

Does anyone have any tips to help counting time?

I have recently started to play with others and so I have to play in time, when I was playing alone it was never an issue - I just played for myself at my own pace.
Now I have to keep time its really difficult to keep count of exactly where I am.
Take a 12 bar blues for instance, if I play a simple strum a note per beat I can count fine - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, 2 and 2 and 3 and 4, 3 and 2 and 3 and 4 etc etc - no problem. When it comes to playing lead over the rhythm I have real problems counting and playing, I just cant do it basically so knowing exactly when each bar starts is a bit of a problem. I would love a metronome that has a visible count of bars just to start me off on the right track but I cant even find one of those !!
Anyone have any thoughts about how to solve this one?

[Karen]

HI
What about if you try and set your metronom so that it only beats on the first beat. just divide the beat and speed of the song.eg 4 beats divided by 120bpm and set the metranom at 30 so then evertime it beeps you know that is 1. Just a thought. karen