Metronomes

[cobberdig]

how many people use em & why? also want to know how well you can manipulate them to get different beats? and apart from keeping time are they useful in otherways? cheers

[Knottyhed]

I use one. They have alot of applications...

I've been trying to learn to read music the last few months, without a metronome to keep time and subdivide beats against etc. I'd be fooked.

I also use it for speed training and to work on my timing/accuracy...

That's all there is to it really.

The one I have is quite basic, only does a single pulse beat and can only be adjusted by 4bpm at a time, but that's fine by me. You can get more expensive ones that'll do various time signatures or go up down in smaller increments.

If you don't have one, there's always www.metronome-online.com

[deepblue]

They force you to SLOW DOWN and develop the muscular control of your hands....and teach you how to count, which after 25 years of performing I have found precious few individuals that can do either...

[Alan Roberts]

I think it's a great idea to use a metronome when you practice. A simple one is fine, but the more elaborate electronic ones will subdivide beats and also do complex time. If you think the sound of a ticking metronome would drive you crazy, consider buying a drum machine.

[Santuzzo]

Definately use a metronome or drum machine when practicing.

I use Band-In-A-Box even for my technique exercises and scale practice as well as for working on my improvisation.

You can find freeware online metronomes and software drummachines.

[Mark Wein]

I always use it when practicing, and with my students it is almost always running...I'll also use the program "Fruity Loops" to program drum loops for my students to play with...I am pretty fascist when it comes to time with my students, and it has everything to do with my own struggles playing in time as a younger guitarist...

[alwaysharp]

Metronomes are great. They will expose your weaknesses and allow you to work on 'em instead of just going on about your business. Putting the metronome on 2 and 4 I found to be totally key. There's alot of people that can play with a metronome, but once they sit in with a drummer, if that drummer even slightly syncopates the beat they'll turn the beat around. So, like I said, putting the metronome on 2 and 4 is great and also sequencers or programs like band in a box I think are better. MHO

[Virgman]

I like a drum machine best. Metronomes can get kind of boring.

 

I use Beatcraft or GuitarPro.

[RupertB]

They force you to SLOW DOWN and develop the muscular control of your hands....and teach you how to count, which after 25 years of performing I have found precious few individuals that can do either...

Agreed. Players who focus on accuracy of fingering & meter will develop both control and good playing habits. Eventually, the speed will come. Focusing on speed at the expense of accuracy & meter only reinforces poor habits.

I spend the second half of my lunch hour with my office door closed, my beater electric, & http://www.metronomeonline.com/ .

[Bill Brown]

I ALWAYS use a metronome or a drum backing track when I'm practicing. That's the only I can truely measure my progress and stop myself from speeding up unnecessarily.

[Terje]

I use it but not all the time. It's great for learning to lock into a tempo, slowing things down for specific practice and for reading music. A good sounding one is nice too and here I prefer one called Marantz. This can also give me different beats, I think from 2/4 to 12/4 or something. I usually use it with a neutral click on all four beats. I'm not a big fan of playing with the nome as if it was playing beatsd 2 and 4, I think it's more important to learn how to flow with it and lean on it. Relax with the nome, let the music and the time be there without you doing anything to it, learn to feel it and follow it.

[Santuzzo]

I use it but not all the time. It's great for learning to lock into a tempo, slowing things down for specific practice and for reading music. A good sounding one is nice too and here I prefer one called Marantz. This can also give me different beats, I think from 2/4 to 12/4 or something. I usually use it with a neutral click on all four beats. I'm not a big fan of playing with the nome as if it was playing beatsd 2 and 4 , I think it's more important to learn how to flow with it and lean on it. Relax with the nome, let the music and the time be there without you doing anything to it, learn to feel it and follow it.

 

 

I think this is one of the most important aspects of using a metronome when you want to improve your timing as opposed to speed:

 

Using the metronome clicks not on all the beast, but on different parts of the bar: like only on 2 and 4, or only on one beat, only on the upbeats, only on the upbeats of 1 and 3 or 2 and 4, only on upbeats of each individual beat, only on the swing/shuffle upbeats, and you can use different subdivisions ..... you cam make it as difficult as you want, all of those things are great for timing !

Try it, it's very difficult !

[michaelferris]

The metronome can be used in a variety of ways. They help with subdivisions, thereby helping with legato playing(connecting the notes). You can set the metronome to play 4 beats fast for every quarter note for example and different variations along those lines.

You can set the metronome on and try to play on the upbeats. That is very difficult but very interesting.

Not only can metronomes be used to help rhythm and speed, but also coordination and if used properly and diligently, they can make playing a lot more interesting. Many people find it difficult to play with a metronome in the beginning.... This probably means that you have to use a metronome...
There is so much technology today that facilitates our playing. At the prices they are offered at today, not to use a metronome would be like saying a person would not like to have a teacher for the rest of their lives for 10 dollars.

[Terje]

Try it, it's very difficult !

 

 

Yeah, and I see no real point in making things difficult. Set the nme to give you the pulse, learn to feel the pulse effortlessly. Once the pulse feels very secure you can play different things against it. To be ableto play on the off beats the best start is to feel the down beats very strongly.

[Santuzzo]

Yeah, and I see no real point in making things difficult. Set the nme to give you the pulse, learn to feel the pulse effortlessly. Once the pulse feels very secure you can play different things against it. To be ableto play on the off beats the best start is to feel the down beats very strongly.

 

Dude, the point is not to make things difficult but to improve your timing, but maybe you're not interested in that:p;). I myself see rhythm and timing as one of the most important factors in music.

 

If you set the metronome on only the offbeat of say the 2nd beat for example an you can still play well over it your timing is probably better than if you can't. Getting my point?

[Terje]

I do get your point but the thing is that by simply having the nome give you the pulse your timing will improve too and but it won't be as difficult.

There is something to be learnt from not making it harder than it is and that's to relaxinto the tempo bu simply hanging with the nome and just follow the beat, instead of actually supplying it.

The deeper lesson that can be learnt this way is that the beat or the pusle is actually going on whether you play or not.

After you've been doing this and it's starting to bore you then I think there's nothing wrong with having the nome on whatever beat or off beat you want, to improve your timing even further, or just keep yourself interested.

But my first step would be to have it on all four beats. That's the old way, that's the classical way, that's how it's been done for centuries and for good reasons. Why on earth your swing feel would improve, or your timing for that matter, by trying to make the nome immitate the hihat of a jazz drummer is beyond me.

[Santuzzo]

I do get your point but the thing is that by simply having the nome give you the pulse your timing will improve too and but it won't be as difficult. There is something to be learnt from not making it harder than it is and that's to relaxinto the tempo bu simply hanging with the nome and just follow the beat, instead of actually supplying it. The deeper lesson that can be learnt this way is that the beat or the pusle is actually going on whether you play or not. After you've been doing this and it's starting to bore you then I think there's nothing wrong with having the nome on whatever beat or off beat you want, to improve your timing even further, or just keep yourself interested. But my first step would be to have it on all four beats. That's the old way, that's the classical way, that's how it's been done for centuries and for good reasons. Why on earth your swing feel would improve, or your timing for that matter, by trying to make the nome immitate the hihat of a jazz drummer is beyond me.

 

 

Oh, yes, sorry, misunderstanding here on my side.

I completely agree that the ideas I wrote about are NOT the first step, at first one should get comfortable with using the metronome just on the beats.

 

Yeah, what I meant shouldn't be applied before a certain time-steadiness has been developed.