Tips On Using The Metronome

The metronome is one of those devices that can take a musician to amateur status to superstar levels in a short amount of time. Most musicians usually bypass using the metronome in the beginning stages, but I believe it's necessary to use the metronome early on to create a high level of performance for any type of music.

The metronome has been around for hundreds of years helping musicians of all kinds conditioning them to bring the highest level of performance possible.

It is really cool how technology has evolved to where musicians today can use not just a metronome, but musicians can also use backing tracks to keep a strong steady beat like a metronome. It's way more fun -- at least for me -- to play along with a band or some kind of instrumentation arrangement so that the practicing is not limited to just the click sound of a metronome.

I have found over the years of teaching that many students like to work with a certain order of steps to enhance their practice with the metronome. Keep in mind, sometimes the order varies depending on where they are in the practice cycle.

1. Start with the notes on the page only

Depending on how the notes are executed on the page, some musicians usually like to start with only one measure at a time; other musicians like to play everything from start to finish right off the bat with no metronome.

Every musician is different on what works for them in their practice, but I've found that the easiest way to execute the notes is to take everything line by line and only work with one or two lines of music in a practice session.

The best way to start practicing with the metronome is to keep the metronome silent for the first few tries and master the notes and rhythms with a steady beat in mind.

2. Turn on the metronome at a slow tempo

This step is usually the most diverted in all of music practice. Most musicians want to try to aim for the end result by playing their music at a fast tempo for their fast tempo piece.

Musicians typically have heard their desired piece before and want to try to play it on their instrument; but the problem with executing the music on their instrument at full speed is that they might be disappointed to find out that they can't play their music as good as their favorite musician on the recording yet.

This is why the musician must start the metronome practice at a slow tempo and to also TAKE THEIR TIME with the practice. Once the slow tempo is mastered -- whatever that setting might be -- then it will be time to start increasing the metronome little by little.

3. Increase the metronome little by little

Once the musician has mastered their music at a slow steady beat with every note and rhythm pattern played, then it will be time to start increasing the metronome to get to the final tempo setting.

Increase the metronome either every five BPM (Beats Per Minute) on a digital metronome, or every two or three clicks or notches on a physical metronome.

Musicians will not hear much difference between two clicks. The reason why it's so important to not set the metronome too high is because the metronome is like a personal trainer giving a musician direction on "musical weight;" the higher the starting number, the harder it might be to play the music; the lower the starting number, the easier it will be.

Different kinds of metronomes

There are so many different kinds of metronomes out there. Now-a-days, we have technology that can re-create the metronome in digital form on an app, digital pianos, music software; even Google has a metronome -- yes that's right -- Google has a metronome if the musician searches the word "metronome."

The difference of digital metronomes out there to the physical metronomes is the order of tempo speeds. Digital metronomes have custom numbers of tempo speeds that the musician can work with any tempo number they want to. If the musician works with physical metronomes, the musician is limited to the tempo settings that are fixed and built in.

There is not a lot of room to customize the tempo number; however, if one is working on a classical piece and they see an Italian tempo term at the beginning of their music, usually those terms will be marked on the physical metronomes only.