The metronome is your friend!

My students are familiar with the phrase, “the metronome is your friend!” It is a phrase I find myself repeating frequently. Usually the phrase is greeted with a moan or an eye roll or an “I know”. Despite this,I still repeat the phrase with the hope that eventually my students will realize yes, the metronome really is their friend….an annoying but persistant and invaluable friend.

Mr. D.N. Winkle and Mr. J. Maelzel can be blamed for the invention of the metronome in the early 1800’s. Mr. Maelzel was the gentleman who acquired the patent, thus earning the M.M. at the top of most sheet music even today. The metronome was intended to aid musicians in keeping a steady beat. Beethoven was the first musician to include a metronome speed at the top of his music, but now the metronome marking  is commonplace and offers the musician some guidance as to how slow or fast a piece is intended to be played.

There is some controversy over metronome use. There are musicians who feel that music should not follow rigid time, but rather should slow and accelerate as required by the harmonic phrasing and the intensity of emotion felt by the performer. I would agree, that in performance, the tempo should allow for these fluctuations, but in learning the piece, a metronome is a wonderful tool to help ensure a fluid movement between bars and phrases, correct rhythm and tempo. My recommendation is to learn the piece well with the use of the metronome and then when the basics have been learned, abandon the rigidity of the device and work on the artistry of the piece.

Uses of the metronome and how to go about using it.

Working on rhythm.

Set your metronome at a slow pace and say the rhythm to the beat. when that is easy, say and clap the rhythm. Once you are sure you have it, play the passage while saying the rhythm.

Working at speed and fluidity

Set the metronome at a slow comfortable pace. Be sure you can play the whole passage or piece at this tempo without stops (at barlines or prior to big chords etc.) When you are able to play through comfortably, increase your speed by 2 beats per minute. Play again. If you can play through at this speed without stops, increase the speed by 2 again. If you have trouble, stick with this speed until you are able to play here comfortably, then try to move the speed up by 2 again. Repeat this process until you reach the desired tempo. At the end of your practice record the tempo you reached so you can start there the next day. It may take several weeks to reach your goal speed, but you will get there if you use this method without fail.

If the metronome is such a terrific tool, why does it get such a bad rap from students? I have had students tell me that their metronomes came close to having “accidents”…usually involving walls or floors. Truth be told, there were times when my own metronome was teetering on the edge of meeting certain doom. The “tick tocking” can be annoying and frustrating. It is especially frustrating when the practice isn’t going well. Most of the time, that frustration brews out of impatience…trying to play too fast too soon. If you cannot play a piece at a certain speed, it is because it isn’t ready for that speed. If  the metronome is set at a pace that is comfortable, the real work on the piece can be done. Jumping from adagio to allegro when working on a piece will always cause frustration. Move your speed up gradually. You have to learn to crawl and then walk before you can run.

Like a true friend, a metronome will point out the areas in which you need to do some work. It helps you to stay on track and will gradually get you where you want to go. The key, like with any friend, is to spend some time with it. The more time you spend, the better your working relationship will be.  Spend time “tocking” with your friend the metronome this week. ; )