Metronome

[Ace]

OK I have read a lot of recent post about the use of a metronome so I went out and purchased one. From elementary school, they sure have changed! The one I got is made by BOSS and is small and compact. The directions although VERY small tell me how to turn it on and off and change the tempo, pitch, etc.. My question is, how do I use it while playing? All I hear is beep, tick, tick, tick,...beep, tick, tick, tick. I can change the speed and even add some double or triple beeps and ticks but how does this help me change chords quickly because when I'm playing chords, I can barely hear this gadget and it's turned up fully!
I asked my teacher but he told me he never used one! He doesn't read music at all and his dad taught him very well!

Thanks

[om21ed]

having grown weary of my bad timing i recently-2 weeks ago- started using a metronome especially because i began guitar lessons.i've got a Sabine Zipbeat. I just set it to 2 beats. It has a very distinct "tick-tock' quality at that setting. Also, its loud--almost too loud. i am considering getting a BossDB30 because it has a volume control but I haven't actually checked one out yet. Sometimes I use a set of earbuds that I got that has a volume control. Anyway I think the cardinal rule of using a metronome is to start at a low tempo and to increase at one increment at a time. I have to say that the metronome is making a world of difference. But now I'm worried I'm getting overly attached to it

ed

[Bret Roberts]

Thanks for asking this question. #I received the Boss metronome for Christmas and still have no idea how to use all the functions. I would love to hear how others use the different “beats” also.

I really like how small it is and especially the stand clip on the back.

I did have a big wind up one once.

But, when I wound it up during practise one day it slipped and landed on top of my then new Eastman. The metronome was aerodynamic and seemed to fly well. However, it did not fare well with impact on the wall.

[mandogerry]

I took the budget route:

http://www.metronomeonline.com/

Price can't be beat! Plus you can adjust the volume via your PC/Mac. It even lets you choose a color for the face.

[Ace]

All goo d answers but other than it making a clock sound, what and how do I add it to my practice! What is it that I'm looking for it to do or me to do to it?

[JEStanek]

If you're working with notation or even tab you need to learn about Time Signatures or meter #which tells you the number of beats in a measure and what note (whole, half, quarter, eighth) get a single beat.

Most waltzes, for example, are 3/4 time where there are three beats per measure and a quarter note gets one beat. #If you listen to your waltz and count in your head 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3. #Lots of fiddle tunes are 4/4 where there are 4 beats per measure and a quarter note gets 1 beat 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3, 4. #If you watch a Symphony or a chior director's baton #you can see the baton move to the beats and often the top of the movements is the first beat of the measure. #This helps keep everyone in the same place in the score.

A metronome will help with your timing. #It's like a foot tap that won't change speed. #often when I play I'll either speed up or slow down through phrases in a tune that are either hard, or easy for me. #This irregular timing skews the flow of the tune. #If you practice with a metronome set to the right meter you can even things out and improve your inner clock.

You can change the beats per minute to faster or slower. #It may be good to learn a new song at a slower beats per minute and once you can play it cleanly through begin to speed it up to Big Mon speed!

I hope this helps.

Jamie

[Bigtuna]

The rhythm tune up dvd is great. It really helped me understand how to use my metronome. Right now I only seem to use it practicing scales and with my finger busters book. I can't seem to use it yet while playing tunes, I guess I need to use a slower tempo. Its hard when you've been playing them for so long a faster tempo. Its always been harder for me to slow down than speed up.

http://www.johnmcgann.com/books.html

[Robert_Spinks]

The metronome is a rock-steady click to play against. #You won't grow to rely on it: rather, you will internalise the accurate sense of timing, and find it coming out when you play. You won't need to take it to gigs!

I used to play bass in a church group, none of whom had a strong sense of timing - in the end, I left, as I got fed up having to watch the piano player's left hand to see when the next beat was coming.

I now play bass in another band - in the same church. #Thanks to a little metronome work, I am so solid that, even if the rest of the band stop, I can carry on playing in time, and drive the congregation.

When I started with the metronome, it put me off. #That was simply because my timing was so poor. #Using it taught me to listen to, and lock in with, the beat.

One hint - get a "real" metronome, as it has a superior analogue audio-visual display (the click, and the little arm that moves to and fro). #I see them often in junk shops. And it does not require batteries, or a PC to run it.

Altogether now . . . ding click click, ding click click . . .

[farmerjones]

i have to agree, a click seems to cut through more than a beep. Seems a beep at whatever frequency gets lost to me. A click seems closer to a hand clap too. There something about playing along with a good hand clap.

[kestrel]

Just learn to play Bluegrass. It's supposed to speed up from beginning to end, isn't it?

Gene

[Perry]

This Seiko Sq70 has a volume control; is plenty loud and has a nice woody tone.

But to get started set the metronome so it clicks the same tone all the time. This makes it much less confusing at first. I never use the different click tone capability on mine.

Most people use the metronome so it clicks every other beat. At first don;t even play just practice counting along with it. Set it slow at first; say 60 or so. You say the beats.

Say

"one" on the first click
"two" in between clicks
"three" on the second click
"four" in between clicks
"one" on the next click
etc....

This is harder then it seems but will help you internalize the fact that you really don't want the metronome clicking on every beat. Later you can shift the clicks to beats 2 & 4. John McGann's Metronome DVD epxlains it all.

One way to practice your mando chops is to chop in between the clicks. So as above you would be chopping on beats 2 and four. Also harder then it seems. I find a drum machine very handy for this because I can "cover" the snare with my chop. When I stop chopping the snare pops out of the mix. Pretty cool.

Hope that makes some sense.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Play fiddle tunes to the beat. Keeps you on time-just like your foot tapping but perfect. At first, you'll probably think its broken because you can't stay with the beat. Why, because your timing is jacked up. Its like that with almost everyone at first. One great use for it is adding speed. You find out the, say for a tune like Roanoke, you can play it CLEANLY at 110 BPM (Beats per Minute). So you add 5 beats to that and play it till that is clean. Weeks later add 5 more beats till that is clean. Etc... Eventually you'll get much faster, but still clean. My recomendation, do this everyday for X amount of time. Start slow and add speed as you warm up. Alot of the big dogs practice with metronomes before a gig, at slow speeds playing cleanly, just for warming up. Saw Tony Trishka do it on banjo before he played with Psycho-grass. I do it because it really helps me.

[Gutbucket]

Never found one that kept the same time as me. They all seem defective.#Really though, I use the little Seiko that clicks and also has the flashing little red light.