Hi,
I am new to playing Mandolin and would like to buy a cheap and good Metronome. Please suggest me a good one.
Thanks and Regards,
Anand
August Watters
Mar-27-2004, 8:25am
one good FREE metronome is here:
www.metronomeonline.com
For a less virtual experience, there are plenty of them out there. Just be sure:
1) The off/on switch is separate from the tempo setting dial -- this makes it much easier to use;
2) The tempo control is an easy-to-use dial, not up/down buttons that require you to pick the thing up and look at a screen to change the tempo;
3) The sound is a non-pitched click, not a pitched "chirp" -- a lot of the digital metronomes are distracting to use because you can hear the notes they make.
I happen to have a Willner MT-50 here -- great, cheap little metronome -- but there are plenty of others that meet the above guidelines.
John Flynn
Mar-27-2004, 10:13am
A neat unit I just bought is the Sabine Metrotune. It is a tuner, metronome and tone generator all in one. It is literally the size of a deck of cards, has a nice carrying case, very user-friendly controls and display and it ran about $32. One thing I like about the metronome function is that it simulates the "wooden" sound of a traditional mechanical metronome, and the display even has a simulated electronic "arm" that swings back and forth. Some of the electronic metros I have used in the past have irritating sounds and/or annoying visual cues, which can take thier toll if you are using the metro for long periods of time. Sabine seems to have gotten it right on this unit.
The only minus I noted was that, while there is a volume control, the metronome sound only goes up to moderately loud. It's OK for most practice, but if you are really makin' some noise, you can drown it out. There is an earphone jack, however.