Metronone-How often do you use yours and how do you use it?

[Cosmic Graffiti]

I have not played my mandolin with out a metronome for the past two weeks. Every scale, every piece every strum using a metronome. I like backing tracks and have had great success with them and they are fun but there is just something that is really pure about just me and my metronome. Striped bare and aware of all timing. No place to hide.

I have done this to drill counting beats 2 and 4 into my head and have tried a few different ways that I think are pretty cool.

1. Set at 60 for beats 2 and 4 (effectively 120) and working my way up step by step to so far 80 (effectively 160) with some pretty good success 1/4 notes and 1/8th notes. I have yet to try 1/16th.

2. I have learned probably about 50% of my repertoire over the past two weeks counting on beats 2 and 4 roughly about 10 songs (I am a beginner).

3. My favorite setting at 40 (effectively 80) and working through scales and pieces. Its amazing how much time/swing variation you can get. I have found this to be an amazing exercise and it really makes me aware of not just the beats but all the possibilities in between.

I am curious on a couple of things.

How often do you practice with a metronome (not backing tracks, not foot tapping a metronome)?

How do you use yours aside from the standard 4 beats per measure or 3 beats for 3/4 time?

Steve

[Bill McCall]

All drills, i.e., scales, arpeggios or right hand 'fingerbusters' (john Moore exercises), I'm using a metronome. For songs and fiddle tunes I use backing tracks. It certainly helps improvising by developing the timing sense. I may not be able to play leads fast, but I'm in time for the rhythm.

It's amazing how many people can't count to four, or three, as appropriate.

[Mark Wilson]

Random thought on metronomes. When I'm working on building speed I like to set it at half speed of target so the clicks are only on 1 & 3. I 'think' it feels slower that way.

[derbex]

I use mine a lot, mostly on old wooden one, but also the flutetunes one and the one on the phone. Mostly for exercises and studies and any tunes with novel (to me at least) timings.

For tricky pieces I'll sometimes set it on double speed to beat every quaver, when I have got it and drop back to normal speed it does seem easier and I can go a bit quicker.

Well done using it at 40, I had a tune at that speed recently and it was a real struggle to stay in time, much easier to cheat and set it to 80.

[JeffD]

I use mine a lot, just about every time I work from method books or written exercises. I keep mine clicked to the music stand.

This video rocked my world and I use the metronome so much more creatively now. Its worth listening to the end, because it gets pretty cool.

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Mark, That is similar to 2 and 4 I believe maybe just a different feel?

Jeremy, 40 is rough but amazing on how you can vary the space in between at that speed. Makes me feel like a Time Lord.

[farmerjones]

Though I've seen that Victor Wooten vid before I appreciate seeing it again.
What struck me this time was . . . .he was talking. . no instructing . . ..while playing. WHAT?!?!?!
The Cat is SOLID.


I use a metronome to polish a new tune. Depending upon the difficulty of the tune, after I learn the melody, I will then play along with a nome to settle on the timing. I do like running it too slow and doubling. But there are spots where it's tuff, if not impossible for me to play. I must increase or decrease it one or two clicks. I believe it has something to do with heart rate or something. Strangely, playing with others this has never occurred. BTW I never count ever. If you're used to counting and you get into a "you change when I change" Blues, it just doesn't work. I much more pay attention to the phrasing and construct to time my (chord) changes. I am not saying you should never count. When you listen to a Jazz solo go running off into the weeds and wonder how he/she is going to get back, you better hope that drummer is counting. Because the construct that I listen for isn't there in the situation.

Our Nile the Mandocrucian had a real neat exercise. Play along with the nome, then walks out of the room, then back in. Are you in time? Another was to slow the nome down to 1 click per bar if you can. (it take an electronic) How about one click per 6 bars, or 12 bars, are you in time? Fun stuff.

[derbex]

Playing at 40 did make me feel like Dr Who -his Tardis is broken The variation wasn't the problem, it was supposed to be played that way, but I wanted to get it off in strict time first and that was a challenge.

I only count sometimes, it gets fun when counting the strokes for the tremolo and the beats in the bar.

[PhilGox]

I use this:
http://www.metronome-en-ligne.com/complet/

As often as I can.
First I set it to the actual tempo to practice groove and pulse.
Once I got it, I like to divide the tempo by four and play at the same speed so I have the click only on the "one" beat.
I wish it helps to get the feeling of both tempo and bars, which are not the same thing.
I mean feeling how long is a four time bar without counting "one two free for".

I have no problem to play in rythm and groove on the beats.
But I often loose myself in the number of bars when I improvise and miss the "one" beat of bar one.
I'm still trying to find the cure...
So I look at the drummer with panic and wait he makes a huge break to rescue me.

[fumblefour]

As a mandolin beginner (but former bass guitarist), I use my metronome a lot, as others above have described. FarmerJones' exercise is good; I make life a bit easier by using a metronome app which allows you to set it so that the clicks play, then stop for a number of bars (which you can customise), then come back on - great way of testing and eventually controlling how far you drift while playing. I find I have a tendency to speed up, especially at slower tempi.

[Cindy]

I'd been trying to work with a metronome, with clicks on 2 and 4 or 1 and 3 and ended up totally lost and frustrated and wondering what was the point. I kept Googling How to use a metronome and ending up with useless advice, such as "play with the metronome at a slow speed and gradually speed up." Even at Ridiculously low I couldn't coordinate getting those notes in between the 2 and the 4 or the 1 and the 3. Finally, someone advised, find the shortest note in the piece (eighth note, for example) and hit one of those for each click. (The quarter in this case gets two clicks.) Wow that made a difference! I've been going over all the fiddle tunes I thought I knew using that method. No frustration! Feels like I'm getting somewhere! Maybe some day I'll be ready for the old 2 & 4 thing but meanwhile she's cooking with gas!

[JeffD]

, find the shortest note in the piece (eighth note, for example) and hit one of those for each click. (The quarter in this case gets two clicks.) Wow that made a difference!!

Yay! That is how I started.

[PhilGox]

Hello!

Here is some experience I took from bass and drum teachers.
But after all rythm is rythm and it should work for all of us:

They say it is easier to be in time with short notes than long notes.
So they set the metronome at double speed, so that the click plays 8th notes.
First they say to practice playing or singing 16th notes.
For exemple singing "TAkataka TAkataka".... or whatever feels easy to you.
(In my case imagining a shaker works well so I call this the shaker.)
The "TA" is always on the click and the ka is between the click.
(For swing rythm you will sing triplets like this: TAkata Takata...)
Once you got it you play your melody or chords on the click, triing to keep in mind the "TAkataka" pulse.
At the begining you will perhaps be tempted to add 16th notes not required in the melody but it doesn't matter at first.
Just put accent on the actual notes of the melody and remove unwanted 16th when you feel easy.

The final purpose of this is to always have your "TAkataka" or shaker running in your head, even when you play longer notes.

It's a very good method to get sense of pulse and play in time.
Playing syncopated notes or off beats becomes easier because you feel exactly where to put them on your internal shaker.

Then after days... weeks... mounths of praticing this, you can set your metronome to actual tempo or even half tempo. But your TAkataka-shaker will be still running in your head naturally as you play.

This method really helped me a lot when playing musics based on rythm like funk or african music.
So I wanted to share this little experience, saying to myself it might help others too

Good luck!