Using the metronome (and other notes)

[electrodoc]

Not sure where to post this. Because it is aimed at the relatively inexperienced pianist I thought that this board is perhaps the most appropriate. Although strictly an amateur I now have quite a few years of experience behind me so I hope that these observations will be of some help the newcomer to the wonderful world of music.

So you have got a nice shiny piano and some music to play - that's all you need. Or is it? As well as a piano, yourself and some music there are a few other essentials. First is a metronome. This is an essential not only for learning to keep good time but also to give a disciplined control of speed. I suggest an electronic metronome rather than the older types. The electronic ones are more accurate and usually offer a variety of extras. A volume control is useful as is a headphone jack. Mine offer a variety of counts from 1/4 through to 7/4 pulse quaver counts, semiquaver, triplets, etc. Sometimes this is very helpful when trying to master a tricky rhythm.

Not all teachers show the student how to use a metronome. I have found it helpful to set somewhere between 104 - 108. This is the speed of a brisk march and appears to be a natural tempo for the body. I now play the fastest notes in the passage at this speed, adjusting the slower notes accordingly. Thus if semiquavers (16th notes) are the fastest notes then these are played at each tick of the metronome; quavers (8th notes) take two ticks; crotchets take four. When I can play the passage through perfectly at this tempo six or seven times without mistake I will push the speed up just a little. An increase of 4 (e.g. from 104 to 108) is barely noticeable. If the section is not too problematic I will go up by 8 (from 104 to 112) which does become more noticeably faster. I carry on in this way until I get to about 120 then I should be ready to set the tempo at either 1/4 or 1/2 of the intended performance speed depending on the final speed. Do not aim at getting from 104 to 120 in one session, nor to half performance speed. This may take anything from one or two sessions to several days according to how difficult the passage is. Once I have got to between 1/4 and 1/2 speed I then increase the tempo by 4 to 8 when I have mastered the section at the slower speed. Never more than this. Anyone can play fast with mistakes and lack of control. Playing very slowly is often more difficult because flow of the music is often more difficult to perceive. As Bernhard has pointed out in his many excellent posts, this may seem slow and tedious but it will produce faster results in the longer term. By the way, try not to play through the whole work with the metronome. When getting towards performance use it only to set the tempo and then carry it in your head.

Next is a supply of soft pencils (4B) and a good soft eraser (artists quality is best). You will need to write quite frequently on the score - adding fingering, phrase marks, putting rings round things like particularly difficult sections. Later you may want to change some of these edit marks. This is where a soft pencil comes in. With a good soft eraser it should be possible to rub out cleanly without leaving marks. A hard pencil is far more difficult. If you do not like marking your (expensive) original score then make a working copy and keep it carefully filed with the original. When you have brought a work up to good standard then do not rub out all of your notes and fingering. You might want to come back to this work some years in the future and the editing will be a useful reminder.

If you can afford it a good recorder to record your practice is not a luxury but a basic tool. I thoroughly recommend the Zoom H4 as a recorder- an excellent sound quality and at a fair price. When we are playing we never hear our self as others hear us. The odd wrong note or hesitation escapes unnoticed as do tempo fluctuations. This is where the recorder comes in. Do record yourself from time to time and learn to listen critically. In order to stop this post from becoming too long I will start another thread on this topic.  Having made your recording do not erase or discard it . There will be times when you feel that you are not making progress and it is very encouraging to listen to those recordings that you made a few years ago. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much progress that you have made.

Finally, and most important, if you do not already have one find a good teacher. He or she will not only be your mentor but should become a good friend. Learning faulty technique is easy. Unlearning is far more difficult. A good teacher will not only guide you through suitable repertoire but will also inculcate correct technique right from the start as well as helping you to understand the music that you are playing.

I hope that these few remarks will be of some help to someone.