Metronome - Mechanical without bell?

[filete]

Hi to all!

So these days Wittner and other brands decided to make mechanical metronomes,
mostly with plastic case (much cheaper!) and with bell or without.
Iīve always used electronic metronomes that are very portable and faster to change
tempos, but right now I would like to get a mechanical one just for my piano pratique.

But I am confuse about the models that donīt have a bell, whats the use if they canīt
make a different sound for the strong beat, so I guess it doesnīt even matter if I am on 3/4,
4/4 or 6/8, cause its just sounds the same!

When I make a mistake I like to wait for the strong beat to start on a new bar, but this
way it seems pointless as you have to be counting to yourself over and over.

Can someone share some thoughts about this issue?
Thanks!

 

[oxy60]

I think it is just a matter of preference. My built-in keyboard metronome will do it all, with bell or without. I use it in all sorts of ways. It sounds on the same channels but is not recorded. I can hear it along with what I am playing. When I engage the recorder, only the notes are recorded. The metronome is the time base upon which the playback is based. For example if I record at 60 and later later wish to hear it at 75, I simply adjust the metronome and what Ive recorded at 60 plays back at 75. It's perfect for dubbing or assembling tracks recorded at different times in other places.

Those old (antique) metronomes make wonderful decorative accents in a music room.

[filete]

I think it is just a matter of preference. My built-in keyboard metronome will do it all, with bell or without. I use it in all sorts of ways. It sounds on the same channels but is not recorded. I can hear it along with what I am playing. When I engage the recorder, only the notes are recorded. The metronome is the time base upon which the playback is based. For example if I record at 60 and later later wish to hear it at 75, I simply adjust the metronome and what Ive recorded at 60 plays back at 75. It's perfect for dubbing or assembling tracks recorded at different times in other places.
Those old (antique) metronomes make wonderful decorative accents in a music room.

I know what you mean, Its been more than 20 years that I own a professional recording studio,
and as Film/TV Composer I work with different software (Pro Tools, Cubase or Ableton Live) both have their own metronome and of course you can speed up or slow down your music.

But Iīve open this topic , just to get some feedback from people (students or teachers) that
are used to play the piano with a mechanical metronome without a bell, and how they manage
to not get confuse for not having any sound that marks the start of the beat (strong beat).

[butterfly79]

I have a hard time working with the metronome in general. I find I always lose my place with playing or make mistakes because I am trying to figure out if I'm in rhythm with the metronome.

Are you looking for one with the bell or one without? I find the bell very annoying.

[oxy60]

That incessant tick tick is just something you need get accustomed to. When I first started in piano there were no bells on metronomes. It just ticked while the weighted arm swung back and forth. I too was frustrated trying to line up with it. Eventually it became my friend.

Today I leave the bell off so I don't need to wait for a whole bar to pass before retrying the passage. Also working with a metronome keeps me from speeding up during the easy parts and slowing down during the the more difficult sections. Beethoven likes to vary the rhythmic texture and the metronome keeps me from playing the easy quarter notes as fast as the triplet eighths.