Setting up a metronome/keep time

[innerspirit]

Hi everyone,

Im quite new to the piano and after have a few lessons my tutor picked up on my timing on some of my note playing

so this week im concentrating on getting the tempo just right

Ive downloaded a metronome onto my Iphone but not really sure what to set the speed too?

is it acceptable to set say at 100bpm to get a piece playing right and then increase it to 120bpm (which i think is normal speed/common time)

while were on this point what is the normal speed if there is one to play a standard 4/4 piece or is there a range of speeds it can be played in etc

hope this makes sense,
thanx in advance

[musicluvr49]

Hi innerspirit,

Well most pieces should tell you what tempo you should be playing at.
There is a range of tempos. From slow to fast, I'll name a few.
 Lento - Very slow
Adagio -Rather slow, or "at ease"
Andante - Walking pace
Moderato -moderately
Allegero -Fast
Presto - Very fast.
There are many more, but I'm just naming a few.
When using a metromone, start at a pace you feel comfortable at. If you feel you can play through the piece at 100 bpm do that. If only at 60 bpm, do that. Then increase about 5-10 bpm each time you feel comfortable with the tempo your at, until you have it up to the right speed.
Hope this helps.

[stevebob]

Keep in mind that tempo and bpm correlate only when you know which note value defines the duration of a “beat.”  For example:

• 40 to the quarter note (i.e., the metronome is set at 40 bpm, and each click coincides with a quarter note);
  
  
• 80 to the eighth note (i.e., the metronome is set at 80 bpm, and each click coincides with an eighth note); and
  
  
• 160 to the sixteenth note (i.e., the metronome is set at 160 bpm, and each click coincides with a sixteenth note)
  
  

are, in each case, the exact same tempo.

In practice, the beat (i.e., one click on the metronome) can may be assigned to any note duration that’s found convenient.  If you’re new to counting time and keeping accurate rhythm, you might benefit from setting the metronome’s click to coincide with the smallest note duration in the passage you’re practicing.

[noon]

Well if you know the value of the notes then it's easy. Set up your metronom let's say for example 60 bpm on every quarter note and them follow the click on quarter notes. And if you  are good and increase a little. But I think the bet metronom is your sence of rhytm. I 'm using the metronom very rare.The best of luck

[innerspirit]

Thanx all for your resposes....

I've tried setting the metronome to 100bpm and using that for the time for my quater notes...

I must admit it completely baffles me how anyone can play with the ticking....all sense of reason and my ability to play goes completely out of the window...

to combat this ive just tried playing with my right hand with the metronome to get the timing right, and bring my hands together after switch the dam thing off ;-)

thx again for the advice

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

I must admit it completely baffles me how anyone can play with the ticking....all sense of reason and my ability to play goes completely out of the window...

I know what you mean. Using a metronome itself requires practise! Plus the ticks are so loud, I have to put my metronome in another room to use it sometimes

Have you tried counting along with the metronome?
 

[wakashinko]

Hi there,

I'm a piano teacher and now I use the iPhone application metronome which I got it from the Steinways & Sons website (free). This is very useful. It lights up for the each beat and it's a good size to put beside of the piano book or the sheet music.

I agree to your concern, I personally don't like to use it for the entire song all the time. I use it only in the beginning for the students or myself and stop the metronome when i felt she or he got the right tempo.

It's certainly effective to use this for the part practice. For example, it could be four measures or eight measures of the difficult passage to make it through.

Hopefully the music should be heard in your body and heart without the mechanical ticking sound, eventually, do you think so?

[sharmayelverton]

Hey. Your right the metronome can drive you a bit mad sometimes as you say 'with all the ticking'. However metronome practice can be extremely helpful. What jazz musicians are taught is to have the metronome click on beats 2 and 4. This is particularly helpful when learning how to swing as the straight 4 beats to a bar metronome is too rigid for this, however even if your not trying to swing in a jazz style it still allows you to play a little more naturally whilst still keeping you in time. It can be tricky to get use to when you first try, trying to play against 2 and 4. You could also have it play on beats 1 and 3 which would still give you a little more freedom than 1, 2, 3 and 4. Another good one is for to play just beat 1 or just beat 2. Mix it up to keep things interesting.

[bustthewave]

I'm playing right now with a metronome for the first time in my entire life... Man is it hard! I screw up, so I slow it down, and then I screw up more. I find that it's easier for me to keep time with it when it is going at a much faster rate, but regardless it's pushing me far outside of my comfort zone.

I saw Becky say however how she uses it for practice; slowing it down in difficult areas, increasing it by 5 BPM until it reaches the target BPM. Using it in this way has vastly helped me get over mistakes I couldn't stop making .

[sharmayelverton]

It can be infuriatingly hard to play to a metronome at first. Keep at it though as it's hugely beneficial to overcome that first hurdle. The harder you find it to stay in time, the more that demonstrates how much you need to practice it. lol.

Faster tempos will seem easier to stay in time to as you find it easier to anticipate the devisions between the beat. Practice simple patterns against it to start with. For instance, even crotchets against every beat, then move up to even eighths. If you find even this hard on the piano, resort to just tapping along with it.

You can't very well use the metronome as a tool until you learn to play with it. The good news is that although at first it's very frustrating, once you start getting the hang of it, it all get's allot easier very quickly. Definitely worth the effort so keep it up.