Metronome Obsession

[bamba]

The metronome happens to be ON for the entire duration of my daily piano practice. It's not that I lack a sense of rhythm, it's just that I always get this feeling that the piece "gets ruined" a bit every time I play it - in which case, I tend to play the same piece with metronome right after to "fix" the damage...
The metronome just forces me to play everything cleaner and more even...

I wonder how often you guys use the metronome (if at all) and for what purposes exactly ?


peace

[richard black]

I use the metronome a handful of times a year (the battery in mine expired in about June and I haven't even got round to taking it out yet), and only ever to check metronome marks placed on a score by the composer or editor, out of interest. I'm dead against practising with the metronome, always was.

[ahinton]

It may be a pretty useless device for performers when practising, but there's an argument that it may have its uses for composers(!)...

Best,

Alistair

[mcdiddy1]

Playing music with a sense of steady beat and pulse is an important musical skill. If you find the metronome helps you feel the sense of pulse and subdivision in the music then you should use it. I personally believe every musician should have some experience playing with the metronome in the early ages of everyones musical journey. Once you cross into obsession you have a case of diminished returns and develop into an over reliance.

You cannot carry a metronome with you in performance, playing with other people, and playing with a sense of rubato and phrasing.

There is more benefit being thoughtful and practical with the use of metronome and working with the subdivisions between the beats is much better than overuse or not using it all. For a beginner using the metronome is much more important than someone who has played for years and uses the metronome to spot check measures and tempos rather than relying on it to be able to play with rhythm.

[bamba]

I see...so I guess I really have to limit the use of it. Thank you

[starlady]

You might want to check out the "Metronomes are Evil" thread over in Students Forum. It was started (by me) out of sheer frustration, but now has some thoughtful, creative and useful suggestions on how to maintain rythym.  --s.

[49410enrique]

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[pianoplayjl]

I use it for rhythm and slow practice

[danhuyle]

I use metronome for
Clarity of rhythm
getting pieces up to speed,
playing scales, arpeggios, chromatics etc.
Have greater freedom with rubato (when you're not using it)

[keyboardkat]

i don't use it for rhythm, for that i read the music, but i find it helpful for speed work, i.e. working on incremental tempo increases (those smaller than I can easily percieve) for example, increase spead by one click per minute, nailing the passage, increase by one click per minute, nail the passage, increase again , etc etc. not super efficient but very helpful for memorization and finger kinetics/mechanical learning.

That's the French method, also recommended in Ruth Slencynska's book Music at your Fingertips.  That's fine if you have unlimited practice time.   I used to use it when I was a student and I was criticized for sounding mechanical.   You should only use this method on difficult techincal passages, and only use it for a short while.  There are other methods that work faster.

[49410enrique]

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[williampiano]

I wonder how often you guys use the metronome (if at all) and for what purposes exactly ?

I usually don't use the metronome until I can actually play different sections of the piece to some degree. Once I've done lots of slow practicing and analyzed the piece thoroughly, then I play through areas with the metronome slowly. Later, even when I really have a piece to a perfected level, I continue to use the metronome to keep it steady.
I also use the metronome to help memorize music. Sometimes I'll try setting it around 50-60 and play different sections slowly like that, with the music. Then, I'll try it with the metronome that slow, by memory, without the music. That helps me practice staying focused on the piece and gives me time to think about different aspects such as articulation, dynamics etc., even when playing it by memory. It also helps me find places where the memory and\or notes need work, because sometimes I don't notice if I'm playing the piece at full tempo.

[ajspiano]

the incremental tempo increase method can cause pretty significant problems. There is a very real danger of learning a motion that works for a slow tempo but will fail at a higher tempo. And, you will have practiced the incorrect motions hundreds if not thousands of times before discovering that they fail at a higher tempo. It is incredibly ineffective if you fall into this trap - one of the main reasons a teacher is important..  aim to identify effective fast tempo motions before practicing at a slower speed, then practice fast motions slowly.

that aside..

One interesting metronome idea is to have the click land on beats 2 and 4 only, rather than 1,2,3 and 4 - particularly good with getting a jazz feel. improves your inner sense of rhythm and keeps you in time.

[williampiano]

the incremental tempo increase method can cause pretty significant problems. There is a very real danger of learning a motion that works for a slow tempo but will fail at a higher tempo. And, you will have practiced the incorrect motions hundreds if not thousands of times before discovering that they fail at a higher tempo. It is incredibly ineffective if you fall into this trap - one of the main reasons a teacher is important..  aim to identify effective fast tempo motions before practicing at a slower speed, then practice fast motions slowly.

But when just beginning a piece, if you don't know the notes well enough, it is best to practice 'slowly', hands separate. I do have a teacher, and she suggests doing this when starting a piece. And, when I practice, I go back and forth between faster and slower tempos for the same reasons you mentioned, as it helps me get an idea how both ways work.

[ajspiano]

But when just beginning a piece, if you don't know the notes well enough, it is best to practice 'slowly', hands separate. I do have a teacher, and she suggests doing this when starting a piece. And, when I practice, I go back and forth between faster and slower tempos for the same reasons you mentioned, as it helps me get an idea how both ways work.

Yes.

I always begin HS, and tell students to begin HS. Once their is an understanding of what notes we have to play you can then move on to talking about the challenge of playing them a particular pace and how to move in order to achieve that, which can then be practiced slowly. The problem occurs when there is no guidance and a student starts slow, plays slow capability motions and only those motions - and then tries to build speed using slow motions leading to higher and higher levels of tension and speed walls

[pianoplunker]

Hi,
I actually use the metronome for control more so than rhythm. I do not use the metronome all the time but I find it to be a handy tool . Once I have outlined and become familiar to a degree I will practice through a piece slowly to a metronome with my eyes closed, I tend to know the piece much better this way.   It helps avoid so much motor memory and helps with the "knowing" memory.  the metronome does not make my "playing" void of feeling. It actually helps me to put all my energy and feeling into "playing" since my control is better and my knowledge of the music is better.  I quote "playing" because I have always  made a big distinction between playing and practicing. Metronome  for practice = yes  metronome for playing = no