How to use a metronome?

[kmk42019]

Ive never really used one before but wanna to work on my right hand speed. How do you use one? Do you play the notes of a scale on the beat? Let me see if I have this right. A whole note would be played once every time i hear the tick, half note twice,1/4 note 4 times etc...?

[axisluminary]

i would suggest for precision playing, you sink up your right hand with the "clicks" and work furiously at playing at bpm's that are at about 80% of your fastest abilities. then, for developing feel or rhythm, set the bpm really low and work on subdivisions.

[Bassist4Life]

You can make the click be anything you want.

One of the most common ways to use the metronome is to let the click be the quarter note. In this case, it will click on every beat.

IMO, one of the best ways to lock into a groove is to let the metronome click on beats 2 and 4 (just like a snare drum). This is a little confusing when you first try it, but you'll get it with some practice.

I find it helpful to let the click be an 8th note when practicing an etude full of 16th notes. After I get the 16th notes up to speed, I make the click be the quarter note.

Like I said, you can make the click be anything you want.

Joe

[jschwalls]

if you are after speed precision i would suggest playing on every click/beep, i found a GREAT online metronome that goes up to 1000bpm and you can program it like a drum machine as well..

here is the link...

http://www.download.com/Weird-Metron...-10153027.html

it will save as an .EXE file and you have to run it that way everytime you use it... it is GREAT!!!!!!!! ( save it to desktop like a shortcut...)

i use it constantly.

ENJOY and have fun !
JON

[elpelotero]

This is how I practice with a metronome (not that I do it too often) after reading tons of different methods:

Start at around 50bpm, with quarter notes. You don't even have to hit any notes with your left hand. Just mute the strings and practice on getting proper right hand technique.

Play with that speed for no more than 5 minutes. Then bump it up to 65bpm. Play this for several minutes until you play it cleanly.

Now drop it down to around 35 or 40bpm. Practice that for several minutes until you get it clean. (you will find the slow speeds to be very difficult to get perfect).

Now go to around 55 or 60bpm. And keep fluctuating up and down this way, increasing by 15, then dropping by 25-30, increase 15, drop 25-30, etc, etc.

Eventually you'll get up to the 100's and beyond. At some point add in notes with the left hand, whether it be chromatic or scales. After that, start splitting up the beats into 8th notes, 16th notes, etc. at the varying speeds.

Focus on erasing the click. This is how you know you are right on it. I used to think I played on the beat until a lesson showed me I was behind it. You can be in front of it, behind it, or on it. Practice all of them when you are good enough!

I also encourage you to do as another poster said and switch things around so it clicks every other beat, or every 4th beat, etc. This hones your internal clock.

[perucci]

One neat trick is alternating a few measures "on" and a few measures "off". That allows you to "test" your "internal clock".

The PC-based "hammerhead" is nice for this: http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/

Just program a few measures (some on, some off)...

[gdthomas]

Originally Posted by perucci

One neat trick is alternating a few measures "on" and a few measures "off". That allows you to "test" your "internal clock".

The PC-based "hammerhead" is nice for this: http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/

Just program a few measures (some on, some off)...

+1 to hammerhead, nice free program.

[iScott]

Nice tips, guys. I need a lot of reading and metronome practice.

[jelonek]

You can always use online metronome http://bestmetronome.com

[kmk42019]

Whoa!!!! Using a metronome helps so much!!! Thanks!

[tswd]

Another good use for metronomes is to work on songs that are too fast for you right now. Say you have a line that's 16 notes at 120 bpm. Figure out exactly how the notes fit in the measure, then set your metronome for 50 bpm and play the line at that speed. Make sure your notes are lining up with the beats (clicks) where they should. It takes a bit of practice to not speed up the easier parts. Once you can play the line like this, your mind will kind of link the notes and beats together. Then you can start increasing the speed until you get it up to where you want it.

[kmk42019]

Im building my strength by slowing increasing the beats with the chili peppers song C'mon girl. I can already notice a difference.

[elpelotero]

awesome. How exactly and how long are you practicing?

the hardest part of all this isn't doing it...for me at least the hardest part is getting motivated to do it! lol

[kmk42019]

Thats why you have to find something to work towards. Like a song...
Ive been doing about an hour a day. I normally start with the metronome on about 75 and work my way up playing the E on the first click and the D on the second click of the chili peppers song. I can play it correctly up to about 90, then my fingers cant seem to move that fast. I think with practice though Ill get it.

Originally Posted by elpelotero

awesome. How exactly and how long are you practicing?

the hardest part of all this isn't doing it...for me at least the hardest part is getting motivated to do it! lol

[tswd]

Originally Posted by kmk42019

I think with practice though Ill get it.

You will eventually. Once you've internalized it and you don't have to think about what comes next anymore.

The other thing to watch is your technique. When I was first learning, I would hit a wall when I tried to speed things up. Turns out I had developed some bad habits (just poor technique) when I tried to do things faster. I slowed down, made sure my technique was better as the speed increased, and didn't hit the wall anymore.

[LavendarSunrise]

Another good trick is to set the Metronome at 55-60, and mute the strings with your left hand. Play quarter notes, trying to make the click disapear. When you are exactly on, you won't even hear the metronome click. Once you are comfortable, start slowing/speeding the metronome up. (slower is harder). Also, try tapping rhythms along with the metronome. Onece again, the same rules apply re: making the click disapear.

[karl e. hungus]

Originally Posted by LavendarSunrise

Another good trick is to set the Metronome at 55-60, and mute the strings with your left hand. Play quarter notes, trying to make the click disapear. When you are exactly on, you won't even hear the metronome click. Once you are comfortable, start slowing/speeding the metronome up. (slower is harder). Also, try tapping rhythms along with the metronome. Onece again, the same rules apply re: making the click disapear.

we called that "burying the met" in the drumcorps days, and thinking about it will really put an edge on your timing, its great.

also heres another trick from band... haha..

if your learning something with alot of inner notes/partials, like for example a fast syncopated 16th not rhythm or something. start with lots of clicks per beat, in this case you would set up the met so you have an accent on the quarter note, and clicks on each 16th. starting out you can line up each and every 16th perfectly. once you have the lick learned, cut the 16ths and just leave 8th notes and quarter accents for a few reps, then cut the 8th, then cut beats 2 and 4(or 1 and 3 depending on how you want to think about it) and try to settle yourself comfortably into the space between clicks after each cut. that will develop your sense of internal time.

once you have that down. go from full clicks to skeleton in between reps, so you can tell if your changing based on what your hearing... it works. youll surprise yourself, if it feels like the met is "wrong" with less clicks, then your changing what your playing based on what you hear.

mets are a musicians best freind.... ever. because they are perfect.

[locks]

Originally Posted by jelonek

You can always use online metronome http://bestmetronome.com

That's pretty nice!
I always used www.metronomeonline.com though. Any experience with that one?

[mantelclock]

Originally Posted by Bassist4Life

IMO, one of the best ways to lock into a groove is to let the metronome click on beats 2 and 4 (just like a snare drum). This is a little confusing when you first try it, but you'll get it with some practice.

Like I said, you can make the click be anything you want.

+1 +1 Right on the money, Joe.

[tank4checo]

i know this may seem wierd but try to play in a diffrent timesignature then the metronome is clicking. it is hard but everyones first reaction to jamming is playing in a the same timesigniture. to try to distance your self from that you can focus on making good music and just becouse its in a diffrent time sig doesnt mean it wont sound good and viseversa. its a technique im working on.