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The Great Metronome Debate

Many great musicians have never used them. That's the conclusion.

Oh, yes, I agree with you that quite a few great musicians never used the metronome.
From my posting in a different thread.
Joe Hubbard and the Great Metronome Debate



JBtempo.PNG
 
Perhaps a better question might have been 'What might be the risk factors associated with using a metronome, and how might these outweigh the benefits?' To my mind, the biggest risk is leaving it on the floor in the practice room and tripping over it on your way back from the bathroom...

In order to avoid those "tripping" factors, I've started using a Metronome app on my iphone, properly located in my left shirt/t-shirt pocket, but...
Just recently, I was trying to reach for my dog's food bowl and my iphone slipped from my shirt pocket, fell the glass-side down and hit that ceramic bowl. :banghead: :crying: :crying:
It was a nice excuse to get a new iphone, instead of a new lawn mower.

(This year, I was blessed. My grass does not grow as fast as in previous years. It leaves me more seconds/minutes to spent with/around music.:thumbsup:)
 
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I'm not sure many people on this forum know how to use a metronome in useful, productive, and sensible manner. You’re best served by bringing it up on the DB side.

At least we all agree that the use/some use/frequent use/less frequent use/etc... of the metronome does not damage you as a musician.
At least WUTP agrees with the following statement,
"If you play rhythmic music and the metronome is "stifling" your musicality, your ability to groove, your ability to express yourself, etc...
YOU (and NOT the metronome) have a problem!
At least we all agree with another statement.
If you don't want or don't like using at anytime the metronome - DON'T use it, just don't brag about it.
It used to be one of my pet peeves in music school when some talented students with that "coveted" perfect pitch would brag about it. :thumbsdown: :vomit:.

Therefore, If someone was born with that perfect timing sense - Please don't brag about it, because some of us were born without it.
Just be above (without bragging about it) us - less time-wise gifted amateurs.
 
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Many great musicians have never used them. That's the conclusion.
And many great musicians have used them. We're at loggerheads.

If you have a teacher or coach follow the teacher's instruction. Some will insist on a metronome and some will dispense with it. If you aren't progressing after a reasonable time try a different teacher. If you're self taught that advice certainly still applies.
 
At least we all agree that the use/some use/frequent use/less frequent use/etc... of the metronome does not damage you as a musician.
At least WUTP agrees with the following statement,
"If you play rhythmic music and the metronome is "stifling" your musicality, your ability to groove, your ability to express yourself, etc...
YOU (and NOT the metronome) have a problem!
At least we all agree with another statement.
If you don't want or don't like using at anytime the metronome - DON'T use it, just don't brag about it.
It used to be one of my pet peeves in music school when some talented students with that "coveted" perfect pitch would brag about it. :thumbsdown: :vomit:.

Therefore, If someone was born with that perfect timing sense - Please don't brag about it, because some of us were born without it.
Just be above (without bragging about it) us - less time-wise gifted amateurs.

You’re either drunk posting or your English isn’t as good as you think it is.........
 
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You’re either drunk posting or your English isn’t as good as you think it is.........
LOL.
For the record.
I’ve stopped drinking any alcohol on August 17, 1987.
Next, also, for the record, you will be known to me as the only one (maybe a musician - I have only seen your postings) who was hurt by the metronome, a musician whose musicality was destroyed by the metronome.
About my English - as my 6th language.
What I understood from your Perfect English language was that one simple major chord (!) could have two or more Roots.
I was nice and did not question your English.
Do you remember it?
 
Modes and Metronomes are the two most misunderstood concepts in the electric bass community. Double bassists don't seem to have a problem with either.

What is the common denominator here?

That's right kids.

Plain ole garden variety ignorance...

You can't have a reasonable conversation on any topic with someone who is ignorant of the subject. It leads nowhere by definition, as evidenced by every discussion on modes and every discussion on metronomes ever created on talkbass.

I speculate that there is almost no one who buys a double bass and doesn't get formal lessons from someone who has a fairly vast level of musical knowledge. Conversely, there are millions of jamokes that buy a bass from guitar center and somehow proceed to magically know everything about music without any instruction whatsoever..
 
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LOL.
For the record.
I’ve stopped drinking any alcohol on August 17, 1987.
Next, also, for the record, you will be known to me as the only one (maybe a musician - I have only seen your postings) who was hurt by the metronome, a musician whose musicality was destroyed by the metronome.
About my English - as my 6th language.
What I understood from your Perfect English language was that one simple major chord (!) could have two or more Roots.
I was nice and did not question your English.
Do you remember it?

I don’t know where you get any of this. Congrats on your sobriety but your comprehension of written text is below par. Nowhere have I said that metronomes are harmful or that a major chord has more that one root. If I ever did, you misunderstood. I’m at least as experienced and educated as you are, and I’m being quite generous in that statement.

In addition, let’s not argue about whose presence is more useful overall on this board. A brief overview of my posts compared to yours reveals my knowledge on a practical, applicable level because I earned it on the stand. You can read my stuff at 3PM before a gig and successfully apply it on the gig at 9PM because I’m not make no stuff up. Your posts are almost entirely nonsense-based circular arguments and declarations that the bass community at large owes you a living because you notice “details” that nobody else does. Get over yourself.
 
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Modes and Metronomes are the two most misunderstood concepts in the electric bass community. Double bassists don't seem to have a problem with either.

What is the common denominator here?

That's right kids.

Plain ole garden variety ignorance...

You can't have a reasonable conversation on any topic with someone who is ignorant of the subject. It leads nowhere by definition, as evidenced by every discussion on modes and every discussion on metronomes ever created on talkbass.

I speculate that there is almost no one who buys a double bass and doesn't get formal lessons from someone who has a fairly vast level of musical knowledge. Conversely, there are millions of jamokes that buy a bass from guitar center and somehow proceed to magically know everything about music without any instruction whatsoever..
Are DBs better than BGs?
 
I don’t know where you get any of this. Congrats on your sobriety but your comprehension of written text is below par. Nowhere have I said that metronomes are harmful or that a major chord has more that one root. If I ever did, you misunderstood. I’m at least as experienced and educated as you are, and I’m being quite generous in that statement.

In addition, let’s not argue about whose presence is more useful overall on this board. A brief overview of my posts compared to yours reveals my knowledge on a practical, applicable level because I earned it on the stand. You can read my stuff at 3PM before a gig and successfully apply it on the gig at 9PM because I’m not make no stuff up. Your posts are almost entirely nonsense-based circular arguments and declarations that the bass community at large owes you a living because you notice “details” that nobody else does. Get over yourself.
Hey, I have a good suggestion for you.
Please, put a block on my posts!:hyper:
Wow. I could barely recall my gigs starting so early - at 3 pm - WOW.

Now for the record.
The bass community owes me Nothing!
I am just happy and proud to be close to music, musicians, etc...
I am happy to share my amateur experiences with others, among others :eek:
You also owe me nothing!
 
Are DBs better than BGs?

If you are asking about the bassist, not the bass itself, double bass players tend to be better educated (musically) than electric bass players. So DB players generally don't have these huge dust-ups about fairly simple concepts.

If your question, is, "are double basses better than electric basses", then the answer is obviously no. They are just instruments. There is nothing intrinsically "good" or "bad" about either.

So take your pick. I wasn't all that sure what you were asking...
 
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Modes and Metronomes are the two most misunderstood concepts in the electric bass community. Double bassists don't seem to have a problem with either.

What is the common denominator here?

That's right kids.

Plain ole garden variety ignorance...

You can't have a reasonable conversation on any topic with someone who is ignorant of the subject. It leads nowhere by definition, as evidenced by every discussion on modes and every discussion on metronomes ever created on talkbass.

I speculate that there is almost no one who buys a double bass and doesn't get formal lessons from someone who has a fairly vast level of musical knowledge. Conversely, there are millions of jamokes that buy a bass from guitar center and somehow proceed to magically know everything about music without any instruction whatsoever..
I will be short make the following statement for the record.
(I hope at least one person is able to my poor English.)
I do not have any, I repeat, any problems, issues, misunderstandings, complaints about the metronome and/or a click!
My metronome is in my pocket.
It hurts nobody!
If anyone does not like my use of my metronome - come and get it!drool
The same statement applies to modes, but...
Somebody asks a question and I try to provide all kinds of information from various sources, (using my precious time and without promoting anything for myself,
Then,
Somebody gets unhappy, upset, emotional with the information I post.
Once again, I don’t have any issues with the metronome (my friend) or with those modes.
I think someone else has some strange issues with my using the click or the modes.
I have never ever imagined that what I do at home with the metronome could upset anyone.
 
If you are asking about the bassist, not the bass itself, double bass players tend to be better educated (musically) than electric bass players. So DB players generally don't have these huge dust-ups about fairly simple concepts.

If your question, is, "are double basses better than electric basses", then the answer is obviously no. They are just instruments. There is nothing intrinsically "good" or "bad" about either.

So take your pick. I wasn't all that sure what you were asking...

I play both EB and DB, and this does tend to be true. Not saying that all electric bassist are not musically trained, because that is not true. I know when I started on the electric bass I had no lessons. When I started double bass I took lessons. The double bass is a completely different instrument. The fundamentals of the electric bass are based off of it, but it’s not something you can just teach yourself. Even with YouTube now, if you want to be a serious player on the DB, you need lessons. That being said, all of my teachers made me use a metronome, so it’s something I learned to love.

As for the statement about modes, it’s really up to musician to take the time and learn. There are classical bassist that are not as familiar with modes as jazz bassist. The double bass community (at least where I live) doesn’t stress and argue about petty things such as the use of metronomes, best strings, best bass, amps, etc. The double bass is a personal thing. No two upright basses are the same, it’s the player that developes their personal sound and uses what will help them create it. Some never change there strings or use the same pickup for 20 years. It’s not that DB players are better then electric, they just care more about sound development and tone then they do about gadgets.
 
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Modes and Metronomes are the two most misunderstood concepts in the electric bass community. Double bassists don't seem to have a problem with either.

What is the common denominator here?

That's right kids.

Plain ole garden variety ignorance...

You can't have a reasonable conversation on any topic with someone who is ignorant of the subject. It leads nowhere by definition, as evidenced by every discussion on modes and every discussion on metronomes ever created on talkbass.

I speculate that there is almost no one who buys a double bass and doesn't get formal lessons from someone who has a fairly vast level of musical knowledge. Conversely, there are millions of jamokes that buy a bass from guitar center and somehow proceed to magically know everything about music without any instruction whatsoever..

I did not encounter a metronome or a mode until I went to a community college to study Double Bass. I had been a guitarist leading a blissful, ignorant life gigging 2-4 times a month and I had been playing electric bass for about 2 years. I wound up spending 2 1/2 years in jazz performance studies, but did not get a degree.
 
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I did not encounter a metronome or a mode until I went to a community college to study Double Bass. I had been a guitarist leading a blissful, ignorant life gigging 2-4 times a month and I had been playing electric bass for about 2 years. I wound up spending 2 1/2 years in jazz performance studies, but did not get a degree.

I can tell. You are one of the few here that knows what he's talking about. You don't have to get a degree to be a knowledgeable player. Once you get a certain level of musical understanding, you can teach yourself whatever concepts you want, because you know how to build on your existing knowledge.
 
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Thank you for the compliment. A couple of years ago I filled in on bass for a couple of college jazz band class and there were several horn players that I played with almost 20 years ago that had not improved a bit.

Its really up to the player to improve. An instructor can really help, esp. in the early stage.
 
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