If your timing is good, then you should be able to consciously place your notes on top of, behind, and in front of, a metronome click. You should be able to take a part played with a click, lay it behind the beat or in front of. Or center it. This is how you develop "groove" - knowing where to drop your notes and how to feel them.
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How does one develop a sense of time...
Either it's innate and a metronome won't help (nor will it hurt) or it can be developed in which case it helps.
My instructor had me use a metronome and I'm glad he did. By using one I discovered how hard it is to keep accurate time at a real slow tempo. That seemed counterintuitive to me and you'd think the faster it is, the harder it is to keep time. Of course, if you can't physically keep up with a fast tempo that's another issue and everyone has their speed limit. But the slower the tempo is, the less point of reference you have between beats and the more noticeable it becomes when you're off.
I'm not advocating the use of metronome one way or another but I do find it useful to gauge your timing when practicing alone.
I'm not advocating the use of metronome one way or another but I do find it useful to gauge your timing when practicing alone.
Try playing a one note shuffle in a 12 bar blues progression, at 70, and center every note. The play it behind the beat, then ahead of.
I'll never forget how much tighter my old band played once we switched over to using a metronome and in ear monitors. In the recording world you need to be on that click track as well. For some styles (as many have pointed out) it may not be necessary.
Why not use the tools we have to improve ourselves is what I say!
If you play in a band with no percussion, and you play music with no time signature, then practicing with a metronome is A-OK. Otherwise, you should always be practicing with a metronome. I use Supermetronome (app), which is basically drums, but it keeps you in time always. As a musician, you are required to play certain things at certain times, to come in at certain times in a song, and to NOT play at other times.
I have no idea how anyone would NOT want to use rhythm when practicing. Sounds like some flat earth s*** to me.
I have no idea how anyone would NOT want to use rhythm when practicing. Sounds like some flat earth s*** to me.
Seriously? I'm not against them, but not using one being compared to a flat earther is stretching it, man! What happens when you play with a drummer who isn't perfectly in time to a grid like a metronome is. Do you just follow the memorized metronome pattern, or do you follow the "human" drummer who varies all over the place? If there isn't a click while I'm playing, I play in time with the other musicians I'm playing with. I can play whatever is necessary when it is necessary because I can feel the rhythm. A metronome didn't teach me that. Playing with other musicians, and just gaining experience did.
You don't "memorize" a metronome. You learn to play with various rhythms. You have to start somewhere. Sounds like you're just looking for reasons NOT to learn to play with rhythm. Have you ever heard a quarterback say "I don't practice because every defense is different, and you really never know what they're going to do, so I just feel my way through it". Beyond nonsense.
I'm against them, but let me explain. I can see them as being a good tool for someone to use at home to improve his timing. But once you together with other musicians the timing becomes more organic. I'm not even sure if music naturally has a beat that's so steady for the duration of the song. Maybe the band naturally increases or decreases the tempo by a degree or two, based on the dynamics of the song and the interplay between members.
All I know is that I am not able to play with a machine. I tried it once recording a song and it nearly drove me crazy. I respect musicians who can do that though. But a lot of times I think live recordings sound better than studio.
All I know is that I am not able to play with a machine. I tried it once recording a song and it nearly drove me crazy. I respect musicians who can do that though. But a lot of times I think live recordings sound better than studio.
I use a metronome when practicing solo to make sure I’m keeping up with the actual tempo of a given passage.
Unlike a lot of music, the tempo of the prog stuff I play changes frequently, so I can’t set it and forget it, but when it comes to learning a section I definitely use a metronome.
I started when I read that John Petrucci insisted that the number one help in developing and practicing is to use s metronome.
But John Petrucci is a notoriously imprecise sloppy third rate player who’s advice can be safely ignored:
John Petrucci: my top 3 practice tips | MusicRadar
Unlike a lot of music, the tempo of the prog stuff I play changes frequently, so I can’t set it and forget it, but when it comes to learning a section I definitely use a metronome.
I started when I read that John Petrucci insisted that the number one help in developing and practicing is to use s metronome.
But John Petrucci is a notoriously imprecise sloppy third rate player who’s advice can be safely ignored:
John Petrucci: my top 3 practice tips | MusicRadar
Metronomes are great for practice and reheasal, but unless you play to backing tracks, I'd leave it off at the performance. If you practice with it, you should hear the phantom metronome in your head even when it's not there.
No. Learning rhythm with a metronome is more like a quarterback learning football from a video game. The video game is always the same, or can only vary so much... like a metronome. I'm not against metronomes, but I do feel that they are overvalued by some, and that they won't necessarily help you much with learning how to play with human beings who vary with speed, velocity and feel. I learned rhythm by reading rhythm and not by hearing some device beeping. I'm not against people using them to hear where they might be having issues with things sometimes, but I don't think they are a necessity for learning music academically, or even for keeping good time. Unlike JB, that's just my opinion, though. I'm not trying to shove that down your throat as fact.
Drummers are not perfect, but I don’t know any good drummer that doesn’t practice with a metronome. Time and consistency is valued highly as a drummer. The ones that can’t keep time, usually get replaced very quickly with someone who can.
What confuses me is how many people are against metronomes, drum tracks, click tracks, etc. They don’t deteriorate a persons musicianship if they use one, other wise people like John Patitucci would be considered a terrible bassist for using one.
This thread makes me feel very good about my practice regimen, curriculum, and chances of winning gigs vs. other TBers. Willful ignorance will always get you in the end.
This argument feels dangerously close to arguing against practice all together. Why strive for greatness or even perfection when we are all imperfect anyways. That line is way more nihilistic than I think you intended it to be. Frankly speaking, I don't enjoy playing with drummers who don't have a strong sense of time and I try to quickly remove myself from situations where I am working with a drummer like that. It's a drummer's primary job to keep time. If they can't do it then they don't belong on the gig. Sorry, not sorry.
