How To Use Your Metronome the Right Way
The tiny machine that tick, tock, tick, tocks its way into your soul and keeps you up at night long after the case is closed. I struggle practicing violin enough as it is. Add in a metronome on top of that? No way.
Am I being dramatic? Maybe. Am I the only one who complains about this little demon? I don’t think so.
This was all the case until, over time, I learned how to tame the beast and use the metronome to my advantage. Not only am I using it more efficiently, but less often as well. Let’s talk about how you can add the metronome to your daily routine and perhaps even enjoy your time with it.
Tip #1: Start Slow
Most people I talk to tell me they start by choosing an arbitrary tempo that ~feels~ like the speed at which they should be practicing. This will get you no where. Most of us mortals have reasons to be practicing our pieces, like to fix mistakes, clean passages, get used to fingerings, etc. Throwing on the metronome at your final pace is like doing a marathon without training. You won’t be able to play with it and it will end up annoying you more than help you.
I usually set my metronome to 50% of the final tempo and play at that slow pace, paying attention to every small nuance that I hope to achieve in the final performance. Once I can do this in my sleep (figuratively) I move on to a slightly faster tempo. Maybe 60% of your final goal. Repeat the same process. 70%, repeat. 80% repeat, 90% repeat, 100%. There’s no golden ratio of tempi you should be practicing at, but the rule to follow is not to increase your speed until you’re comfortable with the previous tempo.
Tip #2: Offbeats only
Who said we should only hear a click on beats 1 and 3? Let's show 2 and 4 some love. But seriously, putting your metronome on offbeats, or beat 2 or 3 of a compound rhythm, etc. throws your brain in for a new, unexpected way to process staying in time. Another interesting experiment to try is practice with your metronome not on downbeats and see if, when you stop playing, the downbeats in your head remain in the same space as compared to the metronome click. This strengthens your internal sense of pulse or reveals that it might be something for you to work on. Here’s what I mean:
Tip #3: Push your limits
This one’s pretty simple. If you’re practicing with the metronome to reach a goal tempo, try surpassing even that. If you’re able to play at a tempo faster than desired, maintaining all your nuances, the originally desired tempo will feel like a piece of cake.
Tip #4: Maintain your artistic values
Metronome ≠ death of musicality. In previous tips, I mentioned nuances, and what I was referring to are your vibrato choices, dynamics, phrasing, colors, articulations, etc. while playing. It’s easy to be sucked into this vortex of absolute mechanical playing and slavery to each tick, tock of the metronome, but to realize the full value of playing with a metronome, one should maintain and even maximize their musical choices when practicing at a slow tempo with the metronome so that it gets built into your system the same way tempo and clarity is being practiced.
Now that you’ve learned how to tame the beast, it’s time to turn this knowledge into action. Download a metronome app! My favorite one is called Pro Metronome and is available on the app store for free! I like this because for an app, it’s loud and easily adjustable.
If you’re looking for an old school, pendulum-style metronome, I’m a fan of this one on Amazon.
Or this electronic one, for a more portable option.
If you’re looking for more practice tips, check out this video on using rhythms and skipping notes to increase your playing speed!
Check out my lessons page to get some one-on-one time to learn anything you want… metronome included.