Why Should I Use A Metronome When I Practice?

Whether you are a seasoned music student or a beginner, adding a metronome to your home practice will boost your musicianship considerably.

The obvious upside is that your internal clock will improve, and you will maintain consistent tempos more easily and more effortlessly. Players in all styles of music will appreciate collaborating with someone whose time is impeccable. Playing “in the pocket,” and being able to lay back in that pocket rather than push or rush the pace, makes for a more enjoyable musical experience for musical partners and audiences alike.

There are, however, other advantages to metronome playing, whether you are learning the drums, guitar, piano or any other instrument.

Consider the different aspects of your musical expression as variables in a math equation. Say, the accuracy of notes is a variable. So is the articulation, and the phrasing, and the dynamics of volume. So are the transitions.

By letting the machine carry the tempo for you, you are temporarily solving one of the variables, and removing it from your concern.

On a piece of music with consistent tempo, the metronome lets you focus on the other variables, without any need to worry whether you are rushing the bridge or dragging the turnaround.

The added benefit is that you can rehearse challenging passages at a variety of speeds. You can begin slowly – but consistently – while you are still getting the notes “into your fingers.” You can gradually ramp up the pace, one increment at a time.

We highly recommend introducing a metronome into your regular practice routine, if you are not already using one. Your future consistency, accuracy, and fluidity will all benefit.

For Cincinnati music lessons at our Sharonville studio – on drums, piano, bass, double bass, guitar, woodwinds, trumpet, violin, viola, and voice — contact Toedtman School of Music by calling 513.772.7900.