A metronome should become your best friend!

I know that as a music teacher, I am not alone when talking about metronomes. This has to be the most hammered-on and pushed topic out there when it comes to music learning and music instruction. It’s also one of the most ignored by students. In case you haven’t become acquainted with this little gem, it’s a device, either analog (meaning it’s a very real piece of hardware that sits on your tabletop and is made up of gears and levers and springs) or electronic (either on a computer screen or a handheld computer device) which sets a precisely counted out rhythm via an audible click and/or a blinking light for you to follow along with in your playing. I think that the nature of this art form that we call acoustic music and/or bluegrass tends to be such that not a lot of attention is paid to precision when it comes to timing and rhythm, unless we’re talking about a serious acoustic musician who is recording and making some or all of his/her living playing music. However, as a student of any kind of musical endeavor, including bluegrass banjo, very few things will serve you as well as adopting the habit of practicing with a metronome early on.

Alright, confession time. I didn’t use a metronome. I still don’t use a metronome. Well…for the most part. And, well…my timing suffers for it. Like most banjo players, I couldn’t hold any sort of rhythm if it had a handle on it, so I of all people can certainly benefit from adopting the use of a metronome in my practice time. How do you tell if a banjo player is on your front porch? The knocking speeds up and they can’t find the key… *Ahem* … But then again, what do you do when you open the door and find a banjo player on your front porch? You pay him for the pizza. Alright, moving on.

It’s fairly critical to your musical development that you become comfortable with practicing to the beat of a metronome. I am always amazed as I sit in my teacher’s chair and marvel at these gifts of musical aptitude that God instilled in us. Every single person that passes through my banjo course shows comprehension of basic rhytmic nuances and feelings, but every single one of us…me especially…are very inaccurate and un-metronome-like when it comes to holding a consistent and steady beat. When I take a lead break on my banjo the bass players from my two bands have to chase me around rhythmically like a chicken with my head cut off to stay with my beat. It’s not pretty.

So, we’ve established that you should grab a metronome and use it. But once you get it home, then what? Well, every metronome is configured a little bit differently, but the basic operation of the metronome is that it clicks off a certain beats per minute in a steady, click-click-click-click, that you base your speed of picking on. When you see music references to b.p.m., that stands for beats per minute. A decent, slow, beginner pace would probably around 70-80 b.p.m. You will need to fight the urge to grab the metronome and beat the banjo with it once you try to start using it. This is an improper use of the word “beat” when it comes to talking about the metronome. What you SHOULD do is simply start the metronome ticking, and let it represent 4 beats per measure in the case of standard timing. Hopefully it’s common knowledge to you as to how to count a banjo roll against the rhythm of the music (if not, be sure and contact me at www.banjosrule.com for some pointers) so you’ll apply this count over the clicking of the metronome: 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and-. Again, if that’s foreign knowledge to you or unclear at all, contact me.

Now up above I mentioned that I don’t use a metronome, for the most part. That isn’t totally true, because often times I actually do use a modern configuration of the metronome known as TablEdit notation software. I’ll blog about TablEdit soon, but basically TablEdit is software that you can download onto your computer, and it allows you to compose music. I use it in my teaching endeavors to write out the songs and licks that I teach with, but I also use it as a learning tool because one of the features of TabEdit is that you can play what you are composing using your computer’s speakers. If you didn’t realize it, the Banjo Hangout has hundreds of banjo songs all written out in tablature, many of which are written out as TablEdit files. Often times I’ll search for a song I want to learn in the Hangout, then open it with TablEdit. I get it memorized, then once memorized I dial the speed of TablEdit way back and attempt to play the song on my banjo along with the song that being played by TablEdit through my computer speakers. This helps me test how well I have a song memorized, but by playing along with the precise computer, I reap the same benefits as playing with a metronome.

Now that we’ve discussed both analog and digital metronomes, I want to point out a product that takes the metronome one step further and makes it a deluxe learning tool, thanks to the modern age. The product is called Ultimate Metronome. (I encourage you to click on the blue images in this article to explore this item.) This is a digital metronome which you play on your computer through your computer’s speakers. One of the best things about this product is that it has a feature which allows you to set a certain beats per minute (b.p.m.) which slowly increases as you play. For 5-string banjo players, one of the key elements of accomplishing the banjo is the ability to play quickly (think Foggy Mtn. Breakdown!) If you start a song you are comfortable with at a slow beginner’s pace, then try to keep pace with the metronome as it slowly increases, you’ll more effortlessly build in speed. This is invaluable!

This program that you can download instantly only runs you $29.95, and in my never to be humble opinion, it’s well worth the expense. The cost of any hand-held or table-top metronome that you can buy will run you some or all of this cost (or maybe more!) so the value of this program  speaks for itself. I encourage you to click on the blue images and take a minute to read throught the fairly extensive information that you’ll find on their website. You’ll see all kinds of features aimed and rock guitarists and other musicians, some of which will also be useful for you. Their page is a bit overwhelming, but stick with it and read through it. You’ll be impressed. At the very bottom of the page is the link to order the Ultimate Metronome. You’ll be glad you did.