Do you practice with a metronome?

[dkstott]

I've used a metronome off and on over the years. But only after I have gotten the fingering and chord progression firmly into my head and fingers.

It is helpful to me to get the "flow" of the song correct.

Playing at a weekly picking party has helped me much more than the metronome in developing good timing.

[semolinapilcher]

Yes. Over the years I have gotten much, much better at keeping time.

One thing that has always bugged me is that when you fall off of the beat, you have to play slower/faster in order to get back to it... and then re-adjust again to the real tempo.

I will also say that if you ever participate in a recording project, you will likely encounter a click track. At this point you'll either thank (or curse) yourself for (not) having gotten used to the rigor of a metronome. My first time in this situation, I had to focus exclusively on keeping time at the expense of all else, and I couldn't really throw myself into the music.

[Toby Walker]

Absolutely, Positively, 100%. I've been using a metronome for over 40 years. Using one is one of the best ways to improve one's timing and musicianship.

[martingitdave]

No, but I should.

No!!!

They go off the tempo a few measures after I start playing.

[amyFB]

every instructor i've ever worked with has offered this advice:

the audience will forgive a wrong note, they won't accept inconsistent rhythm.

you can stop playing notes just don't let the beat get off track.

[sweiss]

I prefer a drum track to the lone click of a metronome. It gives me several reference points to work with instead of just one.

Rigid adherence to playing exactly on the beat all the time gets boring. But...you can't play around with timing unless you know in your head where the beat is.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

The answer will probably be, no.

That's the primary reason people won't use them, it reveals their shortcomings in timing. The flip side is that it also helps them in correcting it.

Originally Posted by martingitdave

No, but I should.

+1

Having admitted this, I am crying tears of shame into the pillow personal deficiency.

[Cameron_Talley]

No metronome for me. But I've been playing music since I was 5 years old, starting with guitar, then piano, then trumpet. So I have a pretty good sense of timing, I think. I'm sure it's not perfect, but I don't care so much when I'm playing by myself, and when I'm playing with others its quite easy to stay together.

[SFCRetired]

no I don't use a metronome.

I don't understand how people jump out of time when playing a piece. And the use of a metronome also requires you know the exact tempo of a song.

Why not just play with the song while you learn it?

If it's just for practice staying in tempo, like I said, how do people get out of rhythm?

I highly recommend it for beginners. I never had one in the beginning and when I finally broke down after a few years and got an instructor he told me to get one. I got one, and for me I didn't see the need for it playing what I play, and he said I didn't have any trouble staying in rhythm but it would help when learning lead and playing half quarter and eighth notes etc. If you are practicing scales etc, I can see how it can be helpful, especially in the beginning, but I learned how to keep rhythm without the use of a metronome by learning finger picking pieces that have a set tempo.

I have one, it's been in my Yamaha case for almost 20 years.

With all of that said I do have an old Kawai session trainer that I used to use and I am going to start using it on the Flatpicking essential series I started because they recommended it. But if I find I don't need it, I won't use it.

[Goodallboy]

Songs aren't required to be at any set time. Not using one because you don't know the time signature of a song is just another reason you don't use one, not a reason why one should not be used.

[KarenB]

I sometimes practice with a metronome or metronome equivalent. When I'm playing rocking rhythmical songs especially with a bass player or drummer, I like to have the ability to play at a steady tempo, "in the groove" so to speak. When I'm playing by myself, especially lyrical finger picking, I slow down or speed up as the feeling moves me. It part of the emotive expression.

[ras1500]

I've tried using metronomes multiple times, and still try occasionally It works great for quarter notes or longer. But start mixing in dotted notes or sixteenth notes and I'm lost.

[Shy Boy William]

Serious musicians use them which I am not!!!!!!!!!!

It would help for many country blues and ragtime finger style pieces to use although the clicking gets annoying while I'm trying to learn and smooth out a piece.

It would be detrimental to use while playing John Fahey's Music (my favorite artist).

Not all music gets set to a clock but is fueled by emotion.

That said if it is your goal to play with others, than you'd better use one.

[riverrummed]

My timing has gotten much better over the years and at first I occasionally used a metronome. Years ago, when I was explaining to one of the guys I play with how off I kept getting on the time, he explained to me that there was a Metronome Conspiracy Theory. It seems that all the metronome manufacturers and makers of drum machine type devices have colluded to make their metronomes randomly change the time so that you can't possibly get it (they sit around expensive lunches laughing at us all the time too). Once I grasped that it was not me, but metronomes themselves I felt much better. Everything was explained to my satisfaction and the world was made whole again. We almost named the band Metronome Conspiracy Theory too but decided we didn't want to draw attention to that aspect of our playing and might result in repercussions from the overlords. Hope that helps.