How important is using a metronome and at what stage?

silvermist · Post by **silvermist** » 20 Aug 2008, 19:51

Our piano arrives tomorrow!!!!YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE! and I am really looking forward to relearning to play. I am also going to introduce my children to the basics of piano before getting a proper teacher and I am going to use the Pauline Hall's Tunes for Ten Fingers which my children keep looking at and had a go with successfully at Granny's last week! I now know that this is ideal for my four year old but my seven year old is whizzing through it because he already knows some music from learning the recorder. (So I shall have a look at Piano Time by Pauline Hall next time in the music shop.)

My question is - at what stage should a metronome be introduced - straight away or can/should I wait and until when? And what type is the best?

I am considering buying one but they are very expensive and there seem to be two types eg with or without bells. I can see the use of having a bell but wonder how important these are because they are normally more expensive than the non bell type - also can the bell be switched off?

Thanks for any advice.

joseph · Post by **joseph** » 20 Aug 2008, 23:49

use a metronome from the outset, but don't let it become a millstone round the neck. Playing with a metronome is something that needs to be practiced, like everything else.

I am sure that you will be able to find ways to make metronome practice fun (little and often i find helpful) and that when you find a good teacher (that is the teacher who is most encouraging whilst being discerning), she or he will give you some good advice on the matter.

Enjoy learning piano. It's an amazing thing to do, no matter how good or bad you are at it, welcome to our world!

joseph · Post by **joseph** » 20 Aug 2008, 23:52

PS -

IMHO one with a bell, you then can't argue with where the first beat is (believe me its so easy to miss a beat!), you can set how many beats in the bar and you can turn the bell off too.

A good metronome will last forever so don't be afraid to spend 50 to 100 pounds.

silvermist · Post by **silvermist** » 20 Aug 2008, 23:58

Hello dave!

Nice to make contact with you again! How's the old tinkling going your end?

It's too late - I bought a traditional 'nome'! on ebay this evening for a good price. It is a Wittner, the same colour wood as my new old piano, it has all the words eg adagio and presto ect on it with relevant numbers for those times besides them (which I thought would help imprint them on my children's memories without having to work at it) and it has a mechanical bell but no whistle!

I still wonder when a teacher introduces these to their young students because I want my children to get used to it asap but only if it is appropriate to without scaring them...'You, ova zer going TICK, TICK, TICK...vee have vays ov making you TOCK!'

Incidentally, my children LOVE Sparky and the Magic Piano!

silvermist · Post by **silvermist** » 21 Aug 2008, 00:03

Thanks Joseph for your reply. I paid just under £30 including postage for a Traditional Wittner, black matt wood with a bell marked as 'excellent condition', so I think it was a good buy.

Thanks - can't wait to make some good noises with the piano and my children are excited too!

Descombes · Post by **Descombes** » 21 Aug 2008, 07:05

My traditional Wittner metronome is still working well after over 40 years' use. I wonder whether the current crop of electronic versions will last as long!

I don't suppose I've used the bell for years, (it is easy to switch off) but it was useful when I was a student. Personally I did not use a metronome until I was at the Grade 7/8 stage, but it could be a useful aid at any stage. Don't rely on it too much though; music needs to ebb and flow, and to have some rubato. Get the rhythm right, using the metronome to help, and then it has served its purpose!

And what a wonderful clicking sound they make. Little electronic devices might be functional, but they do not have the soul of the Wittner.

cothse · Post by **cothse** » 30 Sep 2008, 11:30

Good stuff. And it's good that you're incorporating the metronome early. It'll help you.

markymark · Post by **markymark** » 02 Oct 2008, 23:47

Descombes wrote: Personally I did not use a metronome until I was at the Grade 7/8 stage, but it could be a useful aid at any stage. Don't rely on it too much though; music needs to ebb and flow, and to have some rubato. Get the rhythm right, using the metronome to help, and then it has served its purpose!

Very interesting, Descombes... I have to say, that I hardly ever used a metronome either, even at Grade 8 level. It is good to try and develop that natural sense of beat too. I hate to use the term, but it is good to "feel the rhythm" when you can't hear it!

williamhhay · Post by **williamhhay** » 29 Oct 2008, 22:36

joseph wrote:use a metronome from the outset, but don't let it become a millstone round the neck. Playing with a metronome is something that needs to be practiced, like everything else.

I am sure that you will be able to find ways to make metronome practice fun (little and often i find helpful) and that when you find a good teacher (that is the teacher who is most encouraging whilst being discerning), she or he will give you some good advice on the matter.

Enjoy learning piano. It's an amazing thing to do, no matter how good or bad you are at it, welcome to our world!

I have to say that I agree with Joseph. I introduce metronomes to my students very early on though it can take a long time to learn to play in time with a metronome as it can take time to learn to internalise a tempo or play with a steady beat.

In terms of the type of metronome I would have to say that being a peripatetic music teacher, the pianos on which I teach don't always have a metronome facility so I am a fan of having a handy metronome on my mobile phone which was free.

I have posted a review of various metronomes available for phones here on my blog

Enjoy reading!