Monday, January 23, 2017

Technique Tip 5 - Metronome

Paula Maya Music Lessons: Free Tips

Metronome. Yes, the good old metronome. How important is it to practice with the metronome? Or, even a better question is, how effective is it to practice with the metronome? Well, it depends on how you do it. Done right, so to speak, is extremely effective. It can help us play a challenging fast piece, for example. And even if you are mostly a singer songwriter that accompanies yourself singing with simple chords, it will help you stay in the groove and play with other musicians more effectively.

So, what is the 'right' way to use a metronome? Set it to a comfortable beat, a speed you can play the piece from top to end, preferably with no mistakes. If you are playing a 4/4 piece, you can start by setting the metronome to beat in 1/8 notes, so you can start slow. As you speed you can change the metronome to beat in 1/4 notes.

So, let's say you start at 1/8 = 60 (metronome). Each day you bump up 2 or so numbers. Each day start slow to warm up your fingers and your attention span, no matter how fast you got the day before.

I suggest you go rent the movie 'The Red Violin', the intricate history of a beautiful antique violin traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681. Besides being a wonderful film with gorgeous music, it has a brillant illustration of how the metronome can be effective.

Try it, you might love it!
See you soon everybody,
Paula

P.S. I hope you find this information helpful! Please feel free to share with anybody you might think could use it. For information about private lessons, please visit my lessons page: http://www.paulamaya.com/musiclessons