I sense that most of my students hate to hear these dreaded words come from my mouth: "OK, let's try that with the metronome." And I get that--I never liked it either when MY teacher uttered those words!
But as a musician, having good timing when you play is one of the most important skills you can possess. You might be able to play a fast, melodic run of notes, but if you can't stay in time with other musicians or a director, then all of your amazing talent is simply going to go to waste.
The metronome is a very simple device that just makes a clicking sound at given time intervals, usually measured in bpm's (beats per minute). And they come in many different styles: from battery-powered electronic metronomes, to iPhone/iPad apps, to the antique metronome pictured above. There are even free metronome websites online!
Typically for beginning students, , metronome clicks are set to correspond with quarter notes--but there are some great exercises you can do with other note types to help improve you "internal clock," which I will demonstrate in the video below.
Another great exercise you can do sometimes is to simply lay your instrument aside, and just tap your foot along with the clicks of the metronome. This is a great way to also work on your "internal clock" so that when you do play with other musicians, you can tap your foot with the rhythm section, and stay in sync with the other musicians.
One final thought: when you're working on a musical piece, start the metronome off at a SLOW tempo, and gradually work your way up to playing the piece at a faster tempo. As I often say to my students, proper technique and good timing are MUCH more important than SPEED when you are learning an instrument.
So....timing really is everything. Please watch the video linked below for a demonstration of some ways to practice along with a metronome. Happy Pickin'!
Video Link--Timing is EVERYTHING
p.s I may have exceeded my 2-minutes on the video--but this is a SUPER-important topic!
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