Learning to Sight Read - use a metronome or not?

[iamthewalrus]

Hi all,
This is a question primarily aimed at the teachers or pros on here, but would welcome any feed back or opinions from everyone.

I'm teaching myself to sightread at the moment, & am using a metronome to keep time. I know there is a school of thought that says not to use a metronome whilst learning to sightread, & wondered what the pros & cons are?

All suggestions / points of view welcome

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[Bilbo]

I think it depends on which aspect of the process you are focussing on.

If you are at the note recognition stage, it may be of limited use as, at this stage, it is more important to get the note right than to readin it 'in time'. If you are at the reading rhythms stage, I would say it may or may not be useful depending on what level you are at and whether you are reading complex rhythms over several bars or just one bar of eighth notes. If you are at the stage where you are trying to bring it all together as a professional skill, I would say that a metronome has value in that it does place a discipline on you to 'keep going at all costs', as you would if you were on a gig.

[velvetkevorkian]

It can also be good to check yourself against- more than a few times I've only realised that I've been playing a rhythm wrong when I've sat down with a metronome.

[Doddy]

I think that if you are just learning to read it would be far better to do it without a metronome. At this stage it
is far better to play the notes correctly and not worry about the time. If you have a click going it is too easy to just
plough on regardless. Even with rhythms,I'd suggest just tapping your foot rather than playing to a click. That way,
you are still playing in time,but it's flexible so you can slow it right down if you are struggling with a particular passage.
I feel that in the practise room it doesn't really matter how long it takes you to get something right,as long as you
eventually get it. The only time you absolutely need to be reading stuff correctly and in time is o the bandstand.
If later on you want to use a click then go for it,but right now it may be more of a hinderence.

For what it's worth,the I pretty much never use a metronome. The only time I do,I set it to click on 2 and 4 and
blow over it. But for playing exercises,I've never used one.

[fatback]

I'm learning to read atm, concentrating on rhythms with open strings.

I'm using a metronome, and no doubt about it, it's making sure I count things right. Time and time again, i've only picked up a mistake by noticing that the first beat of the bar has slipped.

Obviously, you need to have the metronome set so you hear that first beat.