Proper Use of Metronomes?

[wishface]

Lately when I practice with said device I start at between 75-80bpm playing, for example a scale. What I do is (try to) play whole notes, half notes, triplets and quarter notes. Once i run through the exercise a couple of times at each, or as best I can, I increase the tempo to about 100bpm. This takes enough time to fill a good 30-45 minutes of practice. Anything more would tire my arm out.

Is this a good wasy to use a metronome? The purpose of these exercises is to build up speed and dexterity while playing melodic exercises (ie scales). Is this the right way to do this? If not what should I do.

[Doddy]

I'll be honest,I pretty much never use a metronome for my own practice. The only time I do,I have
it set so that it clicks on 2 and 4 to simulate a snare drum.

You say that you increase the tempo after you've run through the exercises a couple of times,or as best as
you can? This,to me,isn't a good way of doing things. Don't try and push the metronome up if you are not
playing the exercises correctly. Speed and dexterity will naturally develop the more you play.It is more important
to be playing accurately and correctly.
I feel that it is much more important to study musical material than speed exercises. There is no point being
able to play fast if you are making mistakes.

[wishface]

The goal isn't to settle for sloppy playing, when i practice i aim to finger the notes correctly and sound them correctly, but if i reach a tempo I struggle with I don't just call a halt to the practice because that seems counter productive. Instead I give it a try at that tempo to exercise my fingers (and of course my mind). Same as physical exercise, if you can do 10 reps you try and push 11. My problem is I have no one to spote me!

The metronome is there to mark time as a measure to pace against. If that makes any sense.

Edited August 27, 2012 by wishface

[Doddy]

I know what you mean,but I still don't think that speed and dexterity exercises are particularly
worthwhile. I think you will be much better of studying the musical content than just trying to
play fast tempos.Even learning a line like 'What is Hip?' or 'River People' or something will be
better for your dexterity and speed,even at slow tempos,because you are applying it musically.

However......
If you are screwing up at tempo,then it's likely down to a couple of things...
1-you may not know the exercise well enough.In which case you go back and study it without worrying
about playing as fast as you can.
2-If you understand the exercise and can play it inside out yet are messing up at higher tempos then you need
to bring it back down to where you can play it and increase the tempo gradually. Don't jump from 75bpm straight
to 100.Try 80 for a while....Then 85. If you struggle knock it down to 82....and so on.

When Jeff Berlin talks about not liking metronomes,he says that it's because people tend to focus on the click,and
not the musical content. I think that if you are concerned about pushing the tempo all the time,then you may be
falling into this trap.

[wishface]

increasing incrementally is what I do, in steps of 5.

If there's a better way of doing things, I certainly want to hear it

[Jazzjames]

This may be helpful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X1fhVLVF_4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[funkle]

Jeff Berlin would say don't bother with a metronome.

I think he's right, though I think there are some uses for it.

The rare times I use it are as a drum machine; I only use it to practice material already learnt. Then you can focus on exact note length, attack, etc. I do not use it at all until I know what I am doing with a bit of music. There would really be no point.

[Westie9]

For scales and arpeggios I tend to use the metronome set at about 80bpm. First time through playing as crotchets (note per beat), and then as quavers, both ascending and descending, raising it a semitone each time. If I cock-up whether a note or timing, back to the very start again!!! You'll be surprised how quickly you develop, if just to be able to stop!!!

[Doddy]

[quote name='Westie9' timestamp='1347731944' post='1804458']
For scales and arpeggios I tend to use the metronome set at about 80bpm. First time through playing as crotchets (note per beat), and then as quavers, both ascending and descending, raising it a semitone each time. If I cock-up whether a note or timing, back to the very start again!!! You'll be surprised how quickly you develop, if just to be able to stop!!!
[/quote]

That's ok if you are playing scales and arpeggios as technical exercises. If you are going to do this,do it later on in
your development. It's more important to understand how they work and play them in different position and different
strings and so on.Do this without a metronome so that you are concentrating on the notes and their relationships.
Later on,you can use them as technical exercises with a metronome if you want,but it's less important.
Speed will naturally develop over time the more you play-It's more beneficial to understand what you are doing and play them
correctly and accurately.