a steady beat isn´t the same as a mechanical beat.
That’s the point really. Playing on the beat (every beat) isn’t the same as playing well and in time. Great players of almost all dance-based genres move notes around the beats but ALWAYS with a strict sense of where that beat is, and which of those beats matter. A metronome isn;t going to teach you that essential…
It’ s a personal thing but I’d say for anyone who has to learn from scratch mostly on their own, in the absence of other experienced and talented musicians (i.e. like most of us playing at home and outside the tradition), a metronome or playalong tracks are pretty indispensable. Once you have the hang of it, it’s worth setting it your 'nome to half time so you aren’t getting that mechanical pulse (i.e. not clicking every beat but just one or two to the bar). If it helps, use it. Chances are you’ll drop it after a few months but it’ll be worth it - provided that you did all the other truly essential things of listening to as much good traditional music as you can, understanding the musical phrases, and playing in the company of good players whenever possible.
The metronome is a bit redundant these days with vari-speed digital recordings. If I’m on my own, I’d learn along to a good recording and slow it down if I had to in the process. So, external reference points essential - metronome an option I’d say.
PS. I guess I’d rather listen to a good player a bit off tempo than an in-time player with no sense of the tune - but for dancing purposes, probably not
A couple of things about the device (I use one from time to time.) Mike Eskin wrote that his speeds up and slows down. I didn’t take that as a clever quip but rather a fact. I have a mechanical Mini-Taktell which can drive me nuts… …it slows up a bit and seems to catch up with itself. I’ve sat there and listened to the thing do this without playing. Because of that, I switched an electronic model which seems rock solid but creates one of those rather awful e-tones. A trade-off…
One thing about music is that it should be intentional. By that I mean to say that nothing in your music should be left to chance, certainly not the notes you play nor the way you play them or, the speed at which you play them. For those who tend to play really fast or speed up unintentionally, a metronome can be a great help during practice. I still haven’t figured out how to use one for 6/8 time though…Kevin
The issue at hand is tempo and emphasis of beats. Almost invariably, dance music has constant tempo. A metronome will help any musician in this regard. The emphasis (accenting) of notes in dance music can, and is often manipulated and varied on the fly. Whether this is done through dynamics, articulation, swing, syncopation, or note duration, the metronome will be less useful in this regard.
While tempo isn’t everything, uneven tempo is immediately recognizable, even by the layperson, which is why the metronome is often highly recommended.
Usually, when I practice I either play to a metronome (not as often as I should…), or practice while tapping my feet. Today for no particular reason, I thought, why not do both? Why not tap my feet while practicing to the metronome? Maybe that will train my feet to tap more steadily.
So I turned on the metronome, started playing, and started tapping, and… man, that foot tapping is a distraction!
I just can’t play as fast while tapping my foot consistently. When I get to a more challenging part in the tune, my foot just automatically stops, presumably because my brain puts all its attention on getting the tune right. I thought it would be easier to keep my foot going, since the metronome is basically doing the work of keeping time, but no.
Anyway, this feels like a good exercise, foot tapping while practicing to a metronome. It feels like it might help me learn to play steadily, even while distracted. That seems like a good skill, since there are often things distracting me while I’m at a session. Guinnesses… bar-maids… bar-maids carrying Guinnesses… uh, etc.
I remember when I first started learning the fife in 1959, we always used a Metronome. My first teacher was a perfectionist and there were two things you definitely learned from him. One was to keep proper time, and the other was to read music. There were no exceptions. My first Metronome was my teacher, Mr. John McDonagh’s fife case. It was always set to 110 bpm and that’s what you better have played to. I always kept time to John’s fife case and later with a foot tap…always.
I don’t know if any of you remember but there was a guitarist, John Lee Hooker, who also kept time with a foot tap. During his performances they would actually mike his foot tapping as part of the performance.
I guess this was all pre-electronic metronomes of today.
…it slows up a bit and seems to catch up with itself. I’ve sat there and listened to the thing do this without playing. Because of that, I switched an electronic model which seems rock solid but creates one of those rather awful e-tones. A trade-off…