So I play alot with a whistle player and an accordion player. The whistle player practices with a metronome everytime. He swears by it so i gave it a shot. I have not been able to get it to work for me. I spend to much time worrying about being perfectly on beat and things fall apart. Do you guys play with metrenomes when you practice? Is it a serious problem if i can’t play all my tunes with a metronome? What do you guys do?
Dan
In a workshop with Jerry O’Sullivan he says that he practices with a metronome often because when you are practicing by yourself you may fall out of rythm and not even know it since slowing down and speeding up during play may be a very gradual thing.
Also he says that this helps to correct the biggest problem in Irish music, trying to play too fast. I use a metronome for about 1/4 of my practice and turn it to like 70 beats per min. Playing very slowly really exposes the mistakes that you would otherwise not notice. Remember the saying:
Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
The biggest problem with a metronome is that it isn’t fun to play with. It feels like it turns my practice into work, which I guess is how it should feel.
I practice with a metronome to make sure I can play a tune or an ornament in correct time. As Darth said, it isn’t fun but it realy improves control. I also practice at different speeds so I don’t locked into one tempo.
It’s a good practice discipline, but I don’t use it more than 10% of the time. When playing a solo tune some deliberate tempo changes can add to the music so the metronome will get in the way.
Metrognome.
Pat.
Metronome takes years off your learning. Not up for debate.
The guitarist and singer Gordon Bok had a real problem with timing when he was first learning to play guitar. A local shipbuilder in Camden, Maine solved the problem by playing recordings of Dixieland Jazz and making Gordon tap his feet to the rhythm. A month or two of that and everything was fine.
Really, I think playing along with recordings of Irish music (slowed down if necessary) might be better for your playing in the long run than using a metronome. Despite the claim by jazz players that “nothing swings like a metronome,” I think metronomically perfect timing leads to lifeless music. You want a solid rhythm but it needs to come from within, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. In my experience, the best way to improve your rhythm is to listen and play along with good musicians, whether in person or on a recording.
This should tell you all you need to know. The less you can do it, the more you need it.
djm
there is no debate here. Just wanted to see what other people were doing. I almost completely isolated from any pipers. Thanks for your responses. I think i know what i must do.
A metronome is very valuable for learning any instrument. I use it extensively when I give lessons on the GHB. It is especially useful in teaching different rhythm types (some GHB players make everything sound like a fast march).
It has been recommended to not set same tempo for all types of tunes. Jigs and reels are different animals and require different tempo.
It has been recommended to play s-l-o-w when practicing - maybe on the first iteration of three. Don’t know how many tunes I have ruined and had to relearn after session playing… tey all like to go so fast-fast-fast, but fast isn’t better.
cheers,
DJones
I think playing along with recordings of Irish music (slowed down if necessary) might be better for your playing in the long run than using a metronome
This is my main method of trying to learn a new tune! Once I have the tune in my head, and I don’t feel like setting up my laptop with the slow down software I bust out a metronome. I use it to “hold me back” from playing faster which is my natural instinct.
I’m always surprised how much harder it is to play slow than to play fast. I guess it’s because you’re really trying to gain full control of the instrument.
I told my fiddle teacher that my metronome was eratic and sped or down as the case may be. She was not amused.
Mine is defective also, it always speeds up during the difficult parts of the tune. 