I’m thinking of getting a metronome and I saw this one at the whistle shop:
http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/accessories/qwiktime/qwiktime.htm
Any advice on it or metronomes in general?
I have one of their cheaper models and it’s a good reliable metronome for the money, albeit a bit quiet.
I got one because of it’s pocketable size. I figured it for a take-along, but can’t hear it in any but the quietest environments. If you hope to use it in even a moderate-ambient-noise environment, you might want to see if you can check it out first, perhaps in a music store or by querying musician friends.
avanutria wrote:
I’m thinking of getting a metronome…
Any advice on it or metronomes in general?
Sure, save your money. Try this first…
http://www.cantus.org/praxis/media/metronom/
uh, how is this useful to take with you to clubs, unless you carry a PC around with you when you go to playing venues? 
p.s. I have a qwik-time and I find it quite useful but yeah, in a loud environment it would definitely get lost.
[ This Message was edited by: stimps on 2002-02-14 23:27 ]
Stimps… two reports indicate it’s too quiet, wait… make that three reports counting yours. Do people really take metronomes into clubs?
While on the subject of PC’s in the playing environment. I think it would be a fantastic idea to keep all your music, MIDI’s or whatever on a laptop that you can take to sessions. You can record the session while you read your ‘virtual’ music sheets.
It didn’t occur to me to use it in sessions, as the other players would make it easy to keep the beat. I was thinking more along the lines of solo practice.
Do people really take metronomes into clubs?
I’ve done so, mostly with classical music though.
While on the subject of PC’s in the playing environment. I think it would be a fantastic idea to keep all your music, MIDI’s or whatever on a laptop that you can take to sessions.
heh, I have pretty much no use for a laptop as it is, so it would be a pretty expensive thing for me to get so I could run a free software metronome on it. 
avanutria wrote:
…I was thinking more along the lines of solo practice.
So was I, but I carried it a step further.
stimps wrote:
…it would be a pretty expensive thing for me to get so I could run a free software metronome on it. >
Agreed, but you may already have a laptop and never considered other uses for it. You could actually have other pre-recorded parts to accompany your ‘solo’ looking at the screen in a darkened room sure beats a music book & a light.
If you have a Palm Pilot, there is a free metronome, (with a tone generator for tuning, and the circle of fifths) at
http://www.gaisford.com/mtools/
It’s not really loud, but it does include a visual display.
I use a Seiko Quartz SQM-349. It’s hands down the best metronome I have seen. It has a tempo dial from 40 to 208 plus an A440-445. The top has an eight led lights that roll back and forth to the rhythm. The far end lights change from green to red on the down beat. It kind of looks like the Nightrider car. You can disable this function and just use the two end lights. It has an earphone jack and a volume control so it’s never a problem. It’s plenty loud and if not, use an earphone.
The down beat is a ping while the rest of the count is a pong. You can dial it in from 0 (just pong) through 6 for the down beat.
It has a kick stand that allows you to stand it upright. 2.5" x 5.25". Very very cool metronome, and I’m glad I paid the extra dollars for it.
Hope this helps.
a bit complicated, here in Scotland we just tap our feet!!
On 2002-02-15 16:29, billymac wrote:
a bit complicated, here in Scotland we just tap our feet!!
Oh, sure… that only works because you’re wearing metric shoes.
Shoes? You must think we are rich. Try playing bare foot and drunk au natural.
Oh, sure… that only works because you’re wearing metric shoes.
LOL
dan
On 2002-02-15 15:27, DanD wrote:
If you have a Palm Pilot, there is a free metronome, (with a tone generator for tuning, and the circle of fifths)
I just checked this site so I’ve now seen a circle of fifths, but–pardon my ignorance–what is it for and why would we need one?
Debra
I have a Quik-Time metronome. I use it for practice also. Basically it’s cheap, small, and does the job. I’d recommend it as a good basic device.
Or you could just get a pair of metric shoes.
Right Tony?
Vinny
dth wrote: I just checked this site so I’ve now seen a circle of fifths, but–pardon my ignorance–what is it for and why would we need one?
Debra
It’s a chart used to determine what key a tune is in. Check this URL for more explaination.
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/19991229.html
Tony,
Thanks for the circle of fifths reference. I understand now.
Debra
I thought a circle of fifths was a kind of circular session…