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Whether you are using a digital metronome, a manual wind-up model, or a metronome app on your mobile device, this helpful tool ensures you maintain accurate timing while practicing music. MARISA RAMON ESCOLANO PHOTOGRAPH / Getty ImagesImagine peering through the parlor window of a piano instructor's home on a Thursday afternoon in 1945. A young man practices scales at the piano while a metronome ticks and tocks steadily on the piano top. Its pendulum moves back and forth like a persistent windshield wiper, keeping time above both the teacher and the student.
But what exactly is a metronome and how should you use it?
What is a Metronome?
First patented in 1815 by Johann Maelzel, the metronome is a device designed to help musicians keep time. Maelzel’s version utilized an escapement mechanism (similar to the toothed wheel in a watch) to transfer energy from a wound spring to a swinging pendulum.
With each swing of the pendulum, a distinct tick was heard, and users could adjust a dial to set the tempo of the ticking [source: Underwood].
Shortly after its creation, famous composers like Ludwig Van Beethoven began incorporating metronome markings (beats per minute notations) into their compositions [source: Rockwell]. Musicians had already developed standardized symbols to notate time signature, key, dynamics, and note values. Similarly, metronome markings served as a tool for composers to indicate the desired tempo for performers.
Imagine a metronome as the equivalent of graph paper for your ears. By imposing a tempo grid on a piece of music, students can break down challenging polyrhythms into smaller, more manageable sections. They can practice these tricky parts slowly and gradually increase the tempo as they improve their technique.
The consistent beat of a metronome on each quarter note also assists students in noticing when they’re unknowingly speeding up or slowing down sections of music. It’s an invaluable tool for preparing for performances and enhancing musical ear training.
The earliest metronomes were powered by wound springs, and, much like vintage watches, they often struggled to maintain accurate time as the springs gradually lost their tension. Today, musicians can use electronic metronomes and other modern alternatives that offer far greater reliability. Some of these even allow you to program a variety of sounds, ranging from conga drums to electronic beeps and more.
The Diverse World of Metronomes
iStockphoto/ThinkstockWhen people think of a metronome, they often imagine a bulky, pyramid-shaped device with a swinging pendulum. While mechanical metronomes of this design are still in use, the term 'metronome' now refers to any device used to maintain a steady tempo.
Here are a few different types of timekeeping tools used in various contexts, from music practice to recording songs.
- Mechanical metronomes are designed similarly to the original Maelzel's Metronome. While they may be made from materials other than wood, they still preserve the classic pyramid shape and swinging pendulum that characterizes the original device.
- Quartz metronomes offer an affordable alternative to mechanical models. Typically made from plastic, these devices feature an adjustable beats-per-minute (BPM) dial. Some versions also include a light that flashes with each beat, providing a visual tempo cue alongside the auditory one.
- Digital metronomes are a more advanced option than quartz models. For example, the BOSS Dr. Beat provides a variety of time signatures and the ability to hear tones on the eighth and sixteenth notes in addition to quarter notes. You can also tap in the tempo, which is especially helpful. Some digital models even offer different tempo tones, ranging from electronic beeps to more natural drum or clave sounds.
- Software metronomes are virtual tools that can be accessed online or downloaded to a computer or mobile device, such as with a metronome app. Many are available for free or as shareware, allowing you to use a metronome without needing extra hardware.
- Click tracks are used in professional recording settings. Nearly all digital recording software, from Garageband to ProTools, includes a click track, which you can toggle on or off as needed. For analog tape recording, you can create a click track by recording the sound of any metronome and using it to maintain a steady tempo while layering other instruments.
- A backing track is a prerecorded piece of music (as opposed to a simple ticking sound) created using a metronome or click track. For example, a guitarist might record the basic rhythm of a song with a click track, and the rest of the band can then record their parts while listening to the guitarist’s pre-recorded guitar.
From Beethoven to beatboxing, virtually every genre of music has utilized and benefited from the structure provided by a metronome. However, some musicians question whether using a metronome might make their playing sound too mechanical or robotic.
Robot or Superhero: The Ongoing Metronome Debate
iStockphoto/ThinkstockMetronomes sometimes receive negative feedback. Composer and author Constantin von Sternberg remarked, "How any musician could play with a metronome, passes my humble understanding. It is not only an inartistic, but a downright antiartistic instrument."
Born in 1852, Von Sternberg reached the peak of his career at a time when avant-garde composers like Luigi Russolo and Edgard Varèse were creating futuristic works filled with gurgles, explosions, and electronic sounds. In such an environment of radical experimentation, it's easy to understand why Von Sternberg would quickly dismiss the metronome as a hindrance to musical expression.
Some modern musicians seem to share this sentiment. For example, drummer Ringo Starr refuses to play with a click track, stating, "Click tracks make me too tense" [source: Amendola].
However, not all drummers agree. Ronnie Vannucci, drummer for The Killers, shares a different perspective: "When I was in school, I spent a lot of time with a metronome. I learned how to use it but not let it hinder my musical sensibilities" [source: Micallef].
The general opinion seems to be that while a metronome can make an untrained musician sound robotic, it can also transform a dedicated player into a virtuoso. The more you practice with a metronome, the smoother your playing will become. You'll learn to swing the beat, or play just ahead or behind the beat, without rushing or dragging the tempo.
In addition to helping you become a virtuoso, using a metronome or click track has other advantages. Multi-instrumentalist Ryan Taylor wouldn't have been able to complete his experimental Ultralap project without a click track. Taylor spent a year trading lap steel parts, live drum loops, synth overlays, and other music elements recorded to click tracks with his bandmates Stacey Cargal and Mitchell Sosebee. "We did it all using email," Taylor explained. "Because of the click track, we were able to arrange parts and build compositions in a non-linear way" [source: Taylor].
Whether you're recording music with a friend across the country using a click track, or winding a pendulum metronome to perfect the Suisse Orage passage from Liszt's "Années de pèlerinage," metronomes provide a rhythmic framework on which you can both improvise and refine your musical skills.
