Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music

Interlude: Don’t Say Practice

The Metronome (or: The Torture Device)

There is a legend about Chinese Water Torture. I have no idea if it’s

true, but it makes for a good story. You’re strapped down to a table and

above you is a barrel full of water. The barrel has a small hole in it

through which a tiny drop of water falls every minute or so down onto

your forehead. This goes on for a long time, finally driving you mad.

The metronome is kind of like that, only it’s actually good for you.

A metronome is a mechanical foot-tap which keeps perfect time. Each

metronome has a series of gradations on it, usually from around 40-

200 beats per minute (bpm). The higher the number, the faster the

clicks. You set the metronome on the tempo you need and away you

go.

Metronomes come in many different shapes and sizes. There are

electronic varieties with different beeps and dings, or the simpler

wind-up pendulum variety like the one pictured. Loudness of your

instrument and the metronome is a consideration when buying one.

Some have an earplug that will send the clicks right to your ear, a good

option for loud instruments, like drums and brass.

Nobody likes being wrong. That’s one of the reasons metronomes are

so neglected. They keep perfect time and we humans do not. But if you

think about it, we learn the most when we’re wrong, as long as we’re

paying attention. So really, being wrong can turn into a good thing.

Of course staying wrong is not a good thing. You use a metronome to

fix mistakes in rhythm.

How to Use the Metronome

When you’re learning a song, use the metronome on only a short

section at one time—several measures at the most, two notes at the

least. It’s important to start slowly. Whatever you learn is what you

will play, so if you set it at a speed which is too difficult, you will

learn mistakes.

1 Set the metronome to a tempo that is slow enough so your playing feels

comfortable and easy. Play the short section through a few times at this

tempo. If you’re making mistakes, the tempo is too fast. Slow it down

Close your eyes
and repeat three
times, “The
metronome is my
friend.”