Practicing with a metronome

TroyK

TroyK

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#1
Mr. Seaton, I hope you are well.

I wonder what advice you might have about HOW to practice with a metronome aside from just putting it on and trying to stay with it while I practice.

Are there specific drills or approaches that you recommend to your students?

I'm always trying to get better.
 
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#2
Well, when I was rehearsing at my percussionist house, I noticed he had an old school metronome on a table nearby his kit. With delight I mentioned how happy I was that he finally got one. His response, “That thing is scary. It’s never in time, but it to late to return it…” A small piece of me died inside as I had hoped he would start practicing with it. He really needs to.

To your point, not being Mr. Seaton, after 43 yrs playing all manner of bass, there are times I use it to polish up my groove. Just letting it run while I drill scales, practice the head of a piece or work thru a difficult passage. Like someone once said, “priceless”.
 
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#3
TroyK said:
Mr. Seaton, I hope you are well.

I wonder what advice you might have about HOW to practice with a metronome aside from just putting it on and trying to stay with it while I practice.

Are there specific drills or approaches that you recommend to your students?

I'm always trying to get better.
Click to expand...

Two professionals I was so fortunate to land private teaching with, both advised the same way exactly: perceive the beat clicks on beats 2 and 4, assuming you're in common time. This will (seem to) convey a dancing swing feel (as perceiving on beats 1 and 3 will (seem to) convey a march feel). E.g., for 120 bpm 4/4 time, set the metronome to 60 bpm.
 
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#4
I know you are not asking me but one thing I’ve been doing for over a year is setting the click to one click every 8 beats. So in 4/4 time that’s one beat every two measures. That’s the first thing. The next level is to start moving the click to different subdivisions. That gets very hard but will really level up your time. For that exercise I would probably suggest one click every four beats. So first experiment putting the click on beat 1, then 2, 3 and 4. Next put the click on the “and of” one, then “and of” two etc. To be clear if, you are playing four quarter notes per measure, that’s the second eighth note of each beat. Then start experimenting with 16th notes (one ee and a). You get the idea. Doing this has really improved my time.
 
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#6
Here are three things I routinely use a metronome for in my practice:

1) Check my metric accuracy. I set it on say 60-80 bpm, doesn't really matter. Then I play something simple, checking to assure that the metronome and I are agreeing on location of beats. Amazing how often I am wrong, especially when I haven't done it in a while.

2) Improve my tone and bow control. I set it on a slow tempo, like 60. Then I bow open strings, subdividing to one quarter note per beat, keeping a full-throated, even tone, using the whole bow evenly. When that feels and sounds good, slow down the metronome a few clicks, and repeat. This will help you get really good tone and string contact even at the slowest tempos.

3) Facility in fast passages. If I have a fast passage to learn, I'll set the metronome to something I can manage and play the passage as duples then triplets. When that is good, I bump it up a bit.

I know, none of these exercises is high level profound. But they help me, make me happy, and keep me honest.
 
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#7
I use an old school mechanical sometimes but I also just use an app. The Fender free app goes down to 10 BPM which sounds useless but I play and sing along with that and find it a helpful exercise due to the ultra slow count. There’s no best.
 
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#8
I just saw Lynn at ISB last week. I know he is busy and that he will be participating in numerous summer camps, but in an “ask a pro” forum, it would seem to be a courtesy to give the guest whose name is on the forum the chance at first reply.
 
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#10
Thank you all for your very helpful comments and the posted video!
I have indeed been in bass heaven the last three weeks with the International Society of Bassists, the University of North Texas Jazz Double Bass Workshop, and the Kansas City Johnny Hamil Bass Workshop.
I use the metronome for various things. They include playing scales, arpeggios, and walking or grooving in time. Sometimes it is all four beats and sometimes on fast tunes, it is 1 and 3. In 1980 I had the honor of playing for the first time with guitarist Herb Ellis. After noticing he tapped on 1 and 3 on fast tunes, I asked him about it. His reply was to feel the half note and relaxed time. It is also comparable to the bass drum playing a two-beat feel. Many of my elders explained for swing tap your foot on 1 and 3 and snap your fingers on 2 and 4.
The metronome keeps me honest!
 
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#11
Lynn Seaton said:
I use the metronome for various things. They include playing scales, arpeggios, and walking or grooving in time. Sometimes it is all four beats and sometimes on fast tunes, it is 1 and 3. In 1980 I had the honor of playing for the first time with guitarist Herb Ellis. After noticing he tapped on 1 and 3 on fast tunes, I asked him about it. His reply was to feel the half note and relaxed time. It is also comparable to the bass drum playing a two-beat feel. Many of my elders explained for swing tap your foot on 1 and 3 and snap your fingers on 2 and 4.
The metronome keeps me honest!
Click to expand...

Reminds me of the old joke about how no one who’s lost in the changes or form on the bandstand ever turned to the guy next to him and asked, “hey man, WHERE’S TWO?”

I’ve been a “1 and 3” guy for decades now, at up tempos just a “1” guy. But everyone should do what works for them, IMO.
 
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#12
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Reminds me of the old joke about how no one who’s lost in the changes or form on the bandstand ever turned to the guy next to him and asked, “hey man, WHERE’S TWO?”

I’ve been a “1 and 3” guy for decades now, at up tempos just a “1” guy. But everyone should do what works for them, IMO.
Click to expand...
I love that joke, "No one asks: Where's two?"! It is funny because it is true!
 
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#13
Thank you, Mr. Seaton, and everyone for your replies. I do use the metronome in all of the normal ways, but I'm not into at the level displayed in the video.

I'm heavily into rudiments work right now and do all of that with a metronome. When I am ready for something new, I may call up my old teacher and see if this is something he can help me tap into (pun unintended).
 
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#14
TroyK said:
Thank you, Mr. Seaton, and everyone for your replies. I do use the metronome in all of the normal ways, but I'm not into at the level displayed in the video.

I'm heavily into rudiments work right now and do all of that with a metronome. When I am ready for something new, I may call up my old teacher and see if this is something he can help me tap into (pun unintended).
Click to expand...
Haha!
 
#17
Markmann said:
IMO playing with any sort of metronome is better than nothing because I know that my sense of time gets bad if I don't play along with something for a period of time. Even playing along with recorded music works well and at the very least you can tap your foot.
Click to expand...
I agree that playing along with great records is important. Playing with great players helps too!
 
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