Using a Metronome

Let’s look at how to use a metronome in our practice. If so far things haven’t frustrated you, then the metronome will. I absolutely hated the metronome when I was first introduced to it. You want to be free to express yourself, and a metronome doesn’t let you. It confines you. And that is exactly why it’s so useful.

If you’re not familiar with what a metronome is, the definition from the Oxford dictionary is:

“A device used by musicians that marks time at a selected rate by giving a regular tick.”

A metronome can take many forms. The most popular today are the traditional wind-up metronome and a metronome app on your phone. Every tab in this course also has a metronome built in: just tick the box underneath it.

Handpan players, in particular, tend to avoid the metronome for far too long. The handpan is so forgiving that you can play for years without noticing that your timing wobbles. Don’t be one of those players.

How to use a metronome #

We’ve established what a metronome is, but how do we use one? It’s quite simple in concept (although it can be challenging in practice). Let’s walk through how we can use a metronome to improve our playing.

1. Get a metronome app #

The first thing you need to do is download a metronome app. I like to use “The Metronome by SoundBrenner”. It is a fantastic app that does exactly what it says on the tin, and it is available on both iPhone and Android. Any metronome app will do, though, and so will the metronome built into the tabs on these pages.

2. Set the time signature and tempo #

We now need to set up the metronome to play the beats we want it to. We need to set 2 crucial things:

1. The time signature
   • A time signature is a number that looks like a fraction. Examples of time signatures include 4/4, 2/4, 6/8, etc.
   • To set the time signature, find out the time signature of the rhythm you are practising. Every rhythm I teach has its time signature written on its tab, at the top right. The time signature of the Heavy Sa’idi, for example, is 4/4.
2. The tempo
   • The tempo is the speed at which a passage of music should be played. We express the tempo as a number of Beats per Minute (BPM). For example, common tempos include 70 BPM, 80 BPM, 100 BPM and 120 BPM.
   • To choose a tempo, start playing the rhythm and assess whether the tempo you’ve chosen is too fast or too slow. If we are learning a rhythm together, I will include the recommended practice tempo.

3. Play the metronome #

This one is a fairly straightforward step, but I’d like to mention a point here regarding best practice:

1. Let the metronome play for a few cycles first, just so that you can hear the speed.
2. Try saying the rhythm in time with the metronome so that you get a feel for the timing and speed of the rhythm.

If you’re struggling to say the rhythm, don’t worry, keep practising and it will come.

4. Start playing in time with the metronome #

Here is the important step. The set-up is done, our metronome is playing, let’s get into time with it!

For us to do this, we must first identify where the strokes we are playing fall in relation to the metronome’s beat. Let’s use the Heavy Sa’idi as an example:

Exercise practice tempo: 80 BPM
Time signature: 4/4 (this can also be found on the tab)

Now, since this is a 4/4 rhythm, our metronome will sound like this:

Tick – Tock – Tock – Tock – Tick – Tock – Tock – Tock – etc.

We can hear that there is 1 Tick, followed by 3 Tocks. Our rhythm will start perfectly in time with the first Tick, and when we repeat the rhythm, we should again start on the first Tick of the next cycle. This means that we have to play our rhythm between the Tick of the first cycle and the Tick of the second cycle.

To do this, I want you to play a Heavy Sa’idi on the first Tick. Just play one, and play it as well as you can, and see whether you finish before the end of the cycle, or after it.

If you finish before the end of the cycle, you’ve played the rhythm too quickly and need to slow down. If you finish after the end of the cycle, you’ve played the rhythm too slowly and need to speed up.

Let’s look at how the Heavy Sa’idi lines up with a metronome:

If you notice, the first ding lands on the Tick, as we mentioned. However, an interesting feature of this rhythm is that the Tek lands on the last Tock! This means that you must time your rhythm so that you play the Tek on the last Tock.

Give it a shot. It will take a few tries to get used to it – but that’s okay. If you’ve tried for a good 30 minutes and you still can’t get the hang of it, press play on the tab above with the metronome switched on and listen to where each stroke lands.

Once you can play the basic Heavy Sa’idi in time, do the same with the ornamented version from Lesson 8. You’ll probably find that the Teka tries to rush you. Don’t let it.

The ding hides your timing #

There is one thing about playing in time on a handpan that the darbuka doesn’t prepare you for. The ding rings for a long time, and that long ring blurs where the stroke actually began. It is very easy to feel as though you are in time when your dings are landing a little early or a little late, because the sound is still ringing when the click arrives.

The trick is to listen to the very start of each ding — the moment your fingers touch the steel — and line that up with the click, not the ring that follows it. If you’re not sure, use the Tek to check: it is short and dry, so there’s nowhere for it to hide. If your Tek lands exactly on the last Tock, your rhythm is in time.

Benefits of a metronome #

A metronome helps us keep time when we are practising and playing. It is an essential part of any musician’s toolkit, and in my personal opinion, every competent musician must be able to play in time with a metronome. Let’s look at a few of its benefits:

1. Improves timing #

The primary purpose of the metronome is to give you a steady tempo to keep in time with. As such, improving your timing is arguably its most important benefit. It lets you understand exactly where each stroke in your rhythm lands. This matters especially when you repeat a rhythm over and over, and even more when anyone else is playing along with you.

2. Slows you down #

A metronome helps to slow you down, so you can focus on building technique. Beginners tend to speed up a lot, especially when ornamenting. Ornamentation, by its very nature, means playing more strokes in a shorter space of time, and so it pulls you faster. This means that when you go back to a basic rhythm after some ornamentation, you’re often playing much faster than when you started! Eventually, you’ll be playing so fast that you can no longer ornament properly. A metronome helps with this dramatically, by making you play at a slower speed to build technique, and then keeping you there.

3. Improves recording skills #

If you ever decide to record something, perhaps your own piece or a song with other musicians, you’ll almost certainly need to play along with a click track. Practising with a metronome means that when you’re ready to record, you can match your rhythm to a click track very easily.

4. Builds inner tempo #

Your inner tempo is one of your most essential skills as a musician. After you’ve played for long enough, tempo starts to become ingrained in your body and mind, and a metronome helps you build this. For example, I am confident that if I estimate 80 BPM without a metronome, I’ll get it right. This helps enormously when playing with other musicians. If you know how fast they are going, you can join in at the same speed easily.

5. Improves playing with others #

When you play with other people, everyone relies on everyone else to keep the same pulse. A player who can’t keep time drags or rushes the whole group. Your training with a metronome is what makes you someone other musicians want to play with.

General metronome advice #

I think it’s worth a small disclaimer regarding the metronome. Metronomes have their uses, at certain places and at certain times. You should have different kinds of practice session:

• In some practice sessions, you should focus on technique and timing, making sure your technique is clean and you are bang on time with the rhythm you are playing. In these kinds of focused sessions, you should definitely have a metronome playing. I like to use headphones with one earphone in and the other out, so I can hear both the click and my handpan.
• In other practice sessions, you should allow yourself to play freely. Don’t tie yourself down with a metronome; allow yourself to experiment and ornament your rhythm as much as you like. These sessions will help you discover things about a rhythm you didn’t know before. In these kinds of sessions, a metronome would only constrict you. Turn it off for the time being and enjoy yourself!

It’s also worth noting that when you play with other people, you don’t usually use a metronome, so if you rely on the metronome to keep you in time, keep practising until you can stay in time without it.

Finally, playing with a metronome is usually harder than playing with other musicians. A metronome requires you to get every single stroke perfectly in time with an electronically set tempo. In real playing, the tempo ebbs and flows a little, which gives the music more flavour. If you find yourself increasingly frustrated with the metronome, remember that it’s just for training, and when you go out into the real world, the rhythm will feel much easier to play!