Metronomes?

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 1:46 pm

I prefer to suck for the opposite reasons as Azalin. Machinery! I go through phases of no metronome use at all for months. Currently, I'm preparing for a performance on St P Day and I intend to play a few of the tunes relatively fast (hopefully within the limits of my competence...). The metronome is helping me figure that out. At one speed, I'm a bit sloppy, so I slow it down to where the playing is smoother. It also informes me where to not speed up, which happens at certain parts of certain tunes. I may not notice that without the metronome. For the life of me, I cannot tap my foot while playing. I listen internally for rhythms, and that works pretty well for me at sub-maximal speeds.
Tony

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 2:23 pm

Interesting, I can't play a tune *without* taping. Actually, this is one of the main reason I'll spend my entire life in basements, I don't have much choice if I don't want to disturb my neighbors. I can always use the pillow trick, as a silencer, but it's not very good for my pillows

I have a feeling that in classical music, not taping the foot is "cool", fortunately in irish music it doesnt seem to be a problem.

Hmmm, sorry for this OTeeing stuff...

paulsdad · Post by **paulsdad** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 2:28 pm

I have found a metronome especially useful when learning a tune from the sheet music. I can S L O W down the music enough to figure out the tune, then gradually speed up the tempo (4-8 beats per minute) until I have it up to almost a normal rate.

I think a metronome is also useful when learning to play along with others. I find it very easy to play at an uneven pace. A metronome has the potential to help with this problem.

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 3:55 pm

Interesting Azalin: I thought that ever since you sold your car to go to Ireland you WERE a « métro gnome »!

As for foot taping, isn't that for women? Anyway I believe it is now outlawed even in China, so stick to your basements.

BTW everyone else Az's current basement flat is an amazing pad, all wood and stone. Looks like a typical Montreal fake-Irish pub, except done with taste.

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 4:05 pm

You funny guy Stevie!!! I guess it's "tapping" then? Argh!

Yeah, my appartment is a session place! So when's our next session? So that I can tap my foot unevenly...

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 4:13 pm

On 2003-02-05 16:55, StevieJ wrote:

As for foot taping, isn't that for women? Anyway I believe it is now outlawed even in China, so stick to your basements.

I just thought Az was taping his foot so he could play it back later in the quietude of his basement.

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 4:14 pm

Argh, I hope that my rythm doesnt suck as much as my english!

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:16 pm

On 2003-02-05 17:14, Azalin wrote:
Argh, I hope that my rythm doesnt suck as much as my english!

Don't worry about it. We all make typo's - most especially when we are trying to correct someone else's spelling.

Anyway, isn't English your second language? Have you heard the old joke that goes -

What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual.

What do you call someone who speaks three? Trilingual.

What do you call some who only speaks one? American.

Though I can mangle Spanish a little, I resemble that remark. One of the reasons I keep my mouth shut when my wife criticizes her own English - it's her second language, and she speaks three. And her *written* English is better than most native speakers I've dealt with.

Moving back on-topic a bit - one of the biggest problems I have with Irish music is knowing how to pronounce the song titles when I come across them in written form!

Judging by the pronunciations I've heard, Gaelic orthography follows rules far different than modern English. Assuming it *has* rules a benighted monoglot American English speaker can learn.

MacEachain · Post by **MacEachain** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:25 pm

Hi Folks,
You can download a metronome free from http://www.music-utilities.com. I think thats the correct url, if not just type music utilities into the search on Yahoo.

Cheers, Mac

Edit; tried the link, it's ok.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: MacEachain on 2003-02-05 18:27 ]</font>

E = Fb · Post by **E = Fb** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 6:08 pm

Az,

What determines the position that french canadian couples make love in? Whether there's hockey on TV or not.

Tom.