Can the Metronome Really Be Your Friend?

When I was in high school, my guitar teacher said, “The metronome is your friend.”

I didn’t believe her.

The metronome was annoying!

When I was in college, majoring in music, my professor told me I should walk around campus listening to a metronome in my headphones.

He was exaggerating, but he was making a point. The metronome is important.

Why. It’s just an annoying click, right?

Many guitarists dislike the metronome.

Some say it’s only for those whose rhythm is bad, not for advanced musicians.

Others view it as a necessary evil to be used as little as possible.

Are there hidden advantages of the metronome that some guitarists are missing?

In my experience, if you don’t like the metronome, you may have overlooked at least one of the following 5 benefits:

1.  Ingrain a Steady Beat

This is why my professor wanted me to listen to the metronome in headphones. To make sure the concept of steady beat became a part of me.

I think of steady beat like a tightrope. After you know how to balance on a tightrope, you can try riding a bicycle or juggling. But if you don’t know where the tightrope is to begin with, you’ll fall off. If your playing varies too far from the steady beat, your music making can become incoherent.

Some will say that once you can keep a steady beat without a metronome, you don’t need the metronome any more. Let’s explore further.

2.  Translate Tempo Markings

When you see a piece of music marked Andante or Allegro, you may not have a clear sense how that translates into your playing. The metronome can give you a concrete range of beats per minute that are recommended for each tempo marking.

We sometimes marvel at musicians who have “perfect pitch”, the ability to recognize an A or F# at will without an instrument. Less discussed is what might be called “perfect tempo”, the ability to always start each piece at the exact right number of beats per minute. Like “perfect pitch”, “perfect tempo” is a rare ability, meaning the vast majority of musicians benefit from checking the metronome to get the right tempo for a piece.

3.  Improve Musical Expression

If you never practice with metronome, you may be limited in your musical expression. Why? Because your variations of rhythm might be driven by technique challenges instead of by intentional choice. If you can play each rhythm precisely with metronome, you have the control to choose when and how to vary rhythms for expressive purposes.

4.  Measure Progress

As you learn a piece, you gradually become comfortable playing it at faster tempos. But you may not notice these small tempo increases. The metronome can give you a specific way to measure your progress. That gives you encouragement and motivation to keep going.

5.  Maintain Control

It’s tempting to play faster than you’re ready for. While the metronome can be a tool to increase speed, too much focus on speed can cause you to always set the metronome faster than you’re comfortable. Then playing with metronome definitely becomes stressful!

It’s better to use the metronome to set a slower tempo where you can maintain control and accuracy. Surprisingly, playing in control at a comfortable tempo almost automatically leads to playing faster and more effortlessly. And you can gradually increase tempo with metronome, as long as you spend most of your time playing just under the speed where you lose control.

Should you always practice with metronome? No.

But if you never use it, you might be missing out.

It would surprise my high school self, but I now think of the metronome as my friend. I view it with fondness and welcome its help in my practice.

Sound impossible to you?

Maybe give my friend another chance.

Keep making music!

If you want to eliminate bad guitar days, make sure everything you need is ready at the beginning of your practice session.

I do that by using my Warmup Routine Checklist. To get a copy, click here.