Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Achievement of the week - what got you excited?

Actually, I didn’t change the metronome sound. Instead, I had a serious conversation with it. I said to it:

- Well, we have to live together for a long time. It would be better to make a good relationship.

Obviously the metronome answered nothing. Not even “beep, beep”. But it had to think about this matter, because its behaviour has changed since then.

Beside jokes, I have only got to see the metronome like helpful tool.

GracieCat
Christmas ALREADY??? I'd pull my hair out too. I never liked the beginner level Christmas music. The hymnal was pretty good. At the intermediate level are some nice solos. I'm planning to do David Lanz this year.

Thanks for all the support Lain, JimF, and WiseBuff. I am excited about this. I spent last night and part of today going through all the songs/studies/inventions in the RCM books and I picked the ones I want to work on. I noticed that some seemed much easier than others. Though I was tempted to pick the easy ones and I found they were okay to listen to in the end I picked the harder ones (at least for me) as I was intruiged by the songs themselves and by the challenges they hold for me. Today I fiddled around with them and I will start with these and see where things go.

As a bonus I got to hear lots of different music and actually try some things I would not otherwise have done. I have become completely intrigued with the classical music. Back when I was a kid and did organ I wasn't exposed to this music. There is some I don't like but so much more I do. I must start a 'to learn' list I think!

Recaredo-so glad your metronome is listening to you. Mine is truly a friend and they can be so supportive but always honest.

My AOTW - four fingered chords (ie dominant sevenths, minor sevenths and major sevenths) are finally falling and feeling reasonably comfortable/natural under my fimgers. Well, mostly, but only those with a white root note. I feel it will be a long, long time before I can play in a flat key like Eb. So I've spent today going through my songbook and playing the sevenths, minor sevenths and major sevenths where I used to cheat playing a three fingered seventh or just leaving the 7th out.

Getting there!

My goodness, I feel like I've fallen behind with these posts!

Where to start....

Captain Kawai I'm really sorry, I seem to have missed your recording you posted earlier! I'm so impressed you can play and sing at the same time . Your voice really suits that genre of music - my compliments to you sir!

Gracie Cat - (and others!) there are so many ups and downs with Christmas songs - on the one hand I find that they are sort of easy to noodle with (as much as I am able to noodle) - you almost don't need music to play a lot of them.

I did however buy "The Joy of Christmas" from the Joy of series, and there is a really charming version of Oh Holy Night in that. It was a real stretch for me last November - I'll be curious to see if it is any easier this year

Recaredo How nice the metronome is now your friend. I have never tried to use one. No, I lie..... I did try a little bit when I had the digital because it was built in , so I gave it a shot, but I found it terribly irritating. I'm seriously thinking that it might help me with my Beethoven piece though.

JimF...I can do all of page 1 but not very quickly. I won't say s-l-o-w-l-y... but neither can I say I'm up to speed. All things are relative. For the Romanza can play all of it but the last 8-10 bars "relatively" cleanly - but also SLOWLY

The hardest part for me physically so far is right near the beginning of the Romanza - actually holding down the one key with 4th finger and hitting the two others. I feel so clumsy.

As always I love hearing about all the adventures - though I'm a tad envious of "flying fingers"..... I must be patient, someday, someday.....

If it's the part I think you are talking about, try using your fifth finger instead. That's what I do and it's pretty natural. Not that fourth wouldn't work but it seems more of a stretch.

Yes, I think it is the part you are thinking of. The measure before this one you are "supposed" to use the fifth, then this measure instructs use of the 4th. I've tried it both ways and it isn't actually the stretch, it is the holding down with one and tapping with the two other fingers. Oh, and playing the same note three times switching between 1 and 3 ..argh. I just feel like a total klutz.

But, klutzing and kibbutzing aside, it really is coming along and the lovely thing about taking so long to master the piece is that I find it is settling nicely into my memory. By the time I'm done it will be cemented in

Don’t doubt it, Cas. You should try to use the metronome. I’m surprised how friendly the metronome can become.

WiseBuff understands what I say about this gadget.

I used to find the metronome annoying, and then it was just disconcerting, but I've come to think of it as a friend. It took some getting used to playing along with such a relentless & rigidly rhythmic little friend, but I've come to find it invigorating.

It's also handy for adding some extra adrenaline to humdrum sight reading practice

AOTW: Resuming playing piano!

Hmm, I thought people love or hate to practise with the metronome. No midterm. Interesting to see a hater establish a relationship without counseling.

Chris

Is there anything I should look for in particular when choosing my metronome?

I'd ask my teacher but she's still very wrapped up in a terrible family problem. I just realized this morning that it is 4 weeks since I've seen her. We've spoken but it hardly seems right to call her up for this kind of info at this moment.

Metronomes...I've had several. My teacher swears by the traditional wind up model. Me? I love the digital (battery operated) kind. I can set to any speed and any time signature. I can set it to beep and/or flash a red dot ON the beat which really helps me know if I've lost a beat somewhere. That means I have to work the measure of phrase until I find where I'm dropping the beat or counting it incorrectly. I like the progress I make as I up the metronome marking a bit (playing fast tempo has never been my ability).

Enjoy...

The best choice for a metronome, I think, is an app if you have a smartphone. It's cheap like 2 euro or dollar, because you only need the software. The display on a smartphone is far better than any other metronome. Besides that, the software is very good. In many cases far better than a seperate metronome. Just my opinion.


Oh and not unimportant. You can change the sound in a metronome app. At least the one I have.

Chris

That's intersting Chris, I'll see if my phone can support the app.

Is there one in particular that you recommend? May I ask what kind of phone you have?
Mine is a nokia (6120 Classic if I remember correctly) but it is a few years old now.

Well, I like the app Tempo from Frozen Ape on iPhone, but it was long time ago I used the metronome. So there might be better apps right now. But Nokia doesn't have any smartphones, does it? I mean something like iPhone.

Chris

I understand what you mean, but my phone is indeed a smart phone, Nokia has lots of smartphone models. I'll look around.
Thanks Chris

If anyone else is interested, here's short information with some models.

Digital metronomes.

Korg MA-30

- Cheap. Enough function but poor sound.





BOSS DB-90

- Expensive. Lots of functions and better sound.




Mechanical metronomes.

WITTNER TAKTELL JUNIOR 824

- Cheap. Plastic casing and without bell.



WITTNER METRONOM 814 MIT GLOCKE

- Expensive. Wooden casing and with bell



Nevertheless, you can find many models of metronomes. Everyone can choose the best metronome according with his needs.

It certainly seems there are a lot to choose from !
Thanks Recaredo!