I have been using my smartphone metronome and I like it for me.
My 9 year old wants a REAL metronome, not the cell phone one. GEESH!
He is having a harder time keeping time than his older brother. His older brother never needed a metronome. Each kid is different, I guess.
Do you have a recommendation for a type of metronome? I guess I have to buy one to appease my 9 year old.
I like the cellphone metronome that has an accent on the first beat because it lets me hear when I have gone over the bar if I slow down or mess up.
Do the digital ones have that?
Thanks

A lot of people use the blue Korg metronome that has a different beep for the first beat. I use a Quartz Matrix that has only one type of click - it's easier when you have pieces switching meters. I prefer the simplest types and the Quartz Matrix is about as simple as it gets.

I recommend the Seiko SQ-50V ($27 from Amazon) for all my students. It has a bit of a 'hollow' sound that is not as 'harsh' as many other metronomes. It doesn't have the high pitch on the first beat, but it is very reliable and my students like it.

I really like the Matrix MR-600. It has a nice hollow "tock" sound with a volume control and earphone jack, you it has an eight led swinging display, you can set the down beat on 2,3,4,5,or 6th beat. It also is a pitch generator. It is about $35 at Amazon: LINK

I agree. Also, when there is no accented beat, extra beats can be added to a tenuto mark.

But the mixed meter point is very valid.

I use my brain. I can't stand metronomes. It's not hard for me to pick a beat and keep it. The hard part is playing the right notes. for me.. but maybe i should get over myself.

I also hate metronomes. I only use a "click" when playing in parts, for Finale, to enable the program to give me the most accurate possible first step in notation, to make it do as much as possible for me.

I only use metronomes to demonstrate to my students how they work, but SOME of my students do need them.

It is a very individual thing.

You're not allowed to "hate" a metronome until you demonstrate capability of playing your scales and pieces accurately to the click. No excuses are acceptable!

Then you may turn it off.

Yeah. The blue Korg is cheap, robust, and easy to use. But it would be nice to be able to turn off the accents.

Having said that, some people do benefit from hearing the downbeats. Still, it would be nice if this were optional.

You can change it by changing the time signature. I don't have it with me and it's been a while since I've used it, but I think if you change the top number to 0 it will beep once on the very first beep and then the rest are the same.

Cool. That's very helpful, thanks.

I like the Sabine Zipbeat. It's a good basic metronome. Not too annoying. Can turn accents on or off. 2 or 8 LED display. Earphone. I think it's about $30-$35.
I have students get a metronome when they start playing mixed rhythms.Helps them hear the beat and put rhythms together. I also have lots of rhythm instruments. Santa just brought me some rhythm "veggies" to play to add to my collection. FUN FUN FUN!

If you are talking about this Korg metronome

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-MA-30-Compact...5905&sr=8-1

ithis is what I have and you can indeed set it to have a different sound on the downbeat or to have all the beats sound the same. It's about $20 so not expensive, and very thin and easy to slip in a lesson bag if that's necessary.

I highly recommend purchasing a metronome that allows the user to select either to have a special sound for the downbeat or no downbeat sound. This is a very helpful resource and given the price, there's no reason not to get one that has the option.

I have a Boss metronome, made by Roland. It is serviceable and fairly flexible; not as cool as a wind-up clockwork metronome, of course, but compact and undoubtedly more accurate. It does have that downbeat, but if I set it for some multiple of the real time signature it is not so much of a distraction. I dislike waiting for a new measure to begin if I mess up; it's too time-consuming, especially if it takes several tries to enter at the downbeat.

I think my Tascam recorder will give a metronome tick, the Kawai DP definitely will and you can pick any sound(s) as the tick(s). But I use the easiest one. Anyway, Ive come to realize that it is fruitless to either like or dislike this tool, for there are times when a time-beater has its place in practice, and when knowing the tempo called for by the score is essential. Metronomes are about accuracy, not interpretation, so why expect otherwise.

It is possible to make a MIDI file containing a tempo map, and it will then beat out any tempi desired (and any musical cues you want to put in), changing during a piece as often as you like. It's that third arm we've been wanting, to turn the pages and change tempi as the composer says to.

That would be cool.

I have a Wittner taktell. It's a 'real' one, with a spring to wind up before it works. Works fine for me. Easy to set, never dead batteries, stops by itself, swing arm in the corner of your eye helps sometimes.

There are many other threads on the issue, eg

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1096852/2.html

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthrea...ny%20good?.html

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1739944/Recommend_a_metronome.html

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/448361/2.html

Why not set a budget and let the kid choose?

I got tired of cheap ones failing too soon.

I use the Korg KDM-2. I've very happy with it. It has adjustable volume, can do any number of beats per measure, and I can actually set it without digging out the manual.

I also have a mechanical metronome, one of those pyramid shaped ones. They work okay, but it is impossible to listen to one for long and not think it's going Tock....tick.Tock...tick.Tock. Probably an aural illusion, but it's there. Try it and see.

http://1stopclarinet.stores.yahoo.net/witasume.html?gclid=CPSWw-HHwa0CFQ9Y7AodQEaE_Q

I've used this little thing for decades. I also have an electronic one, but the wind up metronome ALWAYS works.