Why You Should Practice With a Metronome
One of the things that seperates a pro from an amateur is to be able to do the easy stuff right. Often you will find a guitarist who appears technically fluent, can shred notes at light speed and can show you 46 different inversions of a jazz chord, cannot nail the basics. This means playing in time, to the click of a metronome.
Most people who can’t play to a click will argue that they don’t need to play to a click. They argue that bands don’t play to a click, that there isn’t a click when they perform, and so on. Often they will say that it makes the music rigid, soul-less, empt or robotic. These people haven’t realised the benefits of learning to play to a click, and is a sign of an immature musician. All musical professionals can play to click, and if you can’t already, most players would be wise to learn.
Buy a metronome, or use the one on your computer/keyboard/guitar effects etc. It doesn’t need to be very advanced. If it has a light or something that moves, turn it over so you can’t see it. This is because we want to train our ears, not our eyes. Try to play a song in time with the click. Most tunes can be quite easily played at around about 120bpm. If this is your first time, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll be able to play perfectly to a click.
Don’t get frustrated. This is extremely frustrating practice by nature, especially when starting out. The key aspect is practice, practice, practice. You should try and do a bit every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. You will find it becomes easier with time, and soon after you will start to find your playing naturally improving beyond your own expectations.
If you sing as well as play your instrument, progress onto singing and playing simultaneously. Likewise if you are a singer alone, still practice to a click. It’s amazing how much tighter this discipline will make you, even when you’re not playing to a click.
If you find it hard, don’t fret, it is hard. It doesn’t happen overnight but it doesn’t take years either. Keep trying. A little bit of practice every day and you will soon look back and laugh.
These days I find playing to a click almost second nature. It’s a pretty essential skill in the studio, and helps when playing with other musicians too, so do make sure you’ve got it down.