Drummer Connection Forum

Home Forum Drummer Discussions Education

Metronomes

Dave Heim - Wed, 07/16/2008 - 11:02 | 8,868 views

Drummers keep time. I've always found that practicing with a metronome helps me focus on the time (and how mine can tend to wander!).

Material like "Stick Control" by Stone, or "Syncopation" by Reed is great for honing basic skills. Playing these books with a metronome will yield nice improvements. Start slowly. Then - and only then - when you master an exercise at that tempo, notch it up a little and start again. You'll be surprised at the results.

Metronomes come in lots of sizes and flavors these days, and they don't have to be expensive. I use a Korg MA-30, it's under $30, which is about the size of a deck of cards, and full of features.

One feature I use a lot is the Tap-In Tempo. If I'm working out a new tune I can tap in the tempo the band is playing. The metronome tells you the tempo you're tapping. You then take note of the beats per minute (BPM) for future reference.

Drummer Comments (4)

[+] Add Comment

Reuben Says Re: Metronomes

Submitted On: Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010 - 11:58 AM

Awesome! I think I'll do that today, using Syncopation with my metronome. I have a DB90 by Boss...

hardcorelogo Says Re: Metronomes

Submitted On: Saturday, Nov 14, 2009 - 2:13 AM

I think the two most important things any musician should use for practice are 1) metronome and 2) mirror. Those two tools can help any player more than they could imagine. I use the Korg as well, and it's a decent unit for sure.I use have a little Seiko about the size of a credit card, a little bigger maybe, and it would subdivide into 5 and 7 16th note groupings, as well as 16th note triplets which many in this price range cannot do.

Dave Heim Says Re: Metronomes

Submitted On: Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008 - 10:29 AM

Check this one out. The BodyBeat gives you the tempo as a [b]vibrating pulse[/b] so you don't have to focus on a light or an audible click.

I think I want one.

http://www.petersontuners.com/index.cfm?category=132

King Says Re: Metronomes

Submitted On: Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 - 10:10 AM

the Dr. Beat can be a little pricey but it is a great metronome to have. For on the go I downloaded the iMetronome application on my iphone and it's really good as well..and inexpensive.