Using a metronome may seem clear by design. It keeps a consistent tempo for players to reference while practicing or performing, like for a recording session or live tracks. But the truth is much deeper. A metronome is a powerful tool that players can leverage to develop their own sense of time.
You can develop a sense of time by using your metronome in a variety of ways. Most players just use it in the simplest way — set the tempo and follow it. But that method doesn’t always lead to quick results.
Need a metronome or other practice gear? This article shares 9 practice essentials and ideas on how to use them.
If you want to develop great timing, you should honor your limited practice time by using the metronome to its fullest potential. Ultimately, it’s your potential that’s on the line — the metronome is just a tool. It doesn’t care to improve, or care about anything.
The following ways to use a metronome are some of the tricks that have helped many players develop their time to a pro level. And these strategies don’t need to take long.
Day-to-day consistency is the important thing to remember. It leads to the fastest development, especially if you’re using good tools and strategies.
1. Increase the tempo gradually over time.
Start slow and systematically increase the tempo. This could be done throughout a single practice session, from one day to the next, or on a weekly basis. How often you increase the tempo depends on the thing you’re practicing.
When I first started developing technique on congas, I practiced heel / toe stroke exercises at a slow tempo for 15 minutes per day. The tempo was only increased about 5 beats per minute (bpm) each week. This worked great for developing as a conguero, which takes an enormous amount of chops to get through a four-hour gig.
For drum set, try practicing rebound stroke exercises at slow, medium, and fast tempos during each daily practice session. As your hands become stronger and muscles acclimate to more speed without tensing up, you can adjust the tempo to meet your needs.
2. Shift the beat in relation to the click.
Instead of hearing the metronome on the downbeats, shift the metronome over one sixteenth note. Do this for each of the subdivisions of the beat. You could also try it with triplets or sextuplets, which is highly recommended.
This is an idea that I’ve been working with for a long time. It’s nothing new, but Rob Brown recently made a video demonstrating how he shifts the beat in relation to the metronome click. Check it out here — Rob’s a great drummer and knows how practice routines and development well.
Try playing simple beats like the examples below. The important thing to remember is that you want to develop an internal sense of the subdivisions, even though you may not be playing them. For example, your cymbal pattern could be quarter notes, but you are feeling the sixteenth notes internally.
Also, try drum fill exercises with the click shifted to different sixteenth notes.
If you’re interested in more information on drum fills, including exercises, check out this article.
3. Set the click to different note values (besides quarters).
As your time becomes stronger, try to change the note value of the metronome click. For example, most of the time we think of the click as being the quarter note. Try thinking of it as the half note or quarter-note triplets.
Consider changing the tempo as needed to accommodate your practice needs. You may want to continue to play the same tempo, only with fewer clicks to reference.
This use of the metronome allows you to become more responsible for the time. The metronome will still hold you accountable, which provides the opportunity for your to make adjustments and evaluate to what degree you were ahead or behind the beat.
4. “Metronome Relay”
The Metronome Relay is simple. Drummers play through four levels. Each level provides a certain amount of audible clicks. As you progress to the next level, you lose a measure of clicks without losing the timing of the cycle. When the tempo increases, you start back at the first level with all of the clicks.
The levels are designed in the following.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Variations on the game come in the form of one click for each measure and five different tempos for each group of levels. The one click per measure variation follows the same leveling as described above. The only difference is that you have a click on the whole note, not every quarter note.
This system can be used for drum set, congas, or any instrument, really.
Are you maximizing your results? FREE download
Final Thoughts
Playing with a metronome is not the same as developing good timing. Developing your timing is a process that involves building your capacity for consistent evaluation of your accuracy in relation to a specific tempo, how evenly you play, and your memory of different tempos. This process requires multiple strategies, like the ones above, to level up your drumming, today!