If you’ve ever played music with other musicians before, you don’t need me to tell you just how important timing is. The bottom line is this: you need to be practicing to a metronome. It’s one of the first pieces of advice I give to anybody who takes guitar lessons from me.
As soon as you start practicing with a metronome, you’ll notice a few things:
- Your sense of tempo, timing, and rhythm will improve dramatically
- Your strumming will get better (guitar players)
- You will lock in better with other musicians
- You’ll be able to use click and backing tracks live
Back when I was taking piano lessons as a kid, my teacher used a metronome like the one on the right. These days you’ve lots of options ranging from physical devices to software solutions. My favorite metronome is actually an iOS app (also available for Android) called Tempo.
Tempo iOS and Android app
Download Tempo here. Tempo gives you tons of options, including tap tempo, lots of time signatures (35, to be exact) and beat patterns, the ability to create custom playlists (great for rehearsals with the band), and more. It’s extremely intuitive, and at $1.99, it’s a no brainer.
Here are a few videos from Frozen Ape (the company behind Tempo) that show you exactly how it looks and functions:
So – do you use a metronome (and if not, why not)? What’s your favorite?
OK. That has got to be the best metronome find out there. I have been looking for one that had a “click” sound vs a “beep” and had not been able to find one. Thanks a million for this one.Also, good to see you back. Had wondered if something had befallen you. Nice to see that was not the case.Thanks!
meanmna Thanks! Yeah – had a bit there where I wasn’t posting as much – just a lot of things going on in life, but it’s all good!
I use Pro Metronome by EUM Lab. It’s the free version off the app store. It works pretty well, has a tap, and you can change the tone. It’s not as nice as Tempo, but it’s a good free option.
ChristopherMcDougall Cool – thanks for the info! I’ll have to check that one out.
Metronome Beats for Android is the best I’ve found for Android. I’ve tried a bunch, but have yet to try Tempo. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for all you do. It’s incredibly helpful stuff and truly appreciated! My question is: Would you give a somewhat detailed explanation (or better yet, video) of how to use a metronome when practicing the guitar? Things like how to use it for learning new chords and especially for practicing different strumming patterns for timing, etc. Thanks!
You’d want to use a metronome for anything related to rhythm. So practicing changing chords in time, strumming, or any song where you know the tempo.