Do Singers Need Metronomes

Do Singers Need Metronomes Suzy S. As a vocalist, should you practice singing with a metronome at your side?  Read on for St. Augustine, FL teacher  Heather L.s advice   Metronomes are devices that produce sounds in regular, pre-chosen rhythms. Many years ago, the only metronomes were simple gadgets. Though the first one thats even similar to what we now think of as a modern metronome was invented in the 19th century, the kind that most adults are familiar with is a mechanical, wind-up metronome. It makes a sound like someone knocking on a small door. Nowadays, nifty electronic metronomes are manufactured on their own, or in a small device combined with a tuner, and they can now even be found online and on your smartphone as an app. They are utterly customizable, and Im not talking just about the time signature, but even the sound itself. Pros and Cons of Using a Metronome So many musicians use a metronome all the time, but theres always been a lot of debate on whether or not theyre even effective. Supporters of its use say that it helps to encourage an internal sense of rhythm, it helps to keep musicians playing at a constant speed (if they tend to have a tendency to speed up or slow down), and because you can set it to a composers indicated tempo marking, you can get a true idea of the speed he or she wanted the piece to be played. Opponents of the metronome claim that it simply creates mindlessly mechanical musicians, devoid of music expressiveness. Over the last decade of teaching piano, Ive used a metronome sparingly, fearing that students would go insane if I played it incessantly. But recently, Ive found it more and more useful. Overall, Ive come to believe that pianists, especially those in the beginner and intermediate stages, need a metronome. But do singers need a metronome? Using a Metronome for Singing Practice I taught a voice lesson this morning to a 65-year-old female student. She is a complete beginner who has a lot of promise. Because its so important that all of my students learn to sight read, I made sure that I got an intensive session in for her today. In the middle of sight reading melodies, she suddenly asked, Why is that dot round and without a stem? She was asking what a whole note is. As I explained note rhythms, and specifically that a whole note is one thats sung or played for four beats, I realized how much I needed a metronome in that moment. I wouldve played my guitar, the metronome wouldve sounded its steady beat, and my student wouldve heard that steady beat in the background as she sang. As she sang that whole note, she couldve heard four beats go by. That wouldve reinforced her learning aurally. Sure, I was able to strum and tap my guitar side to get a similar effect, but what happens to my student tomorrow when she goes to practice singing on her own? She doesnt play an instrument. And even if she did that doesnt mean at her beginning stage that shed be sure to stay consistent in her rhythms. Yes, music is a living thing, and living things naturally slow down and speed up. Music is a living thing that lives inside us, not on a written page. That page is a guide, a map that shows us the way. But its not the way. Rubato, for instance, is an Italian term that means literally to rob, and musically, it means to slow down and take time away, so to speak, only to give it back and speed up later on. Its a beautiful thing. But metronomes dont know rubato. They are faithful, true, and dependable, which is exactly why theyre so important for your musical studies. Other Ways a Metronome Can Help Singers need metronomes. A lot of composers and even songwriters include very particular, and even not so particular, tempo markings in their works. These markings go from vague, like with movement, to an exact number of beats per minute, like 132. Unless you know just what 132 beats per minute sounds like, when you see that 132 on your page of music, youll just be guessing. And have you ever slowed down or sped up in song, without even knowing it? Me, too. Metronomes help. Think of the last time that you sang with another musician. Did you find yourselves having to take a few minutes to talk about exactly what tempo youd play? Did you get a little frustrated when someone sped up on his own? A metronome wouldve helped. In the end, the metronome becomes a trusty friend, there whenever you need it. But someone doesnt have to be your roommate to be a trusty friend. And your metronome doesnt have to be a nagging, annoying, or constant companion. You can be simply friends, and what a great friend it is to have. Heather L. teaches singing, piano, acting, and more in St. Augustine, FL, as well as through online lessons. She is  a graduate of the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and has performed with the New York and Royal Philharmonics, the New Jersey and Virginia Symphonies, the American Boy Choir, and the internationally renowned opera star Andrea Bocelli. Learn more about Heather here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Niki Odolphie