Watch The Video Lesson
This is lesson DB-14 “How to Use the Metronome”, and is a continuation of my journal of things I have learned as an adult double bass student.
See the video for a few pointers about using the metronome.
Be sure to check out my Double Bass Lessons page for a complete list of all of my lessons!
Getting used to practicing with a metronome is really important. It will help improve your rhythmic abilities and improve your consistency of playing at a given tempo. And the more you practice with a metronome, you will find that you start hearing a metronome in your head at other times. You just become more tuned in to timing issues.
Make sure you can HEAR the metronome clearly when you are practicing. Either put it as close to you as possible, or connect it’s output to your amp or headphones, if you are practicing through headphones.
Be sure to get a metronome that is digital or allows you to change the tempo in very small increments. The Korg MA1BL Visual Beat Counting Metronome – Blue available on Amazon.com is a very good one.
If you don’t have one like this there are many metronome apps out there (“There’s an App for that!”) that work on the iPhone or other smartphone. If you have a smart phone you should have no trouble finding a metronome app. One that I use is the “Pro Metronome” by EUM available on the iTunes store.
By the way, the metronome measures tempo by beats per minute (BPM), therefore 1 click per second = 60 BPM.
