10 Reasons Why The Metronome Should Be Your Best Friend

What is a metronome? It is a steady click or beat that will be your best friend during your long career as a musician. But not everyone sees it that way.

While many orchestral instruments recognize the importance of keeping in time, there seems to be a lot of reluctance in the guitar community when it comes to using a metronome.

Perhaps they tried and couldn’t sync with it, or they just found the click super annoying and turned it off. Some lead guitarist also just focus on feeling and want to be free to play what they want what they want…

But music is all about rhythm. Without rhythm, it is just noise. People aren’t going to bop their head or tap their feet if the beat isn’t consistent. Same with being in key. People can tell when instruments are off tune or not playing in the same key with each other, and they will want to cover their ears cause it’s painful to listen to. Great examples in the video below.

If you aren’t sure if you’re rhythm is good or not, chances are, it could use some work, especially if you’re a beginner. But if you want to double check, I just found this post with 50 ways to tell if you’re rhythm sucks. Definitely worth the read.

But regardless, the fact that you’re reading this is a good sign! Maybe you don’t like the metronome or don’t really understand the purpose of it, but you’re curious and willing to learn a bit more. So pat yourself on the back. As long as you’re willing to learn and change, you can always grow into a better music.

On the other hand, there are people who never work on their timing and it shows. I wrote an article called “Are You Neglecting Rhythm Guitar“, I gather many posts from lead guitarists who realize their rhythm sucks, and other musicians who don’t understand how such technical players can’t keep a beat or play with the group. People would rather have an average guitar player who can keep time than a pro soloist who can’t play in time.

So, in this article, I will go more in-depth about the beauty of the metronome and why you will thank it when you’re able to please your future band mates, producers, and audience.

1. It Helps You Develop Internal Timing

Now, listen. Musicians don’t and won’t use metronomes all the time, every time. But if you are a newer musician or you don’t have much of a musical background, chances are, you will need to work on your internal clock. It’s easy to count beats when a song is playing, but are you capable of continuing that beat in silence?

At first, you may think you’re keeping a beat, but a recording will reveal that you will speed up or slow down just a smidge, and you will be completely unaware of it. Thus, when you are playing an instrument with only yourself, you will speed up or slow down, and not notice either.

How about songs? It’s easy to keep the beat when there is a solid beat, but what about when there are silent breaks, or they change to an upbeat? Can you keep a solid beat throughout?

Below is a clip of me clapping through songs on a random playlist. I’ve gotten so used to tapping and counting along with songs that it’s easy to find the beat and keep that tempo. Even when songs are new to me, even when there’s a pause, even when elements change, I can keep going. This is especially hard with Japanese songs that tends to do chord changes on the upbeat.

Developing your internal timing takes time, and the only way to really train yourself is with a metronome which is strict and unforgiving. Play a song you know well with it and see if you’re able to stay on beat. It’s not as easy as it seems, but with practice, your timing and strumming will greatly improve!

2. Prevents Rushing/Slowing (Consistency)

#1 is implying, you think you’re playing in time but you’re off. This is different. One thing beginners love to do is play quickly when a part is easy, and slowing down when they’re struggling to make those transitions. This is a really really bad habit.

As a musician, you need to play consistently. If the part is slow and boring, you still need to play it slowly. And if a part is fast and hard, you need to work up to it so you can stay in time.

If you’re someone who tends to just play how fast or as slow as you want, a metronome will kick your butt into shape by forcing you to play the song as intended. Again, the song comes first, not you.

3. Helps You Play The Piece Properly (Sheets/Theory)

I’ll say it now, most tabs suck. They really do. While the notes or chords may be accurate, that’s all most of them would tell you. The only way you could play a song with these tabs is if you knew the song and it’s timing already. Otherwise, it’s more of a guessing and feeling situation. (Thus why Songsterr is my tab site of choice).

But here’s the beautiful thing about sheet music. It not only tells you what notes to play, but when exactly to play it. Sheet music is divided into ‘measures’, and these measures will have a combination of note values that fill up the whole, like measuring cups to make a whole cup.

Each piece of music will have a time signature which tells you how many beats are in a bar and which note gets a beat. On tabs and modern sheets, you should be able to find the BPM (beats per minute) of a song. On classical pieces, you should see a word that tells you the general speed of a piece (Allegro, Largo, Moderato).

The purpose of sheet music is that it allows the reader to learn a song they have never heard before. With basic tabs, it is a guessing game because there’s no timing reference, but with detailed tabs or sheets, it is very precise and leaves no space for interpretation.

For a moment, think about being a classical musician centuries ago. There were no audio recording devices back then. Thus, if someone composed something, and they needed to write parts for each instrument or preserve their piece for later, it would have to be written down.

It’s through these sheets that we are able to reproduce it now and be certain that that is how it would have sounded back then. If there was no music notation or timing reference, it would be impossible. Nearly every musician pays attention to the timing of notes and rhythm of a song when they read sheets, so if you want to be a great guitarist, you shouldn’t neglect music timing either.

So if you don’t know anything about sheets or timing, definitely check out my ultimate article to tabs, which includes setup, music theory, timing and many many examples for you to practice reading time. This will be a huge game changer later on your journey to being a great musician.

4. You Practice Discipline & Respect For Music

There are certainly a lot of big egos in the music world, but the best musicians are those who are humble and open to learning or changing for the sake of the song and group. They realize that they are not the star of the show, the music is. They would rather be part of the band and play amazing pieces, than show off and just be loud.

I mentioned something in my recent “Do I Need To Tune Everyday?” which I would like to restate. As tedious and boring as tuning may be, it is a part of being a musician. Nearly every musician has to do something to prepare their instrument to be played.

Clarinet players have to assemble their instrument, and prep their reed properly. String instruments, like violins and cellos, need to be tuned, their bow needs to tightened, and rosin should be run across it multiple times. I played both of these, so trust me when I say the set up for other instruments can be a lot longer than tuning a guitar.

While it may have taken 5-10 minutes to set up the instrument and be ready for class, I didn’t mind it. It was a change to cool down after the last class and get into the mindset to play. I also never saw it as bothersome or annoying, nor did I question it. I knew it came with the territory.

Setting up your instrument and taking care of it was part of what it meant to be a musician. It was the only way to ensure you produce the best sound possible and not damage your instrument with time. But sooner or later, it becomes a passive habit that takes no effort to do.

I also want to compare musicianship to martial arts. Karate, Taekwondo, or Kungfu isn’t just about being strong and beating people up (I see you Cobra Kai). A big portion of martial arts is the mind. One must be able to calm their mind, be in control of their emotions, and respect everyone, both their senseis and newbies.

They will do a warm up, and then run through the same kicks and punches many times. Proper form is expected and corrections are made asap. Only after running through all the ‘boring’ stuff may they have some time to practice combat skills with other students, or actual fights. And at the end of the day, they will bow to everyone, regardless of their wins, loses, or how they feel.

Discipline doesn’t mean that one is weak or incapable, nor does it mean that they are a ‘pussy’ who can’t think for themselves. At the end of the day, every black belt had to work their way up, following the way of their martial art, respecting the rules, and listening to what their sensei teaches them. Even if they could beat up anyone and assert their dominance, they don’t. That’s not what martial arts is about.

So as you learn to play an instrument, you should consider everything else that comes with it and respect it. Setting up, chords and scales, music theory, and of course rhythm! If you neglect rhythm you’re pretty much ignoring a vital part of music. If a ‘musician’ doesn’t care about timing…are they really a musician?

Not trying to gatekeep or anything, but just think about it for a moment! It’s the same as someone claiming they looooove soccer and can play soccer, but then they always want to use their hands.

Why? Because ‘that’s more convenient for them’. Because ‘they don’t like using their feet’. Because ‘it’s easier to throw the ball than kick it’. Because ‘it feels better and it’s more natural to them’.

If you can’t respect the rules of soccer, you don’t really love soccer, and you’re not really playing soccer. It doesn’t matter how they feel. That’s not how soccer works.

You can’t just bend the rules, do things your way, and expect everyone else to accept it and be fine with it. If you want, you are free to use the soccer ball however you want and even create your own game, but don’t call it ‘soccer’ if you’re not following the rules of soccer. The coach and the referee will kick you out asap. If everyone did what they wanted, the game would be a mess!

It’s the same for music. You can play licks and such all you want with your instrument. Kids and animals can hop on a piano and start slamming down on random notes too. Does that mean they can play piano? You’ll see pretty quickly that the only way to divide noise from music is by following the basic rules of keys and rhythm. You can experiment and create, but it should be built on a musical foundation.

Consider your metronome as your sensei who wants to help you. It’s strict and unforgiving, but it’s for your own good. Drop the ego, submit to the metronome, listen to what it’s trying to teach you, and together, you will be the next All-Valley Champion! …I mean flourish as a musician!

5. Forces Improvement

Now, back to how a metronome can really help you on your journey is that it forces improvement. You may think you know a song well and can play it great, but once you have the unforgiving metronome beside you, you’ll be more aware of your slow chord changes, or your uneven picking, or that your rest was a little long so now the rest of the song is off beat.

If you are someone who either doesn’t notice your mistakes, or you tend to brush it off cause you’re having fun, a metronome will be your wakeup call, and you’ll want to respect the beat enough to improve a piece that you once thought was good enough. You’ll start focusing more on accuracy and precision.

For me, when I started getting more into rhythm playing, I was quite lazy honestly. I would just run through the chords and do a half-assed job with the strumming pattern. It’s not that I didn’t care about the music, but I had no reason to learn it. I’m very goal oriented, so unless I plan to do a serious recording or perform a piece, I didn’t see a reason to spend days learning it just to forget it later.

But once I got this band going and we had a setlist of songs we were planning to record, I became quite diligent in my learning. As the rhythm guitarist, I knew that I would playing the most recognizable part that the singer lead guitarist, and bassist will be relying on for reference points, thus, I had to make sure I was solid.

Free Songsterr doesn’t allow me to slow down songs, so I would go through it casually at first to learn the chord progressions and the strumming pattern. Japanese music tends to have more complex progressions, and strumming patterns where the chord changes on the 4+ note. So I would first make sure I’m familiar with the layout of the song.

After, I would go through it alone from beginning to end to ensure I have the song internalized and won’t have to refer to my tabs. Then, I would play with a metronome. If I notice that I keep messing up on a section, I’ll go back to the tabs to see if I missed something or was adding something by mistake. And once I can play it well with a metronome would I then play along with the song to get more familiar with how my part would sound with a band.

With this method, I was able to learn 15 songs perfectly within 2 months, and I felt I improved greatly as a rhythm guitarist. Instead of ignoring the beat, just playing how I like, or just getting through it like I used to, I implemented the metronome so I could see how sloppy my rhythm playing was and work on improving it.

So yeah, if you learn to read sheets/tabs while paying attention to notation, and you play with a metronome until you can play it through on the beat with ease, you will see how much your playing improves and flourishes.

6. So You Can Play With A Band

Onto the fun stuff! Or, actually, the not-so fun stuff if you can’t keep a beat. A band environment can be a fun and exciting opportunity, but it can quickly become daunting or embarrassing if you never cared to play with a metronome.

Whether you have been practicing only by yourself, or you play alongside the official song, nothing can prepare you for a band situation if that’s all you know. The song will no longer be a reference, and you will be expected to work to the timing of the drummer.

On top of that, if all you had were the drums and bass, would you be able to figure out where you are, or when exactly to play? Do you know where the verse and chorus starts, or how many bars you have to solo with?

Adding on, would you be able to keep up with them and be a part of the band instead of falling behind or throwing everyone off? Everyone will be syncing with the drummer, so you need to as well. You also can’t wait to hear to hear the 1 beat, because you should be playing on the 1 beat at the same time.

Since you won’t always have the opportunity to play with a live drummer, the metronome is the next best thing to prepare you. Then you can jam out with many people and make epic music like this band below. You can see how everyone is bopping their heads as a way to keep their own time. There is also a big section where the drums doesn’t play, but they continue on in time.

A metronome does not only help you keep time, but it teaches you to listen and to play with someone or something else that is providing the beat. If you aren’t practicing your listening skills, and you aren’t able to sync with another beat, it will be difficult and even awkward and embarrassing, trying to play in a band.

7. Or An Orchestra

Orchestras can be quite different from a band. While there are drums and percussions in an orchestra, they usually play a minor role when it comes to the group’s timing. But there is still a metronome that everyone must follow, and that is the conductor.

While you may think the conductor is just keeping time, that is far from the truth. A lot of classical pieces tend to have changes, from time signatures, to volume changes, to speed changes. The conductor will look at the piece and figure out what is the best way to play this music and captivate the audience.

While drummers would keep a more steady beat, a musician in an orchestra must be diligent in keeping time with the conductor, as that’s the only way to ensure 20, 50, or even 200 people are playing in time with one another.

Back to the point about discipline, everyone in an orchestra must relinquish control and personal preference for the sake of the orchestra. Only when everyone chooses to follow the leader, the conductor, can they ensure a wonderful performance. There is no space for egos here.

Not to mention, most people who play in orchestras are either classically trained, or have been practicing for a decade or two. They not only have to be able to read complex sheet music, but also follow the leader and play their parts perfectly. There’s no space for improvising or mistakes here.

Definitely watch this comedic but accurate video by TwoSet Violin on what it’s like to follow a conductor in an orchestra. While these two may focus on making funny music related content now, they are professional musicians who have played in orchestras for many years. They’re one of my favourite entertaining instrument channels along with Davie504 and StevieT.

So if you ever want to play with an ensemble, you need to get used to following someone elses direction and speed, and that starts with learning to play with a metronome and follow it to the bitter end.

8. You Can Record Music

With social media and streaming platforms being an amazing platform for musicians, chances are, you may want to record your playing one day, whether on your own or with a band. But it’s not as simple as it may seem (unless you want a low quality amateur recording I guess?)

Even if your band sounds great together and everyone can sync when in the same room, studio recordings are almost always recorded separately and then laid on top of each other. The only way everyone could somehow line up perfectly at each part is if, you guessed it, there is some kind of metronome, beat, or click track present.

I have watched quite a few videos with producers giving band advice, and one thing that pops up again and again is that each member of the band needs to know their parts inside out and practice with a click track. They have seen many bands come in and so much time is wasted because playing alone with a click or a metronome is new to them.

I find this especially true for lead guitarists and singers. They will usually listen and feel the music and do what feels right in the moment. As a soloist, they have full freedom to wing things and improvise, and they rarely have to pay attention to the actual timing.

While there is nothing wrong with improvising or playing a solo as you feel in the moment, recording is another beast. One where you don’t have the same energy and hype as you would with your band or in front of a crowd. Suddenly, all eyes and ears are on you, and all you may have is a click or a backing track. Not to mention, the pressure of studio time flying by every time your recording is N.G.

If you do every plan to record music, you need to be able to play the same thing every time in time. Only then can the producer put all your parts together, and also edit to use the best takes and double up some pieces. In a lot of videos I’ve watched giving advice to bands in the studio, they get a bit angry when they bring up playing with a metronome cause so many bands come unprepared in that aspect.

I really love this video by Rob Scallon. One of his biggest songs can only be played with his delay pedals, but he wanted to try to create a natural delay by having 2 other talented guitarists play with him. They all have headphones on that gives them their own click track, which is essentially a metronome with a few other elements so the listener knows where they are.

They all knew the piece and could play it in time, but it still took them 60 takes to get through it together. Imagine how much longer it would take if you didn’t know your piece well or couldn’t play with a click!

What I have noticed as a beginner guitarist is that, any guitarist who makes playing look easy has probably been playing for 5, 10, 15+ years! They may not need a personal metronome because they’ve already passed that phase and can keep time well on their own.

But even then, almost every musician will need to record a few times to get a couple perfect takes, and that’s if they can already play with a metronome or click track. If you can’t do that, you’re going to have a horrible time at the studio.

9. Builds Confidence

You know that feeling when you were able to get through a piece without mistakes for the first time?

Now imagine if you can do that all the time, every time. You can perform something for your friends, or join a jam session and play with everyone. Wouldn’t that build real confidence? The internet isn’t always the nicest place, but if you can keep time and play in key, I found that people are supportive of beginners.

Of course, if you don’t know your part well, or you can only get through it well 50% of the time, you’re okay on your own but not with people, and so on, you’re not going to feel as confident playing or showing off your skills. Or perhaps you thought you were good, but received negative critique. While high egos should be avoided, low egos can prevent one from seeking opportunities or songs that would further improve their growth.

While a metronome is certainly intimidating (and annoying) at first, once one realizes that it is there to help you and that it will greatly improve your timing so you can sync with other musicians or tracks, one will accept it and obey it.

Every time you learn a song, you’ll work on playing it alone with a metronome, and you’ll become more aware of when each note is played, which would help in every single playing context. If you are off, you’ll try to figure out where and why, and fix it, thus improving on your own. You’ll also be practicing the song way more than you would have in the past because it’s more noticeable that you’re part isn’t perfect yet.

Being able to self correct is such a vital thing, especially if you don’t have a teacher or a musical background. But with a metronome, things will start to click, literally and figuratively. You can figure out where you need to improve on your own, and you can work on a piece until you can play it perfectly every time. Thus, building true confidence in your skills and your potential future as a musician.

Not to mention, when you start to play with other people (which I really hope you do. That’s part of the beauty and magic of being a musician), when you can fit in naturally on your first day, and you get compliments for being pretty good as a beginner, and they actually look forward to jamming with you again, your confidence will skyrocket!

10. Gets People Moving

Last but not least, a really good reason why you should be playing with a metronome is so people can groove and really enjoy your playing. Even if you just like playing guitar for yourself, there may be a day when you want to play a song for a family member or lover. Don’t limit yourself!

Keeping time is especially important if covering a song. If you’re singing an original, people won’t know how the song is supposed to go, but if you’re covering a song and they are singing or dancing along, your shaky timing would be even more noticeable.

They may have been digging it and getting into it, but your lack of timing will make it hard for them to enjoy it. Reminds me of Guitar Hero when it gets all screechy and the crowd starts booing because you weren’t able to play your notes on time.

If you don’t know much about dancing, while moving to the music is a given, professional dancers will almost always practice a routine to the counts first. This prevents any confusion with slurring vocals or offbeat parts.

I loved watching Dancing with the Stars for a good decade, and they will always show a bit of rehearsals before showing you their actual performance.

If you’ve ever watched cheerleaders practice and perform, they practice great timing. While they could just practice with the song, they spend a lot of time going through it slowly with the counts. They are aware of the song in their heads, but knowing the beat matters more.

Now, some may still see cheerleading as a cute or fun sport, but real competitive cheerleading can cause serious injuries and even deaths! They are doing pyramids, throws, flips and other high and extreme stunts that require everyone to be in sync to execute it properly.

if someone is a little late or early, they could fall or crash into someone. They say more injuries and concussions happen in Cheerleading than any other sport, and is definitely the most dangerous sport for females.

This is why timing and precision is not a joke for them. Even when the song cuts off, like in the clip below, they will keep going in time as if nothing happened. It doesn’t matter that the music cutting off is not their fault, they don’t get second chances. They all must keep going.

Like you (hopefully), they also aim to put on a show that everyone could enjoy. They are smiling, shouting, and giving every move their best. They have practice and practiced til it is polished and they can continue in time even with distractions going on around them.

And while music is not as strict in comparison and the majority of musicians make mistakes on stage every time, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to put in the effort to be able to please your future audience. What may sound in time and good to you will be noticeably off to them. Only with a metronome can you ensure the beat is consistent and that people can dig your music.

Rhythm is the foundation of music, so if you respect it and honour it by implementing a metronome into your practice routine, you can feel confident that anyone who listens will tap their feet, clap their hand,s bop their head, or dance along.

Conclusion

Timing, rhythm, and keeping a beat is a requirement to music, not an option.

Your early phases as a musician and a guitarist are vital. The worst thing you can do is ignore certain aspects or develop bad habits just because you’re lazy or don’t see why it is necessary. Not only are you wasting time learning the wrong stuff, but it will take you extra time to fix those errors later on.

You may be able to play songs or show off some slick tapping licks, but once you’re put in a scenario with other musicians, or you’re performing on stage, other’s will quickly notice where you’re lacking and it’ll be a hard and uncomfortable position for you. You’ll either lose the bit of confidence you had, or you become an egoist thinking you’re way is right, but trust me, you won’t want to be like them.

So if you’ve been neglecting or hating on your metronome, it’s time to brush it off, apologize, and become best friends. It will be difficult at first, but that’s because you’re rhythm is lacking. As you get better, you’ll start to sync and you may not even notice it when your timing is on point.

Hope this article has opened your eyes. If so, feel free to leave a tip on Ko-Fi or subscribe to this blog!

Also be sure to check out my blog for other guitar posts for beginner tips and music theory lessons <3