My recommendation with metronome work is this: try not to use a tempo lower than 60bpm (beats per minute), and don’t go above 144bpm.
I am sticking, as I usually do, to traditional metronome marks, although if you use an app or a digital device you can take the tempo up or down by just one beat per minute at a time. This can be very valuable, but for normal purposes we’re going to use the 21 speeds between 60 and 144, inclusive.
At the bottom of the page you’ll find a handy chart which you can download and print to keep a record of your progress. This chart shows all 21 metronome speeds down the left hand side. There are four check boxes for you to put in a tick, or possibly the date, when you successfully play your piece (or a particular part of it) at that tempo. You can also add any comments which may be helpful reminders of what went wrong, or how you achieved success.
The definition of a “Successful Attempt” is up to you. Must the attempt be flawless? Or will you allow one stumble? Two hesitations? It’s your decision. But be consistent. When you’ve decided what constitutes a “Successful Attempt”, work to achieve four of them at the tempo you’ve chosen.
Then move the dial, the pendulum or the electronic gadget to the next tempo up, and go again for your four successful attempts, keeping to the same definition, of course.
Begin this process at an achievable tempo, probably much, much slower than you’d like! The aim is to be successful, not to be fast. Choose the tempo at which you will succeed, not a tempo at which you will fail. This is now your Starting Tempo.
But what happens if 60bpm is still too fast? What if, to be successful, you need to go more slowly? The answer is to change the Click Value. If you were counting crotchets, start counting quavers. If you were counting quavers, start counting semiquavers. This allows you to use a tempo between 60 and 144, but the Click Value is now halved, so you will be able to find a good starting point.
Make sure you write the Click Value on the chart. If you reach the tempo of 144bpm at this Click Value, but you need to try a faster tempo, you will need to print a new chart. You can now start at 72bpm on the new chart, doubling the Click Value from the previous one. (144 to the Quaver is the same as 72 to the Crotchet).
This is a method which works.
To summarise:
- Choose your Starting Tempo carefully. It should be slower than you can actually manage.
- Choose an appropriate Click Value so that your Starting Tempo is between 60 and 144bpm.
- Define a “Successful Attempt” before you start.
- Tick your Successful Attempts off each time, but don’t worry if there are unsuccessful ones in between. That’s fine.
- After four Successful Attempts, move up to the next metronome tempo.
- Repeat Steps 4 and 5 as often as you need to.
- Aim for your final tempo and stop there, but that might mean going all the way to 144bpm and then starting again with a different Click Value.
- Print a new chart for each new Click Value.
One final point: This method can be used for an entire piece of music or just for one bar of it. Or for a few bars, or a phrase or two. Wherever concentrated, methodical practice is needed, this is the answer.
Metronome_Practice_RecordYou can use this chart when practising a whole piece of music, or just that one impossible bar! Or anything in between, of course. Decide which part of the piece needs your attention and write it at the top, where the chart says Title/Composer. Now choose the Click Value. You may be counting in crotchets, or quavers or even semiquavers. Your teacher may help you decide on the Click Value, or you can make your own choice, depending on how hard the piece is and how slowly you need to go to work on improving it.