February 9th, 2009 by Lisa | 3 Comments »
Can the metronome replace counting out loud?
Counting out loud and using a metronome serve different functions.
Counting out loud teaches you how to apply the right amount of time to each different
type of note. The metronome helps you count without missing a beat.
It is true you can us a metronome to help you keep the rhythm steady, but
if you don’t continue your habit and knowledge of counting, you wont’ know how to
play a song, even with a metronome. A metronome is an excellent tool to keep your
counting and playing steady. I am sorry, but a metronome alone will not teach you how many beats to apply to a note. You might think you are matching the beat to the metronome, but you might be matching the wrong notes to the wrong metronome beats if you don’t know how many counts to apply to your
notes.
I hope this makes sense. ~smile~
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Hello Lisa, My daughter is having a hard time counting out loud during piano lessons. She is 11 yrs. old, had lessons for 1 1/2 yrs when she was 7-8 yrs., and has started lessons again a few months ago with a new teacher. This new teacher has her counting out loud while she plays, which is something she did not do before. Is this possibly why she is struggling with counting out loud? I want my daughter to enjoy her lessons while she is learning. Do you have any advice on what I could do with her to help the situation? Thanks so much, Bobbi
I have been teaching for over 25 years and I know how
tough it is to get students to understand the importance of doing this – usually they count in class, but go home and
don’t count at all. Counting in your head is not the same thing. What I have done is make a recording on my voice,
or the students voice counting out loud for a few minutes, then using that during practice. It works beautifully!
Hello Lisa, I have a very hard time counting while I play. I can do it to figure out what the song sounds like but after that it is impossible. Thanks, Carol