pattik - Posted - 02/03/2010:  13:17:24

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Okay, am shopping AGAIN. My teacher suggested a Sabine, her's is an ancient model, but thought any of them would be fine. One of my FHO friends suggested a Seiko Quartz M380 and a Sabine Advanced Zipbeat. In googling this, OMG there are tons, Boss, Korg, etc. Thought I'd throw this thread out there and see what all you folks use and recommend. Keep in mind here though, I am a beginner.

woodwiz - Posted - 02/03/2010:  13:27:30

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Here's what I use almost all the time, and I have several others. It's free:

nch.com.au/metronome/index.html

Best thing about it is that it's always handy, doesn't need batteries, and is loud enough I can hear it over the fiddle. I only need it at home, so portability doesn't matter.

The tuner I use the most is on my computer, too: www1.ocn.ne.jp/~tuner/tuner_e.html

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Edited by - woodwiz on 02/03/2010 13:28:24

iceburg - Posted - 02/03/2010:  13:47:58

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In my opinion the most effective metronome (by orders of magnitude) is the Peterson BodyBeat pulsating metronome. Unlike all of the other competitors (and I have several - including a Boss Db90) the BodyBeat uses a clip on transducer that produces a rhythmic vibrations. I love this gadget ...it like having your own personal drummer clipped to your arm (or where ever). It is the easist metronome to adapt to and operate. This is one training tool I would not want to be without.

From their web site:petersontuners.com/index.cfm?category=132
The BodyBeat® offers a new approach on typical metronome use. The BodyBeat metronome produces a pulsing vibration allowing musicians to easily internalize the beat. The BodyBeat clips onto the belt line and a small separate “vibe clip” transmits the beat, in the form of a pulse (including subdivisions and accents) directly to the user.

Research has shown that separate neural pathways to the brain exist for tactile impulses and visible/audible information which is why musicians find that tactile pulses are quickly internalized, allowing them to concentrate on reading and listening to the music without the constant distraction of an audio or visual metronome. Feeling the beat, not having to listen to clicks or look at blinking LEDs makes it much easier to focus on the music and playing in correct time

Check out the videos on youtube
Here's one to get you started:
youtube.com/watch?v=SADmQ6doDRk

macnasparade - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:09:00

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Hi Patti,
I have the Sabine Zipbeat, and I think it works quite well. I think my teacher has the same model.
It's certainly cheap enough (I think I paid around $15), and it appears to be pretty accurate.

Cheers!
Liz

wooliver - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:16:19

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Wittner-Taktel mini
it winds up. no batteries.
small-like 3/4 stick of butter
the click really cuts through.
very hearable.

ironworker - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:28:02

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the peterson looks like it's worth trying out.
clicks and lights aren't that friendly for me.
anyone else out there tried one?

woodwiz - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:38:42

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I think the Body Beat is a good idea, too, but at $99, it will be a while before I get one.

pattik - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:47:24

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Body beat looks interesting to me as well and most reviews were good, lots of comments about cheap construction though. It is pricey, but might be worth it if it worked for me. I agree with ironworker, the clicks and lights aren't real friendly with me either. Would be interested in knowing if anyone else has tried it or currently is using it.

iceburg - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:58:33

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quote:

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Originally posted by woodwiz

I think the Body Beat is a good idea, too, but at $99, it will be a while before I get one.

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Yes its a lot of money, but it all boils down to the bang or in this case - the beat for the buck. Using a metronome for the first few months can be a frustrating experience with little to show for the time invested. With the BodyBeat you're into the groove almost immediately. Moreover, your grey cells are not competing or having to choose between the clickety-click-click and your intonation.

In my mind, BodyBeat has saved me both time and money and more importantly improved my rhythm.

Catgut.Laboratories - Posted - 02/03/2010:  15:16:44

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Make sure whatever you buy has a blinking light! because sometimes you will not be able to hear it no matter how loud it is (like when you are playing in a group and just trying to get an idea of the tempo so you can practice at home). also, sometimes you've been listening to it so much you just can't stand the sound anymore!

transplant - Posted - 02/03/2010:  15:48:19

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quote:

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Originally posted by Catgut.Laboratories

Make sure whatever you buy has a blinking light! because sometimes you will not be able to hear it no matter how loud it is (like when you are playing in a group and just trying to get an idea of the tempo so you can practice at home). also, sometimes you've been listening to it so much you just can't stand the sound anymore!

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That's why I like my Matrix metronomes- they are nice and LOUD. You can also switch on just the light, or put a piece of tape over some of the soundholes to quiet it down some.

The old plug-in Franz metronomes were fairly loud, and had an orange neon bulb on top. You can still get used ones, but you need to have an expert tinkerer in the house to keep one of those running. Cool arrangement of wheels and levers and a motor, all held together by the box itself.

I liked my mini-Taktell wind-up metronome. It fit nicely in a case pocket, but you need to set it on a level spot, at least from side to side, or else you get a lopsided beat from it. The wigwagging pendulum is a plus, in my view. I did have one wear out on me; can't remember exactly how long that took, but I think it was less than five years.

mudbug - Posted - 02/03/2010:  15:57:09

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Bodybeat sounds cool, but I've got an old dial guartz metronome. It's a Matrix MR-500, made in Korea. It's got a separate light only function, or light with click. It goes from 40 to 440 BPM and you arn't gonna ignore THIS click. It cuts!

Don't waste your money on the little cheap digitals, or the expensive, wooden, tower, pendulam type.

pattik - Posted - 02/03/2010:  15:58:13

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WOW...this is all interesting stuff, am so glad I posted this thread. Its so cool to see what everyone is using, what they paid for it, and how they like or don't like it and what they'd do different. Thanks to everyone. Although I'm still not sure what to get, I'm definitely curious about the body beat. Hope my music store has one I can try.

transplant - Posted - 02/03/2010:  16:25:52

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Factually-actually, that 440 on the Matrix is a tuning tone. The beat goes up to 208, faster than I will ever use in this lifetime. If some maniac wants faster than that, they can start at 104 and go two beats to a click. Makes me think of that kid in the Red Violin movie that passed out and died after making it to the fastest notch on the teacher's gadget.

DougD - Posted - 02/03/2010:  16:36:58

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I have an earlier model of the Sabine Metrotune, which is both a tuner and metronome: amazon.com/Sabine-MT9000-Metro...0002FP04E Although the power switch has gotten tempermental, it still works fine, and Sabine offered me a free new one, even though mine is long out of warranty. I also have one of the mechanical ones from my grandparents, which also works fine. However, I only use them for determining the tempo of a piece if I'm writing a transcription, or to see how fast a composer intended something to be played. I would never play with a metronome - I'm not interested in becoming a robot, only a fiddle player.

Jessi - Posted - 02/03/2010:  17:31:47

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I had the HARDEST time figuring out my electronic metronome.

Then I got this:
jtac.com/products

My boyfriend got it from his vision therapist. I stole it from him!

-Easy and quick to adjust the tempo - just turn the dial. There are no presets, so you can set the dial anywhere on, or between the bpm labels. There's a red LED if you like those.
- It's sturdy - I've knocked it around and dropped it a few times.
-The "click" sounds loud, and natural - almost wood-like. It's loud enough to be -heard over my fiddle - and that's saying something! I hate electronic beeps and clicks because they sound so unmusical.
-Jess

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Edited by - Jessi on 02/03/2010 17:43:26

DougD - Posted - 02/03/2010:  17:44:50

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Jessi, that looks like a really good one, and reasonably priced too. Interesting that it seems to be aimed at a completely different market. Does it have the speeds you need for use with music?

transplant - Posted - 02/03/2010:  18:07:33

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quote:

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Originally posted by DougD

... I would never play with a metronome - I'm not interested in becoming a robot, only a fiddle player.

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I don't know about that. You can't always have a solid guitarist around to keep your tempo honest. Folks just starting out can use the metronome as a substitute for playing with others. No doubt in my mind that it does add a layer of difficulty, but once you settle into it, it can be liberating, and it will certainly point out the easy parts where the natural tendency is to speed up, and vice versa.

I've seen kids that were pretty hot-shot players, but if the crowd started clapping along, it became a contest to see who could be off by the most. Most times that is because the kid's tempo is all over the place, which is where practising a lot but alone will get them. When a kid like that has a brother or sister that plays the guitar or the snare drum, watch out, world! They get good.

ChickenMan - Posted - 02/03/2010:  19:25:10

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webmetronome.com/

Super, if you have the computer access whilst practicing. It can be set up for many number of time signatures.

MitchellB - Posted - 02/04/2010:  03:46:51

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I think it is hard to beat the old wind up wooden case style with the swinging arm, because by watching the arm you can anticipate the beat. It is kind of like playing with someone and watching their right hand move as they play rhythm.

mateo - Posted - 02/04/2010:  04:57:21

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1 vote for the Peterson Body Beat here.

Audio out as well you can put headphones in it and clips to your belt.

Its a steal at 99.00

m.

iceburg - Posted - 02/04/2010:  05:37:42

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quote:

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Originally posted by MitchellB

I think it is hard to beat the old wind up wooden case style with the swinging arm, because by watching the arm you can anticipate the beat. It is kind of like playing with someone and watching their right hand move as they play rhythm.

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Visuals are helpful for some, but for any beginner - who undoubtedly will be preoccupied visually with their left hand fingers & bow position/alignment/contact point, any addition visual stimuli can be counter-productive.
Further, for those that read music, visual beat cues are not really an option since the eyes will be concentrating on the page.
Ditto for audio cues -- a beginner on a fretless instrument will be/should be using most of his/her audio capacity to concentrate on intonation and tone.

While I personally found (and continue to find) visual cues more helpful than the audio based ones, both seemed wholly unsatisfactory and ineffective for all of the above reasons.

A device like the BeatBody does not compete with the visual or auditory cortex for processing time, its much more primal in its message delivery mechanism. Thus it is an excellent tool for the beginner and more advancing player. For example: Triplet figures and dotted rhythms (say dotted 1/8s followed by a 1/16) are difficult patterns to convey with any visual tools and many audio-oriented tools. Yet these rhythmic figures are very easy to pick up with a vibrotactile device.

I suppose there is a reason why the phrase "feel the beat" is so commonplace. It speaks directly to that primal area of the brain.

Dick Hauser - Posted - 02/04/2010:  07:51:37

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IMHO, something with a beat is better than a metronome. I currently use a drum machine and several types of computer software. I bought a bodhran rhythm CD on the CDBaby website, and I play that CD using "The Amazing Slow Downer". It is especially helpful for reels, hornpipes, and jigs. The drum machine does a fine job. The rhythm for the drum machine sort of "kicks you in the teeth". The "Band in a Box" computer software is a lot of fun to play along with, and is probably the best alternative next to playing along with other musicians. BIAB is very powerful and versatile. If any of your friends use BIAB, you should take a look. It is very easy to use.

I sometime use a metronome, but I only use it when I am working on a musical phrase, not a full tune or exercise.

iceburg - Posted - 02/04/2010:  08:37:50

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quote:

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Originally posted by Dick Hauser

IMHO, something with a beat is better than a metronome. I currently use a drum machine and several types of computer software. ....
I sometime use a metronome, but I only use it when I am working on a musical phrase, not a full tune or exercise.

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I am with you on using backup tracks,drum machines, slow downers etc. (I use the drum machine built into a keyboard, and a TASCAM GTR-1 (has a rhythm machine, slow downer, looper and recorder).
But I tend use these tools only after I'm over I am over the intial bumps and logs of learning a new tune or to add a little spice to an old tune, or scale practice.
On the otherhand, if I'm in learning mode with a tune my preference is to use a metronome and stayed focused on the problem at hand.