Give me the beat boys and free my soul
I want to get lost in your rock and roll
and drift away.
When the band drifts away from song tempo, one of two things happen; the song slows down or speeds up. Most noticeable is the rushing during choruses and lagging during verses. This tempo-drifting can be controlled in two ways. The first is by having high-caliber musicians who know how to keep a beat based off a tempo-leading instrument such as the drums…or their tapping foot. The second is by using technology in the way of a metronome.
A metronome is a device that produces a regulated aural, visual, or tactile pulse to establish a steady tempo in the performance of music.
A metronome can be used by all members of a band or by the few, or the one. [Pardon the Star Trek reference]. For example, all musicians might have the metronome's click playing in their in-ear monitors (IEMs). Only the guitarists and the drummers might have it. Or only the drummer might use it.
In a perfect world, all drummers keep perfect time. This world isn't perfect, so I'll skip any further discussion on that matter.
A metronome can be included in a sound system using a few different methods.
1. A metronome can be controlled by one musician, usually the drummer, and the headphone jack on the metronome can be piped into the sound system like it was just another input device. That metronome channel would then be off as far as the main speaker sound, but it would be going out to the in-ear monitor system such as Avioms or other monitor control system.
2. A click track can be inserted into the monitoring system (Avioms, etc) by using DAW products like ProTools.
There are a variety of metronomes out there. My worship team is looking at the Tama Rhythmwatch because of the features and the large knob for quickly and easily changing tempos.
Jumping back to the definition of a metronome, there are three possible tempo indicators; visual, aural, and feel. In addition to hearing a click from the metronome, metronomes can have a flashing light that flashes to the set tempo. There are also a few metronomes that have a wired attachment that the user can clip to their body. It vibrates or thumps to the tempo. For the three mentioned, I've only heard of the aural being used during a service. It's hard to stare at a flashing light through a song. And something thumping on my body – that's just weird!
Let’s go back to the metronome and the click track usage. The nice part of a metronome is the simplicity. It can be mounted on a drum kit and the tempo can be controlled by the drummer. As for the click track, that has to be controlled by the sound guy.
A final note on using metronomes and click tracks; don't output them through floor monitors. While there is a possibility it could work and not be heard by the congregation, as soon as a song ends if the "click" is still present, EVERYONE will hear it.
Nelson LeDoux says
November 3, 2011 at 1:03 pm“In a perfect world, all drummers keep perfect time. This world isn’t perfect, so I’ll skip any further discussion on that matter. ”
As a drummer, I couldn’t agree more. I also teach percussion, and in rehearsals early on, we use an audible metronome to learn music by. This helps with getting it ingrained, and enables a concept known as “muscle memory” for reinforcement of good habits with the music.
I’ve used a wide variety of brands, many of which are mentioned above. Tama’s Rhythm Watch, Bose’s DR. BEAT, metronome apps on my cell phone, etc…. The important thing is to get used to using one often and as effortlessly as possible. Whichever one you like is the best one to use.
db says
November 2, 2011 at 12:57 pmI know this is a bit “late to the party” for the topic, but I have used a form of the “flashing” metronome in two different ways.
1) I have the tempo set in the patch I am using to start a song, even if the delay and other modulation effects are not in use. This way the “tap tempo” light is blinking the tempo at me, I can get the song started, and once the drummer comes in (we are currently blessed to have a solid drummer!) all is well.
2) I used a metronome app on my iPhone for a slow song that was giving me fits…I kept wandering on the tempo when I was practicing, and the flashing red light from technique 1 was not helping. The metronome app has an option to display the number for the beat based on what time signature you are in. This really helped me lock in and “pace” all of the finger-work that had to happen between each beat. And putting it in line of sight with the congregation (and not fiddling with it during the other songs) avoided that “stare at the floor” look from their point of view.
No matter how you pull it off, having a solid tempo brings comfort to the band, the band is able to easier settle back into a worshipful state of mind (I am getting goosebumps thinking about it now.). And that transparency of worship on stage is a wonderful gift God lets us share and serve the congregation with.
Chris, thanks for writing on this topic and getting people to think about it. It is amazing how tempo can become the elephant in the rehearsal space!
Chris says
November 2, 2011 at 1:06 pmdb, great tip on the metronome app with the beat count!