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Most musicians will testify that practicing with a metronome helps their understanding of a piece of music. Whether you are a first year music student or a professional on world tour, you will encounter the need for a metronome in your practice or rehearsals.

How do you practice with the metronome? Isn’t it a tedious, mind-numbing clock thing that drives students nuts? The same musicians who love the metronome are the same musicians who’ll tell you that it’s a difficult tool to use.

Here are three tips to help turn this difficult tool into a trustworthy friend:

1. Have a very good grasp of the music before practicing with the metronome.
   Even if you slow down on some parts to “have time to think,” be sure to have the all the notes right. Memorize the most difficult passages so that your work with the metronome will not be frustrating.
2. Sit with your music and the metronome at a desk or table, away from your instrument. Study the music as if you were studying a history lesson. Touch each down beat in the written music with your pencil tip. If your time signature is 4/4, count aloud to four in each measure.
3. Slow down on the tricky spots.
   If the beats are too slow, you may lose the beat. I suggest to double your desired pace and think of each tick on the metronome as an eight note (or next smaller note value). Play the passage in a loop, over and over, several times. Afterward, if you started with 80 bpm and slowed down to 72 bpm, play the entire piece at 72 bpm.

You can increase the tempo of your metronome in the smallest increments so that you won’t even notice yourself playing faster. Be careful not to use the metronome all the time; if you do, your playing might start sounding less fluid and more mechanical.