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Hi

With regard to tempo how does one use a metronome when playing solo piano ? Example there are sections in a piano piece where the music will be in timing with the beat for several bars or more then will immediately slow down to perform gentle slow passages and then return to the beat. How does one keep in time with the metronome when playing these slower passages.

Or do you simply NOT use a metronome?

Metronomes are great in keeping you honest with the time ... and you'll benefit from its use if you have the clicks represent beats two and four in 4\4; you're now forced to supply the stronger beats - it's not as easy as you think.

Regarding tempo changes - it's going to be difficult for a metronome to follow you, right?

I think I understand what you are asking.

If there is to be a temporary and not-to-drastic tempo change (i. e. a "ritardando" for a measure or two, then an "a tempo") I'd practice with the metronome plowing thru without doing the tempo changes, then turn the thing off and play like I want to (observe the marking).

For longer segments of drastic change, each tempo must be worked out and the metronome reset for practice. Then turn the thing off and play like you want to.

What's tricky is some composers such as Mozart have passages of rapid note values that make the parts in slower note values sound too slow when played in strict tempo to the metronome, and visa versa (rapid passages sound pushed when passages in slower note values do not drag). Elasticity of tempo is needed for such situations (turn the thing off and play like you want).

The short answer is that you can't play pieces with tempo changes or variations attributable to your use of rubato in phrases with a metronome.

I would advise against using a metronome for playing an entire piece. It can be used for working on individual sections to make sure that the basic tempo remains solid. It can also be used to verify tempos between sections where the texture of the work changes - but where there is no indication of tempo change - to make sure that the relative tempo of each section is the same.

Regards,

To me, it's not a big deal to just ignore the metronome temporarily (for a rubato phrase, a fermata, or anything else that interrupts or alters the flow) and then sync up with it again. When you're ready to carry on, you usually have to wait a fraction of a second for the next tick of the metronome, but I've never found that to be a problem.

Of course, if the actual baseline tempo changes, that's another story.

(200 posts! Look out, Mark_C!)

Good point, thats exactly what I've been doing, but the metronome clicks can get a bit annoying when playing slow passages out of sync, but i get your point.

And the heart of rock and roll is still beating.

I only use the metronome before I start to play.

It works for all kinds of music. Having one and three supplied by the metronome really doesn't help your time. When _you_ are internally forced to supply one and three (and the metronome supplies the weaker beats in 4\4) you'll realize just how difficult this can be ... initially.