What Is a Metronome, and Why Should You Use One?
- Diana Mascari
- 5 days ago
- 12 min read
Whether you play an instrument yourself or compose music for others, timing is one of the most critical ingredients in making music come alive.
Music is built from three main elements: melody (the tune—often played by the right hand on the piano or by an instrument like the flute), harmony (the chords that support and shape the melody), and rhythm (the beat, tempo, and timing that give the music its pulse).
It’s this third element—rhythm—that often calls for the guidance of a metronome.
Many years ago, my junior high school students summed it up in their own way: “What makes a good song is that it has a good beat.” While simple, their observation gets to the heart of the matter—rhythm is essential in every piece of music.
In this chapter, we’ll explore the metronome and answer some of the questions you may be asking, such as:
What’s the Name of That “Tick-Tock” Device People Use When Practicing Piano?
What Exactly Does a Metronome Do, and How Does It Work?
Are There Different Ways to Use a Metronome That Can Actually Help Me Play Better?
Is It Really Necessary to Use a Metronome When I Practice?
How Do I Get Started Using a Metronome If I’ve Never Used One Before?
What Should I Do If the Metronome Makes Me Feel Stressed or Confused?
Can Using a Metronome Help Me Play with More Confidence and Ease?
What’s the Name of That “Tick-Tock” Device
People Use When Practicing Piano?
If you’ve ever wondered about that “tick-tock” device musicians use, you’re not alone. Even students who’ve had lessons for years sometimes ask me if they should be using it to improve their playing.
That “tick-tock” device is called a metronome. A metronome produces a steady, audible beat—usually a click—that helps you keep time. You can set it to match the speed of the piece you’re playing, which is measured in beats per minute (BPM). We’ll talk more about BPM later, but for now, just think of it as how fast or slow the beat is.
The modern metronome was invented in 1815 by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel—just in time for Beethoven to start using it to mark exact tempos in his music. For over 200 years, musicians have relied on the metronome to not only tell them the tempo of a piece but also to help them maintain a steady pace while playing.
What Exactly Does a Metronome Do, and How Does It Work?
This is another question I hear all the time. Even after I explain that the “tick-tock” thing is called a metronome, many students still want to know exactly what it does.
I like to think of the metronome as a clock with a flexible second hand. If you set it to 60, it clicks once every second—just like the second hand on a clock. That means each beat happens exactly one second apart. Want the music to go faster? Increase the number. Want it slower? Lower the number.
That’s the basic idea—but you can also get more creative with it. The metronome’s click doesn’t always have to represent a quarter note. You can assign it to match eighth notes, sixteenth notes, half notes, or other note values. This way, you can practice keeping any type of rhythm steady, no matter the speed or subdivision.
Are There Different Types of Metronomes
and What Are the Pros and Cons of Each?
I love this question because it lets me talk about three key things to consider when choosing a metronome:
1. Does it show the traditional tempo markings?
2. Is it loud enough to hear while you’re playing with both hands on the piano?
3. Is it reliable and easy to use?
Let’s start with the first one. Traditional metronomes display familiar tempo markings: for example, 60 for a slow Adagio, 80 for a walking-speed Andante, and 120 for a fast Allegro. These numbers are approximate but give musicians a clear idea of the intended speed. Without a metronome, it’s nearly impossible to accurately guess a tempo like 67 or 123 beats per minute.
The classic wooden (and later plastic) wind-up metronomes have a swinging pendulum with a sliding weight to adjust the speed. The tempo markings are printed right on the pendulum—an excellent feature. The downside? You have to wind them, and they’ll stop after a while.
Something I learned from one of my adult students.
While explaining tempo numbers to my student, I wondered aloud why the markings increased by 2s, then 3s, then 4s. My student, a mathematician, immediately said, “Because the speeds increase by 5%.” I’ve studied music at the graduate level and taught for decades—and I had never heard that before!
Even some seasoned musicians often don’t know that the traditional tempo markings on a mechanical metronome aren’t random.
The speeds increase by about 5% each step. This matters because small, consistent tempo increases are one of the most effective ways to improve your playing without sacrificing accuracy.
Practicing effectively using the traditional metronome settings.
For example, if you’re practicing at 60 BPM (beats per minute -means the tempo indicated by the click) and you’re ready to go faster, moving up to 63 BPM—about 5% faster—pushes you just enough to make progress without introducing sloppy playing. In the same way, if you are still making mistakes go back to 60 and then to 5% slower which is 58 BPM until you can play the passage smoother and more evenly. Then you can go up to 60, 63 and even 66 BPM gradually improving your playing of the section of the piece you are working on. Knowing this helps you adjust your tempo in small, consistent steps, which is great for practicing efficiently.
There are some battery-powered metronomes (as well as electric ones) that use the same tempo markings as the traditional wind-up metronomes. The great thing about this type of metronome is that it's the best of both worlds. Not only does it give you the traditional tempo settings, but it doesn't stop in the middle of practice like the wind-up type does. This is the type of metronome I use when I'm teaching piano and composition online. The 9 volt battery seems to last forever.
Digital metronomes, whether battery-powered devices or phone apps, usually display every number in sequence—50, 51, 52, and so on.
They don’t follow the traditional increments, so you lose the built-in 5% progression found in mechanical metronomes. Still, digital versions have their advantages: they can be very loud, portable, and full of useful features. If you use notation software like Sibelius, its built-in click track also functions like a metronome.
Are There Different Ways to Use a Metronome
That Can Actually Help You Play Better?
Absolutely. Beyond using the 5% speed increases to smooth out your playing, you can also “assign” the metronome’s click to different note values. For example, if you’re working on a very fast piece with lots of sixteenth notes, you might set the click so that each one represents a sixteenth note. The clicks will sound rapid, but this can help you place each note precisely when you’re learning a tricky passage.
Once you can play the section a little faster, that constant clicking can start to feel distracting. At that point, many of my students switch to assigning the click to eighth notes, which cuts the number of clicks in half and makes it easier to focus. While quarter notes are the standard assignment, you can also set the click to represent half notes in faster music—so instead of hearing four clicks per measure, you hear just two.
If you can play evenly and smoothly with a metronome at any speed, you’ll find it much easier to play along with rhythm accompaniments on digital pianos and keyboards. And for those who compose, accurate rhythm is crucial—your ideas may be creative and interesting, but the rhythms must still be notated correctly with rests and other markings so that playback software interprets them properly. (Of course, there are rubato passages in music where strict tempo isn’t required, but even then, proper notation ensures your music plays back as intended.)
Is It Really Necessary to Use a Metronome When You Practice?
Earlier, I mentioned that the three elements of music are melody, harmony, and rhythm. Think about it—if you play the wrong note in a melody, you hear it right away. If you play the wrong chord, it clashes. And if your rhythm is off, the flow of the music falls apart.
I once worked with a student who played faster and slower throughout a piece, even though the melody was recognizable. When I had her use a metronome, her timing immediately improved. I also explained something important: music needs to be either in tempo or intentionally out of tempo (rubato) for expression—it can’t be somewhere in between.
Many students tell me they “count in their head,” but that rarely lasts. A small distraction and the counting disappears. Others tap their foot, which can work for experienced players who already feel the beat internally. I often tap my foot when playing jazz, especially without a drummer, but that’s because I’ve built a strong sense of timing over years of playing. Even so, if I’m learning a classical piece, I use a metronome to keep the tempo steady as I work toward faster speeds.
When I compose, I experiment with different tempos to make sure each section works at a specific speed. So, is a metronome necessary? Yes—but not for every single piece every time you play. Use it to learn a piece accurately, develop a solid sense of timing, and then you can decide when it’s optional and when it’s an essential tool.
How Do You Get Started Using a Metronome
If You’ve Never Used One Before?
One thing that’s not immediately obvious about using a metronome is that you first need to know how to count correctly. If you just turn it on, the beats will fly by before you can match your notes to them—even at a slow speed. For example, if your song is mostly quarter notes, you still have to count accurately when you encounter a dotted half note (three beats) or a quarter note tied to another quarter note (two beats).
That’s why I recommend counting aloud, not just in your head. Once you can play a simple song or exercise while counting aloud, you’re ready to bring in the metronome. Start by setting it to a slow tempo—around 60 BPM—and “assign” each click to be a quarter note. Play one hand at a time, still counting aloud.
Even seemingly simple songs like “This Land Is Your Land” can be trickier than they look, so I often start my early adult students with method books like Beyer: Elementary Method for the Piano and Bartók: Mikrokosmos Volume 1. These begin with quarter, half, and dotted half notes, introducing eighth notes only after plenty of foundational exercises.
The key is to start with simple music, count out loud, and gradually build from there. It may feel basic at first, but this solid foundation will make your musicianship—and your ability to use the metronome at more advanced levels—grow dramatically.
What Should You Do If the Metronome
Makes You Feel Stressed or Confused?
Many adult students have told me they feel tense when practicing with a metronome. Usually, it comes down to three main reasons:
1. Assigning the click to sixteenth notes means you’re hearing it constantly—which can be overwhelming. Switching to eighth notes cuts the number of clicks in half, making it less distracting.
2. Not counting aloud often causes the clicks to fall between your notes instead of matching them. Counting out loud helps you see exactly where the clicks should land.
3. Assigning the wrong note value to the click can create unnecessary stress. For example, if you use sixteenth notes at too fast a tempo, it’s impossible to keep up.
Likewise, if you’re playing fast and assign the click to quarter notes, the clicks may feel uncomfortably rapid.
To reduce stress and confusion, count aloud and match the metronome’s tempo to your current practice speed. Then experiment with assigning the click to sixteenth notes, eighth notes, or quarter notes—whichever best supports the passage you’re working on.
This applies to composing as well. While notation software like Sibelius defaults to quarter-note clicks, you’ll want to ensure the passages you create match the intended speed, so the result is musical. Even with creative rhythmic ideas, correct notation ensures your music plays back properly.
Can Using a Metronome Help You Play
with More Confidence and Ease?
Absolutely! That doesn’t mean you need to use the metronome every time you perform your repertoire or play a medley—after all, each song will likely have its own tempo. But when you’re preparing each piece, practicing with the metronome is essential for building evenness, smoothness, expression, and confidence.
Your ultimate goal as a musician is performance—whether that’s in your practice room, for friends and family, or on stage. Consistent metronome practice during preparation is what allows you to play with assurance and ease when it matters most.
As a composer, using the click track in notation software (set just like a metronome) ensures your music resonates at the right tempo. Since many pieces include sections at different speeds, working with a click track helps you tailor each section precisely to its intended pace.
In the end, the metronome is a tool for the early stages of learning a piece—when you’re shaping your timing and accuracy. The stronger your timing foundation, the easier it will be to play or compose confidently without relying on the metronome during performance.
Conclusion
In this article, you’ve learned:
What a metronome is, what it does, and how it works.
The different types of metronomes and the pros and cons of each.
How to use a metronome to improve your playing and why it’s an essential practice tool.
How to get started if you’ve never used one before.
Strategies for reducing stress or confusion when working with a metronome.
How using a metronome can help you play and compose with greater confidence and ease.
We’ve traveled a long way from wondering about that “tick-tock” device to understanding how it can shape your timing, accuracy, and musical expression. Now it’s up to you to put these ideas into practice so you can grow as a pianist, instrumentalist, or composer.
Years ago, my junior high school students summed it up simply: “A good song has a good beat.” While basic, their insight still rings true. A steady beat doesn’t require a drummer—it requires a well-developed sense of timing. By using the metronome to refine your rhythm alongside melody and harmony, you ensure that every piece you play or compose reaches its highest musical potential.
Ready to Get Started?
Can You Really Learn to Play Better Using the Metronome as an Adult? Yes, you absolutely can—and piano lessons are a great way to begin. Many of my adult students first hear about how to use the metronome wonder if it’s too advanced. But once they start working with it—step by step—they’re amazed at how fun, accessible, and rewarding it becomes.
Whether you’re returning to the piano or starting after playing another instrument, you don't have to be an expert, you just need curiosity, patience, and someone to guide you through the process. That’s where lessons come in. I’ll help you build confidence, use the metronome effectively, understand how different accompaniment patterns work, and learn to play in ways that feel musical and natural.
Why not give it a try?
Piano lessons with Diana Mascari are designed specifically for adults like you—creative, motivated, and ready to enjoy the piano on your own terms.
Let’s get started!
Has the idea of using the metronome or click track when when developing your creative ideas sparked your curiosity in a way that helps you to imagine how exciting it would be to learn how to turn your musical ideas into a composition? When you take Composition lessons with Diana Mascari, not only will you be able to create your own musical works, but you'll also have knowledge and insights as to how to play the piano better.
Time to explore your creativity!
Whether you're a beginner or returning to music after years away, I’ll help you turn understanding into creativity and confidence.
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About Diana Mascari
American Composer &. Jazz Pianist
Teacher of Piano & Composition for Adults
Diana Mascari
American Composer & Jazz Pianist
Teacher of Piano & Composition for Adults
Diana Mascari has taught piano to hundreds of students for more than 47 years. She is dedicated to enriching her students’ lives by supporting their individual musicality.ition L She has developed a teaching system called the Transformational Approach to Piano. It offers her students colorful musical insights that broaden their experience beyond traditional methods.
Diana holds two Masters of Music degrees from New England Conservatory, taught keyboard harmony to music majors at Boston University, and was the music director of a multicultural Presbyterian Church for four decades.
Diana has performed as a solo jazz pianist as well as with her ensembles at many colleges and jazz clubs throughout New England. Many of these performances featured Diana's jazz compositions.
As a composer, she has explored the intersection of jazz and classical music. Her compositions reflect her deep appreciation for musical structure, enhanced by the spontaneity and emotion of jazz. Each piece has a timeless sense and is designed to move and inspire. Her works have been performed in Europe, Japan, and the Eastern United States.
Diana’s vibrant personality infuses her teaching, performing, and composing as she inspires piano students to achieve their musical goals.
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