Practice
How to use a metronome for piano
Set the metronome slower than feels comfortable, count the clicks out loud for a bar before you start, and play so each note lands with a click rather than near it. BPM means beats per minute, so 60 is one click a second. Increase by about five once you can play a passage three times with no mistakes at all.
Click any key to hear it. Your computer's A to K row works too.
What tempo should I start at?
Find the fastest speed at which you can play the passage with no mistakes whatsoever, then take ten off it. That number is usually far lower than people expect and far more useful than the tempo marked on the music. Speed is a result of accurate repetition, not a target to aim at directly.
Why does the metronome feel like it is fighting me?
Because it is showing you something true that you were previously smoothing over. Almost everyone slows down at hard bars and speeds up at easy ones without noticing. That is precisely what the metronome exposes, and getting annoyed at it is a sign it is working. Slow down until you can stay with it.
Should I use it all the time?
No. Use it to establish a passage and to check yourself, then switch it off and see whether the steadiness stays. Music that is only steady with a metronome running is not yet learned. Playing everything to a click also flattens the natural give and take that makes music sound alive.
How do I know if my timing is actually improving?
The practice room scores your timing separately from your notes, which is unusual: most apps merge the two so right notes at the wrong moment still look like a good score. Watching those two numbers move independently tells you exactly which one needs the work.
Keep going
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Put it into practice in the practice room, or start at the beginning with the five minute walkthrough.
Questions
Common questions
What does BPM mean on a metronome?
Beats per minute. At 60 BPM you get one click every second. At 120 you get two.
What is a good metronome speed for beginners?
Between 60 and 80 BPM for most first pieces. Slower is almost always better than faster.
What is tap tempo?
Tapping a button in the rhythm you want, and the metronome works out the speed. Useful when you know how fast a piece should feel but not what number that is.