how to be friends with your metronome (How to become a good orchestral player: step 2)

It was so nice to see you guys all dressed up yesterday. I only wish I had known about the picture day too...

So we had some rhythmic issues yesterday. My father was a drummer, and I had been fascinated with rhythm and beats ever since I can remember, and I often think like a percussionist, and think of rhythm A LOT. And after years and years of contemplating on this subject, I've come to a conclusion that having a good rhythm is about, again, "listening". Surprise surprise. Now, that statement may not apply to every single musical situation there is on earth, and in some cases, it is more philosophical than practical, but for us, it is definitely true.

We play with each other, not with a metronome. Therefore time is relative. Relative to each other. We fix our paces referring to what others are doing, and we must constantly be referring to others because there is no such thing as an "absolute time" when we are the ones creating "the time" out of the blue.

The only thing that ever gets close to such a thing is what happens when every single person in the orchestra focuses on playing together with each other. The more we focus on each other, the more rhythm becomes stabilized. When everyone's will come together, everything seems to just fall right in their places. Rhythm will be the first thing that comes together for an ensemble that is making a progress. After that, things will seem to become easier, much easier. Things will feel lighter, you will notice needing less effort. And that's when the magic happens. Without rhythm, other things such as intonation, and sonority, and actually everything else will feel impossibly difficult.

And a note on metronomes:
So I told everyone to practice with a metronome. But I said so so you can practice playing while listening to "something" and so you can try to play along with "something". You can play with a recording or a metronome all day long, but if you are not listening to it, it won't help you one bit. A metronome does not teach you to have good rhythm simply by turning it on. A metronome is there for you to listen to while you play, and so your beats have something to line up with. Therefore rhythm is about listening, and that is what it teaches you.

So even though we don't perform with a metronome, and neither should we, nor should we EVER perform "like" one, we must use it everyday to train your EAR. So when you play with real people, you can listen and adjust to them with ease. And of course, because metronomes are mechanical products, they can only produce beats that are mathematically even, they CAN help you with having very steady internal rhythm. Having a good internal rhythm is of course a good thing, but for now, treat it as something you get as a by-product of doing something else (listening). So listen to what it has to say, and try to agree with him/her, and be friends with your metronome!

And in an orchestra situation, I am your general guide that you must follow as a default, but the fine tuning must be done WITHIN you guys. If you don't listen to each other, no conductor can help you. And the only thing I CAN do to help you, is to tell you to "listen". And so here we are...

How to become a good orchestral player: Step #2 - again, Listen (this time for rhythm and ensemble)