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A metronome is any device that produces a regulated aural, visual or tactile pulse
Pulse (music)

In music, a pulse or tactus is beat Non-ideal pulses varied according to strength or accent , which produce two- or three-pulse pulse groups , strong-weak and strong-weak-weak ....
 to establish a steady tempo
Tempo

In musical terminology, 'tempo' is the speed or pace of a given musical piece. It is an extremely crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece....
 in the performance of music. It is a useful practice tool for musicians that dates back to the early 19th century.

word metronome first appeared in English c.1815 and is Greek in origin:

metron = measure, nomos = regulating

History
According to Lynn Townsend White, Jr.
Lynn Townsend White, Jr.

Lynn Townsend White, Jr. was a professor of Middle Ages history at Princeton University, Stanford University and, for many years, University of California, Los Angeles....
, the Andalusian
Al-Andalus

Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to the parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Arab Muslims, at various times in the period between 711 and 1492....
 inventor
Inventions in the Islamic world

A significant number of inventions were developed in the medieval Muslim world, a geopolitical region that has at various times extended from Al-Andalus and Africa in the west to the Indian subcontinent and Malay Archipelago in the east....
, Abbas Ibn Firnas
Abbas Ibn Firnas

Abbas Ibn Firnas , also known as Abbas Qasim Ibn Firnas and ?????? ?? ????? , was an Arabic-speaking Berber people, born in Izn-Rand Onda, al-Andalus , who lived in the Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba in al-Andalus....
 (810-887), made the earliest attempt at creating some sort of metronome.

The mechanical metronome was invented by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel
Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel

Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel was the inventor of the first successful metronome.Winkel was born in Amsterdam1780, and in 1812, while experimenting with pendulums, he discovered that a pendulum weighted on both sides of the pivot could beat steady time, even for the slow tempos often used in European classical music....
 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
 in 1812.






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Encyclopedia


A metronome is any device that produces a regulated aural, visual or tactile pulse
Pulse (music)

In music, a pulse or tactus is beat Non-ideal pulses varied according to strength or accent , which produce two- or three-pulse pulse groups , strong-weak and strong-weak-weak ....
 to establish a steady tempo
Tempo

In musical terminology, 'tempo' is the speed or pace of a given musical piece. It is an extremely crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece....
 in the performance of music. It is a useful practice tool for musicians that dates back to the early 19th century.

Etymology

The word metronome first appeared in English c.1815 and is Greek in origin:

metron = measure, nomos = regulating

History


According to Lynn Townsend White, Jr.
Lynn Townsend White, Jr.

Lynn Townsend White, Jr. was a professor of Middle Ages history at Princeton University, Stanford University and, for many years, University of California, Los Angeles....
, the Andalusian
Al-Andalus

Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to the parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Arab Muslims, at various times in the period between 711 and 1492....
 inventor
Inventions in the Islamic world

A significant number of inventions were developed in the medieval Muslim world, a geopolitical region that has at various times extended from Al-Andalus and Africa in the west to the Indian subcontinent and Malay Archipelago in the east....
, Abbas Ibn Firnas
Abbas Ibn Firnas

Abbas Ibn Firnas , also known as Abbas Qasim Ibn Firnas and ?????? ?? ????? , was an Arabic-speaking Berber people, born in Izn-Rand Onda, al-Andalus , who lived in the Umayyad Caliph of Cordoba in al-Andalus....
 (810-887), made the earliest attempt at creating some sort of metronome.

The mechanical metronome was invented by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel
Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel

Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel was the inventor of the first successful metronome.Winkel was born in Amsterdam1780, and in 1812, while experimenting with pendulums, he discovered that a pendulum weighted on both sides of the pivot could beat steady time, even for the slow tempos often used in European classical music....
 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
 in 1812. Johann Mälzel copied several of Winkel's construction ideas and received the patent
Patent

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a term of patent in exchange for a disclosure of an invention....
 for the portable metronome in 1816. Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical music era and Romantic music eras in classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time....
 was the first notable composer to indicate specific metronome markings in his music, in 1817.

Usage


Metronomes may be used by musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
s when practicing in order to maintain a constant tempo; by adjusting the metronome, facility can be achieved at varying tempi. Even in pieces that do not require a strictly constant tempo (such as in the case of rubato), a metronome "marking" is sometimes given by the composer to give an indication of the general tempo intended, found in the score
Sheet music

Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of musical notation; like its analogs?books, pamphlets, etc.?the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens....
 at the beginning of a piece or movement thereof.

Tempo is always measured in beats per minute
Beats per minute

Beats per minute is a unit typically used as either a measure of tempo in music, or a measure of one's heart rate. A rate of 60 bpm means that one beat will occur every second....
 (BPM); metronomes can be set to variable tempi, usually ranging from 40 to 208 BPM.

Types of metronomes

The following samples are generated by a click track
Click track

A click track is a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings, often to a moving image. The click track originated in early sound film, where marks were made on the film itself to indicate exact timings for musicians to accompany the film....
, but give a close approximation of the sound of a metronome.

Mechanical metronomes

One common type of metronome is the mechanical metronome which uses an adjustable weight on the end of a pendulum
Pendulum

A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so it can swing freely.When a pendulum is displaced from its resting Mechanical equilibrium, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position....
 (also known as a double-weighted pendulum) rod to control the tempo: The weight is slid up the pendulum rod to decrease tempo, or down to increase tempo. The pendulum
Pendulum

A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so it can swing freely.When a pendulum is displaced from its resting Mechanical equilibrium, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position....
 swings back and forth in tempo, while a mechanism inside the metronome produce a clicking sound with each oscillation.

Electronic metronomes

Electronic Metronome(scale)
Most modern metronomes are electronic
Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
 and use a quartz crystal
Crystal oscillator

A crystal oscillator is an electronic circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of Piezoelectricity#Materials to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency....
 to maintain accuracy, comparable to those used in wristwatches. The simplest electronic metronomes have a dial or buttons to control the tempo; some also produce tuning notes, usually around the range of A440
A440

A440 or Concert A is the 440 Hertz tone that serves as the standard for musical pitch . A440 is the musical note A above middle C .Prior to the standardization on 440 Hz, many countries and organizations followed the 435 Hz recommendation the Austrian government made in 1885....
 (440 hertz
Hertz

The hertz is a measure of frequency per unit of time, or the number of list of cycles per second. It is the SI base unit of frequency in the International System of Units , and is used worldwide in both general-purpose and scientific contexts....
). Sophisticated metronomes can produce two or more distinct sounds. Tones can differ in pitch, volume, and/or timbre to demarcate downbeat
Downbeat

In music performance and music theory, the downbeat is the first beat of a Bar in music, the impulse that occurs at the beginning of a bar in measured music....
s from other beats, as well as compound
Time signature

The time signature is a notational convention used in Western culture musical notation to specify how many beat s are in each bar and what note value constitutes one beat....
 and complex
Time signature

The time signature is a notational convention used in Western culture musical notation to specify how many beat s are in each bar and what note value constitutes one beat....
 time signature
Time signature

The time signature is a notational convention used in Western culture musical notation to specify how many beat s are in each bar and what note value constitutes one beat....
s.

Many electronic musical keyboards
Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
 have built-in metronome functions.

Software metronomes

Metronomes now exist in software form, either as stand alone applications or often in music sequencing
Music sequencer

A music sequencer is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music.Originally, music sequencers did not include the ability to record audio....
 and audio multitrack software packages. In recording studio
Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for Sound recording and reproduction. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustics to achieve the desired acoustic properties ....
 applications, such as film scoring
Film score

A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film, which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film. The term Soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does...
, a software metronome is often used to generate a click track
Click track

A click track is a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings, often to a moving image. The click track originated in early sound film, where marks were made on the film itself to indicate exact timings for musicians to accompany the film....
 to synchronize musicians.

Use of the metronome as an instrument


Criticism of metronome use

While the metronome is a useful tool for musicians, it does have its limitations. In many cases, the notation of music is only one part of the method of communication between musicians, the other being oral tradition. Thus, the metronome markings in a score may not accurately communicate the pulse
Pulse (music)

In music, a pulse or tactus is beat Non-ideal pulses varied according to strength or accent , which produce two- or three-pulse pulse groups , strong-weak and strong-weak-weak ....
, swing
Swung note

In music, a swung note or shuffle note is a rhythmic device in which the duration of the initial note in a pair is augmentation and that of the second is diminution....
, or groove of music, which is not necessarily regular.

A style of performance that is unfailingly regular rhythmically may be criticized as being "metronomic." Many notable composers, including Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
, Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, Conducting, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas . Unlike most other great opera composers, Wagner wrote both the scenario and libretto for his works....
, Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic music composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers in the 19th century....
 and Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
, have weighed in on the use of the metronome:

From a performance perspective:

Further reading

  • Metronome Techniques, by Frederick Franz, New Haven, Connecticut, 1988


See also

  • Rhythm
    Rhythm

    Rhythm is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events....
  • Poème Symphonique for 100 metronomes
    Poème Symphonique for 100 metronomes

    The Hungary composer Gy?rgy Ligeti composed Po?me Symphonique for 100 metronomes in 1962, during his brief acquaintance with the Fluxus movement....
  • Beat
    Beat (music)

    A beat is the basic time unit within much Western music; for example, each tick sounded by a metronome would correspond to a beat. More technically, "the beat is the pulse of the mensural level", also known as the beat level, the meter level at which pulses are heard as the basic unit?"the denominator of the time signature,"...