Do you hear what I hear? The answer to that question is more complicated than you might think. Last night at the pub I almost spewed my Guinness! I’ve been stressing use of the metronome and the importance of properly executed and timed GDE’s. The message was such that two pipers got together last weekend for an additional practice. (I love it!) The one piper confessed “For fourteen years I’ve been doing this and never “heard” the metronome. I mean, it was on and all, but I never really made the connection until last weekend. I heard it! For the first time in fourteen freaking years I actually heard it!”

After I stopped laughing, I wondered how this was possible. I actually thought about this on the way home and during the night. It happens all the time. We block out sounds that don’t have meaning to us. Our brains are constantly sorting through a multitude of sounds, dismissing those that don’t have meaning or purpose. To some, the metronome is a distraction. The brain refuses to pay attention as our fingers tumble along. So, how does one overcome this?

I don’t know that there’s any “perfect” answer however I’ll offer these suggestions up for your assessment and comment. First of all, I prefer to start with is simple exercises, such as the GDE exercise above. Note values are all equal so regardless of the tempo, each note lands on a “click”. Here are some ideas:

1. Have the student “tap” along with the metronome
2. Have the student play just a G grace-note on Low A with the metronome
3. Have the student play the GDE exercise on Low A only with the metronome
4. Advance the above exercise to include repetitions and to move up and down between Low G and C
5. Turn the volume of the metronome very loud so that it can’t be dismissed or ignored
6. Have the student watch the flashing light on the metronome to “kick in” additional sensory perception
7. Tap on the student’s shoulder along with the metronome to again “kick in” additional sensory perception

The goal in all this is to help the student hear the metronome, understand its purpose, and build discipline into their playing. Many repetitions are necessary to build critical skills that will allow the student to execute timing, tempo, and phrasing correctly. “Do you hear what I hear?” is a legitimate question. Finding the key that will unlock this skill is the challenge.