Some piano and music skills are easy to learn when you're starting off. Recognizing notes and finding the correct keys are things we learn the very first time we sit at a piano. Other abilities take more time and a little more work. In particular, familiarizing oneself with correct posture and technique can be challenging, but can easily be achieved with the right guidance and tutorials.
There is one more skill that many beginners will often overlook or not practice enough, and it can really hurt your performance over the long run. Learning how to keep time and pace on the piano is one of the most important skills a musician has to develop, but unfortunately is one that can be especially difficult to master.
If you're feeling a little concerned it's okay because there is a simple tool that can make the process unbelievably easy. The solution is called a metronome and it will change the way you play.
When this tool is selected (yellow) you can use your mouse within the piano roll (below) to draw your MIDI pattern. The computer key tool is a useful tool for beginners as it lets you use your computer/laptop keyboard as a MIDI keyboard to play simple chords or melodies. Synthesia is your piano tutor. Sharp notation, Windows 10 MIDI, 'Simple' labels, AVI export, and more! Sheet music now always appears sharp, regardless of size. Upright Piano is a free VST piano plugin based on a set of piano samples recorded by Rudi Fiasco. There are a fairly low amount of features available in this plugin, but the quality is very bright and clean, especially for a free plugin. The plugin features four sampled notes per octave and six velocity layers per note. High quality free Pro Tools video tutorials can be difficult to find, but at Pro Tools Expert we have been making them for over 7 years and sharing them with Pro Tools users around the world. Our trainers are working Pro Tools professionals and in some cases Avid Certified Instructors, with years of practical experience using Pro Tools whilst working in music production or post production.
Check out this guide here on how to use a metronome for piano practice!
All of our piano tuning hammers are manufactured in the USA. We only offer high quality tools. Our Piano Tuning Hammers, heads and tips are all manufactured by AMS Piano Tools in Illinois. Our Wool Temperament Strips are manufactured by Sutherland Felt in Michigan. Our rubber mutes come from Schaff Piano Supply in Illinois.
So What Is A Metronome?
Traditionally, a piano metronome is a small device that is designed to keep a beat at a certain timing indefinitely. Originally created in the 19th century, metronomes are used to help musicians play songs with the proper time signature and the right pace. Remember, music is not just about time signatures, but also about how fast or slow we play it. Metronomes come in a few varieties nowadays: analog, electronic, or digital.
See Also: Odd Time Signature Examples & The Musicians Who Love Them
Electronic metronomes look like tiny radios and can sometimes be used as tuners as well.
The last kind of metronome are probably the easiest to find. Today, it's extraordinarily uncomplicated to find a great metronome app on your phone or tablet and they are incredibly customizable and versatile!
How Does Using a Metronome Help Me?
A metronome does more than simply keep time. By using a metronome for piano practice, you can work on several fundamental skills that will elevate your piano playing.
The first thing a metronome does to improve your musical abilities is help you focus on your rhythm. While it's important to know all the parts of a song, it is also crucial to know when and how fast or slow to play them. Beginners can tend to focus heavily on the first part without paying attention to the second. A metronome will force you to pay attention to time.
Metronomes are also a great way to slow down a complicated piece in order to better learn it. Because you can change the pace of the beats, you can play a song slower or faster in order to familiarize yourself with it.
Finally, metronomes are a great way to practice tempos outside of your comfort zone. A lot of music today comes in a standard 4/4 signature, so it's hard to really learn others that might expand your horizons. By freestyling or playing pieces on different, less common signatures, you can improve your technique and skills!
Awesome! How Do I Use A Metronome?
Metronomes can be a little more complex than their simple appearances. Despite being essentially a one-trick pony, using a metronome the wrong way can reinforce some bad habits and make it harder to improve later on. Here's a tutorial!
See Also: 16 Resources for Learning an Instrument on Your Own
- Find your time signature — The first thing to know if you want to practice a piece of music with a metronome is the time signature it's in. Luckily, most of the sheet music you can find has it included.
- The top of a signature indicates how many beats are in one single measure, while the bottom is the note value that is one beat. The most common signatures are 4/4–also known as common time–2/4, and ¾, though there are some great signatures such as ⅞ or 7/4 that are used in various styles of music.
- Set the Tempo — While most songs share a time signature, tempo–which is measured in Beats Per Minute (BPM) –is a different matter. Some music is played at a fast tempo, such as rock or metal, while others might be played at a slower pace.
- Slowing down the tempo is also a good way to work through complex pieces with lots of quick notes and arrangements. Start off at a slower tempo, such as 70 BPM, and play the song at gradually faster tempos until you feel more comfortable with it.
- Set the volume — If you have an analog metronome, this is not as applicable, but both digital and electronic models give you the option to change the volume of the clicks. To start, you're going to want it to be on the louder side to make sure you're keeping the right time.
- As you improve on your pacing, you can start lowering the volume in order to rely on it less, leaving it as simply a background guide to have in case you mix up or make a mistake that throws off your timing.
- Take Baby Steps — This is hard to follow, but essential! Initially, metronomes can cause quite a bit of frustration. Loud noises and rigid playing can make it hard to concentrate.This video below on YouTube recommends that you start slow, practicing for 2 to 3 minutes at a time in order to familiarize yourself with playing alongside a metronome. Work your way from slow tempos and simple signatures to faster and more complex ones. Always make sure to take your time though!
Piano Metronome App
If you're looking for a high-tech digital solution for a metronome, check out our JoyTunes Metronome App, a great (and free!) piano metronome app. Even better, you'll always have it with you since it is Apple-Watch compatible!
Check it out in action:
Now that you've seen how simple and helpful using a metronome can be, don't waste any more time, get out there and start using a metronome in your piano practice!
Levi
Latest posts by Levi (see all)
- The Music of the World Cup: The 6 Best Anthems in the Tournament's History - July 17, 2018
- Avicii: A Musical Timeline - May 1, 2018
- The Top 5 Classic Halloween Songs - October 9, 2017
Procreate is a fantastic mobile app that makes it easy to draw on your iPad. But it's really so much more than that. Not only can you create drawings from scratch, but you can also make detailed illustrations, paintings, graphic designs, and more.
There are tons of tools included within Procreate that make the task of creating art more streamlined and just overall easier. For instance, you can import brushes that add new textures and designs to the mix. You can use templates to get ahead start.
Whether you've never used Procreate before or you want to learn about how to get better, you've come to the right place. This collection of Procreate tutorials consists of a nice mix of walkthroughs for beginners and more experienced artists, looking to improve their skills within the app.
Feel free to take a look. Hopefully one of these will set you off in a whole new creative direction.
You can download Procreate here, and you may also like our round-up of free Procreate brushes. Buy terraria server.
Procreate Tutorial for Beginners
Here's another Procreate tutorial for beginners that covers all the basics and gives you a good jumping off point into more advanced techniques.
Step by Step Digital Illustration with Procreate
In this Procreate tutorial, you'll learn how to create a digital illustration from scratch.In following along with the artist's process of drawing a woman's face, you'll learn how to use all of the tools included in Procreate.
How to Create 3D Lettering in Procreate
This YouTube tutorial by Chelsea Ekberg walks you through the process of creating 3D lettering in Procreate. It goes from the sketch phase all the way through completion, so if you've curious as to how to do 3D lettering in this app, this is a good choice.
How to Create Painted Calligraphy with Procreate
If calligraphy is an artistic pursuit of yours, you'll definitely want to check out this painted calligraphy tutorial by Dawn Nicole. It offers written step-by-step instructions with video supplements for creating calligraphy brushstrokes and using stamps and brushes to create a paint splatter effect.
How to Create a Digital Painting in Procreate
If you want to achieve a traditional painting look in Procreate, this is the tutorial for you! This digital painting walkthrough is glossy and interesting, and the techniques learned here can be applied to many different art pieces.
Learn How to Draw with Procreate
This Procreate tutorial is by Bardot Brush and offers an intro course on how to draw on the iPad in general, using Procreate. It covers Procreate tools as well as techniques with drawing in digital spaces.
How to Sketch, Ink and Color with Procreate
Now, in this Procreate tutorial, you'll learn the basics of how to draw in the app, of course, but also various methods of inking, coloring, and shading.
How to Draw with Masks in Procreate
Once you've mastered the basics of Procreate, you can learn some more advanced techniques, like drawing with masks. This tutorial shows you how to use masks and how they can be applied to add greater depth and texture to your work.
Advanced Comic Coloring in Procreate
In this tutorial by Brad Colbow, you'll learn how to coloring in a comic using Procreate. He covers the fill and gradient tools as well as how to combine layers to achieve a desired effect.
How to Use Alpha Lock to Paint Shadows with Procreate
In this video, Stayf Draws shows you how to paint shadows using alpha lock in Procreate. This tutorial is super specific in what it covers but it obviously can be applied to any number of projects.
How To Create Layer Masks In Procreate
Here's another tutorial about creating masks but the approach is slightly different. This is a well-presented, step-by-step guide for creating layer masks in a way that is quite similar to doing so in Photoshop.
How to Create a Portrait in Procreate
This YouTube tutorial by Haze Long shows you how to paint a portrait in Procreate. Though this tutorial doesn't teach you how to draw, it does show you how to use the tools of Procreate to achieve a painted portrait look.
How to Draw a Piece of Cake with Procreate
Here's a quick and fun tutorial that shows you how to draw a piece of cake in Procreate using a gouache style. It follows the process from sketch all the way through painting, shading, and texturizing.
Procreate Lettering 101
Here's another lettering tutorial for Procreate that walks you through the true-blue basics of getting started with the app as well as how to do lettering on the iPad in general.
How to Color Hair Using Procreate App
In this tutorial, you'll learn all about how to color hair using Procreate. This is a good primer on digital coloring in general, but the specific focus on hair will really appeal to illustrators of all types.
Procreate Layers Tutorial
If the whole concept of layers in Procreate are confusing to you, this tutorial walks you through what they are, how they work, and how you can use them in your work. It's a combination of written and video instruction, which I always think is super helpful for later reference.
Check out this guide here on how to use a metronome for piano practice!
All of our piano tuning hammers are manufactured in the USA. We only offer high quality tools. Our Piano Tuning Hammers, heads and tips are all manufactured by AMS Piano Tools in Illinois. Our Wool Temperament Strips are manufactured by Sutherland Felt in Michigan. Our rubber mutes come from Schaff Piano Supply in Illinois.
So What Is A Metronome?
Traditionally, a piano metronome is a small device that is designed to keep a beat at a certain timing indefinitely. Originally created in the 19th century, metronomes are used to help musicians play songs with the proper time signature and the right pace. Remember, music is not just about time signatures, but also about how fast or slow we play it. Metronomes come in a few varieties nowadays: analog, electronic, or digital.
See Also: Odd Time Signature Examples & The Musicians Who Love Them
Electronic metronomes look like tiny radios and can sometimes be used as tuners as well.
The last kind of metronome are probably the easiest to find. Today, it's extraordinarily uncomplicated to find a great metronome app on your phone or tablet and they are incredibly customizable and versatile!
How Does Using a Metronome Help Me?
A metronome does more than simply keep time. By using a metronome for piano practice, you can work on several fundamental skills that will elevate your piano playing.
The first thing a metronome does to improve your musical abilities is help you focus on your rhythm. While it's important to know all the parts of a song, it is also crucial to know when and how fast or slow to play them. Beginners can tend to focus heavily on the first part without paying attention to the second. A metronome will force you to pay attention to time.
Metronomes are also a great way to slow down a complicated piece in order to better learn it. Because you can change the pace of the beats, you can play a song slower or faster in order to familiarize yourself with it.
Finally, metronomes are a great way to practice tempos outside of your comfort zone. A lot of music today comes in a standard 4/4 signature, so it's hard to really learn others that might expand your horizons. By freestyling or playing pieces on different, less common signatures, you can improve your technique and skills!
Awesome! How Do I Use A Metronome?
Metronomes can be a little more complex than their simple appearances. Despite being essentially a one-trick pony, using a metronome the wrong way can reinforce some bad habits and make it harder to improve later on. Here's a tutorial!
See Also: 16 Resources for Learning an Instrument on Your Own
- Find your time signature — The first thing to know if you want to practice a piece of music with a metronome is the time signature it's in. Luckily, most of the sheet music you can find has it included.
- The top of a signature indicates how many beats are in one single measure, while the bottom is the note value that is one beat. The most common signatures are 4/4–also known as common time–2/4, and ¾, though there are some great signatures such as ⅞ or 7/4 that are used in various styles of music.
- Set the Tempo — While most songs share a time signature, tempo–which is measured in Beats Per Minute (BPM) –is a different matter. Some music is played at a fast tempo, such as rock or metal, while others might be played at a slower pace.
- Slowing down the tempo is also a good way to work through complex pieces with lots of quick notes and arrangements. Start off at a slower tempo, such as 70 BPM, and play the song at gradually faster tempos until you feel more comfortable with it.
- Set the volume — If you have an analog metronome, this is not as applicable, but both digital and electronic models give you the option to change the volume of the clicks. To start, you're going to want it to be on the louder side to make sure you're keeping the right time.
- As you improve on your pacing, you can start lowering the volume in order to rely on it less, leaving it as simply a background guide to have in case you mix up or make a mistake that throws off your timing.
- Take Baby Steps — This is hard to follow, but essential! Initially, metronomes can cause quite a bit of frustration. Loud noises and rigid playing can make it hard to concentrate.This video below on YouTube recommends that you start slow, practicing for 2 to 3 minutes at a time in order to familiarize yourself with playing alongside a metronome. Work your way from slow tempos and simple signatures to faster and more complex ones. Always make sure to take your time though!
Piano Metronome App
If you're looking for a high-tech digital solution for a metronome, check out our JoyTunes Metronome App, a great (and free!) piano metronome app. Even better, you'll always have it with you since it is Apple-Watch compatible!
Check it out in action:
Now that you've seen how simple and helpful using a metronome can be, don't waste any more time, get out there and start using a metronome in your piano practice!
Levi
Latest posts by Levi (see all)
- The Music of the World Cup: The 6 Best Anthems in the Tournament's History - July 17, 2018
- Avicii: A Musical Timeline - May 1, 2018
- The Top 5 Classic Halloween Songs - October 9, 2017
Procreate is a fantastic mobile app that makes it easy to draw on your iPad. But it's really so much more than that. Not only can you create drawings from scratch, but you can also make detailed illustrations, paintings, graphic designs, and more.
There are tons of tools included within Procreate that make the task of creating art more streamlined and just overall easier. For instance, you can import brushes that add new textures and designs to the mix. You can use templates to get ahead start.
Whether you've never used Procreate before or you want to learn about how to get better, you've come to the right place. This collection of Procreate tutorials consists of a nice mix of walkthroughs for beginners and more experienced artists, looking to improve their skills within the app.
Feel free to take a look. Hopefully one of these will set you off in a whole new creative direction.
You can download Procreate here, and you may also like our round-up of free Procreate brushes. Buy terraria server.
Procreate Tutorial for Beginners
Here's another Procreate tutorial for beginners that covers all the basics and gives you a good jumping off point into more advanced techniques.
Step by Step Digital Illustration with Procreate
In this Procreate tutorial, you'll learn how to create a digital illustration from scratch.In following along with the artist's process of drawing a woman's face, you'll learn how to use all of the tools included in Procreate.
How to Create 3D Lettering in Procreate
This YouTube tutorial by Chelsea Ekberg walks you through the process of creating 3D lettering in Procreate. It goes from the sketch phase all the way through completion, so if you've curious as to how to do 3D lettering in this app, this is a good choice.
How to Create Painted Calligraphy with Procreate
If calligraphy is an artistic pursuit of yours, you'll definitely want to check out this painted calligraphy tutorial by Dawn Nicole. It offers written step-by-step instructions with video supplements for creating calligraphy brushstrokes and using stamps and brushes to create a paint splatter effect.
How to Create a Digital Painting in Procreate
If you want to achieve a traditional painting look in Procreate, this is the tutorial for you! This digital painting walkthrough is glossy and interesting, and the techniques learned here can be applied to many different art pieces.
Learn How to Draw with Procreate
This Procreate tutorial is by Bardot Brush and offers an intro course on how to draw on the iPad in general, using Procreate. It covers Procreate tools as well as techniques with drawing in digital spaces.
How to Sketch, Ink and Color with Procreate
Now, in this Procreate tutorial, you'll learn the basics of how to draw in the app, of course, but also various methods of inking, coloring, and shading.
How to Draw with Masks in Procreate
Once you've mastered the basics of Procreate, you can learn some more advanced techniques, like drawing with masks. This tutorial shows you how to use masks and how they can be applied to add greater depth and texture to your work.
Advanced Comic Coloring in Procreate
In this tutorial by Brad Colbow, you'll learn how to coloring in a comic using Procreate. He covers the fill and gradient tools as well as how to combine layers to achieve a desired effect.
How to Use Alpha Lock to Paint Shadows with Procreate
In this video, Stayf Draws shows you how to paint shadows using alpha lock in Procreate. This tutorial is super specific in what it covers but it obviously can be applied to any number of projects.
How To Create Layer Masks In Procreate
Here's another tutorial about creating masks but the approach is slightly different. This is a well-presented, step-by-step guide for creating layer masks in a way that is quite similar to doing so in Photoshop.
How to Create a Portrait in Procreate
This YouTube tutorial by Haze Long shows you how to paint a portrait in Procreate. Though this tutorial doesn't teach you how to draw, it does show you how to use the tools of Procreate to achieve a painted portrait look.
How to Draw a Piece of Cake with Procreate
Here's a quick and fun tutorial that shows you how to draw a piece of cake in Procreate using a gouache style. It follows the process from sketch all the way through painting, shading, and texturizing.
Procreate Lettering 101
Here's another lettering tutorial for Procreate that walks you through the true-blue basics of getting started with the app as well as how to do lettering on the iPad in general.
How to Color Hair Using Procreate App
In this tutorial, you'll learn all about how to color hair using Procreate. This is a good primer on digital coloring in general, but the specific focus on hair will really appeal to illustrators of all types.
Procreate Layers Tutorial
If the whole concept of layers in Procreate are confusing to you, this tutorial walks you through what they are, how they work, and how you can use them in your work. It's a combination of written and video instruction, which I always think is super helpful for later reference.
How to Paint a Glowing Black Light in Procreate
If you want to achieve a super cool looking black light effect in your digital paintings, this video tutorial will show you how to achieve it from start to finish. Can you imagine the creepy cool effects you could add to your next piece?
How to Illustrate a Cactus in Procreate
Here's a really specific tutorial, but again, the techniques you learn here could easily be applied to other projects. This video shows you how to draw a cactus in Procreate. That's it. But the end result is vivid and fun!
How to Color the Lines on Imported Art in Procreate
If you're struggling with using imported art in Procreate, this tutorial shows you the steps to take to color the lines on imported images. This is a tip that could be applied to every art style, too.
How to Make Art with Procreate
Here's the first video in a series on how to make art with Procreate. It's a basic primer of the tools and features of the app but it also shows you the actual process of conceptualizing and beginning on an art piece.
How to Import Procreate Swatches Files
In this video, Holly Pixels shows you to how import Procreate swatches files into the app with minimal fuss. Best of all, it shows you the proper way to do this so you can use these swatches in all your next projects.
Procreate Symmetry Tool Tutorial
The symmetry tool is a real lifesaver, and this tutorial shows you how to use it in Procreate. Learning how to do this is a real time saver when you're wanting to create patterns or intricate designs, but you don't want to have to copy them over and over by hand.
How to Draw Comics in Procreate
Budding comic book artist? This video tutorial shows you how to create a comic in Procreate from your very first steps to the final coloring.
Floral Tutorial in the Procreate App
Finally, we have a tutorial for creating stunning floral designs in Procreate. These instructions show you how to create florals and leaves and then how to arrange them to create a full display.
Procreate Official YouTube Channel
Procreate is a robust mobile app, so it's always heartening to see the makers of an app come through with detailed tutorials themselves. The company's YouTube channel offers up everything you need to get started with the app, so be sure to check it out.
Procreate is definitely an app you should check out if you haven't done so already. It's robust and offers a myriad of features you can use on your iPad to create beautiful works of art from anywhere at any time. And this collection of tutorials should make it a snap to get more familiar with the app and to learn a few more advanced techniques as well.
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