I suppose that there is a point in everyone's musical development (probably around the time they're done with graduate school) when the use of a metronome in practicing seems so passé. "What's the need? I have great rhythm - my Hindemith solo sonata was faultless!" Well, let me tell you (and I may be preaching to the choir here), you never outgrow the need to use the metronome.

As an orchestral musician, I have spent countless hours working up innumerable excerpts for auditions along with Dr. Beat (or his new incarnation, "Helga") and his compatriots. Rhythm is really the thing - sure, intonation and dynamics count for a lot, but you must have great rhythm to land an orchestra job. And it doesn't just mean that you play in a steady way - there is a certain kind of "laid back" rhythmic sense that you see in virtually every audition winner. They don't sit on the "front side" of the beat, they don't even give the impression of rushing. Instead, they sit squarely in the middle to back of the beat, giving a very solid, grounded feel. Exactly what a principal wants next to or in back of them.

So, back to the metronome. Sure, it's great for working up audition repertoire, but I've found it essential for both solo study and chamber music practicing, as well as getting ready for the first orchestra rehearsal of a run. Why? These are not solitary pursuits - so what's the big deal? Well, especially in terms of chamber music and orchestral playing, there is a demand for a certain steely flexibility in one's rhythm. What do I mean by this? I mean that there is a very solid, firm rhythmic underpinning which enables one to make alterations (rubato) which make sense and honor that underlying rhythmic structure. In addition, you are often playing rhythms against your colleagues in other sections, and holding your own is of paramount importance. Finally, while we all wish we played with conductors with impeccable rhythm and stick technique, this is often far from the case. Being able to "keep on" while the conductor goes his or her own way is vital to playing in an orchestra.

I am constantly telling my students to practice with the metronome. And there is a great precedent - Bernard Garfield, the great former principal bassonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra often said that he needed only to practice demanding parts (such as the last movement of the Beethoven Fourth Symphony) at half tempo with a metronome. He said that building that technical and rhythmic foundation was all that was needed to play any passage up to tempo. And that the key was the metronome work.

So - get to work, and don't forget your metronome!