Metronomes

(entry for 8/9/2024


In the blog post entitled 'Why Italian?' we mentioned the fact that Italian tempo indications are very imprecise. (True of other languages too!)  Different people walk at different speeds, so a tempo like Andante implies different speeds to different people, even though it means, approximately, 'walking speed.'  I might walk a lot faster than you, or vice versa!  Likewise, tempos like Allegro or Largo are open to wide interpretation.

In 1815 a German clockmaker whose last name was Maelzel invented a windup mechanical device which he dubbed the 'metronome,' which means 'measure regulator.' In his patent application (which was granted) he said that he had invented it for musicians so that they could play their music 'accurately.' His device quickly became known in the music world as Maelzel's Metronome— ‘MM’ for short. (The first famous composer who used one was Beethoven. However, his was defective, so many of his written instructions were incorrect.)

The device uses a sort of upside-down pendulum, with a slider that can be raised and lowered to control how often it goes back and forth. A wind-up mechanism keeps constant pressure on the vertical arm, and the position of the slider on the arm determines the speed at which it goes back and forth and makes the clicking sound that the musician listens to to measure his or her musical pace.

It's very precise and if it's in good condition can set a temp of anywhere from 40 clicks per minute to well over 200. When the slider is at the top of the vertical arm, the movement is very slow, because it's hard for the spring inside the base to move the arm when the weight is so far away. As the weight is moved closer and closer to the base, it becomes easier and easier for the spring to move it, so it speeds up.

A composer or arranger can indicate exactly how fast the music should move, by putting a written indication of the intended speed in addition to (or in place of) the Italian (or other verbal) tempo mark. This written-out speed specification is called a "metronome mark," and it appears in the reproduced copies of many forms of printed music. Sometimes it has been added by an editor, or by a famous performer, or it can be put there by the composer him- or her-self. (Assuming the piece was written after 1815!) It looks like this:

This particular metronome mark means that there are seventy-two quarter notes every minute, which is a slow-to-moderate speed. If the number is larger, the speed is faster. If the note in front of the equal sign is of a higher value or a lower value, that also affects the resulting speed. If the basic beat of the time signature is a dotted note, the metronome mark will probably use a dotted note in the equation. Here's an example of a fairly fast tempo in 6/8 time (two beats per measure), where the beat is represented by a dotted quarter:

Just a reminder, in case you missed it in the previous blog post: 6/8 time is a triple meter, meaning that there are three sub-beats per beat. When you count a measure in 6/8 time, you say 1-and-uh-2-and-uh. In other words, you don't count to six.

Please note that the term 'compound meter' means exactly the same as 'triple meter.' Some teachers and musicologists prefer one, some the other. If you prefer 'compound,' just say it that way every time you come to the word 'triple' in my blog!

At the indicated speed, a piece of music sixty measures long would take exactly one minute to play. Pretty fast! (Sixty measures times two beats per measure at a speed of 120 beats per minute equals one minute. In other words, in our example, it would take exactly one second to play every measure.) If there was a verbal tempo indication for this speed, it would probably be Presto or Molto vivace. ('Molto' means ‘very’ or ‘much.’)


If a piece in 4/4 time is being played very slowly, say Lento or Largo, the metronome mark for a quarter note might be in the 40 to 60 range. The composer might then use an eighth note in the metronome mark equation instead of a quarter note. This would yield two clicks per beat, which might help the performer keep a steady tempo more easily than if the MM mark used a quarter note and lower number to express the same tempo.  In the example below, the two MM marks are exactly the same speed, just stated in two different ways. There's no right or wrong to it; it's just a matter of individual taste.


Likewise, if a piece is in 6/8 or 9/8 (or some other triple meter) and is very slow, the MM mark might use an eighth note as the left side of the equation rather than a dotted quarter. (The performer has to remember that it takes three clicks to make one full beat in this case, not two!)



The MM mark is always printed above the staff, and in the case of a Grand Staff, it's printed above the top staff. If there's also a verbal Tempo indication, the MM mark can be either below it, or to the right of it. Again, a matter of choice. Quite often a composer or editor will give a verbal Tempo and then put the MM mark in parentheses. This is not a requirement, however. The MM mark means exactly the same thing whether it's in parentheses or not.

Here are some examples of various ways of saying something in three different ways, that all mean the same thing:






There are also several modifications to the basic equation that can be made. You can put a ‘c’ or ‘ca’ in front of the number, which means ‘approximately.’ Or you can give a range, to allow the performer a bit of freedom.


This would probably be a good place to mention that there are modern electronic versions of the metronome now. The click of the original can be changed to just about any sound you want. I think there's something kind of charming, though, about the old 'click,' and it's also fun to watch the arm move back and forth instead of just watching a light flash.

The next installment of this blog is going to combine the ideas in this post with the contents of the previous four posts to show that it is possible to write an entire musical passage in several different ways, without changing the sound! Stay tuned! (To coin a phrase.)


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To see other entries in this Music Blog (in reverse chronological order), click HERE.

To see entries in my Memory Blog (in reverse order), click HERE.





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