Counting and the Metronome, a Pianist's Best Friends

Count out loud

Say the numbers out loud as you play. Add "and" between them, one and two and three and four and, so every beat splits into two even parts. It keeps you from rushing, and it makes eighth notes land in the right place. Count for both hands, even when the left hand only plays long notes. The left hand may feel slow at first, and that is fine. It usually means it was hurrying before. Once the count feels steady out loud, try counting in your head while you play.

Know how long each note lasts

A quarter note gets one beat. A half note gets two, so press the key and let it ring while you count two. A whole note gets four. An eighth note gets half a beat, so two of them fit in one count. Try it right now with one key. Play four quarter notes while you count one two three four. Then play two half notes, holding each one while you count one two. Then play it once and hold it for all four counts, which is a whole note.

Count the silences too

A rest is a beat where you play nothing, and it counts just as much as a note. A whole rest fills a bar of four beats with silence, a half rest lasts two beats, a quarter rest one beat and an eighth rest half a beat. A whole rest hangs down from a line of the staff like a hole, and a half rest sits on top of a line like a hat. During a rest, lift your fingers off the keys and keep the count going out loud. If a rest falls on the and, say the and, stay quiet, and play again on the next number.

Dotted notes add half

A dot after a note makes it last half again as long. A dotted half note is two beats plus one, so it lasts three. A dotted quarter note is one beat plus half a beat, so it lasts one and a half. A dotted quarter is often followed by an eighth note, and together they fill two beats. Count one and two and. Play on one, hold through the and and the two, then play the eighth note on the and of two. Saying the ands out loud is what makes this rhythm land in the right place.

Hold through a tie

A tie is a curved line joining two notes on the same key. Play the first note and hold it for both lengths added together, without pressing the key again. Ties often cross a bar line. A half note tied to a quarter note lasts three beats, so you keep counting three four one with the key down, then play the next note on two.

Read the time signature

The two numbers at the start of a piece are the time signature. The top number tells you how many beats fit in each bar, and a bottom 4 means the quarter note gets one beat. In 4/4 you count one two three four, and in 3/4 you count one two three, the swaying feel of a waltz. Lean a little on beat one in both, because it starts each bar. Before a new piece, count one bar out loud so you feel the beat first.

Odd time signatures

Some songs have five beats in a measure. Split them into a group of three and a group of two and count one two three, one two. It feels like a long pulse then a short one. Play the left hand alone first, counting one two three, one two over and over until it feels like a dance step, then add the right hand.

Start slow

When a passage is hard, set the metronome to half speed. For a song marked 88, try 44. If a slow click is hard to follow, keep it at 88 and treat each click as an eighth note. It is the same speed. Learn each hand alone first. When you put the hands together, go slower still and think of every note as two clicks long until both hands move as one.

Line up every note

Make sure each note lands on its own click, not just some of them. Hold long notes for their full number of clicks. A half note gets two clicks, so keep the key down through the second click and let go as the next note comes in. Listen for the click to disappear under your note. If you can hear it just before or just after you play, you are a little off.

Then bump it up

Play the passage at that speed until it feels like second nature, with no stumbling and no stopping to think. Then raise the metronome by 5 or 10 and do the same thing again. Keep going until you reach full speed. If a new speed falls apart, go back one step for a day.

Common mistakes and their fixes

Most rhythm slips show up in one of these ways: 1. Speeding up in the easy parts. Count out loud with the ands and practice with the metronome on. 2. Slowing down in the hard bars. Practice the hard bars alone, then play the whole piece at the speed of the hardest bar so the tempo never has to change. 3. Cutting long notes short. Count the full length while the key is down, one two for a half note and one two three four for a whole note. 4. Waiting an extra beat between phrases. Keep counting through the end of each phrase and start the next one right on its count. 5. Stopping to fix a wrong note. Keep the beat going and play the next note on time. Fix the wrong note afterward by playing that bar alone. 6. Raising the tempo too soon. Move up only when the passage feels easy three times in a row. 7. Stiff fingers at faster speeds. Keep your wrist loose and your shoulders down. A loose hand moves faster than a tight one.

A five minute practice plan

Try this at the start of each practice: 1. Clap and count one bar of quarter notes, one of half notes and one of eighth notes, out loud. 2. Turn on the metronome at about 60 and play a five finger scale with one note on each click. 3. Pick the hardest bar of your piece and tap its rhythm on your lap while you count out loud. 4. Play that bar with the metronome at half speed, three times in a row with no stops. 5. Raise the metronome by 5, play the bar three more times, then play the whole piece once, counting in your head.

Questions families ask

Here are short answers to a few common questions about counting and the metronome.

How long until counting feels natural

It comes with steady daily practice. A few minutes of counting out loud every day builds it fastest, and before long the count runs in your head on its own. Some rhythms, like the dotted quarter, take longer than others, and that is normal.

Do we need to buy a metronome

No special gear is needed to start. Many digital pianos and keyboards have a metronome built in, and a free metronome app on a phone or tablet works well. Pick one with a clear click you can hear over the piano.

What tempo should a beginner start at

Start at a speed where every note feels easy, often around 60 clicks a minute or half the tempo marked on the music. Slow and steady always sounds better than fast and uneven.

Should my child count out loud or in their head

Out loud first, so you can both hear whether the count is steady. Once that is easy, count in your head while playing, and go back to out loud for any new or tricky part.

What age can a child start counting music

If your child can count to four and clap along with a song, they can start. Clapping, marching and counting games to the click are a fun first step, even before reading notes.

Counting and the metronome turn shaky playing into music that moves forward with a steady beat. Count out loud, start slow, and let the click tell you when you are ready to go faster. If you would like help with counting and rhythm, visit our piano page to book a time.