The metronome is an essential tool for musicians wanting to improve their playing speed. All metronomes have a variable speed control which allows you to select a tempo between about 30 and 260 BPM (beats per minute). I have developed a special metronome that can speed up or slow down over a period of time. This is useful for musicians as it allows you to start playing at a comfortable speed and gradually go faster. This metronome allows you to set the start tempo, end tempo and the time in seconds that you want the tempo to gradually change from start tempo to end tempo.

I developed this Java applet because I remember some of the difficulty I had when learning the guitar. I wanted to improve my speed and for some reason I found playing the faster tempos took a long time to master. When I was learning to play guitar, I found it easy to practice a drill in time at 110 bpm but to go to 120 bpm was very difficult. By starting slow and gradually getting faster, my guitar playing speed vastly improved. The best part is that if you set the time to change to something over two minutes, you do not even notice the tempo speeding up.

The applet should be running directly above this paragraph. If it is not then you probably do not have the Java Runtime Environment enabled or installed on your browser. You can download it from the above link.

The applet is very easy to use. Simply set the tempo that you want to start at with the first scrollbar. Next set the tempo that you want to finish on with the second scrollbar. Lastly set the time in seconds that the tempo will take to change from the start tempo to the end tempo with the third scrollbar. Once you are all set, click the Play button.

As I write I’m eagerly awaiting getting hold of the new Beastie Boys album “The Mix-Up”. This album is instrumental only. I really enjoyed the compilation they put out in 1996 called “The In Sound From Way Out”. This excellent release contained instrumental cuts mainly from their “Check Your Head” and “Ill Communication” albums. Anyways this is still one of my favourite Beastie Boys releases so I’m sure their new album will not disappoint.

Now this gets me going off on a Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley tangent. Sometime after a bought the Beasties “In Sound From Way Out”, I came across an LP in an op-shop with the same name and similar cover art. I’d never heard of Perrey-Kingsley before. The notes on the back of the album mentioned that Perrey-Kingsley were pioneers of electronic music. All the tracks on the album were painstakingly constructed with spliced analogue tape.

I was hoping this album would sound something like the Beastie’s version however it was quite the opposite. This first time I listened to the album I wanted to throw it away as it reeked of seven varieties of bad cheese. I’ve had a few listens in the last few years. Each time I play it, I have more appreciation. After all, it is pretty ground breaking for an album released in 1966.

And now for another tangent, The Robotic Intergalactic Astro-Artists (RIAA) has released “Sounds For The Space-Set!!”. It’s free mp3 mash-up business featuring pioneers of electronic music with more contemporary artists. My favourites are Jean Jacques Perrey and Harry Breuer’s “Re-Entry To The Moon” with Rihanna’s “’Pon De Replay” and Timerlake’s “Sexy Back” with Three Suns “Caravan,”. There are 20 more tracks on there. Some are good and some are to be avoided.