I've hardly ever used a metronome, but I have recorded against a click track. It's an educational and humbling experience for anyone who thinks they can keep to a tempo, and I guess if you want to get used to playing dance music at what has been established somehow as the "right" tempo it's useful for keeping on track.

We had the distinguished French musician Jean Blanchard staying in our house for a few days earlier this year, playing for a French trad dance group who were visiting, and I heard him one morning practising on his pipes with a metronome to check he was keeping to the correct speed. Clearly it is a respectable tool for use by serious musicians, but it would be bad to use it all the time. After that I was seriously tempted to get myself one.

Of course one shouldn't play like a metronome, but the lessons available from using one are well worth learning.

Anahata