Metronome? Yes and No.

Probably good to have a casual go at it - but religeosly using it to develop your singing / playing could leave you with a bland boring style devoid of any expression.

Sadly I 've seen many, many singers who sound like they've learnt to a metronome - they're typically the Clawhammer Residents who would never be able to entertain an audience for more than a floorspot.

The best way to improve timing, pitch and other aspects of performance is to sing or play with other people if at all possible - and it doesn't have to be Folk because what you learn crosses musical boundaries.

Another side of the coin cropped up at our singaround last night when we were discussing a couple of very good singers - but performers whose timing was so 'Personal' - its hard for anyone to join in with them; again - examples of people who would have benefited from playing in bands or singing in choirs when they were starting out.

Ian Fyvie