THE METRONOME: A COGNITIVE CRISIS OF MUSICAL TIME

Abstract

This article sets out to examine the psychophysiological and cognitive aspects of musical time standardisation through the use of the metronome, along with a critical evaluation of its excessive popularity in educational practice. This phenomenon has reached what may be described as ‘metronome mania’: an obsessive reliance on the metronome as a universal tool for regulating and correcting rhythm in music pedagogy and performance. It reflects a pathological drive towards mechanical standardisation of musical time, suppressing the natural fluidity of tempo and the expressive rhythmic-intonational qualities of performance.An interdisciplinary approach is employed, drawing on principles of music pedagogy and performance practice to enable a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon under consideration.The study explores musical time as a living perceptual process, as opposed to its fixation through metronomic measurement. Particular attention is given to the formation of motor memory, rhythmic intention and the internal sense of tempo in novice musicians. Common pedagogical errors that hinder the development of organic rhythmic thinking are identified. The study finds that excessive use of the metronome fosters dependency on external pulsation, thereby impeding the development of autonomous temporal perception. The notion of a ‘metronomic dogma’ is introduced to describe an inflexible approach that distorts rhythmic intonation and obstructs the attainment of musical expressiveness. The article argues for the replacement of the metronome-centred model of rhythmic training with an approach based on motor perception: latent chronometry and internal temporal organisation. It is demonstrated that a stable rhythmic sense is not developed through submission to external auditory cues, but through the cultivation of an internal perception of time, bodily- motor synchronisation, vocal articulation of rhythm and the capacity for improvisational variation.The role of rhythmic intention is emphasised as a means of semantic and emotional structuring of musical time. The development of professional performance thinking, it is argued, requires a shift towards a flexible, phenomenologically grounded interpretation of rhythmic texture. Musical time is thus conceptualised as a dynamic and richly layered phenomenon, shaped by the performer’s sensory experience and offering new pathways for cultivating expressive rhythmic thought.