I'm a member of a cool rock gospel choir, and I really want to conduct a song, but you can guarantee that if I did, I'd have the whole song gradually speed up until I just get dirty looks from all the sopranos. So I need some kind of device to help me keep time - I think a little pad strapped to the back of my hand which just flicked my hand to a regular beat, that I could speed up or slow down for each song. And it'd have to be skin coloured, obviously - hey I don't want everyone to know about my rhythm deficiency!-- mac cartel, Dec 05 2000 Wittner MT50W Compact Quartz Metronome http://www.brookmay...p.asp?itemnum=MT50W"...with light off light only..." [phoenix]Control = Speed http://www.skiphealy.com/09.htmTips on how to acquire tempo [phoenix, Apr 14 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004] Control = Speed http://www.skiphealy.com/09.htmTips on how to acquire tempo [phoenix, Apr 14 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004] Is there some reason the word 'metronome' doesn't appear here?-- egnor, Dec 07 2000 Oddly enough, when you're conducting a choir, you can't hear the ticking of a metronome.-- mac cartel, Dec 07 2000 One of the good things about having a human conductor is the ability of the conductor to adjust for the mood of a particualar phrase or if (<insert deity here> forbid) somebody should mess up. There would have to be tradeoffs, I guess.-- badoingdoing, Dec 08 2000 Just have a heart pacemaker installed connected via a negative feedback circuit to a microphone. As the music speeds up, your heart slows down and your conducting movements become sluggish.-- hippo, Dec 08 2000 Most electronic metronomes have a light that flashes with the beat. If you need to change the tempo, listen to a performance you like on headphones and conduct to THAT. Instant Von Karajan! (If someone messes up, I think a good conductor ignores it so as not to confuse the rest of the ensemble.)-- rmutt, Dec 09 2000 Would it be practical to have an electronic gadget such as a Palm Pilot (I think that's the right name)on hand which might be adapted for providing a sense of rhythm?-- JoeBader1, Sep 26 2001 what about a wrist-watch style device which you can set like a metronome, and it gives you small shocks or vibrations or something on the beats?-- professorfrink, Apr 13 2002 Metronomes are not normally used during performance or even practice but before (at least this is as I was taught). The idea is that you listen to the metronome for a few seconds to get accustomed to the given tempo and then, during performance, you count the meter in your head. One and uh two and uh three and uh . . . (triplet). You might be surprised how effective and accurate this is, given a little practice.-- bristolz, Apr 13 2002 mac cartel, wherever you may be - Seems kind of hard to screw that *church choir conductor's cross pattern* up.-- thumbwax, Nov 12 2002 I think that the watch idea is a bit off. I mean, do you really want to get schocked 120 times in a minute? not really.-- Seafris, Mar 12 2003 random, halfbakery