Customer Reviews

Peterson BB-1 BodyBeat Pulsing Metronome

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a violin teacher, and one of my students left this device in my studio after his lesson. I'd never seen it before (he brought it to show me). Between that Monday and the next, I found myself using it spontaneously in lesson after lesson. The results were consistent:

(1) Every student's rhythm improved dramatically and immediately
(2) Even students who typically struggled to play with a metronome, played accurately with the Body Beat
(3) Every student LOVED it, and ALL of them asked me where they could get one.

How many times has a student ever ASKED for a metronome? One female student begged to use it over the weekend, and was willing to drive it across town on Sunday so I had it in time for the owner's next lesson the next day.

As a traditional metronome (with sound) the Body Beat is limited, because the "click" is actually a pitch rather than a wood-block sound. In a situation with several players, only one player would be able to clip the vibrator to them, so you would need a traditional metronome with a loud beat for that purpose; the Body Beat would be too soft. (Clapping hands works works just fine for the few times I'm in those teaching situations; so no great loss, but a valuable improvement for the next model.)

The metric settings (ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three-four, etc.) are great for helping students get oriented to strong beat / weak beat. I haven't used the complex rhythm features, but it's a great option ... there are triplets, dotted rhythms, etc. In spite of the advanced features, the interface is quite simple and easy to use.

I am thrilled with the product and am recommending it to all my students.

I bought this metronome for the vibrating function so I wouldn't have to blast the metronome in my ear while drumming. The pulse duration is a bit too long, and could be a little stronger; it's hard to feel a solid beat unless I rest it on the back of my neck. Once you get to a high enough speed, the subdivisions are barely even discernible. It might work great as a vibrator at that speed, but not as a metronome.

The blip on this thing is high pitched so if you do use ear phones, you don't have to turn it that loud, and it offers a nice variety of subdivisions (quarter, eighth, tripelet, 16ths, and variations of 16ths).

Overall good idea, but needs to be tweaked more. But still an effective metronome

I purchased one a few weeks ago. So far I like it and think it will help my rhythm.

However there are some problems and disappointments...especially for the $99 price tag.

Below are my observations.

Pros:
1. Easy to feel the beats
2. Battery life seems good
3. Buttons / functions are easy to use
4. LCD is easy to read
5. Simple to set (tempo, beat , division)


Cons:

1. Peterson customer service needs improvement. I received no responses to several requests made through their website. I was very disappointed about this and considered returning the unit.

2. It arrived with a low cost (Large Super Duty) , 9V battery that was almost dead (unit would not function). The battery is low quality and is contrary to the needs stated in the user guide.

3. Seems too large to me. Seems like they could accomplish the same function with a smaller chassis

4. Chassis seems low quality plastic. Not sure it would survive a drop.

5. No memory or preset settings

6. 9V battery is a little difficult to remove/replace.

7. No vibration intensity setting ; the vibration annoys me within 30 mins ; ability to lower the intensity might help

This has helped me immensely while training to play songs correctly. It has any combination of beats. I didn't expect it, but it has strong and soft beats, for example: ONE, two, three, four, ONE, two, three four... very nice feature and very helpful! I prefere to use this over my old metronome that had an annoying audible BEEP for every beat.
It has a plug in for a head set if you still want to hear the tone (with adjustable volume). The only thing I would like to add is a volume for the vibrator, using fresh batteries it can tickle a bit...
The vibrator part can be used with a clip, or you can remove the clip and just put it in a pocket.

This have been helpful with my guitar playing, and would work for any other instrument.

This is great. For someone like me who has difficulty finding and keeping the beat without losing track of pitch and other musical necessities this has been a godsend. Highly recommend it.
PeterL

If you are learning guitar - practicing in time is an essential skill. This unique device is a great tool to practice with - its pulsing action is terrific to reinforce time signatures. Its pricey - purchase only if your serious about your playing!

I have a terrible time with visual or auditory cues for keeping time, but this metronome has helped enormously. It is well worth the money. The unit is very light and not bulky at all. I saw that Peterson is coming with a new and better version so I would recommend to wait and buy that one instead of this one, but if all you need is a metronome that won't distract you and can be used for a teaching aid for autistic children (my son is autistic and he is working well with this for his piano lessons) this is the metronome for you. I am not sure if this is going to be useful for professionals, but for someone that is just starting, this is great.

I will just say this first...
I have a real hard time trying to practice to a metronome. This is compounded by the fact that I don't have a natural rhythm to start with. I play guitar and every "click" or sound based metronome I have ever tried quickly gets drowned out by the sound of my instrument. I have used drum machines and they work ok, but it soon became a hassle to set up different rhythm patterns for practicing triplets or 16th note patterns. I also had to use them at a louder volume than my family wanted to tolerate to use them effectively anyway.
Yet every guitarist I would want to learn from stated that the one of the best things they did to improve their playing was practicing to a metronome. I researched how to do this and no one seemed to answer the question "HOW, I can't even hear it once I start playing?!".
Then I found the Peterson Body Beat at a local music store. It seemed pricey at the time but I bought it. The pulse bulb works for me!!! I can concentrate on what I am playing and not on trying to follow an audio beat. I can feel the rhythm and play to it. It doesn't make a difference if I am practicing with headphones or with an amp, I feel the beat either way.
My timing has improved because my fingers stopped trying to out race themselves. They always seem to want to speed up, faster and faster. Having the pulse provides a discipline to keeps them at pace!
I hope review this is helpful to anyone who has trouble playing to a metronome. I believe that the Peterson Body Beat is worth the price because it solves a very REAL problem and it solves it effectively.
The tempo and subdivision and easy to set quickly, much easier than with any drum machine I have used.
If this product did not exist I would not use a metronome at all and would still have lame timing skills. I wholeheartedly recommend this product to anyone who desires a metronome they can really practice with.