You seem to regard an awareness of pulse as vitally important. Is practising with a metronome a good idea?
Never do this! It is damaging on many levels. Even when playing strictly in time there is a human, rhythmic element. Attempting to play perfectly evenly generates tension and technical problems whilst musically it is always a recipe for disaster. For a few years, I suffered with a teacher who taught metronomic time keeping and I found it more and more difficult to keep a flowing tempo and a regular pulse. It is rather like gripping the handlebars too tightly on a bicycle as you try to cycle in a perfectly straight line. Conversely, when you tune into the matrix, the human “imperfections” become absorbed by its natural, elastic, organic perfection and keeping the tempo constant is simply a musical choice that is effortlessly possible.
