'Upright Bill's' metronome exercises?

[Jack Pine]

I ran across an old thread here, long non-active user 'Upright Bill' mentions some metronome exercises that will "set your internal clock to atomic accuracy or kill you in the process."

Anyone hip to Bill's method or interested in offering other tips on tightening up the time?

[Gheorghe]

I must admit I never understood the purpose of the metronome. But maybe the reason is that I didn´t get formal lessons, but I don´t think it helps somebody to get a sense of rhythmical inspiration for becoming a good musician.  And that "tic tac" sound would get on my nerves.

If a drummer is just a beginner and has a too metronomic sound it can get on your nerves. 

And the metronome brings some very very sad memories back: As one of my first inspirations in jazz was no one less than Charles Mingus and I was born early enough to not only hear him on records, those last months were he couldn move even his hands and had to compose by singing accopanied by a metronome and so record his ideas, brought me to tears and maybe still does. I mean to have created some of the deepest, the most fascinating music of this century, accopanied by genius drummer Danny Richmond and no more being able to play or even to tap your feet or snip your fingers... 

[Jack Pine]

Oh man, that is a sad scene with Mingus.

I've never been a big metronome user myself, but what work I have done with them seems to be helpful. I think that there probably is a danger of becoming too dependent on one, or of developing a rigid, mechanical time feel.

Just using a metronome to keep time, 1*2*3*4*: I agree this will not offer much rhythmic inspiration. The helpful stuff I have found is setting the tempo at half speed and hearing the clicks as 2*  4*: you can swing in this manner. I'm imagining Bill's system involves more unorthodox use of the clicks. Though I won't have to imagine much longer, thanks to the board I got his contact info, so should be seeing for myself soon.