This also lets you compare a version without tempo changes, and one with tempo changes. However…įortunately, Studio One makes it easy to add tempo changes to a finished mix-so you can complete your song, and then add subtle tempo changes where appropriate. Let’s face it-it’s a lot easier to record to a click track, and have a constant tempo. Also, if you use effects with tempo sync, not all of them follow tempo changes elegantly (and some can’t follow tempo changes at all). These days, it’s difficult for solo artists to plan out in advance when changes are going to happen. It was easy to have natural tempo changes when musicians played together in a room. They added to the “tension and release” inherent in any music, which is a key element (along with dynamics) in eliciting an emotional response from listeners. Note that you didn’t hear these kinds of changes as something obvious, you felt them. Furthermore, the entire song sped up linearly over the course of the song. There were premeditated, conscious tempo changes throughout the song (e.g., speeding up during the run up to the phrase “papa’s got a brand new bag,” in the song of the same name, then dropping back down again-only to speed up to the next climax). After analyzing dozens of songs, many (actually, most) of them would speed up slightly during the end of a chorus or verse, or during a solo, and then drop back down again.įor example, many people feel James Brown had one of the tightest rhythm sections ever-which is true, but not because they were a metronome. However, with good musicians, these weren’t random. In the days before click tracks, music had tempo changes. I’ve been refining various tempo-changing techniques over the past year (and had a chance to gauge reactions to songs using tempo changes compared to those that didn’t), so it seemed like the time is right to re-visit this topic. Fortunately, it seems like the developers were listening, because it’s now far easier to change tempo. Play at a tempo that does not sound laborious but rather musical, and which you can execute well, and you should be fine.The Jtip covered how to make mastered songs better with tempo changes, but there was some pushback because it wasn’t easy to make these kinds of changes in Studio One. In my experience, too many beginners focus altogether too much on specific numeric tempo values but unless you are playing in a band or for dancers (bother of whom may have very definite ideas about tempo), this is a very individual decision. Again, a matter of musical taste.įinally, you also need to consider what tempo allows you to get the maximum amount of music from a tune - this will depend on your ability and level of development as well as your particular musical taste. There are many tunes which are played at a very wide range of tempos - for example, some 3/4's are played very slowly by some soloists, almost as slow airs, while others play them at (solo) march tempo. Usually you play slower for older dancers than you do for younger dancers (older in this case meaning teenagers and above as opposed to preteens) - the younger dancers can't get as much "lift" as the older dancers, so they naturally have to dance faster. Likewise, dance tunes will depend on taste and on whether you are playing for competition or for dancers. Also, 6/8s are usually played a bit slower than 2/4's and 4/4's, both by bands and by soloists. So bands will often play quick marches at 80-86 bpm, but soloists often below 70 - in fact, if you submit a march played above 70 in solo competition or below 80 in band competition, you will almost certainly elicit a negative remark from the judge. (In a band, expression can be augmented by the drums). "There is no disputing about taste.")Īs a general rule, quick marches are usually played slower by a soloist than by a band, in order to get more expression. Unfortunately this question is almost unanswerable - except by the old Latin adage "De gustibus non disputandum est." (tr.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |