, after some mucking around I'm finding the best solution for my own situation to be:LimpingToad said:
Limping (your first name?
Since I've been starting the songs at the right tempo there's been far less pushing and pulling the time. Everyone is confident that the tempo is right and it sits better.
- working out the bpm
- getting the tempo right before counting in
- playing without any other guide.
We sped up a little towards the end of The Thrill Is Gone last night but nothing dramatic, maybe a few BPM. Whatever, by the end of the song we were cooking! The smile and gleam in our keyboardist's eyes (he's a blues freak) was worth every extra BPM
Is your crew really speeding up that much or did you just enjoy a little poetic flourish? That seems pretty wild. If so, you may need to get them to have a big meal before rehearsal to mellow them down a bit
Did the other band members have concerns about the tempos before you brought in the practice routine?
and you're Grea? Yes, that 90-120 is an exaggeration but we do have tempo maintenance problems and really my biggest concern is the syncopated rhythms are completely off for the bassist. Which really is obvious when we do syncopated hits together and its just really sloppy. That problem with the one guy not being able to play syncopated 16ths in time has been brought up before by myself AND the guitarist (it was especially bad when playing "Ramble On"). I'm not AS worried about it now as I used to be because I think a lot of the problems we have stem from not having a good singer and the music is just my way of locking down what I can. The week before our gig last weekend we practiced a bunch of the songs without vocals and they sounded really good. We're auditioning a new singer this week so hopefully we'll find someone that can make us sound as good as the music does without vocals.
My name is Matt.
What song is that one? You don't see much 2/4 around. My understanding is it's largely a matter of a composer's interpretation. Am I being clueless?
Yes quite wind in the willows. not my intention... but my gf got me a toad stuffed animal one year with a custom shirt that says "the limping toad" on it... we nicknamed him "Dr. Toad" sounds much more professional then "Mr."I could have tried Mr Toad but it seemed a bit too Wind In the Willows. So ... hi Matt
Yup. That's why my old zeppelin cover band used to break everything down with a metronome to half the tempo then work it back up. We played songs like the crunge and the ocean to near-perfection though... i miss that band.
He's actually the bassist/keyboardist too so he's not going anywhere... he's also the other founding member and we practice at his house.
No not clueless... its true.. just like you can feel 3/8 as 2 bars in 6/8 etc. but the 2/4 was actually just one of the exercies... the whole thing with interpretation of the rhythm is that it also has to do with phrasing so if something feels like it should be 2/4 bars in the phrasing it is 2/4. just like a 12/8 groove may actually be 6/8 if it feels more like 2 6/8 bars put together. I just feel like a basic understanding of rhythmic structure and rhythmic values are important for someone... especially when we cover songs by zeppelin and rush... Also my approach to composing grooves for our originals relies heavily on syncopation and precision in the parts i tell the other members to work out.Hehehe ... I'd be inclined to say, "Just treat it as a 4/4"
I like that.. but as my old friend (the music ed major) said when i told him about the "composer" not knowing how to read or write music... "oh.. you mean he's a 'singer/song writer"As for being a composer, John Lennon was quoted as saying. "Say what you mean. Make it rhyme. Put a beat to it"
