Fixing Tempo Problems

[Channing]

When I rehearse with my band I sometimes use a click. We'll have me play to a click while making a recording, then everyone has the recording to practice with. Sometimes my bandmates can't play in time. The lead singer/guitarist of my band was really bad about this, and any time there was a break in the song where he would be singing or playing by himself the time would get way off. I think if you can get everyone in the band on board to play in time then it's a lot easier because you don't have someone else trying to push or pull it out of time. There have been times on stage where it's felt like a tug of war with them, the whole song I'm just trying to slow it all down while they keep speeding up. It's not easy but we're getting better. Also we replaced the singer..

 

[alparrott]

Re: tempo problems.

If drummers count the song off when they are excited, unless the drummer is really good at separating their own excitement from their tempo circuit, the tempo will start off too fast.

If I have to count off a song, I sing my favorite part of the song in my head for a few bars and extrapolate the tempo from that. Even if I'm excited, my song tempo memory isn't affected, and as long as I sing a few bars to myself before counting off, my excitement doesn't affect my count in.

Now if I am excited and don't sing a few bars of the song first before counting off, then the song might start too fast. That's going in unprepared in a way.

Tempo...for me it's all about singing a few bars of the song before counting off to eliminate any excitement issues. I'm thankful for that. I find keeping steady meter in a sea of less than steady meter...to be a much bigger challenge than selecting the right tempo.

This is not something I want to leave up to a machine either, even though it's easier to do so. I myself want the ability to be steady and to play just the right tempo without external devices. I do practice to them, but live? No thank you. I like clicks for studio records. Live, I kind of abhor them, and I don't mind saying so.

I do the "hum a few bars" trick myself all the time and it works a treat to start out. I will even hum to myself to correct tempo coming out of a solo if need be. Bermuda mentioned a while back how he even uses certain songs to identify a tempo, which is like a Ph.D in tempo setting.

 

[DrummerCA35]

Just wanted to give an update, as I'm the OP. We played a gig Saturday night...corporate holiday party. (It was a 70's party...they wanted mostly 70's music (with some other stuff thrown in) with 70's outfits. The people were all dressed in 70's outfits.)

I had all the tempos in the Tempo app, on my iPad, and on my iPhone I had the LiveBPM app up. As as as the tempos, I went with the album tempos, where it made sense and where the artists actually play the songs at the album tempo live. (Yay for YouTube.) In a few cases went a few BPMs higher.

Also, before I started using these apps, tempo was an issue for some songs, but certainly not all of them. Many/most of our songs were probably fine beforehand. But some were certainly a problem, which was obvious on the recordings.

The result? First, just starting at the right tempo was, quite obviously, a HUGE improvement. Most of the songs either STAYED at the tempo I started it, or some maybe 1 or 2 BPMS faster. A dramatic improvement.

Listening back, it sounded so much better...Jenny Jenny (867-5309), "Shakey Ground (Delbert McClinton version), September (EWF), "Long Train" (Doobies), "Everyday People" (Sly), "Car Wash", "Good Times" (Chic), "Uptown Funk" (Bruno Mars), and so on. The guitar player was always starting Jenny Jenny too fast; I counted him in; ditto with "Long Train", "Shakey Ground", and so on.

There were maybe two songs where it did go to up to 4 BPMs faster. One of these was "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5. However, I've seen videos where even the Jackson 5 played it faster than the 98 BPM on the recording. However, quite honestly, I think these sounded better a little faster, and other bands, some of them, pick up the tempo a bit on those.

Some of these, to me, sound the best at the original tempo, especially when the artists play them that way live.

There is one song, I think the band SHOULD play at the same tempo, and even the artist usually plays it at that tempo, from what I've found online, although, I did find one video where he was playing it about at the tempo we got to.

In a nutshell, a HUGE improvement, the gig recording is so much better to listen to, and of one our lead singers was really happy, saying a certain song was no longer rushed. NONE of the songs were runaway fast.

This is all from the first gig we me doing this. Can it still be improved? Absolutely, I'll continue to do this, and point out where it still needs to be fixed.

 

[AndeeT]

Great topic.

I realised recently after recording our band practice that my ability to keep a steady tempo is not as good as I thought. I tend to speed up in louder parts.

Anyway, recording yourself is definitely a great start.

As for the drummer using a click. It’s great for practice (I have been lazy over the past year and not used a metronome for practice; my time has definitely got worse!). But bear in mind you will have to practice/rehearse a lot with the band with this setup. It’s a skill in its own, knowing how to play to a click is only half the battle;

When only the drummer hears the click, and the band start to move away from you by a few BPMs, it’s like your brain is being torn in two! Having the confidence to stick with the click and not follow your band mates +\- 3 BPMs away is something totally different to just playing to a click on its own.

So I’d say try and learn all different ways;

1. Playing with your band without click, but use the Live BPM app for direct feedback and recording for indirect feedback.

2. Practice with a click in your own time.

3. With the band, only drummer with click, and try to not be tempted to follow your band mates. As others have mentioned, you will have to mark time when an instrument is playing on its own. Depending on the song, stick clicks might work, or Hihat chick. Again, dependent on song, maybe just mark the backbeats, or all quarter notes.

Good luck