Tempo Changes - Your Thoughts?

[rickidoo]

A dynamic that I simply haven't paid much attention to in writing music was tempo variation. I found a pretty good article that has some examples of different approaches to tempo variation.

 

 

https://mysongalive.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/top-10-tempo-changes/

 

It's kinda a whole new way to think about song structure and feel for me... how's about you?

 

Rick

 

 

[mbfrancis]

Weird...just realizing that five of my recent songs all have tempo changes:

 

Girl from Galway - slows down at beginning and end of bridge and at very end, mellow, natural

Cold Cold Heart - subtle, bridge speeds up

Genevieve Knows - major ritard into last chorus

Let the Seasons Change - major ritard on bridge

Ten Years Too Late - Played w/out a click, tempo is all over

 

[nat whilk II]

Any conversation on songs that change tempo should include this one. For those who thought Bjork wrote this, the American 1951 release also posted, written by a couple of German guys in 1948 -

 

[YOUTUBE]TEC4nZ-yga8[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

[YOUTUBE]horRWtbAJoI[/YOUTUBE]

 

nat whilk ii

 

[oldgitplayer]

Tempo variation is quite usual when a band plays live. When I used to perform back in the days of yore, we often upped the tempo a few bpm when we hit the chorus and dropped back again at the verse. Upped it again when taking out the song at the end. This is also a response to watching people dancing in front of you.

 

But I think tempo has to be separated from rhythm in this discussion. Many songs do more than just change speed. For example, John Mayall doing Willie Dixon / Otis Rush 'All Your Love'. Switches to a shuffle at 1.50

 

[video=youtube;rUUEtCBhn_Q]

[rickidoo]

 

MB Frances -

What a wake up call. I listened to all your listed songs and thought where the hell have my ears been!

 

How did you accomplish this - I assume you layered all the instruments? Girl From Galway is especially noteworthy... the tempo adds a terrific dimension to this song.

 

Ten Years Too Late - is VERY natural and real - the tempo changes make that song - in addition to the great singing and piano performance.

 

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Nat - It's so quiet - and The betty Hutton song. These are good examples of sudden tempo changes that come as a dramatic surprise. They work, and they sound perfect for the musical theater.

 

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Git - cool song. Reminds me of the shuffle/time signiture change in Pink Floyd's 'Money'. And you are right, its more than just bpm.

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Of all these various changes, songs like MBFrance's Girl From Galway weave tempo adjustments in a subtle fashion and add to the emotion of the song without being a showcase in themselves. Lordy I want to be able to do that.

 

I sense some degree of variation when I compose, but when I turn that click track on, it's dead in the water. But I have a plan! Now all I need to do is write a song that can let me build up my tempo changing muscles.

 

Rick

[nat whilk II]

Elton John would do some tempo-fiddling.

 

All The Young Girls Love Alice is an obvious one with the two sections at different tempos.

 

A subtle one but incredibly effective is Tiny Dancer. When he approaches the chorus going "softly....slowly" the tempo slows ever so gradually as a sort of sinking down into the mood, the moments with the girl as away from it all - a mood so strong time seems to slow down in their separate little universe. Somehow they get back up to tempo, you hardly notice it until the approach to the chorus comes around again. Very crafty stuff.

 

nat whilk ii

 

 

 

 

 

[rhino55]

In a studio the only way I've been successful with this is by tracking the rhythm section live. I've played with drummers who were able to play with a click and add slight push or pull. They are a rare breed though.

 

I've also tracked songs with just a guitar and vocal that were supposed to speed up slightly that got way too fast. Nobody noticed until the drummer was laying down a track. A few bpm might not be that noticeable with just an instrument and vocal, but you'll feel the difference. When you start adding other instruments it can make a big difference.

 

 

[mbfrancis]

MB Frances -How did you accomplish this - I assume you layered all the instruments? Girl From Galway is especially noteworthy... the tempo adds a terrific dimension to this song.

 

Thanks for the props...how do I do it? Honestly I've played the songs enough by the time I record them that it usually becomes immediately apparent when the the click needs to change at some point. So it comes from the song performance / arrangement. I'll mess with the tempo map to find the simplest solution (ideally an abrupt change and an abrupt change back (Galway), easier to deal with. Sometimes I'll play it through and record it at one tempo and then use time stretch to find a tempo changes (Genevieve ch3). Sometimes I record things in pieces and then paste them together (10 years). Not sure if this helps.

 

I should totally use "MB France" as a name vs MB Francis.

[rickidoo]

Thanks MB for the insight.

 

So I was playing around tonight with my DAW which is Sonar Platinum. Specifically the tempo page, which I had used only in one song for the last 4 years and that was for a sudden jump.

 

I got to reading the manual... and it has the capability of smooth transitions in whatever fashion I want - straight lines, even hand drawn. I think pro tools does as well.

 

I dropped in a midi drum beat, then started to draw some subtle up tempos then down tempos. Then I played along to the beat of the drums, much like I was in a jamming session with a drummer. Then I tried more radical stuff.

 

I had a ball. Subtle changes brought gradual excitement and slow then steep changes brought a crescendo effect.

 

I tell ya, this is like I discovered a new color in my crayon box! Or like I found a 4th dimension.

 

Stairway to Heaven, watch out!

 

[video=youtube;BcL---4xQYA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcL---4xQYA

 

RIck

[TimothyZelinski]

I used tempo changes a lot with a metal band I used to have, but I usually didn't realize we were doing it. It became part of the style but it sometimes backfired because it got difficult for people to groove with it since we rarely stuck to one tempo for too long.