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method for tapping the tap tempo


J.Paul

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I've been enjoying using a tap tempo delay pedal but don't always want to use a whole or quarter note. Sometimes a dotted half or triplet works better for a tune....but it's confusing.

 

If there were no distractions I could tap a triplet or dotted half, no problem, but in between songs I'm :

stomping on 4 or 5 OTHER pedals,

changing the settings/guitars on my Variax,

listening for if the singer calls a different song than what on the setlist

trying to remember the tempo of the next song

check my tuning

ignoring drunks

blah blah blah (you know the drill)...and I've got 10 seconds MAX to do it

 

Does anyone have a simple suggestion or method to tapping these delays in?

Something I can hum in my head to get the rhythm?

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Yea that's pretty tough... I'm using an empress super delay which is great for that though, you tap quarter notes and then based on the settings you can make the delay quarters, 8ths, 16ths, triplets, dotted 8ths and dotted quarters. I don't know how to help you other than to tell you to get a delay like that.

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Think of the typical Tango rhythm:

 

OooOooOo|OooOooOo|

 

You follow me? Those are 8th notes in the bar. If you tap the first THREE accents in that pattern you'll have your dotten 8th set at the tempo you were feeling. So it's a matter of just immediately nailing that rhythm to your tempo.

 

So first, get your tempo in your head:

OoOoOoOo|OoOoOoOo

 

Then get the syncopated thing from above in your foot:

OooOooOo|OooOooOo

 

Remember, only do the first or the last three, if you do four in a row for this pattern you'll screw up the tap tempo because of the "short" part of the rhythm at the end?

 

You feel me?

 

For triplets you just have to feel the quarter note triplet of your tempo, this is too hard to notate using the Oo rhythm, but I think you'll figure it out once you implement my above suggestion as it's very similar.

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yes
that's exactly what I was looking for
thanks

Think of the typical Tango rhythm:


OooOooOo|OooOooOo|


You follow me? Those are 8th notes in the bar. If you tap the first THREE accents in that pattern you'll have your dotten 8th set at the tempo you were feeling. So it's a matter of just immediately nailing that rhythm to your tempo.


So first, get your tempo in your head:

OoOoOoOo|OoOoOoOo


Then get the syncopated thing from above in your foot:

OooOooOo|OooOooOo


Remember, only do the first or the last three, if you do four in a row for this pattern you'll screw up the tap tempo because of the "short" part of the rhythm at the end?


You feel me?


For triplets you just have to feel the quarter note triplet of your tempo, this is too hard to notate using the Oo rhythm, but I think you'll figure it out once you implement my above suggestion as it's very similar.

 

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It works the same for 16ths, you just have to feel the OooOooOo thing in 16ths instead of eighths.

 

But anyway, I'm glad you guys like my suggestion. Sometimes I feel like my master's degree in music isn't totally wasted. :idk:

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