Steady Tempo
 

Shooting for steady tempo or play with tempo (Rubato, Accelerando, etc.) here and there?

Both Derek. The crucial aspect is that my timing is spot on - but that doesn't mean that it is always steady.

However, I do like to sing freely across a steady guitar. To be able to play one rhythm and sing another is something that I work on - it is sort of my thing.

Totally depends on the playing situation.

Highly depends on the piece of music in question.

That's where I always find a challenge. It takes me a lot of slow practice to get it right

I think that if you show you can keep time, people will buy into what you're doing more readily (even if they're "civilians" or "lead guitar players" who don't even know what time is.) Once you've done that, you can deviate from it and it will be clear that the deviation is a choice. It's not because you can't play in time and/or don't know the difference.

Listen to just about any of Dylan's early solo stuff, versus just about anyone else of that era. The man's rock steady, almost always. You can sit and play with it. It gives what he's doing cred and gravitas. You may not always understand what his words are about -- heck, even he might not -- but the steady time helps to sell it.

A metronome helps.

When I was running dulcimer workshops I would suggest folks played with a metronome in order to work on fluidity and phrasing. I was often asked "Won't that make me metronomic?" So I would switch on my metronome and play the melody to "Danny Boy" just up and down one string to show how you can move the phrasing to be expressive and lyrical whilst still hitting strict time.

Try clapping a beat and then singing across it. If you can do that then it's a small step to playing a rhythm on guitar and sing across it.

I am thinking for expressive musical purposes being more liberal with tempo than compatible with an eye for catching up with some metronome pace. As
already mentioned what is doable to effect varies with the piece and perhaps even the particular situation of the environment.

Derek, I also sing in a Welsh MVC where tempo changes within a piece of music are commonplace and controlled by the conductor. Perhaps "timing" and "tempo" are two different things? We must always be in time but fluidity vary the tempo. Perhaps I haven't explained that well?

Several solo fingerstyle songs I am working on recently include Pat Metheny’s arrangement of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Ed Gerhard’s arrangement of The Water is Wide, and Doug Young’s arrangement of Shenandoah all work well if the tempo “breathes” as has been mentioned above. I spend a lot of time listening to those artists play these songs to get a feel for how they get the music to “flow and ebb”. Fun stuff.

I think the key to most aspects of playing is to be aware of the various aspects and listen to what you are doing. Listen to all the various things you are doing, and you will become aware, because you can hear it, when they are being done correctly and when they are not. Imagine watching and hearing a band that changes drummers. Except for pros they will play differently from each other. Some will be better than others. To do that you have to listen with a focus. Open mics are great for this type of exercise. What do some do correctly, and others do not. I assume you can hear the difference. Do the same to yourself and attempt to correct what needs worked on. It's a journey that never ends.

Mostly steady, especially in practice and almost always with a metronome. But sometimes, with some songs, I try to be more expressive with the flow, tempo, and dynamics.

Steady if I'm playing with others or with a click to record. Solo, I might change tempo a bit at strategic places.

D.H.

Personally for what I do I don't use a metronome for practice or otherwise.