How to stop Speeding up Tempo live.

rmsstrider · #1 10-23-2017, 12:27 PM

Sorry if this has been covered before. I did a quick forum search and didn't see what I am looking for.
When I play and sing a song at home, I seem to have the tempo down pretty good, but I have recorded myself playing (open mics, small venues) and I always seem to play the song just a little to fast. Sometimes I even start out at the right tempo but as the song progresses, I see myself speeding up just a little, usually right after a chorus. Any suggestions in a live situation to keep the proper Beat/Tempo.? Oh, and I am an amateur solo performer.

1neeto · #2 10-23-2017, 12:49 PM

In ear monitor with a click track? Speeding up live is something even professional musicians do. I wouldn’t sweat it unless it becomes sloppy.

Tone Gopher · #3 10-23-2017, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmsstrider

Sorry if this has been covered before. I did a quick forum search and didn't see what I am looking for.
When I play and sing a song at home, I seem to have the tempo down pretty good, but I have recorded myself playing (open mics, small venues) and I always seem to play the song just a little to fast. Sometimes I even start out at the right tempo but as the song progresses, I see myself speeding up just a little, usually right after a chorus. Any suggestions in a live situation to keep the proper Beat/Tempo.? Oh, and I am an amateur solo performer.

Awareness is the first step. Have you ever used a metronome? You will (or should) feel the push/pull of your time vs the metronome.

Howard Emerson · #4 10-23-2017, 01:27 PM

At least you’re aware of it, and I’ll bet the audience isn’t.

You could try a simple drum program in an ear monitor, but I’ll bet anything that you’ll feel the program is dragging....

As you get more experience playing live and ‘living’ with that extra adrenaline, you’ll regulate your breathing better, and will find more rhythmic continuity.

Regards,
Howard

rmsstrider · #5 10-23-2017, 02:29 PM

would an metronome app on my phone sent via blue tooth to an ear bud be of any use.? But then i'm not sure if i could program for my set list ahead of time.
Maybe I just need to practice more.

saxonblue · #6 10-23-2017, 02:46 PM

This happens to me as well & a couple of people have commented & I appreciate their comments as constructive criticism because it may be hard to notice yourself unchecked.

Often while playing into my amp which doesn't have an xlr input I use the looper (RC30) as a blender for instrument/mic. A handy feature of the looper is the tap timer which can be turned down very low or even silent as the LED flashing acts as a sort of visual metronome. Good for practice anyway, helps regulate my timing for when I'm not using it.

tonyo · #7 10-23-2017, 05:12 PM

Rehearsing with a metronome helped me immensely with this issue. It took me a while to get to where I could play with a metronome. At first it took all the joy out of rehearsing. So I left it alone for some months before trying again.

2nd try, same thing. 3rd try, I was able to get it to work for me. Well worth the effort.

YamahaGuy · #8 10-23-2017, 05:19 PM

Relax. Play it slower than you think you should. Anxiety does this to me.

Pitar · #9 10-23-2017, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

Relax. Play it slower than you think you should. Anxiety does this to me.

The winnah!

You have a case of checkeredflagitis, or gethomeitis. I used to gather momentum as the songs progressed and now I do as YamahaGuy notes (on a Yamaha, nonetheless) and it works. Also, confidence in yourself relaxes the hypertension. The more I came to own a song or piece of music the better I played it, which to me means with the passion each should be respected with.

rmsstrider · #10 10-23-2017, 07:12 PM

Thanks all.

Al Acuff · #11 10-23-2017, 09:33 PM

Practice with your metronome and play very slowly then change the speed. Faster. Slower. Etc. Find what is too fast and too slow. What's in between is fair ground.

I get tired of the click click of the metronome so I use a software plugin called Toon Tracks which provides all kinds of drum loops using sampled drum kits. It makes practice more fun.

If you're performing solo it's OK to speed up a little for effect. It's one of the ways a solo performer can build excitement. Modulating the key upward is another way.

DupleMeter · #12 10-23-2017, 11:03 PM

practice with a metronome...a lot.

I would bet a click track of any kind will be more trouble than it's worth because you will struggle to stay wth a click. That's why you want to do that when you practice.

Once you're holding steady tempos during practice you can add a click track to your live setup.

BTW Metronome by Soundbrenner in the App Store is great for setting up playlists & they sell a watch like device called The Pulse that lets you feel the tempo you program on the iPhone. Check it out here: https://www.soundbrenner.com

The app is free, the Pulse is $99. You don't need the Pulse to use the app, is a very nice free metronome app.

mattbn73 · #13 10-24-2017, 05:38 AM

I work with young drummers and pianists a lot on tempo issues, and a high percentage of the time there is a basic issue with hearing "characteristic rhythms" which kind of set the tempo for a song. Could be a characteristic vocal phrase or something on your instrument. For drummers, it's very often subdividing to sixteenths instead of 8ths and finding some kind of clave or polyrhythmic pattern. If you're thinking all quarter notes in counting, tempo is going to be more difficult, especially when the heart rate gets up. If you can subdivide and hear clave type patterns or some other kind of characteristic "reference rhythm", tempo problems can be remedied fairly quickly. That's not a simple answer, but this is the next level type of stuff that makes you a better musician overall in my opinion. Anyway, I do a lot of it with schoolkids.

JonPR · #14 10-24-2017, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmsstrider

would an metronome app on my phone sent via blue tooth to an ear bud be of any use.? But then i'm not sure if i could program for my set list ahead of time.
Maybe I just need to practice more.

Personally I really wouldn't recommend an in-ear metronome for live use. It would probably make you sound (and look) like a robot ... controlled by some inaudible master....

Your problem is a very common - if not universal - one. Performing live is putting yourself in a stressful situation (even if you might not think you suffer from nerves). Adrenalin kicks in, "fight-or-flight" syndrome. Your brain starts working faster to compensate. It makes you start a song too fast, and and also tends to make you speed up. (Your subconscious is saying "help, let's get this over with and get out of here!")

It's good you're aware of it, of course, but you may not be aware of how automatic it is. I always had the same problem, was aware of it and thought I had it under control: I'd just tell myself to relax, take a breath, try "sitting on" the beat and not pushing it.
But my wake-up call came when practising with a metronome at home (which I'd never done before). All was fine while I was just strumming a rhythm. But once I started to improvise, the metronome started slowing down.
I mean, it didn't feel like I'd sped up at all. It really sounded like the metronome was ticking slower. My brain had switched to a different gear without me noticing (because improvisation requires faster thought).
That's how automatic and subconscious the process is.

It's why we make more mistakes playing live. We think we're playing at the same speed as at home, so it feels like we've suddenly lost a few chops. Nerves, self-consciousness or sweaty hands may well play a part, but another reason is we're playing too fast without realising.

So, lots of home practice with a metronome is prescribed - and sing and play all kinds of styles, try improvising, etc. Our natural sense of time has evolved to be flexible, but as musicians we have to train an internal clock to over-ride that.
Metronome training (like most physical training) involves making it progressively more difficult. So you might start at an easily followed tempo of say 120 or 140. You get comfortable with that. Then you halve it, but play at the same speed - can you now fill in those missing beats accurately? And so on...
Much better to have a good (well-trained) internal clock than rely on a metronome or click track live. Some variability of tempo is OK - keeps it "organic" - you just don't want too much.

Brent Hahn · #15 10-24-2017, 08:58 AM

I mix a live internet radio show that has musical performers of all sorts. These folks generally aren't world-famous, but they're professional working and touring musicians. They pretty much always speed up at least a little.