Is it common to make very small Tempo Swings in a song?

BayouTexan · Aug 10th 2021

I wrote a modern country song that has arpeggiated Verse that I play at 120bpm, and the Chorus and bridge plays at 128bpm. The song totally looses its feel if I try to play at a stagnate tempo even if I try to split the difference to around 124bpm. The Verse at 124bpm sounds like it is being rushed. The Chorus at 124bpm sounds like it is lagging.

The song is in 4/4. Is this type of small tempo swing back and forth fairly common?

I remember reading that a very high percentage of hit songs has tempo changes in them but I don't know if that is including very small tempo swings.

paults · Aug 10th 2021

Yes, tempo Changes are common. They often are in tandem with dynamic changes.

Wheresthedug · Aug 10th 2021

I can’t remember which song it was but there is a Police song where Stewart Copland ups the tempo by about 20bpm in the choruses ?

When I program a song I always try and move the tempo around a little to make it feel more natural.

Monkey_Man · Aug 12th 2021

Yup, nudging both tempo and volume up a tad for choruses is an old trick to help raise excitement level.

Wheresthedug · Aug 12th 2021

Another thing I would suggest is trying to ramp up/down the temp gradually over a bar or two or even just the last drum fill to make the change less abrupt.

Monkey_Man · Aug 12th 2021

Yeah, that's how it's done "professionally" brah.

paddyc · Aug 12th 2021

Ringo says yes

paddyc · Aug 12th 2021

BTW if, as I think you are, using reaper it's pretty simple - sort the drum track tempo out first

BayouTexan · Aug 12th 2021

Quote from paddyc

BTW if, as I think you are, using reaper it's pretty simple - sort the drum track tempo out first

Yes. You just create a tempo envelope just like when making a volume envelope to fade in or fade out songs. The hard part was knowing if tiny tempo changes at less than 10bpm difference was common to do (other than when humans play live and rush the end of a song).

My ears told me it was right to do. You all said it was right to do. So, I am good to go. BTW, I was going to do it anyway if you guys said NO.

Monkey_Man · Aug 12th 2021

Ha!

I look at it this way:

If you imagine playing a pop song live and particularly put yourself on the drummer's stool, you'll find that there's a natural tendency to speed up a little in anticipation of choruses and following that, maintain the higher tempo throughout their duration. Then, as a song reverts to verse 2, it's natural to slow back down a little.

Good drummers are aware of this and have taught themselves to resist these natural urges, but IMHO those natural urges are shared by the listening public and it makes sense therefore to exploit them to some extent.

BayouTexan · Aug 12th 2021

Quote from Wheresthedug

Another thing I would suggest is trying to ramp up/down the temp gradually over a bar or two or even just the last drum fill to make the change less abrupt.

The tempo has to change abruptly on the end bar of the verse/chorus I am doing now, but I will be doing gradual swings for some songs later on.

BayouTexan · Aug 12th 2021

Quote from Monkey_Man

Ha!

I look at it this way:
If you imagine playing a pop song live and particularly put yourself on the drummer's stool, you'll find that there's a natural tendency to speed up a little in anticipation of choruses and following that, maintain the higher tempo throughout their duration. Then, as a song reverts to verse 2, it's natural to slow back down a little.

Good drummers are aware of this and have taught themselves to resist these natural urges, but IMHO those natural urges are shared by the listening public and it makes sense therefore to exploit them to some extent.

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I remember coming across an article that the audience enjoys slight variations of tempo rather than dead on timing. I think it's because constant accurate measure tends to make the song too stagnate (for lack of a better explanation).

I am guilty of rushing too if I practice without a metronome or drum track.

Chris Duncan · Aug 12th 2021

One thing to keep in mind is the context and expectations of a genre. Modern music of all kinds has become very grid obsessed. Vocals must be tuned to within an inch of their lives, and drums are not only commonly locked to a computer-like grid but also frequently sound like a cheap computer by intent (e.g. 808 beats, etc.). If you want your song to "fit in" with a given genre, then it helps to know the expectations and cater to them.

If you put old Motown hits on a Pro Tools track you'd probably see the tempo vary all through the song, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly. But no one was interested in putting Aretha Franklin under a microscope. They just enjoyed the groove. However, that's also what everyone was doing at the time so none of it felt out of place. If you tried to have that flexibility in a modern pop song, some OCD producer would promptly quantize the whole thing. And for the genre, he'd be right.

I think it helps to know the rules so you know when you're breaking them, but all progress has come from those who said rules be damned and did it anyway.

BayouTexan · Aug 13th 2021

Chris Duncan it's a Country song so that means I just play it in whatever time I want as long as it starts at the Grand Old Opry.

Chris Duncan · Aug 13th 2021

Quote from BayouTexan

Chris Duncan it's a Country song so that means I just play it in whatever time I want as long as it starts at the Grand Old Opry.

No, no... you want to end at the Grand Ole Opry!

A tourist carrying a guitar case was sightseeing and walking the streets of New York. He stopped someone and asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?"

The guy looked at him, looked at the guitar case, and said, "Yeah. Practice, man. Practice."

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