There’s a great many excellent ideas, suggestions and thoughts included in the contributions of everyone in this thread.
Of course, different performers will have varying line ups of musicians, thus particular solutions will suit differing musical situations, more than others.
It’s not uncommon for a musical piece to gather a little pace as it goes along, such as that which highly experienced, sensitive musicians would readily pick up on.
But that shouldn’t ever be a forgone conclusion we expect, nor should it be a great matter of heart rendering soul searching, if it happens. It is simply, a common occurrence.
Using a metronome prior to a performance seems a perfect solution, and I would never argue with someone, who felt it to be exactly that.
However, for the “leader” in the full glare of the audience’s gaze, that can pose difficulties, even embarrassment. Perhaps you will forgive an analogy.
My hobby is photography, and any photographer who is preoccupied with technical details, setting up the shot, will find their waiting subjects interest, mood and demeanour, waning tremendously.
Much better to have the background, lighting and props set up ready, the camera in position on a strong tripod, focussed and incident light metering taken from the posing position. Wheel them in, place them and talk to them in a manner that enlivens and animates, opening them up. Then simply press the button, without even needing to look through the camera, to capture their personality and expression.
The idea that entertaining performers should be preoccupied with technical matters on a live stage is simply somewhere (I at least), feel they shouldn’t ever be going.
Furthermore, as stated above, in less technologically eras, it was common place for music to pick up a tiny bit of pace, and almost natural for it to do so. Thus, to my ears, when a click-track or metronome is fed to live musicians, (to me), the effect appears to be something rather mechanical, as opposed to musical.
Someone earlier used word “breathing”. I rather like that word, as in almost all genres of music, there are places in songs where its musicality is enhanced by subtle relaxing and pacing of tempo. Similarly, music is tremendously improved by the subtle relaxing and augmentation of its overall dynamic. Something grossly missing from too many recording these days. Arranger Nelson Riddle, would identify the emotional peaks in a piece of music, and work from peak to peak, building the arrangement to emotional climaxes.
If that sounds formulaic, think about music that start with a musical peak, when it does relax a tiny bit, the audience’s soul and ears will welcome it.
What I’m really writing is that subtle (as well as dramatic) adjustments in tempo as well as dynamics are living features of all the greatest music ever recorded.
These might simply be tweaks in between verses and choruses at the most basic level, but they exist to tremendously benefit the emotional impact of a song; drawing the audience into its meaning, powerfully moving them and with verve and aplomb, thrusting them into a memorably heightened, scintillating, musical experience.
Mechanical music might be fine now and then, but it does have its limits.
George, (an old pal) had a renowned drummer in his studio he had to record. There was banter about how good the drummers timing was.
As an audio designer, with lots of test gear, George set up some equipment that would enable him to test the accuracy of the drummers timing across the complete take, of a recorded song.
From start to finish across the entire piece, the drummer, (sadly no longer with us), was proven to have erred in timing by precisely 1 millisecond. In one sense the musician was incredibly admired by me for his incredible accuracy.
But in another sense, if I felt that if everything he played was that “tight”, it left little room indeed for some of the most beautifying and enhancing aspects of musical presentation. Again, although a truism, it depends on the singular music and the ensemble presenting it.
I have been extremely fortunate in my life to have never actually worked with a bad drummer.
Befriending, being taught by and working with many truly excellent drummers and percussionists over the years.
The most notable of which was James Blades who worked with Charlie Chaplin at the advent of “talkies”, Winston Churchill, performing music to announcing radio broadcasts and speeches and “Uncle Arthur”, playing the gong to introduce films made by the Rank Organisation. (The huge on-screen gong was actually made of cardboard).
The idea that the drummer keeps time was also dispelled to me by session bassist Carol Kaye, from whom I received tutoring, when I wished to write better bass parts as a musical arranger and orchestrator, as over time, the instrument became dominant in musical recordings.
She had a problem with timing at one point in her life. Purchased a large electronic box which was a highly specialised metronome and devoted herself to perfecting an unerring sense of timing, working at that with the typically obsessive dedication she is known for.
After some time, she developed a heightened sense of timing (something I have found particular session musicians possess over many very good musicians) and from that point, set timing, from which drummers would take their cue. Rather than the other way round.
If that seems a revolutionary concept to you, I must admit it was to me, at the time.
I think of it like this.
A drummer does not play a musical instrument.
They actually play upward of at least 10 instruments, simultaneously.
Utilising hands and feet in complex patterns of coordination, and keeping in time, despite needing to continually move between these instruments.
What is more, great drummers have a tremendous sense of internal balance, they can strike these variously resonating instruments, blending them together with just the right dynamic .
Many people, (I read) have difficulty recording amateur drummers, as certain instruments in the kit stand out far too much, ruining the recording. The real problem there, is the drummers lack of internalised balance all widely experienced drummers develop.
In contrast.
A bassist has only one instrument to deal with and play in time.
It does require a kind of revolution in thought, and of course the bassist has to truly be up to snuff with the task. But if one thinks the above through, it does make sense.
The elephant in the room in regard to metronomes.
Is the idea that what appears to be the perfect tempo, performing in your bedroom or rehearsal room.
Will, when stood performing in a much larger building, or a good concert hall, remain the ideal correct tempo for the acoustical properties, innate to the new circumstance.
In American musical notation, composers use a Tempo Mark indicating a quarter note at “X” beats Per Minute. In Europe, Italian phrases indicate the emotional sensibility, mood and style required.
If one examines a metronome of high quality. On one side it will typically indicate Beats Per Minute. Whilst adjacently, simultaneously indicating the Italian Phrases associated with those Beats Per Minute.
The salient point being, that for any given Italian phrase, there will be an entire range of utterly correct tempos, that can be readily utilised for music intended by the composers indications, conveying the desired emotional expression.
In short, the acoustical properties of the concert hall and the size and placement of the audience, will impact and dictate the best tempo for the music to be performed at, in that singular room and situation.
Not to take such matters into account can only diminish the effectiveness and impact of one’s music, on that audience in that place.
In the worst cases, it can make words incomprehensible, and fast musical passages, indistinctive, blurred and confusing.
Familiarity with the music to be performed, breeds confidence in achieving an impressive rendition.
Part of that is a heightened sensitivity imprinting in one’s memory the pace of tempo.
As earlier outlined, that should be clearly communicated.
Long before the sounding of the first note.
A great mentor to me, once explained that if one listed all the various individual aspects and qualities in music, required to perform the piece absolutely perfectly.
When all those differing elements are present and in perfect symmetry and balance with each other, that an additional quality is added to the musical performance.
Although he was a highly respected, learned man, he knew of no word in the vocabulary which actually conveyed what he was attempting to explain. So, he called titled extra quality “Impressiveness”.
This is a quality that I believe we all should seek.
It is not a singular element of performance, but is the effect encountered, when the sum total of every aspect of a piece of music is properly rendered.
With the greatest respect to the original poster and all those struggling with particular aspects of performance, I would have thought, that nailing the tempo, should be fundamental to every performance.
However one achieves it.
