Rules regarding changing tempo mid-song?

[themattsmith]

I'm an experienced guitarist but I've recently started to record music and have no education or training in songwriting/music theory. Are there any rules regarding the tempo of a song?
Can you change the tempo at all? Only once? Back and forth many times?

 

[gecko zzed]

no rules

I am not aware of any rules regarding tempo changes. I think you are free to play at whatever tempo you feel like, and to vary it as much as you wish.

However, a tempo change should complement the song; adding to the drama and flowing naturally with the lyrical content and mood of the song.

Sometimes people introduce tempo changes not for these reasons, but because they are not so hot at maintaining rhythm. When you buy a piece of sheet music, it often shows the tempo at the top (e.g. quarter note = 120 bpm), and indicates places for speeding up or slowing down). The composer, when specifying 120 bpm (or whatever) doesn't want the speed to go up and down like an album on a dodgy turntable.

When recording, it is useful to be able to maintain a steady tempo (either to your own internal 'clock' or playing along with a click track). This makes editing and accompanying the track so much easier. Some will argue that playing to a click track robs the performance of spontaneity, with some justification. Often, though, those arguments are used as rationalisations for not being able to play in time.

 

[Whatmysay]

No rules – but tempo changes in songs are a bit like flash backs in movies should be used with extreme caution (rhythm change is safer) – try to find another way to get across what it is you are trying to do with the tempo change – use tempo change only when there is no other way to get it across.

IMHO

 

[Diverdown]

tempo changes

As someone new to recording I have found it very humbling to try and lay down good tracks, I never realized how when playing live, solo usualy I would use speed as a dynamic to give my performance more body or color but when I attempted to record to a click track it all went to shit, for some reason a drum track or live drummer is ok but that single click dosent seem to work for me
As far as intentional temp changes in music I can only think of a few examples and if they were not there they would seem lacking, Queens Bohemian Rhapsody comes to mind and The Beatles Golden slumbers /Carry that weight . So In my opinion if it could ad to the song and keep it interesting it would be a good thing but wow could you ever screw somthing up too

 

[Epicureous]

No rules – but tempo changes in songs are a bit like flash backs in movies should be used with extreme caution (rhythm change is safer) – try to find another way to get across what it is you are trying to do with the tempo change – use tempo change only when there is no other way to get it across.

IMHO

Is that because of some sort of difficulty? Its only modern music that has very few tempo changes... It's all about the phrasing.

 

[spy said one]

my old band had trouble maintaining tempo in one of our songs, and our engineer eventually just altered the click for the parts where we sped up. honestly, i think it sounds a little sloppy, but that was kind of the aesthetic of the band. you can hear the song on myspace.com/ginkins, called "you're not cool".

personally, i don't think tempo changes sound very good if they are noticeable.

 

[Whatmysay]

Is that because of some sort of difficulty? Its only modern music that has very few tempo changes... It's all about the phrasing.

You are absolutely correct - I was largely referring to contemporary popular music - If you are into classical, jazz or experimental then tempo and rhythm changes are par for the course. I felt the enquiry was only framed in that genre.

The problem in popular music is the expectation of the listen - of cause success is often a balance of familiarity and surprise - but perhaps tempo changes is just too big a surprise?

Often live albums will have performances (with live rhythm section) that will increase in dynamics and tempo as part of the performance - but it is not a change as such, more of a gradual speeding up.