Topic: Tempo On The Fly

[acparker]

In an upcoming gig in a couple of weeks, I have to play backing to some untrained singers.  They were supposed to be singing to a backing tape, but despite my best efforts, they tend to speed up, and sing it at a faster rate, quickly getting ahead of the music.  I'm thinking of bringing my Genos and playing it live (with styles), since I can change the tempo on the Genos.  But what is the easiest way, if any, to adjust the tempo on the fly as it were, so as to keep up with the singers?

Adam

[mikf]

Adam
If singers can’t stay in time you are in trouble when using a style backing. Take it from me adjusting tempo on the fly to stay in time will never work.
Singers may appear to speed up but the reason is seldom that they are actually singing faster, it’s because they don’t have the confidence or the training to wait on the beat. Especially in small gaps in the song. So they are not  singing faster, they are jumping in ahead of the beat. You can’t fix that by adjusting tempo on the fly, and trying will just make you look like the idiot who is out of time.  The singers need to fix that by learning to sing in time.
 I have accompanied hundreds of not very good singers from my days when I played piano in pubs for sing song nights and know this problem intimately. On the piano, it’s not hard to adjust and make them look good, but on an arranger playing a style ..no chance. In fact at home my dad had a decent voice but just couldn’t sense the beat, that’s why he couldn’t dance either. He always complained that it was my job to follow him and he just couldn’t get it that he was always jumping ahead of the beat. It’s why karaoke tapes show the words at just the right time, but even then many just won’t wait. As an accompanist it’s a pleasure when the singer has great natural timing.
Frankly, my experience has been that if people don’t have that  natural sense of timing it’s hard to teach them in a short time. And good luck with trying that because even if you do seem to get them to wait in practice, I can say with certainty that when the pressure comes on in public performance anxiety will cause them to start jumping in again.
If you can’t teach them to stay on the beat, I would abandon using a style and accompany them more in free time playing. Maybe just two handed piano, if that is within your capability. Then you can adjust and stay with them fairly easily.
Mike

[acparker]

Hey Mike,

Thank you for the response and advice.  My usual 'gig' is playing for Church, so Organ, and I speed up and slow down to match the congregation's singing.  I was hoping to do similar with styles because they allow for drums, and multiple backing lines -- a much fuller sound.  Unfortunately, 2 handed piano is outside my wheelhouse, but I can usually manage something with freestyle chords in the left hand with Strings, and a melody (or counter melody to the singers) in the right.  But it all gets sounding same-y after a while.  Fortunately, it's only a couple of songs. 

I like what you said about the weak singers not having the confidence to wait for the beat.  I had minimal time to work with them, unfortunately, but I will make sure I start with lessons on sensing the beat for the next project, whenever or whatever that might be.

Adam

[mikf]

Adam
In church the congregation tends to sing a little slow, drag the words a bit. That’s a different problem, and as you say, playing organ, it’s not hard to just match them or sometimes push them a little to stay on time by just banging out the melody.
Mike

[DrakeM]

LOL

If the singer can't sing with a karaoke type of set up, there is no way they are going to stay in time with you using your keyboard with styles.

It threw me when I first got the keyboard on a few songs. I was used to jumping back in a half measure early on a couple songs. 

Just this week at a gig one woman was kidding with me as I was setting up and ask me what kind of music do you play? I laughed and several other folks did as well as I simply pointed the sign hanging beneath my keyboard. It reads in big letters "If it isn't COUNTRY, it ain't MUSIC".

She laughed and then ask, do you do any gospel songs? I replied, "Do see 3 more guys standing around?". Again everyone had a chuckle, including her.

Oh, but WAIT I said. I do have ONE song, but you have to sing one line for me in the song. YOU will know the one line and when YOUR line comes, YOU have to sing it. She said okay.

So, I started the gig with the song "Daddy Sang Bass". Of course her one line was "Momma sang tenor" and she knew it BUT came in really late every time. It totally threw me and the style off, I just held the Fill in button to reset so I knew where to jump in to continue each time. I simply looked at her at the end of the song and said, "We need just a bit more practice, I think." Everyone had a laugh. 

[pjd]

LOL If the singer can't sing with a karaoke type of set up, there is no way they are going to stay in time with you using your keyboard with styles.

It reads in big letters "If it isn't COUNTRY, it ain't MUSIC".

Amen. Back in Jersey, I led a group of folks from the music ministry who wanted to do rock at socials, etc. I had to use backing tracks to fill in the missing instruments, most notably drums.

All of them were pretty decent vocalists when we could close up the timing slop in church. But, sing with a backing track??? I kept telling them, "You've got to be on time. When the bus pulls out, it pulls out with or without you!" Eventually, they did better and I still think it helped them tighten up the timing in church, too.

Uhhhh, you don't do "Western", too? 

Take care -- pj

P.S. Congregations are always, dependably late. They are incorrigible.

[DrakeM]

Nope, I don't do both, only Country. I'm not from Texas.