What do you use for Rubato?

[cerupcat]

I am a university student and I was wondering if I could get some insight on what you currently prefer to use for rubato (fluctuation in tempo and expressiveness).

I will be doing a project next quarter (for school) and had an idea to create something (a glove or baton) which will allow one to conduct and based on the conducting tempo (and fluctuations) as well as size of conducting pattern will translate into midi data that will control tempo and slight dynamics. Does anyone know if there is something out there like this already? Would something like this prove useful in creating expressive and nice rubato in your tracks? Do you enjoy conducting your pieces, or are you more comfortable programming and using a midi controller for most development?

I'm a just doing some research and any insight and thoughts would help. Thank you!

[Angelo Clematide]

I play the Rubato.

Or if it is quantized to grid, I record the rubato with taptempo and may edit it in the three available editors. Or also play it and adjust the tempo changes afterward to the grid.

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[clarkcontrol]

If I play the rubato (and the piece is largely in tempo with only slight rit. at the ends of phrases), sometimes I will go back and change the time signature of the rubato measures so that the downbeat of the next in-tempo phrase matches the downbeat of the desired measure #.

For example: a slight rit. at bar 8 in 4/4 = a 6/4 bar, then back to 4/4 at measure 9.

Most sequencers have a reclock function that will change the tempo of the sequence to line up the downbeats with certain points prioritized by the user.

Usually, I play it in without rubato and tweak the tempo track later. This gives me much more control. BTW, I am a classically trained pianist (30 years).

The glove thing sounds interesting but not very practical.

Clark

[William]

Another possibility is to use a freely drawn line in your controller data graph for tempo.

[hermitage59]

@William said:

Another possibility is to use a freely drawn line in your controller data graph for tempo.

Here's another vote for freely drawn controller data for tempo.

Alex.

[cerupcat]

Thanks everyone! I do things similar as stated above with drawing in the tempos. Clark, that's interesting, I hadn't thought to make the measures longer like you mentioned.


I was just wondering what others thought. I agree and think my idea is less practical and would have to be more of a performance (art) piece rather than a tool. I often work with high school students and am thinking maybe this idea of electronic baton (or something similar) could be used as a teaching tool so they can understand tempo and conducting and how it correlates to expression and movement and such. This would allow them to conduct a virtual orchestra. I don't know if VSL could be used in real-time with such a device though.

Here's a piece I found similar to what I was thinking, but of course not by tapping fingers together.

http://www.ericsinger.com/Glove2.mov">http://www.ericsinger.com/Glove2.mov "The performer uses his fingertips to "conduct" a music sequence. The rate of tapping controls the tempo as well as the volume of the sequence. Also, tapping on different fingers causes the sequence to play with a different timbre or instrument. The performance patch is implemented in Max and uses my SeqPlayer object for conducting."

Thanks again for you insight!

[Angelo Clematide]

I'm afraid we are in need of a Rubato PlugIn with Frédéric Schoppeng, Franz Schubert and Alexander Skrjabin presets

.

[mathis]

@Angelo Clematide said:

I'm afraid we are in need of a Rubato PlugIn with Frédéric Schoppeng, Franz Schubert and Alexander Skrjabin presets

.

[:D]

[DG]

Play the rubato without click and then Time Warp to get the beats in the correct bars.

DG

[Angelo Clematide]

Tempo rubato (Italian stolen time), the handy method.

Slowing down the tempo:
Attach an adhesive rubberband to the monitor and mark the grid on the rubberband with a pen. Then stretch the rubberband and adjust the lenght of the recording to the stretched markings.

Slightly speeding up:
Go shopping and do not look the studio door. When you come back the time is stolen.

.

[synthetic]

You could "conduct" the piece by using the tap tempo function in most sequencers. You put the tempo track in "record" and press a key to advance the beat. You could then re-record the part and add others. The other method is to play the part in and adjust your tempo track to match it, but this is more difficult.

[DG]

@synthetic said:

The other method is to play the part in and adjust your tempo track to match it, but this is more difficult.

Nah, it's just what I said; Warp it baby. I can almost do a tempo map in real time, it is so easy.... [:D]

DG