BPM variation, is this graphic ok?

[Moe Town]

This live BPM graph is an up tempo blues rock song recorded at rehearsal.

My question is whether this amount of variation is acceptable or normal?

When I hear moves of 5-6bpm over a few seconds it's like fingernails scraping down a blackboard. Especially when the tempo changes don't line up with dynamics, like a slightly faster BPM for a lively chorus or outro.

I think I may be over sensitive to BPM fluctuation. It kills my groove. I'd love to hear opinions so I can move on.

The band has talked about it and worked to a click but it goes back to the same when the click is removed.

 

[ROOTSnFIFTHS]

I also have low tolerance to BPM shifts if it is not written into the piece. Practicing 8 hours a day with a click/metronome or drum machine really sharpened my sensitivity to rock steady a tempo. Caused frequent 'discussions' at rehearsals, especially with the drummer. Hey we are bass players and the rhythm section so that is our north star. Then again playing behind or a bit ahead of the beat is an entirely different thing. This adds something special to rhythm and is not what the second pic above is showing I would think.

 

[scott sinner]

The amount of fluctuation doesn't seem odd, but the dynamics of the up and down seem pretty unusual. What youll see much more typically are more like longer stair steps, often with little ramps at the edges. Like you said, matching the song dynamics often. If this is like a verse, chorus, kinda deal, pretty odd. Ive played classical stuff that was meant to flow this way. Obviously, Id have to hear the song to have a subjective thought on whether it makes sense. but Ive done many a tempo map in the DAW and this would be an outlier for rock music.

 

[Moe Town]

I also have low tolerance to BPM shifts if it is not written into the piece. Practicing 8 hours a day with a click/metronome or drum machine really sharpened my sensitivity to rock steady a tempo. Caused frequent 'discussions' at rehearsals, especially with the drummer. Hey we are bass players and the rhythm section so that is our north star. Then again playing behind or a bit ahead of the beat is an entirely different thing. This adds something special to rhythm and is not what the second pic above is showing I would think.

For sure, It's brought on some serious self doubt. Am I too sensitive to fluctuations? Am I the reason it's changing? Then I play with another drummer and tempo doesn't even cross my mind and I just play and it's glorious, afterward I realise it's because it was solid.

Always fills complete the gripe. I'm usually behind and at times I'm guilty of drifting a little far back and am working on that. But I'll never miss the "1" because I'm doing a bloated fill.

 

[Moe Town]

The amount of fluctuation doesn't seem odd, but the dynamics of the up and down seem pretty unusual. What youll see much more typically are more like longer stair steps, often with little ramps at the edges. Like you said, matching the song dynamics often. If this is like a verse, chorus, kinda deal, pretty odd. Ive played classical stuff that was meant to flow this way. Obviously, Id have to hear the song to have a subjective thought on whether it makes sense. but Ive done many a tempo map in the DAW and this would be an outlier for rock music.

Yeah, you're pretty spot on. The tempo fluctuations are pretty random and do not add any musicality. They do the opposite. For me it's like a drunk driver realising they're steering over the white lines and veering back on course but overshooting the other side, and so on. It's a time feel on shaky ground and it's all I can focus on, zapping any enjoyment. I left the band :-/

 

[buldog5151bass]

How are things going over live?

Who is most responsible for the timing issue?

If your time is that good, try keeping to the beat and lead the band. Stay close to the drummer and work with him/her.

 

[Moe Town]

How are things going over live?

Who is most responsible for the timing issue?

If your time is that good, try keeping to the beat and lead the band. Stay close to the drummer and work with him/her.

It's my opinion that the drummer should always be the "overall" governor of the time. When it needs to be shifted to the bassist or anyone else to reign in fast or slow tempo's the feel and groove suffers, and the fun for the me. It's swimming upstream. Playing with someone else was the only solution for me. And the only way for me to progress my playing.

 

[Moe Town]

L

How are things going over live?

Who is most responsible for the timing issue?

If your time is that good, try keeping to the beat and lead the band. Stay close to the drummer and work with him/her.

Live was always a little better but not much. Missed and off time fills, speeding up, counting off at one tempo and coming in on another. Playing songs 10-20 bpm faster than we rehearsed, enough to force a change from playing 16ths to 8ths.

 

[Moe Town]

L

How are things going over live?

Who is most responsible for the timing issue?

If your time is that good, try keeping to the beat and lead the band. Stay close to the drummer and work with him/her.

Live was always a little better but not much. Missed and off time fills, speeding up, counting off at one tempo and coming in on another. Playing songs 10-20 bpm faster than we rehearsed, enough to force a change from playing 16ths to 8ths.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Then you have to be the rock at rehearsal. If they drag or speed up, keep the tempo. This is if you want to fight the fight.

 

[NKBassman]

OMG I would hate to do this with the drummer in one of my bands. Imagine a steady sloped line increasing from the desired tempo to 20% over by the end of the song, for every song. It's... frustrating... to say the least.