LearnJazzPiano.com archives: playing rubato: timing of the pro's ????

ayolt -- 12/07/2006, 15:20:17 -- #31596

Hi all, When you hear the real pro's (wynton, bill, red, keith you name 'm) play rubato introductions to tunes the timing always seems right... no matter what that to do the rhythm rubato-wise..... but when i record myself playing, for example, someday my prince will come in rubato, i hear that sometimes the beginning of a new phrase seems a millisecond or so off...while you think you're playing it just right :) Have or do you guys experience this also? And how to improve/solve this?

johnmarkpainter -- 12/07/2006, 16:39:14 -- #31596

It is because you are trying to play Rubato rather than simply doing it.  One of the great mysteries of music! Listen to some Ellis Marsalis playing simple standards.  Nothing technical...just "right" (at least for me). jmp

jaledin -- 12/07/2006, 16:46:04 -- #31596

Transcribe some of the great rubato players, but then, where normally you wouldn't need to play the transcription (although you could and many people do), play along.  Work until it's tight.  Rinse and repeat.   Or just keep playing and recording yourself until it sounds right. I can't think of any other ways to do it.  Maybe somebody has a book on A and B styles of playing rubato which you could drop half a bill on -- I'm sure that would help.

Styles -- 12/09/2006, 10:54:54 -- #31596

Rubato is about feeling, it is about being human, and feeling what you play. It began in the Romantic period, supposedly originated by Chopin himself. He emphasised playing his music without strict adherence to time. Try doing a rubato entrance to the song, but while doing it imagine something from the song. Like right now, I'm working on Waltz for Debby. And instead of popping right in on beat in 3/4 time, I play the first part rubato. As I play this, I think about "my Debbie". What I get from this song is a love, one deeper than a regular couple. It's one of those never ending, I'll do anything for you loves. So I think of somebody that is like that for me. And play the first part. I might appregiate a chord, speed up, slow down, accent the melody here or there, according to what I feel from moment to moment. Try really understanding what the song is about while you are learning it and relate it to your own experience. Then when you play rubato it should come from impulses. Try it and see what happens.

jaledin -- 12/11/2006, 13:32:02 -- #31596

Rubato is a pretty natural thing for classical players -- just listen to various pianists playing something like Schubert's "Winterreise" cycle.  Clearly, it's not always "in time." I think the way people start to sound good when playing any new technique is by recording yourself and listening.  Keep doing it.  There's no recipe -- if it sounds good, it is good, but if you don't sound good on tape, it's likely nobody else (except maybe your own mother) is going to think you sound good.   But there are certain conventions on "how far you can go" -- that's where really listening can help if you're not familiar with bending time or borrowing time.  It's not that tricky, but you do need to have some awareness of what the end result sounds like to your audience -- it's very easy to get lost in your own internal clock, and if that clock doesn't work, the deal is off.

SolArt -- 12/12/2006, 03:49:53 -- #31596

Rubato is very hard to teach.

Jazz+ -- 12/23/2006, 21:08:30 -- #31596

"It is because you are trying to play Rubato rather than simply doing it.  One of the great mysteries of music!" johnmarkpainter Good one

Jazz+ -- 12/23/2006, 21:10:04 -- #31596

fermata, ritard, accellerando, fermata, ritard, accellerando, fermnta, etc... Mix those all up

Jazz+ -- 03/21/2007, 10:36:15 -- #31596

Go with the flow....

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