FEATURE
[ CHASING BPM PERFECTION | Paul Herman ]
Why perfect tempo is so elusive?
and told him the story of Lane. I wrapped it up
Which brings us back to the click track.
by saying, “Curtis, you’re a good drummer.
Musicians and vocalists like to make a big deal But you need to find the pocket. That’s how to Since I play keyboards, I have my share of
out of perfect pitch. I think perfect tempo might become a great drummer.” Well, he did. And responsibility for introductions and signature
be just as rare. Maybe more so. he’s now a pro drummer living in Los Angeles. riffs in a song. There are times in rehearsal
when the click starts, and it seems miles away
Back in the late-80’s (yes, there were worship Why is it that our internal clocks are so unstable? from my internal clock. So how do I adjust? I
bands back then - I was in one) there were no in- Here’s my theory. I’m currently working on a have to break it down as simple as possible.
ear monitors or click tracks. We were all on our recording project right now, and I’m definitely I set the riff aside, I find the downbeat, and I
own, with those massive floor wedge monitors. in hyper-critical mode. Sometimes the tempo play whole notes until my internal clock finally
(I remember them often sounding horrible and feels just right, and sometimes it feels way too synchs up with the click. It may take a while,
painfully shrill, but I digress.) slow. But then I notice that it feels just right (or but gradually it happens. My panic subsides,
maybe even a little fast) as I listen right after I and I can just relax, grab the riff again, and go
One of our drummers, I think his name was wake up in the morning. And it feels really slow with the flow.
Lane, was noticeably more solid and stable at as I listen to it while jogging.
keeping time than the rest of our drummers.
How symbolic of our spiritual life with the Lord.
One day we asked him why. He said, “Awhile My theory? One word. Heartbeat. Our sense Our internal sensors can often be all over the
back, I noticed my internal clock fluctuated a of tempo is tied to our heart rate. Makes map. It’s apparently so pervasive that Proverbs
lot. So, I got a metronome, and put in 1,000 sense. Music is often called the language of says it twice: “There is a way that seems right
hours with it.” the heart. Maybe that’s not just emotional, to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Yes,
but also biological. Now think about the the exact same verse - in Proverbs 14:12 and
wider implications for a band and singers. 16:25. Now think about Lane’s metronome.
With everyone’s varying degrees of fatigue, And the 1,000 hours. That may be the perfect
Here’s another story from back then. In the early anxiousness, stress, etc., it’s a wonder we can analogy of why time in the Word keeps our
90’s, I had a drummer on my worship team that ever get into the same space-time continuum, hearts in sync, spiritually.
was in high school at the time. Typical of young musically speaking. And it’s likely one of the players, he had lots of flash and lots of busy main reasons we tend to rush the tempo as a Let me finish with a line from “Come Thou
fills, but his tempo was all over the map. For his song intensifies. Fount,” one of my favorite hymns…
Yeah, that should do it.
high school graduation, I got him a metronome
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“Tune my heart to sing Thy praise.”
November 2017
WorshipMusician.com