It’s crucial that the band maintain a common rhythmic pulse. Rhythmic changes require coordination among the musicians. It’s crucial to agree early on who sets the tempo for each song, and who then maintains it. Work on the vertical rhythm: ensure that each note is played exactly as intended.
Accurate rhythm performance requires a unified sense of the time sequence of the beats. This can be achieved by breaking long notes into smaller ones. Dotted notes are especially effective in understanding rhythms.
It’s unacceptable for musicians to relax and begin playing at a slower tempo. This type of playing stems from poor technical preparation. On the other hand, it’s also unacceptable to perform at a faster tempo or to speed up to the point of completely losing the tempo. Don’t rush or create fuss. This applies primarily to the rhythm section. In this case, the good old metronome, as always, comes to our aid.
The key skill is working with a metronome. It’s important to know and understand how this instrument helps strengthen your sense of time and tempo.
You and your colleagues may often disagree about tempo, as everyone senses it differently. In these situations, a metronome can set the correct tempo.
When discussing tempo, it’s worth mentioning syncopation.
Syncopation is appealing in its own way because it enhances the expressiveness of the musical texture. Performing syncopation requires a gentle movement of the fingerboard, with the accents fading and tapering toward the end of the note.
The difficulty of playing syncopation lies in its rhythmic precision. You need to listen carefully to the strong beats in the part while simultaneously playing syncopation between the beats. This way, the syncopation will be heard with rhythmic inconsistencies.
I wish all musicians a steady tempo and easy syncopation!
