Slightly tangential to this thread:
Thanks for the inducement to get out my trusty-but-dusty metronome and see how
horrible my unconscious rubato has become. As an unenviably solitary player, I have
no way to check myself without the ticker, and getting it out always produces a
surprise. I find myself having to tap my foot with the metronome to internalize the
beat, otherwise I just ignore the darn thing! When you find yourself waiting for the
next tick before playing a note, you realize how out of synch you've gotten and how
horribly out of rhythm your playing must be: you should just flow aong with the
metronome not waiting for the beat or hurrying to catch up with it. The metromnome is
a real eye-(ear?)-opener for me.
As to rubato, I have been taught, as Howard wrote, that it should be superimposed
on a steady beat, robbing one beat to pay another, so to speak. Of course this may
work well between a soloist and accompanist, but not among a larger group--could get a
little muddy.
Regards,
Leonard Williams
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