The only constant is change
Until the advent of electronic music, with its strict quantisation of beats and rigid timekeeping, the one thing you could rely upon is that tempos would be anything but constant. Whether you’re talking rock, pop, folk, jazz or classical, beats per minute would be somewhat different every time the piece was performed and would often shift many times within the piece itself, to add drama and provide emphasis.
So, I set about creating a piece that would demonstrate this phenomenon. My first thought was a jig or reel and I started with that intention, but again I went where the melody took me and that was some sort of strange folk instrumental in A minor and C major. Within the 3/4 time signature, there are 52 tempo changes between 105 and 155 bpm.
Instruments on Strange Folk:
Clarinet: Symphony Essentials Woodwind Solo from Native Instruments
Violin: Stradavari from Native Instruments
Acoustic Guitar: Picked Acoustic from Native Instruments
Bass: VB Mellow from ujam
Harmonium: Harmonium from 8Dio
Pad: Arkhis from Native Instruments
Drums: VD Deep from ujam