The small things are important. But they can be agonizing.
- Half Time 12/8 feel (quarter=90)
- Half Time, 12/8 feel (quarter=90)
- Half time (quarter=90) 12/8 feel
- quarter=90, 12/8 feel
- Half time, 12/8 feel
- 12/8 feel, quarter=90
These are just some of the metronome markings I considered for a particular spot in a piece I finished recently. I know what I want to happen musically, and I know how I would describe it and rehearse it. But I also know that clarity is so important, because ideally I won’t always be in the room when it’s being rehearsed. So I thought about these and other variations on the marking, and thought hard about how a musician might interpret them.
(Consider just the comma difference between the first two: I didn’t have the comma at first, but without it, there’s a risk of it being interpreted as “half time feel”, which is different than “half time.”
I don’t relish this detail work, but I also know it’s the only way to make the scores that are read down easily, and I know that an easy read down is essential to an enjoyable performance.