Tempo vs. Intensity

As a musician, I often listen to music not just for the catchy tune but for lyrical elegance, inflections in musical tone, etc. I decided to share some of my thoughts here as well and have started a new category - “Music theory”.

Entries in this category will not be about the latest cool song, or bands that are touring. Instead, the entries in this category will examine some of the “science” in music from a musician’s perspective. It will look at interesting techniques and explore some of the ideas that we have about music in general. It should be a good time for anyone who loves music as an art, whether you are a musician or not.

So let’s kick it off, shall we?

The topic du jour is tempo and intensity. There is a huge disconnect, especially among amateur musicians, that intensity is the same as tempo. On paper and when asked, that is never the case. There is an obvious definable difference between the two. But translating it to “the playing”, when a song gains intensity, it inevitably gains speed. It’s like going to a country where they speak a different language and trying to talk loud in an effort to communicate. Loudness does not mean the other person understands any more than if you were whispering.

Let’s go to an example. Coldplay has a song called The Scientist. You can download it here and listen for yourself.

The song is a beautiful song that starts out very mellow with just a simple piano pattern. Not a lot of fills. Simple chords. The tempo, is a 4/4 tempo. In other words, there are 4 played notes for every 4 beat measure. It’s a standard timing. One - Two - Three - Four - One - Two - Three - Four.

If you listen through the entire song, that timing NEVER changes. It is the tempo. It remains the same. Tempo does not carry “texture” for the music. Tempo simply spells out the speed.

But as you listen to the first verse, played simply by a piano, you can hear an acoustic guitar join the piano after the first verse. Entering the second verse, the bass and drums come. At this point, many musicians playing this song will speed up the tempo. Why? Because it “sounds” like it is faster. But it isn’t. In fact, the same tempo is sustained through the entire song. What has happened is musical “texture” is added. Now there are “dynamics” to the song that are outside of the simple piano that started the song. This is intensity.

Intensity is what will carry the song into a persons psyche. It’s what makes the song “live” in your mind. It’s what is memorable.

Both Tempo and Intensity are necessary. Tempo is the engine that keeps the car moving. Intensity is the heartbeat that gives the song life.

Tagged as: Music