#AskVidasAndAusra 8 - How do you know when to speed up and slow down in Bach's pieces to make it musical?

​Today's question was posted by Paul:

" ICH RUF ZU DIR, HERR JESU CHRIST - When you play this, it is very musical (the most musical I've ever heard) but I've heard this played very mechanical in most recordings. How do you know when to speed up and slow down in this piece (or any other Bach piece) to make it musical? Is there a formula? I love this new series of yours (except sometimes it's difficult to hear you in the car). Thank you for all your help! You two are inspiring!"

What Paul is referring to here is agogic. It's the principle that let's you to fluctuate the tempo very gently. Basically, we slow down when something new or interesting is happening - key change, new section, new theme etc. Then we can pick up the tempo slightly.

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When you practice, miracles happen.

Vidas and Ausra
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TRANSCRIPT

Vidas:    Hello guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra:    And Ausra.

Vidas:    Welcome to episode number 8 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was posted by Paul. He writes about the piece “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ” by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Orgelbuchlein. He writes, "When you play this it is very musical, the most musical I've ever heard, but I've heard this played very mechanical in most recordings. How do you know when to speed up and slow down in this piece, or any other Bach piece, to make it musical? Is there a formula? I love this new series of yours, except sometimes it is difficult to hear you in the car. Thank you for all your help. You two are inspiring".

Interesting, right? What do you think, Ausra?

Ausra:    It's a very hard question. Definitely there can not be one formula for every piece and, in fact, I would not say that you have to slow down or speed up in some places. What do you think about it?

Vidas:    I think Paul is referring to a technique called agogic. It's a principle that lets you fluctuate the tempo very gently. You have to keep in mind the structure of the piece and then you can slow down when something new or interesting is happening. For example, key change, new section, new theme, things like that. After that you can pick up the tempo very slightly.

Ausra:    Yes, but everything must be very gentle.

Vidas:    Gentle and probably very slight, right? Not too over-exaggerate.

Ausra:    Yes, because if you over-exaggerate it might sound comic.

Vidas:    Right. So I think what you have to keep in mind still, the basic pulse of the piece. Always keep counting in beats. Then if something interesting is happening and you observe it, and you have to always listen and follow the score very precisely. Follow the score not like performer but maybe like listener.

Ausra:    Sure. This is why it is good to know your piece throughout, how it's put together, to know its form, to know its harmony. This might help you to use your agogic right. For example, I would suggest not to lean more on the dissonances because they are so important. Maybe you can slow down a little bit in each cadence, because cadence is like the end of the musical thought. Sometimes it's a final thought at the end of the piece, sometimes it's just in the middle.

Vidas:    Does this refer only to Bach’s pieces or to everyone?

Ausra:    I think it refers to any other pieces as well. And by speeding up, I think this rule might be applied to sequences. Sequential motives.

Vidas:    You start slower, then you can speed up, and then slow down at the end.

Ausra:    But only a little bit, not too much.

Vidas:    It's sort of similar to reciting poetry. If you ever heard people recite poetry automatically. You know, automatically meaning they keep the rhythm:

Tah TAH tah tah TAH tah tah TAH tah tah TAH,
Tah TAH tah tah TAH tah tah TAH.
Tah TAH tah tah TAH tah tah TAH tah tah TAH,
Tah TAH tah tah TAH tah tah TAH.

Very automatically. And it's boring. But the best, probably, speakers, make it sound very natural and spontaneous.

Ausra:    Sure.

Vidas:    So that's what we're talking about it music too.

Ausra:    I never think how to play musically, not to play it automatically. Also you must to overcome, all the technical difficulties first, and then just to focus on music itself. How to play it nice. Very musically.

Vidas: So I hope this will explain and help Paul, and others who are trying to play pieces musically. Not automatically. And that's one of the main things you can do. Gentle, agogical fluctuations.

If you want to send us your questions, feel free to do this by posting them as comments to this post, and make sure you use hashtag #AskVidasAndAusra so that we can find them. And if you want to get more advice and inspiration about organ playing, then make sure you subscribe to our blog at www.organduo.lt and you will get everything we post for free. Also deliver it in your email inbox. Wonderful. I hope this was useful, and see you next time. This was Vidas.

Ausra:    And Ausra.

Vidas:    And remember when you practice ...

Ausra:    Miracles happen. ​