Time signature and tempo guabina
| Region | Santander, Boyacá, Tolima and Huila |
|---|---|
| Time signature | 3/4 |
| Tempo | There's no published reference tempo: it depends on the piece and the region |
| Instruments | Tiple, bandola and guitar; in Santander, also requinto |
| Recommended listening | “Vivirás mi Tolima” by Pedro J. Ramos and “Guabina chiquinquireña” by Alberto Urdaneta |
How guabina is accompanied
On guitar, a common pattern puts the bass on beats 1 and 2, the chord on 2 and two eighth notes on 3. As in pasillo, the strong stress is on the downbeat and the eighth notes are grouped in pairs, without the back-and-forth between 3/4 and 6/8 that characterizes bambuco.
Guabina, tiple and requinto
Guabina is inseparable from the tiple, and in Santander the requinto joins in. If you play either one, tune it with the tiple tuner or the tiple requinto tuner before you practice.
How to practice guabina with the metronome
- Tap 1 with your foot and count “1 and 2 and 3 and” with the metronome on eighth notes.
- Play the bass on 1 and 2, the chord on 2 and two eighth notes on 3, very slowly.
- Once the pattern comes naturally, turn off the subdivision and listen only to the beats.
- Find a recording's tempo with Tap tempo and work up to it 4 BPM at a time.
How to read the tempos on this page
BPM count the beat of the time signature, which isn't always a quarter note: in 6/8 each beat is a dotted quarter note (three eighth notes), in 2/2 it's a half note (four eighth notes) and in 3/4, a quarter note (two eighth notes). That's why it also helps to think in eighth notes per minute:
- In 3/4: 90 BPM to the negra, that is, 180 eighth notes per minute.
How to set up the metronome
- Time signature: in 6/8 the metronome counts dotted quarter notes (two beats per measure); in 2/2 it counts half notes; in 3/4, quarter notes.
- Subdivision: adds soft clicks between beats. With eighth notes you hear the detail of the rhythm; with no subdivision, just the beat.
- Accents: tap each dot to make that beat strong, soft or unaccented, and build the pattern you're practicing.
- A recording's tempo: play the song and tap Tap tempo along with the beat; the metronome calculates the BPM.
- Raising the tempo: by 2 to 5 BPM once the passage comes out clean three times in a row. If it falls apart, drop 8 and work back up.
Common mistakes when practicing with a metronome
- Speeding up at the ends of phrases: it's the most common mistake. Record a few measures on your phone and listen for whether you're ahead of the click.
- Playing without listening to the click: when you're exactly in time, your hit and the click blend together and you almost stop hearing it; if you hear it before or after your note, adjust.
- Raising the tempo too soon: a clean, slow rhythm sounds better than a fast, messy one, and you'll learn it faster.
- Counting the meter the wrong way: at fast tempos, 6/8 is felt in two beats and 2/2 in two half notes; counting every eighth note out loud holds you back.
Frequently asked questions
What time signature is guabina in?
In 3/4, with the accent on the downbeat and the eighth notes grouped in pairs.
How is guabina different from pasillo?
They share 3/4 time and the stress on the downbeat. What changes is the accompaniment pattern, the repertoire and the region: guabina comes mainly from Santander, Boyacá, Tolima and Huila.
Where is the guabina festival held?
In Vélez, Santander, home of the National Guabina and Tiple Festival.