Metronome for joropo

Time signature and tempo joropo

Pasaje and golpe, por derecho and por corrío

The pasaje is usually more relaxed and the golpe faster, which is why their reference tempos are so different. Joropo is also organized into two main systems: por derecho (or atravesao) and por corrío. According to teaching materials from the National Music Plan for Coexistence, the first follows an anacrusic pattern similar to bambuco's, with the bass on beats 2 and 3, and the second starts with the stress on the downbeat.

The cuatro, the engine of joropo

In the llanero ensemble, the cuatro holds down the harmony and rhythm with a crisp, fast strum, while the harp carries the melody and the bass lines and the maracas set the style. Before practicing with the metronome, tune up with the cuatro llanero tuner.

How to practice joropo with the metronome

1. Start in 3/4 with eighth notes and count “1-2-3-4-5-6,” stressing 1, 3 and 5.
2. Switch to 6/8 without stopping: the eighth notes stay the same and the stresses move to 1 and 4.
3. Alternate every two measures; that alternation is the hemiola that underpins joropo.
4. Go up 4 BPM at a time toward the pasaje tempo (about 152 quarter notes per minute) and, later on, toward the golpe tempo.

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: 132 BPM to the negra, that is, 264 eighth notes per minute.
• In 6/8: 88 BPM to the dotted quarter note, that is, 264 eighth notes per minute.

Since the eighth notes move at the same speed, switching time signatures doesn't change the underlying rhythm: only how the notes are grouped and where the stresses fall.

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