Time signature and tempo porro
| Region | Savannas of Colombia's Caribbean region: Córdoba, Sucre and Bolívar |
|---|---|
| Time signature | 2/2 (cut time) |
| Reference tempo | For example, half note = 80 in a porro palitiao, 90 in a porro tapao and 93 in a porro de gaitas (“Pitos y tambores” booklet) |
| Instruments | Band: clarinets, trumpets, trombones, euphonium, bass drum, snare drum and cymbals |
| Recommended listening | “María Varilla” |
Porro palitiao and porro tapao
These are the two best-known kinds of band porro. According to the Ministry of Culture's “Pitos y tambores” booklet, porro palitiao, like porro de gaitas, uses the same clave as cumbia: an accent on the seventh of eight subdivisions. Porro tapao, on the other hand, accents subdivisions 1 and 7 of the first measure and 5 of the second.
The band's pulse
In a band, the cymbals sound muted on the beat and open on the offbeat. With the metronome in 2/2 and quarter-note subdivision, the strong click is the muted cymbal and the soft click the open one: a good exercise for bass drum, snare and cymbals. If you'd like to play in a band, read how to get started in wind bands.
How to practice porro with the metronome
- Count in two, “1 and 2 and,” and tap the beats with your foot.
- With quarter-note subdivision, alternate a muted hit on the beat and an open one on the offbeat, like the cymbals.
- With the subdivision on quarter notes, count the eight in every two measures and accent the seventh to feel the clave.
- Play the melody on your wind instrument over the click, without speeding up at the ends of phrases.
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 2/2: 85 BPM to the blanca, that is, 340 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 porro in?
In cut time (2/2): two half-note beats per measure.
What's the difference between porro and cumbia?
Both are in duple meter, and some kinds of porro share cumbia's clave, but porro is tied to wind bands, while traditional cumbia is tied to the caña de millo or the gaitas and drums. Practice cumbia with the cumbia metronome.
At what tempo is porro played?
It varies with the piece and the band. In the reference recordings from the “Pitos y tambores” booklet, between 80 and 93 half notes per minute.