# How to notate bits that are in free tempo



## akhill jain (Jun 29, 2022)

I recently composed and programmed a piece which had some solo parts in free tempo. Here's the link just incase if anyone wishes to hear it
Thread 'Retrieve (WIP)' https://vi-control.net/community/threads/retrieve-wip.126471/

Since I'm still learning notation, i was wondering about how would the parts that are to be performed in free tempo, be notated on paper? And if anyone could also provide some insight into the way a conductor would prep and rehearse with the orchestra for something like this. It'll be of great help. Thank you😄


----------



## akhill jain (Jun 30, 2022)

anyone??


----------



## muratkayi (Jun 30, 2022)

So you actually mean free tempo? Because notating _rubato_ above the staff is enough. Or do you mean without time signature in which case things get fluffier. People have experimented with alternatives to vertical bars (elongating them for example) or downright circular staves for complete pieces. There is no good answer without knowing what you are going for


----------



## akhill jain (Jun 30, 2022)

muratkayi said:


> So you actually mean free tempo? Because notating _rubato_ above the staff is enough. Or do you mean without time signature in which case things get fluffier. People have experimented with alternatives to vertical bars (elongating them for example) or downright circular staves for complete pieces. There is no good answer without knowing what you are going for


Ah this is interesting! Thanks for putting it this way. With reference to the piece I made, I think without time signature makes more sense, if we hear the intro. For it definitely seems to have no signature as such.

But I'd love to know and learn more about both the cases where one is in free tempo and the other is in no fixed signature. It'll be of great help! Thank you! Cheers!


----------



## PhaseLock (Aug 3, 2022)

Having listened to your piece, I would say that there is enough going on and enough of a "pulse" that it could still be written with a time signature. What I would suggest instead is just using a lot of fermatas. This would allow the conductor to cue individual entries, and pause at each moment long enough for you to get that sense of free tempo. Having things still broken into bars would make it much easier to align the entry of the percussion with the winds.

Often in a scenario like this, the conductor would not conduct the beat at all, and will instead just cue specific entrances, or possibly give downbeats if there is an entrance that needs to be in time before the next fermata.

Another thing that is common, for when you want to give a single performer a moment to play a line in completely their own time, is to just put the whole solo under a fermata (ignoring the time signature). For example, the clarinet solo in the first bar of rhapsody in blue:  It may also be marked with the word "cadenza", which is an extended free tempo section. See this other clarinet solo: 

This doesn't work when there is more than one person playing though, and you can see as soon as the rest of the orchestra enters, it's back to playing in time.


----------



## DaddyO (Aug 4, 2022)

I have had no occasion to use the feature, but I know Dorico handles "free meter" bars.

https://www.scoringnotes.com/tutorials/creating-freely-metered-music-dorico/

I believe you can insert bars where you want and can vary your number of "beats" from bar to bar.


----------



## akhill jain (Aug 4, 2022)

PhaseLock said:


> Having listened to your piece, I would say that there is enough going on and enough of a "pulse" that it could still be written with a time signature. What I would suggest instead is just using a lot of fermatas. This would allow the conductor to cue individual entries, and pause at each moment long enough for you to get that sense of free tempo. Having things still broken into bars would make it much easier to align the entry of the percussion with the winds.
> 
> Often in a scenario like this, the conductor would not conduct the beat at all, and will instead just cue specific entrances, or possibly give downbeats if there is an entrance that needs to be in time before the next fermata.
> 
> ...



Thanks a ton! This was really insightful!!


----------

