How fast is that tune?

An easy way to find out…

Fiddle tunes are often played played fast, with many players (particularly harmonica ones) struggling to keep up. Unfortunately, many tunes need to go fast, just to sound right. Seasoned bluegrass players (fiddlers, mandolins etc) manage these speeds with apparent ease. Practice is the obviously the secret weapon, with Band in a Box and the metronome key tools. Scales are a good way to build up the necessary speed. However, it is helpful to know exactly how fast to play.

It is easy to find this out, at least for fiddle tunes. These almost invariably go for 16 bars, and so, to measure the speed of a given tune, just time it once through. If your watch has a stopwatch feature, then so much the better. You can also do this at live shows, to determine exactly how fast a particular musician is playing. Once you have timed the tune, then apply the following table (write it on to the back of a business card, and keep it in your wallet).

Time (sec)	Speed (beats/min)
24	160
25	154
26	148
27	142
28	137
29	132
30	128
31	124
32	120
33	116
34	113
35	110
36	107
37	104
38	101
39	98
40	96
41	94
42	91

Having figured out the speed of the tune you’re wanting to play, then build up to it slowly, using a Band in a Box backing (which allows you to adjust the speed). Also, try the scale exercises outlined in the practice section. If you can’t manage these scales at the speed of your desired tune, then you probably can’t manage the tune either.

Its much better to settle for a slower speed, and play the tune cleanly, than to struggle at full pace. Over time, the speed will come.