Re: tremolo with tuplets
I think we're having some problems with agreeing on our definitions here, so may I suggest:
Metered tremolo is felt in relation to the underlying pulse. It may or may not be played metronomically, or it may rush or slow down for expressive effect. It may also use rhythmic displacement (as in Dawg's backup to Butch, described above). Unmetered (or unmeasured) tremolo has no relation to the underlying pulse.
JeffD, have you tried slowing down those examples? I tried this with your examples above:
- Butch - Tra Veglia
- Hard Times
- Adam Steffey
Slowing these down 100%, they're all pretty clearly metered tremolo. Steffey gives the example of the way he'd play a tremolo, demonstrating four-to-the-beat, and then how some others would play it, six-to-the-beat -- which by the way was a favorite Bill Monroe device. Butch (at 0:44) tremolos very quietly so as to hide the effect, but when slowed down I can hear him playing six-to-the-beat: in time at first and slowing down a little. So Butch provides a good example of how a measured tremolo can be played out of time, and yet still felt in relation to the underlying pulse.
Exploring Classical Mandolin (Berklee Press, 2015)
Progressive Melodies for Mandocello (KDP, 2019) (2nd ed. 2022)
New Solos for Classical Mandolin (Hal Leonard Press, 2020)
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