I can understand legato and staccato based on my known knowlege, but rebato not. What really it is ( how short amount of time it is out the strik tempo?)? I hope to have more teaching tips to understand it .including the dance movement translating it . Thanks!

By the way, which book is the best one writen by late Alax Moor MBE ? Could I buy it through this website because of that I prefer to pay it by cross check?( A&C black , amazon and ISTD accept no check.)
ylchen

Hi Yichen
Rubato is the 'stealing' of part of the time allocated to one note and adding it to another (the next or preceding). It happens all the time in musical performance to add a performer's own feelings and interpretation to the music being played. There is no strict amount of time (as far as i know).
It happens commonly in dancing too.A simple example - feather step in foxtrot, which is written Slow (2 beats) Quick-quick (one beat each). Many dancers will dance this one and a half beats - one and a half beats - one beat. I.e. they've stolen half a beat from the first step and added it to the next step. It gives a hovering, or hesitation feeling, which can be nice with the right music. The same is done with the reverse turn that commonly follows the feather step. Better dancers can give you more on this i'm sure

Wonderful explanation,which is easy to understand. Thanks !Phil.


A few months ago, when I have never heard Rubato, there was ever an argument becasue of that I suggest to alter the timing of feather step , to get longer time in heel leading step . such as 1+1/4 or 1/2 on S. 3/4 or 1/2+1 on first q. 1 on second q, people doubted .Even I told them that alteration of the duration of beats (+/_ within a bar or bars ) are allowed in playing music , why dance not?
Study is always needed.
ylchen

Hi Yichen
I found your notation of feather step rhythm a little difficult to follow. I think you meant "2 + 1/4 or 1/2 on slow".
i learnt to play piano when i was very young, but only took up dancing in my later years. Because of this, i'm MUCH more comfortable with counting beats, than with slows and quicks. (I'm delighted that an Andrew Sinkinson teaching tape i recently bought includes both methods - brilliant).
Can i suggest that, on the feather step as an example, you count half beats (1&2&3&4& 1&2&...etc)then it's easy to explain that with conventional timing, the right foot plants on 1 for a slow, the left on 3 for a quick, and the right on 4 for another quick. With 'rubato' timing (for want of a better description) the plants might be 1, 2&, 4. It's easy to work on this, counting as you dance, and it's not difficult to practice planting halfway between 2& and 3 (to steal just a quarter of a beat). Eventually, the idea of course is to just dance with your feelings, and forgetting the counting. But, as you so rightly said, study (and practice) are so important, and i find counting in half-beats the best way to get the feel of manipulating rhythms.