Tempo? Really?

Headphones

Just received notifications of my Gym reopening and it brought someting to mind that's made me giggle every time I experience it.

It's the instructors in the classes.  They can't tell the difference between volume and tempo!

Most of the music played is modern dancey type stuff with repetitive sampled vodcals (I'm sure there's a defining phrase...).  They all have some form of chorus type thing with an apparent rush up to it (machine gun snares or similar), with some sound effect or other.

The instructors urge us all to speed up with the tempo for the chorus...  and they generally go mad and do lots of random movement, that has no relation to the rhythm.

But they're all at a fixed tempo, clearly from some drum synth or other!

Is this normal - or just the gym where I go?

As a slight aside, one asked to recommend a song with a fast tempo that we might know - I suggested "Ace of Spades", Lemmy's anthem.  The instructor had never heard of it (~30yrs)!  The rest of the grey haired class had a good laugh at his expense though.

skunkwerx

Sounds like theyre trying to describe a crescendo both in terms of music and activity lol. 

Lestratcaster

I had this once at a spin class thing. I was trying to point it doesn't really get faster just the subdivisions change.

thecolourbox

It's a bit like how guitarists confuse tone and timbre they are just confusing tempo with rhythm

Fishboy7

Sounds dreadful 

monquixote

I like it when they shout about "pumping" to which I always mentally prefix "eggy"

randella

Headphones said:

Most of the music played is modern dancey type stuff with repetitive sampled vodcals (I'm sure there's a defining phrase...).  

"Bland commercial house" should probably cover it.

PolarityMan

If it was a real drummer it would just get faster and faster unt everyone had heart attacks. And obviously it would never get quieter again after a crescendo.

dano

Headphones said:

It's the instructors in the classes.  They can't tell the difference between volume and tempo!

It's not tempo vs volume they can't differentiate, it's the transition from verse to chorus by the sounds of it. Volume is constant, tempo is constant. 

It's likely they are musical ignorant, but i bet they can outclass me at taking selfies in a mirror in gym gear.

AK99

dano said:

It's likely they are musical ignorant, but i bet they can outclass me at taking selfies in a mirror in gym gear.

It's a tad unsettling that a chap (presumably like the rest of us who frequent guitar forums) would know something like that dano..  

maltingsaudio

Wasn’t Tempo in Denmark Street? No. It was Ealing became Flying Pig
edited for accuracy 

Headphones

dano said:

It's likely they are musical ignorant, but i bet they can outclass me at taking selfies in a mirror in gym gear.

  Absolutely!!!