Timing (music)

In musical practice, timing is the ability of a musician to keep the beat , to play in rhythm, to play the notes of the piece of music at exactly the right time with the right time value .

application

Not only in jazz and related musical styles, besides phrasing, a specific and individual treatment of time values ​​is essential for musical expression.

In addition to the requirement to play the note times and note values ​​defined in the composition precisely, there are minimal deviations from the noted or imaginary point in time in both directions of an imaginary linear time axis (see off-beat ).

If a musician has difficulties in finding the exact point in time, one speaks of clock difficulties, of a lack of rhythm or rhythm, or of timing problems. Large orchestras avoid timing difficulties due to repeated errors in the musicians' temporal perception by opting for a conductor or staff leader .