Tonight, i was investigating to see if I have a ''natural
tempo'' on the piano. I hate metronomes, so I never worked with
them. I always made the piano teachers keep them off. But for
science, I'll do anything.
So, after several failed techniques (the metronome kept
interfering with my playing speed and CHANGING IT - the act of
watching changes the behavior) - I figured out a ''sampling
technique'':
I'd play, get a rhythmic speed going that 'felt natural'' and
would then adjust the metronome, TURN IT ON for just a few
seconds. When it wouldn't match, I'd quickly turn it off before
it destroyed my tempo.
I kept going up. From 120 to 125, to 130, 150, 178, 210...
finally I ended up at 250 which started matching up.
After more experiments back and forth, I seem to have settled at
a comfortable range of 250-270 bpm. I can't seem to ''nail it
down'' yet, but it's in this range. I can go faster, but this is
my comfortable, easy speeds.
I do triplets at 250-270 bpm regularly. That's just how I play.
So I thought, ''Gee, metronomes only go up to 208, and I hit 270
easily. I wonder who the fastest piano player in the world is?''
Came across this guy. He played the same note for a minute with
two hands. His speed was 765 bpm.
I started laughing when I saw this. I was like, ''Really?
REALLY!?'' Did this guy just fool the world - or am I really
that fast?
So I downloaded a 'BPM' program where you can tap and it'll give
you the BPM speed. I hit the same computer key for a little
while and it seemed to stay more or less steady around here.
791.
Then I went back and did a little math.
I hit triplets at 270 BPM comfortably. I actually start to get
''in the zone'' at that speed - it's euphoric.
A triplet is 3 notes in a single beat.
3 * 270 = 810 BPM. 810 Beats per minute.
Divide by 60 that's
13.5 notes per second.
I like speed.
If this is all it is, I might shoot a quick video and send it up
to Guinness Book of World Records.
Now to find a real piano to try it on. My Yamaha P80 is never
fast enough for my fingers.
