Musicians: How Did You Learn to Keep Time?

A lot of my time keeping has to do with an internal pulse. Over time you will develop a feel for what each tempo should feel like. Like if someone says they want something at 120 you'll get to feel what 120 is and will know it intrinsically. If you are doing this for your personal music you can keep whatever time feels comfortable for you. If you're doing this with a conductor, it's best to watch the conductors hands.

Something interesting about the physics of sound and orchestration/choirs is that you should always watch the conductor and keep time with them. I have learned, especially when singing in large venues, that based on the sound delay you cannot sing based on what you hear. You have to sing based on watching the conductor and keeping their time. So if you sing/play based on what you are hearing, you will always be late because the echo is already delayed.
 
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