I am not classically trained nor do I know Italian, so the Perform >> Expressions groupings are a little confusing. I googled translations of the words:
Adagio
Espressivo
Moderato
Vivace
Con Amore
Con Fuoco
Con Moto
Con Spirito
Andante
Intermedio
Presto
Volante
(the children patterns of these I have not all translated)
So I know what they literally all mean. But I cannot determine why some of the children patterns are in one group and others are in another group, especially because 1) the tempos of my projects will vary and 2) I can select 0.5x, 1x, and 2x.
Is there any logic to or musical common thread among all of the children in each Perform group and subgroup? Every time I am creating I have to go through all of them to remember what they are.
Also, I don’t really understand what the difference is between a difference between Performances, Phrases, and Rhythms. What distinguishes them from one another, practically speaking?
They are grouped slower to faster but the names of the children don’t really mean anything other then it’s better then calling them 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. Don’t apply too much too them.
David should answer for the other question but I recall him saying different artists were asked how they would phrase something and that is applied to Phrases, Performances are actual captures of Playing I think. And Rhythms are just that. Less melodic and more blocked chords.
YEs categorisation is almost arbitrary but indeed here is a better breakdown:
Performances: Only play the same notes of your chord and are categorised slower (or less notes) to faster (or more notes).
Phrases: Based on the chord but uses chord extensions to create melodic (or phrase based) content based on the chord you are playing. The categories are relevant like such:
Amore (love) played sweetly or emotionally
Fuoco (fire) played with more notes with intent
Moto (movement) played with more unpredictable movement and played more frequently
Spirito (spirit) played faster with more determination
Rhythms are more like arps based on a musicians performance and the categories are literally slower (or less notes) to faster (more notes).