I'm not sure what rubato is. Is it what Louisss Armstrong
very frequently did? Is that an extreme example of rubato
or is it another kind of pause, altogether?

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

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http://www.FreeMars.org/jeff/

"The other planets?
Well, they just happen to be there, but the point of rockets is to explore them!"
-- Kai Yeves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubato

A very basic introduction.

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Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Rubato is a very difficult concept to master. At least, it was for me. My first (and worst) experience involved a vibraphone piece (an instrument I could barely play anyway) in which I needed to keep a 'rigid' tempo with my left hand and allow the tempo to fluctuate on my right hand. I understand that many pianists can do this, however for me it was quite a challenge.

Nowadays, it comes in handy on my drumset, if I want to throw a little swing into the groove, or want some metric modulation without having to actually puzzle it out. It can also enhance use of polyrhythyms.

I have noticed that many many singers utilize rubato, whether by intention or not I don't know, but I often can hear a slight time difference between where a vocalist is placing words and where the downbeat is occurring.