Tuplets inside tuplets

[British Boy]

Hey, i'm Jezen from MXDP. I'm moving over here now because Matt Smith has said a few times that I really should, and he's right because this place is better on the whole. You'll probably have seen some things from me in the past, like the My Influences video and stuff like that.

Anyway, I want to move some of my better threads over here just to share with you guys, because sharing is what music is about.

------------------------------------------


Try this on for size:

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/3003/advancedpolyrhythmicexezh7.png

Obviously you need to be comfortable playing 5:4 polyrhythms. Then you gotta play quarters in 4/4 and put that in auto-pilot, and sing to yourself (in your head) the quarter note quintuplet over the top and imagine that as a new tempo if you will. Then you start playing subdivisions in this imaginary bar of five.

[Wavelength]

The sixteenth-note subdivisions are pretty easy, since the 5:4 polyrhythm is based on sixteenth quintuplets (every fifth note of the quintuplet is a quarter note on the bass drum). The triplets are a bit trickier, because you need to feel a 3:4 polyrhythm on every quarter inside the 5:4 polyrhytm -- a full bar of triplets would be 15:4! You'll need heaps of rhythm independence to pull that off accurately and consistently.

[Vixus]

Do you think we can get a recording? I would like to hear what it sounds like by a speedy drummer just to be sure I'm getting it right.

[dea]

I never get on my kit right away when I study these types of exercises. In fact, I find getting away from my kit makes it easier.

What I do is go somewhere quite and, using your hands and feet, just tap this out counting the straight time out loud and just letting my hands play the poly or grouping. At first, its not that important that the poly/grouping is played right on. Its just to get your body to play the off rhythm while your counting the base rhythm. After I'm comfortable with this, I then get on my kit and set the metronone.

This is obviously not for everyone.

[Vixus]

I like to do that as well to be honest but I never know if it's right because it's not making the right noises. :D
Probably something I should get over.

[Drummer Karl]

ha, nice.
Well, till now it just abstract reading for me. My goal is to have this independence...man, have to work on those things.

Reading it is simple actually but playing the quarters and the quintuplets independent from each other is very difficult till now.

thanks for that.

Karl

[zildjian_dude101]

This is off topic, but I would really like to learn this kind of stuff. Can anyone recommend a site where I can learn about basic polyrythms and such?

[Wile E. Coyote]

This is off topic, but I would really like to learn this kind of stuff. Can anyone recommend a site where I can learn about basic polyrythms and such?

Sites? I'll tell you 2 names: Xenakis and Ferneyhough. Check their works. Those are real polymeters....

[dea]

Check out Tomas Howie Drumming Web. He has some great articles on polyrhythms.