4 way independence?

blackmagswithcats

Junior Member
when im learning polyrhythms between all 4 limbs, should i write it out, or try to figure it out in my head?
 
Well, if you can figure it out in your head, do that. If you can't, try writing it out. I've never felt the need to write anything down when going though 4 way independence exercises. Just go through it REALLY slow and figure out where each stroke lands in the phrase. I've also found it helpful to leave out one limb at first, then slowly adding it in. Hope this help.
 
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Go ahead and try and figure them out in your head - you won't be able to. Unless you've been doing specific combinations of different times for like 10 years you're gonna get lost in about 5 seconds. Write em out
 
Also when adding the 4th part, (3 way cooridination is fairly easy, it's the 4th part that throws me) try singing it first. If I can't sing it, I can't play it. Only after I can verbalize where the hit lands am I able to get my hands (or feet) to follow suit.
 
This isn't a direct answer, but related advice. When practicing difficult or new four-way ideas, I'll often write it out and then play individual parts in sequence. Here's an example

Right Foot part - 4x
Right Hand part - 4x
Left Hand part - 4x
Left Foot part - 4x (etc).

Moving on to 2 limbs:

RF + RH
RF + LH
RF + LF
RH + LH
RH + LF
LH + RF
LH + LF

Three limb combos such as:

RF + RH + LH
RF + RH + LF
RF + LH + LF

I think you can see where this is going. You don't neccesarily have to practice every mathmatical combination of these patterns, but learning how each part relates to the others is very important when we're dealing with complex, 4-limb grooves. Hope that helps if you get stuck on something really tough!
 
Great help, Im just beginning and thought that while I'm doing my exercises (mostly reading ex.) I could play a simple pattern with my feet for exercising my independence. It's too much or I'm taking advantage of learning two things at one time?
 
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