Vocalising as a way to improve your rhythm and time

adamosmianski said:
Hi Caroline,
Sorry, I can't remember where you went to school, but did you ever take Barak Schmool's "World of Rhythm" class? He's got some great stuff on using vocals (mixed with other forms of physical expression) to improve one's sense of time and feel. I taught the class for him at Guildhall for a term and have all the handouts if you'd like to check them out or chat about them. We were going to get together anyway, and never got around to it, did we?
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Hi Adam - oh yeah this would be great actually. I did Barak's course at Trinity, not sure if it's the same.. we didn't get much in the way of handouts, only a couple I think. Trinity starting putting a BIG emphasis on this, which kicked in when I was there - Pat Davey took the first years, Barak the second years and Asaf Sirkis the third years, they were trying to make a fully developed course in (what I think Americans call) rhythm training. Because I think most teachers had noticed that you can get to college level and even complete your studies, without having an appropriate emphasis on rhythm and time which meant some people were coming out the other end unprepared for the real world as a musician. I'll send you a message, I've got a couple of kits set up if you're up for a play and would be great to hang out if you get any free time coming up.

Caroline
 
Caz said:
Hi Adam - oh yeah this would be great actually. I did Barak's course at Trinity, not sure if it's the same.. we didn't get much in the way of handouts, only a couple I think. Trinity starting putting a BIG emphasis on this, which kicked in when I was there - Pat Davey took the first years, Barak the second years and Asaf Sirkis the third years, they were trying to make a fully developed course in (what I think Americans call) rhythm training. Because I think most teachers had noticed that you can get to college level and even complete your studies, without having an appropriate emphasis on rhythm and time which meant some people were coming out the other end unprepared for the real world as a musician. I'll send you a message, I've got a couple of kits set up if you're up for a play and would be great to hang out if you get any free time coming up.

Caroline
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Yeah, I feel like a lot of that is a cultural difference that I noticed it as soon as I moved here. In the UK (and I'm assuming all of Europe), there seems to be far less emphasis placed on rhythm, (even in a jazz course, which is bonkers to me). But on the flip side of it, there is a heavier emphasis on harmony, presumably stemming from the classical music traditions in Europe. And when I think about it that way and look at American bands vs European bands I think that really comes out. Not to say that it's better or worse in any way, but it's just interesting how the different styles of education inform the end result of the music we hear.

Anyway, definitely up for a play. I'll hit you on messenger.
 
I sometimes vocalize a fill that I’m struggling with just to get it in my brain. I was in a band once where the guitarist and singer vocalized (or tried) to vocalize fill ideas to me. “Diggity, diggity, blik-em”

If it’s for a groove, I found that I lock in better when I hum the bass line to myself when playing (even with a band).

Another thing I often do is chew gum when playing. It’s a mental distraction that keeps me from over focusing on the playing. Sometimes I use it for feel…I’ll chew quarter or eighth notes when playing. if I want an eighth note feel but the tune calls for quarter notes, it helps.
 
I'm new to drumming. My laughs upthread are genuinely congenial; I love the sounds we make with our mouths when we mimic the sounds of instrument. I used to play with a singer who would try to vocalize guitar parts with this really funny sound of "Wha-wha-whacka-wha..."

It was actually very effective!

My first beat as a drummer, unbeknownst to me, was the "money beat", and I started off counting out loud the 1/8th notes. My wife also enjoys playing the drums, and she really struggled with keeping even time, so I told her to count out loud, and that was that.

What I really enjoyed about Mr. Bisonette's video, was the gutteral plosives he used in a few spots, that's something I can use while playing. When I'm away from the kit, I use sounds like "pow!" for the snare, and "thump" for the kick, and sort of play drums that way.

What I find particularly useful, and again, I'm a rookie drummer, is "dancing" on the throne while I play. Just sort of moving my spine around along with the beat. It makes my timing better, it makes my accents better, it keeps me relaxed, and it's just fun.

As a singer, the idea of singing and playing drums at the same time is a daunting prospect, and I'm not sure I'll ever aim for that. I can always pick up a guitar and do that.

But drums...they're such a visceral, kinetic experience, right? Dancing and vocalizing seems, to me, a perfect way to enhance the experience, and therefore, the results of training/rehearsal/practice.

Damn, this forum delivers! Thanks. :)
 
Voice aside, the metric subdivisions within tabla behind a lahara (the repeated melody) and not a metronome I've found a far greater challenge for better time development and musically a bit more applicable I think. For example, taking a 16 beat cycle at a super slow tempo and then changing to rhythmic sub-divisions (layakari) to quarter-eight-triplets-16ths-quints-sex-sept...so on. The odd groupings are interesting, for example triplets take 3 repeats before a resolve back to 'one' or 5 repeats on quints to a resolve to 'one'...so you get a rhythmic tension before the resolve that needs precise 'time' without the crutch of a metronome but just by a floating melody, you know your fail once it doesn't resolve or once internal modulation gets developed on the lahara pulse that is implied (but not literally stated like a click). No one needs to know tabla composition, western grooves work the same....not a new drumset concept either, Vinnie or Virgil do something similar all the time but going back to standard 4/4 with a click feels a million times easier with better time command. There are many tabla pro examples that do this all the time, I'm sure this maybe already talked about given the teachers you are working with but I've found it to be very helpful.
 
I have a tendency to hum melodies and play the drums in my head as that melody when playing by myself. It's like Ella Fitzgerald in the overhead or maybe more David Lee Roth realistically.
 
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