| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: rhythmic concepts | |
| tomwrush -- 06/01/2004, 11:14:57 -- #4707 | |
| Hi all- I'm looking to develop a sense of rhythmic understanding (yes, I'm the type that has to think about everything alot, i'm in good company with Bill Evans though). As I understand what I need to work on is feeling different parts of the best, so if I were to progressively work on my time feel it might look like this. Feel all parts of the beat equally well (in swing eighths) both on the beat and off. Feel all parts of the beat in eighth note triplets. Feel all parts of the beat in quarter note triplets. after that I would say I'm pretty lost, but that's okay, I need to work on these things quite a bit anyway. So what are some good excerecises for understanding and internalizing three concepts mentioned above? thanks, tom | |
| smg -- 06/01/2004, 11:31:00 -- #4708 | |
| Drum music..lots of it online.... | |
| 7 -- 06/01/2004, 11:32:18 -- #4709 | |
| ` The beat must come from within. Predicting when the next hit will fall is akin to predicting the future. You'll need to turn your body into a pendulum: 1. Turn on your beat box / rhythm machine / metronome and set it to a nice comfortable speed. 2. Experiment with different parts of your body to find where the rhythm naturally lives inside you. That part of the body is different for eveyone. Some feel it in the feet, some in the thighs, I personally feel it in my shoulders. Whacky said he felt it grinding in his teeth. 3. Once you have found the part of your body where the beat resides, make sure to put that part of the body "into gear" during every count-in. * If you do not feel the beat on the inside, you will always get lost - no matter how loud your drummer is. 7 | |
| tomwrush -- 06/01/2004, 17:43:44 -- #4711 | |
| I've found that the beat is right in my gut (or was that the beets?) All seriousness aside, that's helpful advice. what sort of drum music do you recommend. I don't really see how paradiddles would help... I think I'll just write my own excercises. but if you have any good ones please share! thanks, tom | |
| 7 -- 06/01/2004, 21:39:22 -- #4713 | |
| Listen to lots of recordings. | |
| jbl81 -- 06/01/2004, 21:52:03 -- #4714 | |
| tomwrush, I'm working on the same thing myself right now. My teacher suggested playing with a metronome clicking on 2 + 4 (like the high-hat). I found this didn't really help, as I can really easily ignore that puppy =). In order to really internalize that pulse on 2 and 4, I've been trying to do a really deliberate stride pattern in 4/4. On one, I play the root very quietly, on two I really BANG on the 3rd+7th or an A voicing, on three I play the root or fifth very quietly, and then on 4, I bang the same thing I played on beat two. Try that, and play the melody or a simple solo in the right hand that falls into the same accenting pattern. The more deliberate you can be, the easier it is to remember. On the other hand, the more subtle you can be, the more you're probably internalized it -- if you can keep that going the whole time. There's probably another good exercise we should be doing to then learn to swing the offbeats accented a bit more than the onbeats (the ands of all beats, as opposed to 2 and 4 in a 4/4 context), but I haven't gotten that far with "time" yet. | |
| Mike -- 06/02/2004, 04:43:37 -- #4720 | |
| I would say the point is to not "ignore that puppy". Working with a metronome on 2 and 4 is one of the most useful jazz exercizes that there is. I have opened up the world of swing to many people with it. The most common problem I run into with Classical students that come to me to learn Jazz is that they have the swing rhythm inverted or backwards... as if the hight hat were hitting on 1 and 3. Once I explain that the high hat hits on 2 and 4 and swing is generated of those beats they start to get it. Of course if you "ignore that puppy" it is the same as ignoring the high hat in an ensemble situation and you will destroy the swing of an entire band. To master 2 and 4 I have my students practice everything with the metronome on 2 and 4 for about a year.... Scales, Chord exercises, simply playing songs, bass lines.... even classical music Bach etc. Although it is not correct for Classical music it helps to master those beats if you can do it even where it is not even neccessarily meant to be. All of my students without exception, have found it difficult to play everything with the metronome on 2 and 4 and I keep them on it at least until it becomes as easy as playing with the metronome on all beats. This takes a lot of patience and skill to get there. This exersize had such profound effect on improving the quality of the jazz that I play that I have always held the musician who taught me to do this as a personal hero. | |
| smg -- 06/02/2004, 07:46:12 -- #4728 | |
| what sort of drum music do you recommend- Here are some links to drum transcriptions;what I think is the best way to use these in the context of this thread is- First,without a metronome,try reading each line(i.e.cymbal.hi-hat,snare,tom-toms,bass drum)while either patting your foot or tapping your hand on 2 and 4(or all 4 beats if you want)and getting a sense of the feel of the particular groove involved and what the accents/syncopation used are about;next I would switch to doing the same thing with the metronome replacing your own counting-ones' own individual sense of time is shifted(either slowed down or speeded up) by syncopations/polyrhythms at first and this will develop the capacity to hear/feel these within a steady pulse.(Of course,in reality,as has been pointed out here before,in a trio/group context,"settling into" a groove involves this kind of thing where the tempo counted off and actually used may be slightly different;anyways....)the final step with this drum/rhythm stuff is to work on playing two(or more) parts together;i.e.while keeping the ride cymbal going with one hand,playing the snare accents,etc.... | |
| smg -- 06/02/2004, 07:51:09 -- #4729 | |
| http://www.stevekorn.com/trans.html Sightreading Jazz*Rhythm Exercises* at this link http://www.visual-jazz.com/download.htm | |
| smg -- 06/02/2004, 09:04:52 -- #4734 | |
| This is a great link for dealing with reading rhythms-http://www.tedvieira.com/onlinelessons/sightreading101/values/reading.html | |
| smg -- 06/03/2004, 14:57:55 -- #4755 | |
| also check this out-http://www.upbeat.com/lieb/Feature_Articles/JazzRhythm.htm | |
| Mike -- 06/03/2004, 19:50:41 -- #4759 | |
| yeah that Lieb article is the @#%&. That guy writes some great articles. | |
| smg -- 06/08/2004, 11:04:50 -- #4824 | |
| I just found this re-both recent threads,this is a good one to study(for HH and for rhythm)C:\\Documents and Settings\\res309\\Local Settings\\Temporary Internet Files\\Content.IE5\\4ZOY29PZ\\7steps_herbie[1].zip | |
| smg -- 06/08/2004, 11:07:21 -- #4825 | |
| try this instead- http://digilander.libero.it/ricdis/ and scroll down till you see Herbie Hancock, Seven Steps to Heaven piano solo (from Miles Davis' recording) | |
| smg -- 06/08/2004, 11:08:10 -- #4826 | |
| http://digilander.libero.it/ricdis/transcre.html is the correct link | |
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