eee to reIntroduction ‘The rhythmic possibilities of odd meters have always interested me. Most of us in Western Civilization are brought up listening to music in 4/4 time (with an occasional 3/4 waltz). Playing and studying odd meters opens the mind to different rhythmic groupings that can enhance your 4/4 playing, as well as make you comfortable in any musical situation utilizing odd meters. This is very important for TV, film and jingle work and can become indispensable if you're working with an artist who writes in odd times. As a drummer, composer, arranger, and producer, studying and playing odd meters has helped me im- mensely in my work. In this book we are going to talk about breaking down odd time signatures into groups of twos, threes, and ones using eighth notes as the beginning pulse. The key here is to learn to interpret the group (or groups) of three eighth notes within any style. You al- ready know how to play and feel groups of two eighth notes from playing in 4/4 time. It will be the groups of three eighth notes that will be foreign to you at first. So instead of counting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 for 7/8 time, we will use 1-2,1-2,1-2-8. By using this method it won't matter to you what time signature you are in. You will eventually just figure out where the groups of eighth notes fall within the phrase and in what way you wish to stylize the sub- divisions of twos, threes, and ones. (This book is set up as a workbook. The more rhythms, grooves and fil ideas that you write, the more progress you will make with this concept.) About the Rhythmic Guide Concept The Rhythmic Guide is a breakdown of rhythms that can be used on any given subdivision. Each odd meter subdivision in this book has its own Rhythmic Guide for you to learn before you create original ones on your ‘own. You will start off by playing these rhythms on a snare drum with the snares off, on a hand drum, or on your lap. Start by playing one rhythm over and over again against the ostinato in your foot until it feels com- fortable. Then play one rhythm into the next, two bars each. Now randomly jump around the Guide. This approach will help you internalize the rhythms away from the drumset. Once you have mastered the rhythms in the book, you can create your own. From the Rhythmic Phrases we will create orchestrated grooves, fills and solo ideas on the drumset and play these ideas with the band on the play-along CD. Note: On the accompanying CD, each Rhythmic Guide example in Chapters 1 through 4 is two bars long. Each Rhythmic Guide example in Chapter 5 is one bar. Chapters 6 and 7 have no CD examples for Rhythmic Guides, Not all meters are covered in this book, but once you have learned this concept, you will be able to write Rhythmic Guides for yourself in any meter, including 4/4. About the Five Steps to Musicality The concept of this book revolves around the Five Steps to Musicality. You will see the Five Steps in Chapters 1 through 6. The repetition of these steps in each meter is the Key to this book. If utilized prop- erly, it will enable you to play any Rhythmic Phrase in any meter, including 4/4 and 2/4, By the end of ‘Step Five, any rhythm that you have chosen will be part of your musical vocabulary for lfe! About the Charts In addition to listening and playing along with the CD, | recommend getting together with other musi- cians and playing the charts, utilizing different grooves and tempos. This will help you develop your in- ternal clock and time feel away from the CD examples. ‘The charts have either 1- or 2-bar cowbell countoffs in the given meter. The countoff is either in quarter notes or subdivided eighth notes. Learn the countoff first and then play the chart. Charts show subdivisions for syncopation of rhythm; use the grooves in this book and your own grooves and fills to play along. Have a good time and groove hardChapter 3/4, 3/8, 6/8 € will start off by using a 3/4 Rhythmic Guide in straight eighth-note and sixteenth-note time feels and continue by introducing two against three in a jazz triplet feel. We will also explore 3/8 and 6/8 in this chapter. '- 4 eventually see how your 3/4, 3/8, and 6/8 rhythmic ideas will meld into odd meters like 5/4, 7/8, 28 Let's begin. Listen to track 1 on the CD; then follow Exercises 1-3. © 3/4 Rhythmic Guide Le&atekagecna 1&ateas ea 5 B S s 2 3 RELRERRERELR SS pret « qian Exercise 1: Start off by playing the 3/4 Rhythmic Guide hand to hand, (i, using alternate sticking) to a "€ pulse of a quarter note equaling 80 bpms. Count "1 & 2 & 3 &” with each click on the representing one quarter note, Each Rhythmic Guide will have a bpm metronome range * 40}. You should start at the slowest setting and work your way up to the fastest setting, 1 2, Do not go to a faster metronome setting until you have mastered the rhythms at the pre- Start with Examples A through L. Use your hands—not your drumsticks—at first Exercise 2 ay Examples C or F as an ostinato (.., a recurring phrase) in the right foot while playing Exares 4 rrough L against it with your hands. This will help you internalize the rhythm and the feel. r= “re accents in Example G define the 3 over 2 feel when Exercise F is being used as the ostinato. sccev:s ~ Example H define the 4 over 3 feel when Exercise C is being used as the ostinato. In Exa~ce . you must internalize the upbeats as strongly as the downbeats in Example D. Exercise 3: Play either Example C or F as an ostinato in the right foot while playing Examples M through Q using a triplet feelWhen you have played all Examples with your hands, repeat Exercises 1-3, playing the rhythms with sticks on your snare drum while playing Examples C or F with your bass drum and/or hi-hat. Listen to CD tracks 2 and 3. Then explore the 3/8 and 6/8 Rhythmic Guides using the procedure in Exercises 1-3. Choose Example A or B to be the ostinato in your right foot and play your hands against it. Really try to groove the rhythms as you memorize them, and don't forget to change your metronome to an eighth-note click for 3/8 and 6/8. Remember, the eighth note is the largest common denominator for these two meters. © 3/8 Rhythmic Guide © 6/8 Rhythmic Guide 6 ' 2 3 Alter you have mastered my Rhythmic Guides for 9/4, 9/8, and 6/8, itis time to create your own Rhythmic Guides for each meter. Write them down and practice them using the procedure in Exercises 1-3. Some of these rhythms will turn into orchestrated drum grooves and fil ideas on the drumset, A worksheet is provided that you can use to write your own rhythms and grooves. This will help keep you organized. You want to create your own library of Rhythmic Guides in the given meters.Five Steps to Musicality Itis now time to run our 3/4, 3/8, and 6/8 rhythms and grooves down the Five Steps to Musicalty. Start off by following each one of the Five Steps slowly. THESE STEPS ARE THE KEY TO THIS BOOK. In Stops 1 and 2, you are practicing your idea. In Steps 3, 4, and 5 you are playing music with your idea Once you have mastered my rhythms through the Five Steps, start working through the Five Steps with the rhythms that you wrote Let's start by choosing Example N from the 3/4 Rhythmic Guide. We will use a jazz triplet swing feel. Step 1: Technique A. Count your idea out loud. B. Leam the sticking. C. Memorize the phrase. Step 2: Time ye Idea Groove ® a> a> Ss —= 4 T A. Play the idea on the snare drum, using a metronome. B. Play the idea on the snare drum, using your internal clock, Step 3: Time Feel A. Select a style (jazz, rock, funk, Latin, etc.) B. Play a Basic Groove in that style. C. Orchestrate your Idea Groove as a timekeeping phrase in that styl. Idea Groove FES Gm ie = [ — D. Play two bars of the Basic Groove, then two bars of the Idea Groove. Repeat the four bars over and over. Concentrate on making your Idea Groove come from the time feel of your Basic Groove. Remember that you're developing your time feel in the chosen style. (Note: Do not use your idea groove as a fil yet.) Lys # r F L rT rT Note that during the Basic Groove time feel you can improvise with the snare drum and bass drum, as demonstrated on the CD. Also, you can punctuate the bass drum with your ride cymbal using a right- hand lead,Chapter 5/4, 5/8 will begin by subdividing 5/4 in groups of twos and threes using eighth notes as the be- WN es pulse. We will not count 5/4 “1 & 2&3. & 4&5 &” Let's start with a 3+3+2+2 sub- division for a different syncopation. The 5/4 and 5/8 Rhythmic Guides will guide you through some rhythmic possibilities. Then you can create your own 5/4 and 5/8 grooves and fills. Let's begin! Listen to CD track 7, then follow the Exercises. @ 5/4 Rhythmic Guide #1 Po? 3 1 2 3 t 24 >i> a>>1 >> Basses a>> > Exercise 1: Start off by playing the 5/4 Rhythmic Guide hand to hand without sticks, as you did in Chapter 1. Remember to set your metronome to a quarter-note pulse (i., Remember, the eighth notes are straight eighths unless triplets are written 12 = 80-140 range).2: Play either Example B or C as an o: ato in the right foot while playing Examples A through K against it with your hands. You now can see some of the 3/4, 3/8, and 6/8 rhythms from the last chapter in your 6/4 (and later, 5/8) rhythms, Make sure you internalize the upbeats in Example H as strongly as the downbeats in Example C. While using Example B in the bass drum foot, start running Examples A through J in two-bar phrases, one rhythm into the next, against the bass drum. Note: The 3+3+242 subdivision is commonly used by TV and film composers, and it was used in the theme song “Mission Impossible,” composed by Lalo Schifrin. Another standard 5/4 song is “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck. Exercise 3: Play Examples B or C as an ostinato in the right foot while playing Examples K through © using a triplet feel. The accents in Example O shows you three against five. When you have finished the first three Exercises playing all examples with your hands, repeat Exercises 1 through 3 using sticks. ‘A composer may choose to write in 5/8 instead of 5/4. There are still five beats per measure, but the eighth note gets the beat instead of the quarter note. Set your metronome to eighth notes. Follow the bpm range on your Rhythmic Guide. Listen to CD track 8 and use the same three Exercises with the 5/8 Rhythmic Guide. Use either Example A or D as your bass drum ostinato, really trying to groove the rhythms as you memorize them © 5/8 Rhythmic Guide Usten to CD track 9. Using Examples AA and BB brings the 5/8 subdivision 2+3 into a bar of 6/4, This is often used as a turnaround phrase in 5/4. The accents in Example DD give you four against five. © 5/4 Rhythmic Guide #2 13Chapter 7/8 even is a commonly used odd meter. Many artists of past and present have used 7/8 or 7/4 in their compositions or songwriting, including John McLaughlin, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pink Floyd, Yanni, The Pretenders, Frank Zappa, Seal, and Rush. | have used 7/8 many times in TV and jingle compositions to get away from a 4/4 time feel. Going into 7/8 from a 4/4 section is very com- mon. Listen to CD track 13 and then follow the Exercises. 3 eee z= gree dese dase ces | Exercise 1: Let's start off by playing the 7/8 Rhythmic Guide hand to hand to an eighth-note click while counting 1-2,1-2,1-2-3. See Example C, Use your hands, not your drumsticks. Exercise 2: Play Example B as an ostinato in the right foot while playing Examples A through N against it. This will help you internalize the rhythm and the feel. Set your metronome to an eighth-note pulse and follow the BPM marking on the Rhythmic Guide. internalize the upbeats in Example E as well as the downbeats in Example C. As in the last two chapters, start running Examples A through N in two- and four-bar phrases, one rhythm into the next, against the ostinato bass drum (Example B). Remember, rep- etition is the key. The concept is the same as the last two chapters; only the time signature has changed. Exercise 3: Pick up your sticks and play sixteenth notes in Example D on the hi-hat while playing Example F on the bass drum to get a basic 7/8 samba feel. Traditional samba has a two feel, So to give a 7/8 samba a more natural feeling, accent the second group of two eighth notes and the second dot- ted-eighth note in the group of three. See Example F. That will give the groove more of a two feel. 19Chapter 9/8 ike the threes and sixes we discussed in earlier chapters, 9/8 is a strong triplet meter. The most l ‘common subdivision in 9/8 is 3+3+3. To get away from the three feel, we bring in groups of twos and ones; €.g., 2424243, 3424242, 241424242, 2434242, 2424942 You will discover how 3/8 and 6/8 ideas can be used in 9/8 using a 3+3+3 subdivision. This 3+3+3 sub- division is a very good turnaround phrase coming out of the 2+2+2+3 subdivision. Listen to CD track 20 and follow the Examples. 9/8 Rhythmic Guide #1 RLLRERELR ipeeye pS | poet SF ad] Exercise 1: Start off by playing the 9/8 Rhythmic Guide hand-to-hand to an eighth-note click while counting “1-2,1-2,1-2,1-2-3” See Example D in the Rhythmic Guide. Use your hands, not your drum- sticks. Exercise 2: Play either Example B, C, or F as an ostinato in the right foot while playing Examples A through P against it. This will help you to internalize the feel and the rhythms, as you did in the previous three chapters. Repetition is the key with this concept. The more you work the rhythms and write your ‘own rhythms and grooves, the stronger your time feel will be in the given meter at the drumset 27Don't forget to use your metronome and follow the BPM markings on the Rhythmic Guide. Always work with different tempos—mix it up. Remember to use two- and four-bar phrases, one rhythm into the next. You can also mix up the examples. For example, play two bars of Example E, then two bars of Example H. Always go back to Example E and then randomly go to a different example. Jump around and mix it up, in two- and four-bar phrases. Use a conga, jembe, or any hand drum. Exercise 3: Pick up your sticks and play sixteenth notes in Example E on the hi-hat while playing Example F on the bass drum to get a basic 9/8 samba feel. Play Examples A through P against the os- tinato bass drum, Example F, and “chick” eighth notes with your hi-hat. This will help to develop inde- pendence between your hands and feet. Remember to give your 9/8 samba a two feel. Check out the accents in Example F. Listen to CD track 21 and use the same three Exercises with the 9/8 subdivision 3+3+3 (see Examples Q through Z). Don't forget to internalize the upbeats as well as the downbeats, as you did in the previ- ous chapters. 9/8 Rhythmic Guide #2 RLLRURRERLLR ‘Also experiment with writing rhythms and grooves in the other 9/8 subdivisions, listed in the beginning of this chapter. Use the worksheet provided. Try to hear and sing bass tones doubling the ostinato in the bass drum foot, Just drone on a couple of notes. This will get you away from counting. Have fun and groove hard, Worksheet 28Five Steps to Musicality Now run the 9/8 rhythms through the Five Steps to Musicality. We will use Example S in the 9/8 Rhythmic Guide as our first Idea Groove. Step 1: Technique ‘A. Count your idea out loud, B. Lear the sticking, C. Memorize the phrase. !tis very important to memorize the phrase of the Idea Groove. In addition, learn and memorize the Basic Groove orchestrations so you can concentrate on your time feel in the style. Remember, when you're trying to groove a one- or two-bar rhythm, you don't want to be reading it. Use your ears; they're your best friends, musically. Your ears will help you develop different orchestration sounds around the drumset, Step 2: A Play the idea on the snare drum, using a metronome, B. Play the idea on the snare drum, using your internal clock, Step 3: ime 1e Feel A. Select a style (jazz, rock, funk, Latin, etc.) B. Play a Basic Groove in that styl. Basic Groove C. Orchestrate your Idea Groove as a timekeeping pattern in that style. Idea Groove D. Play two bars of the Basic Groove, then two bars of the Idea Groove, Repeat the four bars over and over. Concentrate on making your Idea Groove come from the time feel of your Basic Groove. Remember that you're developing your time feel in the chosen style. (Note: Do not use your idea groove as a fill yet.)Step 4: Phrasing A. Play: 2 bars Basic Groove, 2 bars Idea Groove; 4 bars Basic Groove, 4 bars Idea Groove; 6 bars Basic Groove, 2 bars Idea Groove; 8 bars Basic Groove, 4 bars Idea Groove. 8 bars Basic Groove, 8 bars Idea Groove. B: Think about your sound, different orchestration possibilities, fils, dynamics, and different tempos. Listen to CD track 22 to hear how Step 4 is applied Phrasing Example op Tey ee TS Step 5: Form Now that you are comfortable with the 9/8 rhythms, and the first four steps of the Five Steps to Musicality, it's time to groove with the fourth chart ‘A. Your Basic Groove and your Idea Groove will make up phrases that relate to a song form. Use the chart to practice song-form phrasing. B. You can also practice with a song of your own choice. Listen to Chart 4 in 9/8 on CD track 23, which goes from a 9/8 eighth-note funk groove to a 9/8 half- time shuffle feel. Then play along to CD track 24 and develop your own Basic Groove throughout the chart using a 9/8 funk feel. Experiment with different rhythms and phrases. By now, the routine should be evident. Repetition is the key. Remember, you choose the style of your thythms and grooves. The following Chart Notes will guide you with the song form and time feel. Intro: 4 bars, funk groove ‘A:8 bars, funk groove B: 6 bars, half-time shuffle; the dotted-eighth gives you a quarter-note feel. play entire chart 3 times