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Posted on March 28, 2008 by Eric Starr | Posted under Music
Polyrhythmic Drum Set Technique - History And Development
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They consist of the combination of two contrasting (that is, you cannot subdivide one into the other) rhythmic pulses simultaneously, with the contrasting but simultaneous rhythms normally played on different instruments. This includes different drums in the drum set or different drum sets altogether. There are two main types of polyrhythms: rhythms which carry "over the bar" and rhythms that exist "within the bar". "Over the bar" rhythms are those in which the standard pulse does not change, yet displaced accents, syncopation, and or note groupings create the illusion of a different pulse or an alternate time signature coexisting with the primary pulse and time signature. As an example, if a drummer was playing a straight 4/4 pattern and a bassist was playing a pattern consisting of five quarter notes, a 5 versus 4 "over the bar" polyrhythm would result. Polyrhythms "within the bar" use non standard groupings of notes that are played against the standard groupings in any given meter. Again, this means that the notes in one group cannot sub divide into the notes in the other; the simplest example of this is eighth note drum set triplets ("swung" eighth notes) played simultaneously with eighth note duplets ("straight" eighth notes). Examples of the two types of polyrhythms follow polyrhythmic patterns are often useful as fills, they can also create interesting grooves. They are also very useful in fostering the development of limb independence. As with fill choices, the possibilities for drum sets polyrhythms are far too extensive to enumerate, and those listed in any guides are intended merely as a starting point. For the sake of simplicity and unity, the grooves and fills are representative of the Rock genre, while polyrhythms themselves can be used in virtually all styles. To produce "over the bar" polyrhythmic patterns, a good method is to begin with a simple groove such as the Standard Rock beat in 4/4 and simultaneously play a rhythm that contrasts to the main 4/4 pulse (for example, accenting every second or fourth eighth note would not offset the 4/4 pulse, whereas accenting every third or fifth eighth note would). The most common examples all feature polyrhythms produced through displaced accents. It is usually impractical to play a fill for more than two measures on a drum set. The length of the fills simply displays the full extent of the polyrhythm. When used in fills, polyrhythms can begin or end on any beat or note of the measure. In addition, leaving out the unaccented notes changes the accented polyrhythms above into syncopated polyrhythms. In a Standard Rock beat with the accents of the ride hand shifted into polyrhythmic groupings of "5" (2 + 3). Since the polyrhythm imposes a "5 over 2" feel, it takes five bars of the groove to finish the fill on a drum set. About The Author: By Eric Stark. Polyrhythms on drum sets are used extensively in modern Rock and Jazz music via employing big drum sets and multiple drum pedals. |
Tags: POLYRHYTHMIC, DRUM SETS, BIG DRUM SETS
