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#16
08-12-2004, 05:23 PM
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When you ask: "Or was he doing the really hard thing, and made it so the 2/4 measure took as long to finish as the 3/4 and others?" The answer is yes. But to a MUCH higher degree of difficulty! OK, let's assume the music has a "core" meter of 4/4 at 60 bpm. He has the ability of insert a measure of 5/8 meter and/or 7/8 meter simultaneously during that core 4 quarter notes at 60bpm. Or on the next phrase he may go to 3/4 or 11/8. He can move freely from one to another. It is sorta like tapping your right hand in triplets while tapping you left hand four times. Or tapping your right hand twice while you tap your left hand three times. It is a mental and physical exercise. Chester Thompson takes it several levels up from there. He has an uncanny sense of meters and rhythms. I might suggest you listen to the album Seconds Out by Genesis and pay attention to the layered rhythms and change of meters. Respectfully yours, Heliman
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My "string gang": http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL36/8...2/66418887.jpg http://www.picturetrail.com/heliman Last edited by Heliman; 08-12-2004 at 05:27 PM. 
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#17
08-13-2004, 12:10 PM
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I think some said something about internalizing the beat, and as vague as that sounds, I think it's key. It's way too easy to get caught up in the numbers game and lose your focus on the music.
I don't teach guitar for the simple reason that I play rather intuitively and have a hard time explaining things to others, but here are some thoughts, for what they're worth: 1. If you don't already do it, base your strumming on a steady down-up based on eighth notes, and then form the rhythms by accenting or de-emphasizing (even to the point of strumming air) as you stroke. You don't have to move all the way across the strings on strokes that play little or nothing, but keep the hand moving up and down. This keeps the beat in your hand rather than in your head. If you're playing boom-chucks instead of straight strums, use the pattern D_DU for 4/4, and D_DUDU for 3/4. (Special effects may require jumping off the DU carousel for a second, but it's important to jump right back on.) 2. As someone else suggested, learn to tap your foot, but do it to the pulse, not the meter. That is, in 4/4 time, tap on the 1&3 or the 2&4, depending on whether there's a backbeat. In 3/4, just one tap per measure will do. The trick is to internalize the downbeat. 3. Get your butt to jams where there are good players. If you don't feel like joining in right away, stay on the fringes and play quietly, perhaps even damping the strings and strumming lightly. Playing with a metronome is good, but real people don't play like metronomes, and playing with other people is as important a skill as any other. If there are no jams in your area, play along with records (excuse me, CDs) where there's a steady beat to follow. 4. This may be off-putting, but learn some traditional American folk tunes and go to jams where they're played. Most of these tunes are short and simple, and since they're meant to be played for dancers, keeping the beat -- and especially the downbeat -- is crucial. Therefore, they'll give you a lot of practice. You'll find that most, if not all, have their pulse on the 1&3 for 4/4 tunes (2 pulses), and on the 1&4 for 6/8 meter (also 2 pulses). And BTW, you'll see a lot of people tapping a foot as they play. I hope this helps. Heck, I hope it makes sense....
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Chris We all do better when we all do better.
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Or was did he accent the first beat of every measure he played? That would be tough just to keep track of when each accent comes. Or was he doing the really hard thing, and made it so the 2/4 measure took as long to finish as the 3/4 and others? 