subdivision - one of the most important things in the world.

[texshred777]

okay...this is going to sound like a lesson in percussion...and to tell you the truth...it was. *I used to teach marching percussion...and i took one of the things i used to teach and applied it to my guitar playing.
* *This is kind of a test...first...playing a straight triplet in one hand...now play a straight eighth note in the other. *That's easy enough right? *well...now try playing both at the same time...make sure you dont start swinging the eighth note...(hey...i did the first time i came up with that) *The point is to separate your hands...separate one rythm from the other and make it second nature to subdivide two completely different rythms at once...sure...when playing guitar your hands for the most part have to be together...but keep in mind this isn't a lesson in physical dexterity...its a lesson in keeping complex rythms in your head, and not getting lost. *Im sure the members of dream theater would be able to do this with little or no problem...they all have a rep for playing extremely complex rythms separate for each other and dont have a metronome or anyone keeping a straight beat...NO...Mike portnoy doesn't play straight beats for the most part. *Now if you want to do something a little more difficult...I have something to try...this is going to sound weird...because ill have to write the subdivision lingo down here...
sixteenth notes are counted out:
one e and uh two e and uh...etc etc..

on your right hand...play :
one e _ uh two_and uh _e and_four and(i know that looks like gibberish...but i dont have writing software on this computer to upload the file...if someone does...could they please write it up for me...puuuuuuuuuleeeeeeaaase?)
ok...play that in your right hand...get the rythm down...kinda syncopated...kinda funky...now play that while playing straight beats in your left hand...
if anyone actually understands what im saying here and tries this...please give me some feedback...
remember....this helps when youve got two or three different beats going on...

[Pryde7]

yeah, i understand what you're talkin about. in my musicianship course in university (i'm taking the foundations courses to double major in music in my 2nd year), we have to do rhythm stuff like that. hand independance is very important for playing any sort of instrument (especially drums), and will do nothing but help with playing guitar, especially if you want to do anything more than just playing linear scales and simple chords.

the best thing to do is to get a sheet of manuscript with a bunch of notated rhythms (or a regular song or something, but don't read the pitches, just the rhythms), tap every downbeat with one hand (i.e. in 4/4, tap to the 1, 2, 3, and 4) and with the other hand tap the rhythms notated. start with simple quarter and eighth notes, then move to 16ths, then move to triplets, then grab a copy of the frank zappa's "the black page" and do this exercise with that (:rotf

all joking aside, this exercise is invaluable to any sort of serious music playing... and remember, use a metronome, dammit!!!! saying "yeah, i have decent rhythm" is actually a hallucination most of the time... most people THINK they're playing in time, but in fact, they're off. i know, because i was (and alot of my friends) one of them!!

also what makes it even harder is counting the downbeats (with subdivisions if it makes it easier, like "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and," etc.), because your brain has to make even more connections and has to do alot more things at once... but if you get good at this, you can basically do anything, believe me.

and remember, metronomes are your best friend!!!! (just get one that isn't too loud, and isn't too annoying)

(Edited by Pryde7 at 4:25 pm on Mar. 5, 2002)

[texshred777]

yeah...one of those boss metronomes that actually talk and pronounce the subdivision...(one la li two la li...)...lol....

[Pryde7]

whoa... a talking metronome...

freaky!!

:rotf:

[jay ratkowski]

Cool Rush song... :dorkface:

I remembered I was hardcore into subdivided rhythms back when I first saw the lesson for it on vai.com. *I could do everything on paper, but then I remembered I'm both white and polish and could never replicate a simple 4/4 john mellancamp rock beat on the drums.

Oh god, the principle on South Park is having sex... can't post here anymore!

[texshred777]

Well...not everyone's going to do rush or zappa or dream theater stuff so they wont necassarily need to subdivide rythms like that...but if you got a bass player or drummer throwing straight beats or straight eighths...and you want triplets or quintuplets...things could get messy if you cant play the right beat...anyhow...if someone ever has problems counting rythms or whatever...just ask...ill get some comp software up so i can upload stuff...

[Rockstar]

I never understood what the term 4/4 beat meant. Can someone give me a little rundown on this?

[texshred777]

4/4 just means four beats in a measure....

the first number, or number on top represents how many of the selected notes to base the count on...in this case it means 4 quarter notes...(one, two, three, four)...if you said 3/4...it would mean 3 quarter notes a measure....by changing the notes to base the measure's count on...you change the entire feel of the measure...Its actually one of those things that are much harder to explain than it is...if i continued...id end up in theory land and probably confuse the s*it out of you...i recommend getting a book like...
101 rythmic rest patterns or a simple beginner music theory or even percussion or really any other instrument based book...anything that teaches you how to understand how to divide measures into whole, half and quarter notes...it takes time to develop a sense of understanding...but when you do...it will help you out immensly...oh yes...get a metronome!

ps-GET A FRIGGIN METRONOME!!

[Josie]

Essentially 4/4 means that there are 4 beats to a measure and the quarter note gets one beat. *It gets a little tricky when getting into funky time signatures, such as 12/8, 12/16 (4/, etc. *But a good rule of thumb is to remember... *The number above the radical is how many beats there are to a measure. *The number below indicates which note gets the beat. *Hope that helps.

[texshred777]

hey josie...fellow austin dwellar eh?...sweet...lets jam sometime!
are you doing guitarmageddon?..i figured why not...ill probably jam over funky 12 bar groove...perfect for vaish wah stuff...lol...

(Edited by texshred777 at 12:39 pm on Mar. 12, 2002)

[Josie]

Heck yeah Austin baby! *I love this city. *But no, I'm afraid I am not doing Guitarmageddon. *I'll probably be there to check the peeps out and hear some good guitar music though. *A funky 12 bar groove for Vaish wah stuff huh? *Maybe thinking something along the lines of Bad Horise? *Anyways, sounds like fun... *That guy is just... crazy. *haha Maybe I will see you there, just in case I don't Goodluck. *

[texshred777]

Yeah...i love austin...especially guadelupe...6th streets boring to me now...but i was thinking more a long the lines of "The Animal"...but bad horsie's probably my fav...im going to watch tonight...ill play on the 19th...

[sixstringphoenix]

then grab a copy of the frank zappa's "the black page" and do this exercise with that (:rotf

Hey, I learned that song totally by listening. There is no way in hell I would have been able to get that down correctly off of paper. Metronomes are the bane of my existence!!!

[sixstringphoenix]

Back to the original post, ... I can do that, but not as you described. I can do it if my hand/s drum/s out the syncopated rhythms while my foot/feet tap/s the straight beat.

Does that still count? hehe

(Edited by sixstringphoenix at 8:53 pm on Mar. 12, 2002)

[Pryde7]

justin... how can you not like metronomes? they are my best friend!!!!! aside from my guitar (and now piano), that is...

how else can you accurately count your 9:3 32nd note tuplets @ 208 bpm accurately???

:shocked:!!!!

:sarcasm: