https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/ Groove, Rhythm, Time Feel This part is dedicated to aspects of rhythmic accuracy, groove, and performing complex rhythms. Time is most likely the key element to master for every jazz and pop musician, but it is also one of the most elusive parameters. Pianist Fred Hersch, referring to a performance, puts it this way: “There should be ten, fifteen different kinds of time. There’s a kind of time that has an edge on it for a while and then lays back for a while. Sometimes it rolls over the bar, and sometimes it sits more on the beats. That’s what makes it interesting. you can set a metronome here and, by playing with an edge of playing behind it or right at the center, you can get all kinds of different feelings. That’s what makes it come alive. People are human, and rhythmic energy has an ebb and flow.”1 Hugo en-us Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:20:29 +0100 https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/rests/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:20:29 +0100 https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/rests/ Breaks and Drum Fills In pop music, drum fills are often played at specific points in the cycle—for example, every 4 or 8 bars—and are often improvised. The following exercise will help you keep time during the fill. The first example uses simple in-time fills with no rests. The learning objectives in this case can be loosely defined—for example, use an easy, well-mastered exercise to play along and keep time. https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/rests02/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:20:29 +0100 https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/rests02/ Chance Options in DAWs and Apps The Time Guru metronome (see methodology section) uses a random slider with a percentage setting to select the probability of drum hits being played. A gradual fade option is added to this “random mute slider”: ▶ Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/d8G2jdRN1xE Many DAWs and plugins offer functions to set playback probabilities, although as a standard feature in some DAWs, this is a recent1 development. https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/displacement/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:20:29 +0100 https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/displacement/ Melodic Displacements The following example uses 4 rhythmic displacements (eighth note, quarter note, and sixteenth note). These rhythmic devices are used extensively in composition1 and improvisation. This is a basic example, though only the eighth-note and quarter-note displacements might be appropriate for beginners. Your browser does not support the audio element. https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/morphing/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:20:29 +0100 https://serendip.peckels.com/zats/40research/03rhythm/morphing/ Swing ratios are commonly used in music notation programs to emulate swing feel. Expressed as a percentage, the ratio refers1 to consecutive eighth (or sixteenth) notes performed as long-short patterns. Microtiming2 studies have shown that these ratios vary widely depending on style, tempo, musicians’ affinities, and cultural background. In a fascinating article3 on the impact hip-hop producer J Dilla had on live drum kit performance and pedagogy, Daniel Stadnicki analyzes “how the so-called ‘Dilla-feel’ is emulated by drummers and rhythm section players through a range of informal learning strategies and extended techniques, which include practices of online teaching and learning.”