25th November 2019 Wil Wainwright

Polyrhythmic approach to a 12/8 feel

Hello and welcome to a lesson where we will be having a look at a different way of approaching a 12/8 feel.  We will be applying a 2 over 3 feel in the right hand giving a fresh feel and sound to  this classic feel. 

 

Hello and welcome to a lesson where we will be having a look at a different way of approaching a 12/8 feel.  We will be applying a 2 over 3 feel in the right hand giving a fresh feel and sound to  this classic feel. 

1) So to start off we are just playing the basic 12/8 style.  I have written it in triplets as it will make the following exercises a little clearer.  Even if you feel confident with this style, do your due diligence and warm up this groove and make sure it is feeling relaxed and sounding good before moving on to the next exercises.

2) In the next example we start applying the first of our two polyrhythmic approaches.  In essence it is a very simple idea.  We are just playing every other triplet partial.  We are just playing a basic groove underneath this.  Take your time and make sure you get this feeling good.  I would recommend alternating between this and example 1 along with a metronome.

3) In the third example, lets start adding in some extra bass drums.  

4) Next up we are adding in some bass drums and ghosted snare notes.  We are really filling in the gaps between the hats a lot more now which has two effects.  Firstly, I think it gives it a slicker feel that rolls round nicely.  This is due to filling in the subdivisions more so your brain feels the triplet pulse easier.  Secondly, as we have a lot of notes that don’t fall with the hihat, it is easy to feel the backbeat as an off beat rather than where it actually falls on beats 2 and 4.  If you struggle to hear the groove as it should be, try alternating between this and example 1.

5) In example 5 we go back to the basic grove and displace the right hand by one 8th note triplet partial.  This means that beats 1 and 3 are now on their own and the snares on 2 and 4, now have the hihat falling in unison with the snare.  Once you have this feeling good, go aback and alternate between this and example 1.

6) In example 6 we are going to add some bass drums in and make this feel a bit more like a groove. 

7) Finally we are going to fill up the groove a bit with some bass drums and ghosted snare notes.  As with example 4, the more notes we add, the easier it is to feel the triplet subdivision rolling underneath. 

I hope you enjoyed that lesson, see you next time.

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