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for Ed's lesson "In
Between Straight and Swing", click
here |
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GROOVIN'
IN ODD METERS
by Ed Roscetti
The rhythmic possibilities of odd meters have always interested me. Most of us in Western
Civilization are brought up listening to music in 4/4 time (with an occasional
3/4 waltz). Playing and studying odd meters opens the mind to different rhythmic
groupings that can enhance your 4/4 playing, as well as make you comfortable in
any musical situation utilizing odd meters. This is very important for TV, film,
and jingle work and can become indispensable if you’re working with an artist
who writes in odd times.
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As a drummer, composer, arranger, and producer, studying and playing odd meters
has helped me immensely in my work. In this lesson we are going to talk about
breaking down odd time signatures into groups of twos, threes, and ones using
eighth notes as the beginning pulse.
The key here is to learn to interpret the group (or groups) of three eighth
notes within any style. You already know how to play and feel groups of two
eighth notes from playing in 4/4 time. It will be the groups of three eighth
notes that will be foreign to you at first. So instead of counting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
for 7/8 time, we will use 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3.
By using this method it won’t matter to you what time signature you are in.
You will eventually just figure out where the groups of eighth notes fall within
the phrase and in what way you wish to stylize the subdivisions of twos, threes,
and ones. The more rhythms, grooves and fill ideas that you write, the more
progress you will make with this concept.
The
Rhythmic Guide Concept
The
Rhythmic Guide is a breakdown of rhythms that can be used on any given
subdivision. Each odd meter subdivision has its own Rhythmic Guide for you to
learn before you create original ones on your own. You will start off by playing
these rhythms on a snare drum with the snares off, on a hand drum, or on your
lap. Start by playing one rhythm over and over again against the ostinato in your foot until it feels comfortable. Then play one rhythm into the next, two bars
each. Now randomly jump around the Guide.
This approach will help you internalize the rhythms away from the drumset. Once
you have mastered the rhythms you can create your own. From the Rhythmic Phrases
we will create orchestrated grooves, fills and solo ideas on the drumset.
7/8
Seven
is a commonly used odd meter. Many artists of past and present have used 7/8 or
7/4 in their compositions or songwriting, including John McLaughlin, the
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pink Floyd, Yanni, The Pretenders, Frank Zappa, Seal, and
Rush. I have used 7/8 many times in TV and jingle compositions to get away from
a 4/4 time feel. Going into 7/8 from a 4/4 section is very common.
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Exercise
1: Let’s start off by playing the 7/8 Rhythmic Guide hand to hand to an
eighth-note click while counting 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3. See Example C. Use your hands,
not your drumsticks.
Exercise 2: Play Example B as an ostinato in the right foot while playing
Examples A through N against it. This will help you internalize the rhythm and
the feel. Set your metronome to an eighth-note pulse and follow the BPM marking
on the Rhythmic Guide. Internalize the upbeats in Example E as well as the
downbeats in Example C. Start running Examples A through N in two- and four-bar
phrases, one rhythm into the next, against the ostinato bass drum (Example B).
Remember, repetition is the key.
Exercise 3: Pick up your sticks and play sixteenth notes in Example D on
the hi-hat while playing Example F on the bass drum to get a basic 7/8 samba
feel. Traditional samba has a two feel, so to give a 7/8 samba a more natural
feeling, accent the second group of two eighth notes and the second
dotted-eighth note in the group of three. See Example F. That will give the
groove more of a two feel.
Play Examples A through N on the hi-hat against Example F in the bass drum.
Use the same three Exercises with the 7/8 Examples O through U (which have a
3+3+1 subdivision), using Example O or R as your ostinato bass drum.
Use
the same three Exercises with Examples V through BB (which use a 2+1+2+2
subdivision of 7/8), using Examples V, X and Z as ostinato bass drum or hi-hat
ideas. Note: The 2+1+2+2 subdivision has no groups of three eighth notes.
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After you have practiced and memorized the 7/8 Rhythmic Guides, it is time to
write your own Rhythmic Guide for each 7/8 subdivision. Try other subdivisions
for 7/8 as well, such as 3+2+2, 2+3+2, 2+2+2+1, and 1+2+2+2. Also try singing a
bass line out loud, doubling the ostinato in your bass drum foot. This procedure
will get you away from counting and open up your ears to others rhythm-section
instruments.
FIVE
STEPS TO MUSICALITY
Let’s start running the rhythms down the Five Steps to Musicality. We will use
example N in the 7/8 Rhythmic Guide as our first idea Groove Concept. Remember,
unaccented snare drum notes are ghosted.
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Step
1: Technique
A. Count your idea out loud
B. Learn the sticking
C. Memorize the phrase
Step 2: Time
A. Play the idea on the snare drum, using a metronome.
B. Play the idea on the snare drum, using your internal clock.
Step 3: Time Feel
A. Select a style (jazz, rock, funk, Latin, etc.)
B. Play a Basic Groove in that style.
C. Orchestrate your idea Groove as a timekeeping groove in that style.
D. Play two bars of the Basic Groove, then two bars of the idea Groove,
Repeat the four bars over and over. Concentrate on making your idea
Groove come from the time feel of your Basic Groove. Remember that
you’re developing your time feel in the chosen style. (Note: Do not
use your idea groove as a fill yet.)
Step 4: Phrasing
A. Play: 2 Bars Basic Groove, 2 bars Idea Groove;
4 bars Basic Groove, 4 bars Idea Groove;
6 bars Basic Groove, 2 bars Idea Groove;
8 bars Basic Groove, 4 bars Idea Groove;
8 bars Basic Groove, 8 bars Idea Groove.
B. Think about your sound, different orchestration possibilities, fills,
dynamic, and different tempos.
Step 5: Form
Now that you are comfortable with the 7/8 rhythms and the first four
steps of the Five Steps to Musicality, it’s time to groove with the
chart.
Develop your won Basic Groove throughout the chart using a 7/8 samba
feel. Experiment with different rhythms and phrases.
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Additional
Idea Grooves
Following are some other Idea Groove styles you can play around with. First is a
slow funk groove into an eighth-note triplet feel. This gives a downshifting
feeling to the time feel.
The next example is a Latin funk groove with a Latin/funk feeling on the Basic
Groove and a rolling triplet feel on the Idea Groove.
The following is a straight-eighth rock groove with a sixteenth-note-fill Idea
Groove.
The final example is an uptempo samba feel into broken triplets.
Write your
own rhythms and turn them into Basic and Idea Grooves in any style that you wish
to pursue. If you play a specific groove in 4/4 time in any style, try
converting the rhythm and the groove to an odd meter, like 7/8.
The possibilities are endless. Every new rhythmic phrase you write should be run
through the Five Steps. Have fun with it and be musical.
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Exerpts From:
“Drummers Guide to ODD METERS”
book/CD Package, Hal Leonard Publications
Ed
Roscetti, originally from Niagara Falls, New York, is a drummer,
composer, educator, author and clinician, now living and working in Los
Angeles since 1979. His critically praised Hal Leonard book/ CD,
“Drummers Guide to Odd Meters,” was chosen as the number two method
book in Drum Magazine’s 2001 readers poll. His “Blues
Drumming” book/CD package (2002) Hal Leonard, earned the review, “If
you can’t play the Blues after using this book, you should be blue.”
– Terri O’Mahoney, Percussive Notes. Ed’s soon to be released
publication is “Funk & Hip Hop Grooves for Drums” book/CD package
(2003) Hal Leonard. He’s a contributing author for Modern Drummer
magazine and curriculum author at Musicians Institute (PIT). Ed is also
co-founder and author of the “World Beat Rhythms (WBR) Beyond the Drum
Circle” Workshop Series and the WBR Beyond the Drum Circle book / CD
series, “WBR Goes to Brazil,” “WBR Goes to Africa” and
“WBR Goes to Cuba” (2003) Hal Leonard.
Playing, Composing and or Arranging credits include:
Saturday Night Live, General Hospital, Santa Barbara, Sunset Beach, Night
Rider, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and numerous film and movies of
the week.
Record producer, arranger and/or songwriter credits
include: Bryan Savage “Catfood,” (Top 2 NAC) Pocket Change
“Mediterranean Affair,” (Top 20 NAC) Clair Marlo “Let It
Go,” (Top 20 NAC) and selected by Germany's Audio Live Magazine as one
of 50 top albums of all time. Ed Roscetti “Landscapes of
Christmas” and “Utah Christmas.”
Roscetti has worked or collaborated with: Quincy Jones,
Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample, the Crusaders, Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, Benny
Golson, Robben Ford, Jeff Baxter, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Porcaro and Jeff
Porcaro, among others.
Ed endorses the following companies: Drum
Workshop/Pacific, Paiste, Remo, Regal Tip, Shure Inc., Event Electronics,
Emagic, Digidesign & Presonus.
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