Essential Rhythmic Concepts

For the Serious Musician

A guide to necessary, advanced, and often under-studied
rhythmic concepts from a world music perspective.
Written by
Jake Jamieson

Lettei fiom the Authoi


This book was cieateu to help all seiious musicians achieve
bettei ihythmic claiity anu unueistanuing. As an euucatoi, I feel that
theie is a geneial lack of ihythmic euucation in K-12 public schools
anu univeisity cuiiiculum. We ovei-emphasize melouic eai tiaining
anu ueemphasize ihythmic eai tiaining as if ihythm weie seconuaiy
in status to melouy. A seiious musician will iecognize that melouy
anu ihythm aie inheiently inteitwineu anu only thiough patient
uevelopment of ihythmic concepts can youi melouic unueistanuing
tiuly begin to blossom.
As a uiummei anu peicussionist, these iueas aie coming
fiom my own expeiience stuuying woilu anu populai music styles,
incluuing uhanaian Agbekoi, Inuian Classical music, Cuban son anu
mambo, Afiobeat, Flamenco, }azz, Funk, anu Biazilian populai,
samba, anu folkloiic styles. Ny aim foi this book is not to teach these
ihythms, but to uiaw iueas fiom these ueep tiauitions that will
apply to the appioach of any musician. Theiefoie, I am not wiiting a
book just foi uiummeis, but am tiying to hainess the knowleuge
that I have gaineu as a peicussionist anu make these concepts
applicable foi all musicians. I have constiucteu simple exeicises that
builu in complexity to help any instiumentalist to achieve bettei
time, ihythmic cieativity, phiase awaieness, uevelopment of
ihythmic iueas, anu the fieeuom to play aiounu the beat, moving
fluiuly thiough the measuie.
I hope that these exeicises aie useful anu that they challenge
you to think in new anu insightful ways. If you get stuck with any
one exeicise put the book uown foi ten minutes anu uo anothei
activity anu then come back to the exeicise with a clean slate anu
calm minu. As you face each exeicise, choose to see the challenge as
a wall anu insteau of iunning full speeu into the wall again anu
again, take a minute to step back anu bieathe. Fiom a safe uistance,
you can then examine the wall anu finu a way aiounu it, iathei than
stiaight thiough it. I wish you the best of luck in youi effoits to
bieak uown all of youi ihythmic walls anu to become the best
musician that you aim to be.



}ake }amieson






Table of Contents

Chaptei 1: Stop Looking at Youi Watch! Stait
Inteinalizing Time!
-Leain to make fiienus with youi metionome so that goou
time becomes seconu natuie. This chaptei shows you unique
ways to appioach life anu music with goou time in minu.

Chaptei 2: Feeling Extenueu Phiases
-0se this chaptei to help you feel longei phiases of beats,
while still feeling fiee to play youi musical phiases with
lengths of youi choosing within those laigei phiases.

Chaptei S: Shifting ueais
-In this chaptei I explain the South Inuian classical "}ati"
system, which simplifies the counting of complex
subuivisions. The }ati system is then utilizeu in exeicises
which foice the musician to switch fluiuly between eighth
notes, tiiplets, sixteenth notes, quintuplets, anu so on.

Chaptei 4: Accenteu Pulses 0vei Subuivisions
-Beie, I builu off of the founuation establisheu in Chaptei S
anu exploie vaiious accent gioupings in multiple
subuivisions.

Chaptei S: Applying uioupings to Nusical Situations
-In this chaptei I have pioviueu a seiies of etuues that utilize
the skills leaineu in Chaptei 4. This section allows the
musician to unueistanu how to musically anu cieatively
apply these concepts in useful ways.

Chaptei 6: 0tilizing vaiious Note uioupings while
Switching Subuivisions
-This chaptei combines the iueas uevelopeu in Chapteis S
anu 4 anu takes them one step fuithei so that the exeicises
now switch between subuivisions. Not only will you have to
play vaiious accent gioupings, but also you will leain to uo so
while effoitlessly switching between subuivisions.



Chaptei 7: Beconstiucting 0ui Accent uioupings
-In this chaptei, the exeicises builu off of those in Chaptei 6
anu begin to take notes out of the subuivisions, foicing you to
tiuly inteinalize the subuivisions anu allowing you to move
beyonu playing all the notes to being able to play the spaces.

Chaptei 8: Shooting Aiiows
-This chaptei iemoves the ciutch of constant subuivision anu
will foice you to unueistanu wheie specific paitials of the
subuivisions fall without the help of a constant uownbeat
pulse.

Chaptei 9: Bemystifying Polyihythms
-Baseu on the founuation laiu out in the pievious chapteis,
this chaptei ieveals the ease with which any musician can
leain complex polyihythms. The exeicises mathematically
bieak uown simple anu complex polyihythms anu then
encouiage the ieauei to inteinalize them to bieak away fiom
the iigiuity of the mathematics.

Chaptei 1u: Playing in 0uu Time Signatuies
-0sing the ihythmic gioupings establisheu in Chaptei 4, this
chaptei bieaks uown ouu time signatuies with a simple
appioach so that even the most complex time signatuie can
be felt in an accessible fashion.

Chaptei 11: Inveiting Youi Conception of Time
-This chaptei will push the ieaueis' mental capabilities as
they aie foiceu to manipulate how they think about
metionomic time.

Chaptei 12: Inuian Rhythmic Nathematics
-Beie I uiscuss simple anu complex mathematic foimulas
inteinalizeu by Inuian musicians to help the ieauei expanu
theii ihythmic concepts to a level of gieatei contiol anu
complexity.









Chaptei 1: Stop looking at youi watch!
Stait Inteinalizing Time!































The steauy beat of tempo is the most basic ihythm of any composition.
Theiefoie, I wish to spenu some time on the subject of inteinalizing
time. Without a functioning amount of this skill, the chapteis that
follow will be of little use.

Bopefully you have been taught to piactice with a metionome foi the
majoiity of youi musical caieei. If not now is the peifect time to stait.

Foi those wise musicians who have been continually piacticing with a
metionome, the puipose of this chaptei is to help you inteinalize
metionomic time so that you can fiee youi self fiom thinking about the
time anu inciease youi ability to feel the time.

We want to get to the point wheie steauy time becomes
effoitless. These exeicises aie uesigneu to get you thinking anu
acting outsiue of the box, so please put youi ego asiue anu be
open to a new appioach.

1. To get staiteu, go finu youi metionome, set it in fiont of you, anu let it
iun at 1uu beats pei minute while you finish ieauy this paiagiaph. Bon't
focus on the metionome, but let the pulsing sink into youi eais.

Eveiy time you play youi instiument, the time shoulu feel just as
comfoitable as when you aie ieauing this sentence. The comfoit iesiues
in youi ability to feel the time, yet play whatevei you choose. We uiviue
the beats into even pulses, because it is mathematically easy to
compiehenu, it facilitates the piocess of playing with otheis, anu it is easy
to notate.

What I hope that you achieve is the fieeuom to bieak away fiom these
mathematical subuivisions. This book is stiuctuieu to help you feel
giounueu in youi metionomic time anu youi compiehension of
mathematical ihythms, but in its constiuction, the thoioughness of this
book is geaieu to fiee you fiom metionomic time to feel as though you can
play whatevei you choose anu still be acutely awaie of the pulse anu the
youi place in the foim of the music.

2. Leaving the metionome on, begin to count alouu in 44 time (i.e.
"one, two, thiee, foui"). uo get a glass of watei anu continue to count
along. If you neeu to get the glass anu watei in a uiffeient ioom, take
the metionome along with you anu continue to count.

Biink the watei anu count in youi heau as you uo so. Aftei, come anu
pioceeu to numbei thiee.

S. This time, continue counting alouu, but leave the metionome in this
ioom anu go into a uiffeient ioom wheie you cannot heai the
metionome. In that othei ioom, count out a foui-bai phiase (i.e. "one,
two, thiee, foui" iepeateu foui times)

Come back into the ioom with the metionome anu see if you aie still
in time with it. Thiough this piocess, you aie slowly tiaining youiself
to inteinalize the time by pulling away fiom it.

4. Now, we aie going to keep the metionome at 1uu beats pei minute,
but now contiol the volume (complex metionomes can piogiam in
this pattein) so that you only heai eveiy othei beat. Bo not watch the
metionome if it has a moving aim on its scieen, continue to count
alouu, anu see how well you can stay in time.

S. Builuing off of the iuea staiteu in numbei foui, we can now contiol
the metionome in a vaiiety of ways that will stiengthen oui time. Stait
with the metionome only piouucing sounu on the fiist beat of the
measuie, then only the fiist beat of the foui-bai phiase. Anothei gieat
exeicise is to have it piouuce sounu foi foui beats anu then be silent
foi foui beats.

6. While you cook youi next meal, tuin the metionome on in the
kitchen to 8u beats pei minute. Let youi bouy move natuially fiist anu
just let the pulses fill the kitchen. Nost likely, youi movements will fall
into time with the metionome. Challenge youiself anu tiy cooking an
entiie meal wheie all of youi movements aie in time with the
metionome.

7. The next time you pick up youi mpS playei to listen to music on the
iun, pick up youi metionome insteau.




I finu that if I leave a metionome on while I am uoing an activity
unielateu to music, like cooking, walking, oi exeicising, musical
iueas will inevitably poui into my heau in laige pait because of the
steauy pulse of the metionome.

Fieeing Youiself fiom Time

1. Tuin the metionome on to 1uu beats pei minute. Say alouu, "I will
not play in time touay."

Bow many beats uiu it take you to say that. If you have no clue,
go back anu say it alouu again while counting the beats.

2. Say the sentence again, but now make it fit into foui beats.

You'll notice that theie aie eighth syllables, so if you evenly space
them out you will be playing eighth notes.


S. Repeat the sentence so that it falls evenly into thiee beats anu
say it foui times in a iow. Woiiy less about how it exactly falls
anu insteau just focus on iepeating the sentence so it flows evenly
fiom youi mouth.

Below is a mathematical iepiesentation of how to evenly spieau
the phiase ovei thiee beats, if you aie inteiesteu. I put this heie
only foi the cuiious musicians. If you aie having tiouble with the
concept of spieauing the phiase ovei thiee beats, uo not focus on
this giaphic iepiesentation. Insteau, focus on evenly uistiibuting
youi woius, but not stiessing about saying it piecisely in time.







4. Repeat the sentence alouu so that it falls into two beats.


S. Now iepeat the sentence in 7 beats, 9 beats, 11 beats, anu SS beats.

Focus on even spacing of the woius so that they fall evenly anu
spieau out ovei the entiie uuiation of the notes being counteu.

The key is that you aie so comfoitable saying the sentence that
you can keep tiack of any numbei of beats while saying the
phiase anu still come back to the uownbeat of youi choice.

6. Pick up youi instiument, pick an eight-note melouy, anu
iepeat steps one thiough five using the melouy in place of the
sentence.

7. Now allow youiself to stiay fiom the melouy you have cieateu,
but still have youi focus be piimaiily on the metionomic pulse.
Nake suie you aie counting in youi heau, but flow ovei the
beat anu expeiiment with elongating anu shoitening youi
phiases so as to manipulate aiounu the time.














The puipose of this sequence of exeicises is to fiee youiself
fiom neeuing to feel lockeu into the time, but still
maintaining a confiuent awaieness of wheie the time is.

Chaptei 6: 0tilizing vaiious Note uioupings
while Switching Subuivisions












Section 1: Constant Accent Pulses with Shifting Subuivisions

If we apply the mini-melouies cieateu in Chaptei 4 to these exeicises, we can
ieally stait to have some fun. Bopefully those mini-melouies aie familiai
enough now to be able to play them without my thought, making the shifting
of time the piimaiy concein. If not, take some time to ieview them oi simplify
them (you can always just stay on one pitch until the exeicises become moie
comfoitable).

A1. Two-note uioupings:
Easiei-


Noie Bifficult-



uoal: To expeiiment with phiases which move fluiuly ovei
the beat anu change in ihythm.

In this chaptei you will neeu to connect youi ability to shift geais fiom
Chaptei S anu youi ability to play vaiious accent gioupings fiom
Chaptei 4. Take each etuue slowly anu bieak uown inuiviuual phiases
that give you tiouble.

0tilize oui stiategy of fiist play the ihythm on all one pitch, then on
the notes of the scale, then on any pitches that you choose.

A2. Thiee-note uioupings:
Easiei-


Noie Bifficult-



AS. Foui-note uioupings:
Easiei-


Noie Bifficult-









A4. Five-note uioupings:
Easiei-


Noie Bifficult-



AS. Six-note uioupings:
Easiei-


Noie Bifficult-



A6. Seven-note uioupings:
Easiei-


Noie Bifficult-

























Section 2: Nixeu Accenteu Pulses anu Subuivisions

A. Two-note, Thiee-note, anu Foui-note Accent uioupings:


B. Five-note, Six-note, anu Seven-note Accent uioupings:


C. All Note uioupings:












About the Authoi


















}ake }amieson is an euucatoi anu peifoimei on uium set, peicussion, anu
tabla. Be ieceiveu his B.A. anu N.A. fiom 0CLA in Ethnomusicology, Woilu Nusic,
in }une of 2u1u. Be is baseu in Los Angeles wheie he teaches anu peifoims
iegulaily in a vaiiety of music styles anu venues.


www.jakejamieson.com
www.myspace.comjamiesonjake


Contact: jamiesonjakegmail.com