Solfeg, you know that do, re, me, far, so, la, te, do, thing. (Remember Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music ?)
I think this could be a very useful technique, applicable to any instrument, voice or percussion. It can handle basic rhythms, odd time signatures and polyrhythms too. A great way to create a groove, and beyond.
So I thought I would share it here.
I am also interested to hear what you think, and what other techniques and methods you use to explore and internalise rhythms.
So please share them too.
The girl with a fast tongue.
A good demonstration of the technique in practice, and using the voice as a percussive instrument too.
Duration 2 mins
A slightly zany introduction from a guitarist's perspective...
Duration 8 mins
Comments
I've done similar things to this, but in a twatty way... so we'd take a phrase like "I've got a lorry full of sausages, I've got a lorry full of Polish sausages" and sing it aloud and a natural rhythm would come from it, and you could pull it out and apply it to an instrument.
make a lick or a hook over two bars - write it down, now displace it by a beat, that's a Rhythmic mode, displace it again. so the notes have a different emphasis
The first mode is the jackanorian, the second the Tobermorean, Balamorean, Gamorean, scarynorthkorean, crustacean, amphibian, and grauniad.
Knowing these names is more important than being able to play in time. With them you have the ability to argue in a whole new dimension on the dream theatre forum
Then there's Brent Wilmotts sounds of the future where he identifies that 4/4 is such a part of our culture that you can dupe people into hearing it in other time signatures.
For beginning syncopation the Louis Belson read rhythm in a 4/4 pattern is good.
For 6/8 etc Paul Gilbert DVD.
The rhythm modes is the quickest way out of the note-Centric rut
But in answer to your question, my mums aftershave