Odd timings

[ozzynotwood]

Hey guys.

Im really into complicated time signatures. A few years ago I got into 5/4 and 7/8. I took it further by trying 19/16, 15/8, and weird stuff like that. I've played in every time signature, written stuff in alternating time signates (eq alternating bars of 19/16, 3/4 and 11/8), and now I'm writing stuff where the guitar is in 9/8, the drums are in 22/16 and the keyboards are in 13/16...All at the same time!!! What else can I do with timings to make things as challenging as possible?

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: Odd timings

You've already jumped into polyrhythms...

Try stuff like mixing time signatures to add up to other time signatures.

For example, in the Meshuggah song New Millennium Cyanide Christ, the guitars play 5 mesaures of 23/16, and then one shorter measure of 13/16, which adds up to 128/16, or 8 bars of standard 4/4, which the drums are playing the entire time.

 

[Norsiedals]

Re: Odd timings

Metric modulation.... Play a pentuplet 8th melody over 8th notes or 8th note triplets.etc

Then you can go into septuplets(7s) and Nonuples(9s) and any combonation of them within any time signature.


Time signatures are quite banal if you are just trying to be challenging, As you can phrase notes in 4/4 to be harder than something in 19/16.

 

[ozzynotwood]

Re: Odd timings

Metric modulation.... Play a pentuplet 8th melody over 8th notes or 8th note triplets.etc

Then you can go into septuplets(7s) and Nonuples(9s) and any combonation of them within any time signature.


Time signatures are quite banal if you are just trying to be challenging, As you can phrase notes in 4/4 to be harder than something in 19/16.

Can you explain that one again? I need you to dumb it down for me LOL

 

[Norsiedals]

Re: Odd timings

Ok here is
Pentuplet 16ths(Forcing five "16ths" into the space of 4)
Septuplets(7 into a space of 4)
Triplet 8ths(three 8ths into a space of two 8ths)
and 8th notes

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7707/mmxy4.jpg

I dont know if you are familiar with these, but practice those alot till you can play all the "odd groupings" to a metronome as clean as you can play 8ths.

Metric modulation is having a member of your band change tempo. Both of the tempi must have a common pulse somewhere.

So for example, You and your drummer are playing in 4/4. HE is playing 1 on the kick and 3 on the snare. He decides in 2 bars to modulate to triplet 8ths and keep the same drumbeat at his new tempo. Then the next two bars he pulls out some Vinnie Coloiuta **** and modulates to pentuplet 8ths, but back to the original downbeat position with his kick and snare (His hi hat only changes to 5s) Then the last bars the hi hat changes to 7s. All in 4/4, while the guitar kept the same rhythm throughout.

Here is a little guitarpro file+midi file of the thing I just explained.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2is1dc

Hope i didnt confuse you more lol

 

[ozzynotwood]

Re: Odd timings

Ok here is
Pentuplet 16ths(Forcing five "16ths" into the space of 4)
Septuplets(7 into a space of 4)
Triplet 8ths(three 8ths into a space of two 8ths)
and 8th notes

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7707/mmxy4.jpg

I dont know if you are familiar with these, but practice those alot till you can play all the "odd groupings" to a metronome as clean as you can play 8ths.

Metric modulation is having a member of your band change tempo. Both of the tempi must have a common pulse somewhere.

So for example, You and your drummer are playing in 4/4. HE is playing 1 on the kick and 3 on the snare. He decides in 2 bars to modulate to triplet 8ths and keep the same drumbeat at his new tempo. Then the next two bars he pulls out some Vinnie Coloiuta **** and modulates to pentuplet 8ths, but back to the original downbeat position with his kick and snare (His hi hat only changes to 5s) Then the last bars the hi hat changes to 7s. All in 4/4, while the guitar kept the same rhythm throughout.

Here is a little guitarpro file+midi file of the thing I just explained.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2is1dc

Hope i didnt confuse you more lol

Hey dude. I get what ur saying, tho i bet it will really make sense when I hear ur example.......which I cant download.....can u send the guitar pro file to ozzynotwood@yahoo.com.au ?

Thanks dude, my friends already think I'm nuts for playin odd timings, I hope ur file makes me more nuts