Rhythm is the most neglected area of musical study in Western musical practice. I know that may seem like a bold claim, but in my experience it rings true. Most players are so consumed with the notes that they forsake the rhythm. The fact is that notes are flexible (some notes are more “wrong” than others), but rhythm is not. I would much rather play an off note with the right rhythm than vice versa, because the chances are greater that nobody will notice the wrong note if it’s played in time. But even the right note, if played with the wrong rhythm, will stick out like an evergreen in the desert.
Whether you’re playing by ear or reading down a chart, the best way to play the right rhythm is easy: subdivide. This is the process wherein you are dividing the beats into smaller parts in your head. If you’re not accustomed to doing it, it’s not so easy at first, but through continued practice you’ll find that you’ll do it without even thinking.
Subdivision 101
Here’s the guitar riff to a song my funk band plays called “Rock Me Again and Again,” by Lyn Collins.
[coolplayer width=”480″ height=”80″ autoplay=”0″ loop=”0″ charset=”utf-8″ download=”1″ mediatype=”"]
Rock Me Again and Again riff
[/coolplayer]
If you’re trying to play this by ear, as we do in our funk band, this is a tough line to internalize unless you subdivide. Even reading it down is a handful. The riff would be notated as follows:
In this example, you would want to subdivide 16th notes. So, imagine you’re listening to the tune, which has a kick drum beating quarter notes on the recording, and that helps. Imagine a hi-hat beating 16th notes along with the kick drum, and in listening to the riff, isolate which 16ths the notes of the riff occur on. That will help you internalize the rhythm and play it more accurately. Figure this out before you even figure out the notes themselves.
Now, when you ready to play it with your band, as your counting off you should already be subdividing those 16th in your mind and when the first beat of the song happens, you’re already locked in. Keep this up throughout the tune. As I said, at first maintaining this practice is unnatural, but over time you’ll start to do it without even thinking.
Subdividing for Style
Another area where subdividing can be put to good use is in understanding and defining styles. The example above is a funk tune. Not all funk has a 16th note subdivision pattern, but a lot of super-tight funk does just that. If you’re doing Blues, especially Chicago or Kansas City style Blues, subdividing the beat into triplets will help you get the feel. Triplets also help get the feel for most swing and straight-ahead Jazz. Some soul tunes, ballads mostly, utilize a 12/8 groove, where there are still 4 beats, but they’re subdivided into triplets. Most rock songs can be subdivided into 8th notes, unless you’re doing something really rhythmically complex.
The more you use subdivision to play lines or define styles accurately, people will start to notice you have a really good feel and solid rhythm, which means you’ll get work. Plenty of people can shred, but not everyone can shred in perfect time. Master this skill and nobody will notice if you play a wrong note here and there. They’ll be too consumed with your awesome grasp of rhythm.
more articles by Brien Henderson
- Anatomy of the Blues Scale
- A Great Site for Old Music
- Every Musician Should Read This
- Saxes: Work Your Pinkies!, part 1
- Spice Things Up With The Tritone Sub
- Writing Your Own Music: How To Get Started
- Intro to chords in Jazz
