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Bob Brozman on Rhythm

The European concept of rhythm is normally conceived as

being in one meter (a set number of beats per measure) at a
time: 2, or 3, or 4, etc. African-based music normally has as
the fundamental meter: both 2 and 3 at the same time. This
opens the door to syncopation, polyrhythms and musical
creativity, which occurs on a more primal level in the brain
than harmony. It is acknowledged that Europeans developed
harmony further than any other culture; but rhythmically their
culture is among the planet's most primitive. Rhythmically
speaking, European-based music is like working on a computer
with one window open, whereas in African based music there
are always two windows open, and you are working in both of
them at once ... continuously. The "work" is really simple
multiplication and division, all based on 2 and 3. The layers of
rhythmic complexity can get dizzying in African-based music,
and these ever-changing layers stimulate the mind and body,
inspiring the tradition of dance that often accompanies African
music.
CULTURAL CONTEXT OF DOWNBEAT AND BACKBEAT
I've observed a fundamental difference between colonizing and
colonized cultures in the way the downbeat/backbeat
relationship is perceived, and in the priority given to the
backbeat in this relationship. Put simply, marching (colonizing)
cultures see the downbeat as something to follow, and the
"marched-upon" (colonized) cultures see the downbeat as
something to react to, using the backbeat. This is not at all a
racial issue of black and white, as Japan and its colony
Okinawa also bear out this theory. It is simply that the function
of the downbeat in marching and organizing troops is critical.
In "backbeat" cultures, dancing is usually far more important
than marching, and most observers will find that dancing to
the backbeat is far more sensual than marching along to the
downbeat.
For the musician playing, reacting as opposed to following the
beat feels quite different physiologically. Playing reactively
means that the beat becomes something to jump away from.
For example, in blues music, all of the important events - the
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basic groove, the timing of vocal entrances, the starting and
ending points of musical riffs - all begin on an "And." The beat
itself is constantly implied, but blues players avoid placing any
important event on the beat. Even non-musicians will hear
something humorously "wrong" if a blues line is sung beginning
on the downbeat.
The music of the Indian Ocean islands seems to be the
strongest "reactive" style of rhythm in the world, because the
accented "And" at 33% is so close to the quietly played
downbeat. The "loud thing" happens in an unexpected place,
and on initial exposure to this music, the untrained ear wrongly
perceives this accent as the downbeat. Learning to hear it
correctly actually causes a perceptible physiological change in
the body.
BASIC TRIPLETS
The first simple rhythm every musician should learn is the
triplet (sets of three) played with alternating hands. This
involves setting your internal clock to 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3, while
your hands play right-left-right-left, etc. If you don't support
the internal count by accenting every 1, then the external
stimulus will sound like 1 2 1 2 1 2. Therefore, the accented 1
will necessarily change sides every time 1 occurs.
The goal of the following exercises is to strengthen your sense
of the internal stimulus clock (which is counting 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
3), by challenging it with increasingly stronger external stimuli
(in this case, 1 2 1 2 1 2). To strengthen your internal
"resolve," you can increase the external stimulus of 1 2 1 2 1 2
incrementally as follows: First, play triplets with alternating
hands on your legs. Next, play each hand on two different
sounding surfaces, for example the leg and the chest. This
boosts the external 1 2 1 2 1 2 sound, causing you to need
increased "resolve" that the real beats are 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3.
The next step would be to "play" one of the hands in the air,
silently, again effectively increasing the external stimulus and
driving you to be stronger still. Finally, alternate one hand and
one foot to further boost the external stimulus and further
strengthen the internal count.
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To review these steps:
1. Count and maintain the internal clock of 1 2 3 1 2 3, etc.
ALWAYS
2. Then play this triplet rhythm with both hands always
alternating on LEGS
3. Play same movement & pattern but with one hand on LEG,
and one on CHEST
4. Play same movement & pattern but with one hand SILENT
playing in the air
5. Play same pattern using one HAND and one FOOTAll of this
will quickly make any musician much stronger rhythmically.
6.
BASIC POLYRHYTHMS
Learning a little bit about playing polyrhythms will enhance
musical perception and increase musical coordination for any
musician playing any instrument. The basic polyrhythms are
easy to learn, when understood conceptually. Simply put, a
polyrhythm is two (or more) different meters at the same time,
i.e. 2 and 3 both occupying the same length of time. In the
case of 2 and 3, the most basic polyrhythm, the common
multiple, 6, is the basis for understanding the pattern.
However, immediately after hearing the sound of the simple
pattern, it will no longer be necessary to count.
In order to play 2 against 3 with the hands, the "3" hand will
play 1 2 3 4 5 6, and the "2" hand will play 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Superimposing the two patterns yields the following:

Right Hand: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Left Hand: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Begin by counting all six beats as you play, saying the played
notes of 1, 3, 4, 5 LOUDER than the 2 and 6 as " 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Note that when playing the pattern, the "2" and the "6" pulses
are silent. Using the cadence of spoken word to illustrate this
effect, it is: "BOTH, rest, right, left, right, rest" Assign equal
value to rests and struck notes. Another way to count and feel
it is "One two and 3." Left-handed people often find it easier to
play "BOTH, rest, left, right, left, rest." However, it is beneficial
to train yourself both ways. The next step in increasing
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coordination would be to begin separating the sounds and body
parts, to emphasize the sonic differences between the "2" and
the "3" which, as before, boosts the external stimulus and
helps you confirm and strengthen the internal stimulus. The
goal would be to be able to walk in 3 while clapping in 2, then
walk in 2 while clapping in 3. If you can reach a point where
you can do this, or any of the skills above, and hold a
conversation, then you will know you have integrated it into
your body, and no longer require your intellect to do it.
A higher level of polyrhythm involves placing 3 against 4. The
common multiple here is 12, and with a phase of this length, it
is easier to use a verbal mnemonic device: "BOTH-left-right-
left-right-left." A verbal phrase for this is "PLAY the dog-gone
rhyth-m," or:

Right Hand: PLAY dog- rhyth-

Left Hand: PLAY the -gone -m

This 3-against-4 pattern should be practiced with increasing

levels of sonic and body-pan contrast, to strengthen the
internal clock: start with hands tapping legs (producing the
same sound), then move to hands tapping leg and chest, to
boost the external stimulus. This procedure, used previously
with 2-against-3, of changing body parts to increase the
external stimulus' power should be followed, with the only
difference being the pattern played. It is important to begin
with tapping hands on both legs, which will yield the WHOLE
pattern. Separating body parts to contrast the tone reveals the
separate elements of this polyrhythm, thus demanding greater
awareness of the WHOLE pattern.
DEVELOPMENT OF 6/8 TIME
The waltz meter is 3/4, which is to say three beats per
measure. 6/8 meter is a way of expanding 3/4 time, so that a
measure of 6 pulses can be felt either as 2-beats or 3-beats
per measure. This opens the doors to 2-against-3 syncopation
possibilities, and this type of rhythm is employed and enjoyed
by many of the world's cultures, for example across Africa,
Central and South America, the Middle East, and Asia. The
player and listener can enjoy a sense of "multitasking" the
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simple arithmetic involving 2 and 3.
This mentally rich "play" is taken a step further in Madagascar,
Réunion, and other Indian Ocean islands. The two-beat feel of
the 6/8 time is retained, but the accent is flipped, by displacing
it by an eighth note. Thus, the accent that was on 1 and 4,
now gets moved to 2 and 5. The chords and measures still
start on 1, but the unexpected "loud thing" happens on the 2
and 5. Taken as two triplets (123 123), we see that we have
an accent on the 33% "AND." The time perception of 6/8 can
be organized in steps of increasing complexity, from Europe to
the Indian Ocean islands.
RHYTHM IN THE WEST
As a guitarist, I've observed that four European traditions have
had negative impacts on modern guitar-playing, causing most
contemporary guitarists to be quite weak rhythmically. The
first tradition is the hierarchical way of organizing groups of
musicians, with rhythm delegated to the lower ranks, and
"lead" melody considered more important. The second tradition
is the focus on notes and scales, considered to be far more
important than rhythm. The third is the "sports" attitude, which
considers speed to be the primary measure of musical
virtuosity. The fourth tradition is attempted standardization of
what is considered a "good tone" (timbre) for one's instrument.
These four ways of handling music contribute to the fact that
most guitarists spend 95% of their time practicing scales and
5% or less practicing groove and timbral changes. Ironically,
manipulation of groove and tone provide far greater range of
expression and create so much more impact on listeners that
rapidly played scales start to seem like a lot of work for little
gain.
In every language thus far encountered by the author, people
do not say "work music," they say "play music." This is
essential for musicians to realize. Using ideas of polyrhythms
and timbres is an easy way to get more "play" from the music.