metric modulation question

eunchang · #1 07-25-2008, 10:13 PM

Hi Janek, I got a question about metric modulation you did with Marko Djordjevic.

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=lbztoV3ezsU

What he explained was he could get a new tempo by grouping four groups of five 16th notes which I could understand clearly.

However, from the clip, both of you switched the gear into slower 4/4 beat right away, without grouping five 16 notes. Same thing happened when switching back to 5/4; without grouping both of you nailed the original groove. The tempo was still there when you guys came back to 5/4 groove so I assume that you had some logic behind.

How did you do it? Did you still hold the original 5/4 pulse while playing 4/4 section, or did you listened to Marko's subdivision and let him drive the new pulse? Or did you and Marko practice enough to internalize the relationship between two tempos so you could just "go" and still in good time?

I hope this question make sense. If someone else have a tip for practicing metric modulation in general, please chime in and help me out.

Thanks Janek, your musical insights shared from this board always have been a great inspiration for many of us.

Eun-Chang

eunchang · #2 07-31-2008, 10:19 AM

anybody??

janekbass · #3 07-31-2008, 11:57 AM

the 16th note is totally consistent. We do group the five notes in the clip, that's how we make the modulation. There's just no setup to it. The first time we audibly group the five notes is in the first bar of the new tempo so it sounds like we just changed tempos altogether. But we are in fact just grouping the 16th notes in groups of 5 to form the new quarter note for the slower sounding tempo. The tempo doesn't actually change at all, we're just group in five to make a new quarter not for a few bars.

Easy,

Janek

eunchang · #4 08-01-2008, 07:58 AM

Thanks Janek, I have a couple of follow-up questions. If you don't mind, please help me here one more time.

I understand the part that getting a new quarter note pulse by grouping five 16th notes. What I can't figure myself is,

How could both of you play 16th notes within a new pulse right away without a setup? You said it was audible in the first bar of new tempo but it wasn't so obvious to my hearing.

Can you feel both of the pulse simultaneously like the way we can feel 12/8 and 4/4 groove together? Or is it more like 3 against 4 type of thing - you keep the original pulse; by accenting and grouping you create some illusion? However, the duration of 16th notes in two different tempo weren't equal, were they? Am I missing something?

If the questions above don't make sense to you, let me try this way;

Were you hearing the same quater note pulse from the 5/4 section while in slower sounding 4/4 section? Or after getting a new pulse by grouping did you hear the groove in the new tempo?

Eun-Chang

janekbass · #5 08-01-2008, 10:57 AM

I don't actually need to feel anything except the 16th note. Because the 16th note doesn't ever change, there's no need for a set up. If I want to I can hear the original 5/4 quarter note, the new quarter note, the 16th notes, or a kind of 5/4 clave using the new 16th note. But to make the modulation I only need the 16th note, and at this point I've played it so much that I know what's coming.

Easy,

Janek

eunchang · #6 08-03-2008, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janekbass

I don't actually need to feel anything except the 16th note. Because the 16th note doesn't ever change, there's no need for a set up. If I want to I can hear the original 5/4 quarter note, the new quarter note, the 16th notes, or a kind of 5/4 clave using the new 16th note. But to make the modulation I only need the 16th note, and at this point I've played it so much that I know what's coming.

Easy,

Janek

Thanks Janek, this one answers my question very well.