Ugh dotted notes...

[Poop-Loops]

Does anybody have any good exercises for those?

Dotted half and quarter notes are a breeze, but dotted 8th notes are a pain for me. I only have a metronome right now, no drum tracks that can seperate it with different drums or anything.

[Bassist4Life]

Those rhythms all sound the same depending on the tempo. It's just the visual barrier you have to get past.

The following rhythms sound exactly the same:
1. Dotted-half note, quarter note
2. Dotted-quarter note, eighth note
3. Dotted-eighth note, sixteenth note

Each of those rhythms are 3 subdivisions followed by 1.

The 3rd example is usually counted:
1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

I suggest counting the rhythm VERY slowly. It will feel just like you're counting:

1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4

Give it a try. Don't rush your progress, it will happen.

Joe

[Poop-Loops]

If I halve my metronome speed and go at it like that, then yeah, it makes sense. But when I go full speed I don't have that click to signify a half beat, so that's where I get messed up.

Are you saying that as long as I get the rythm down it will stay with me even when I up the metronome speed to only 1 click per beat?

[Bassist4Life]

If you can do it slow, then you can do it fast (with practice).

Set the metronome to 60bpm and count (out loud):
1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
You should hear the click on the bold beats.

When this become comfortable, try to clap the rhythm. It might take a moment to two to get the counting to be nice and steady over the metronome click.

Let me know how it works out for you.

Joe

[MikeRS]

Lower your tempo and count. A dotted 8th is equal to 3 sixteenth notes. You can also find sheet music that has dotted 8ths and listen to it while reading the score to get the feel of them. "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a good one, the entire verse is dotted 8ths followed by sixteenths and pretty much everyone knows it.

[Poop-Loops]

I tried this:

Since I have to play 4 dotted 8ths followed by 4 regular 16th notes, I just play it all in 16ths.

So 3 16ths then 3 more, 3 more, 3 more, then 4.

This kind of helped, but it's still kind of weird wrapping my mind around that rythm. The only reason I can really get it now is because I'm thinking "ok, there should be 4 notes within 3 beats".

[Bassist4Life]

The rhythm you're trying to play has 4 dotted-eighth notes in a row? That seems kind of strange. What music are you reading?

You will usually see a dotted-eighth note beamed to a sixteenth note.

Keep it simple.

Think 3 beats followed by 1 beat (dotted half-note / quarter-note). Take that rhythm and keep speeding it up with a metronome. When the metronome is up in the 200's, you'll get the correct feeling of this rhythm.

Joe

[Poop-Loops]

I'm playing Childhood's End by Iron Maiden. Not the first riff, but the 2nd one. Yeah, it's on guitar, sue me, but rythm skills carry over to bass so I don't care.