Hit a wall with 3/4 time

[Spaceboy1980]

I'm really having a problem now that I've hit 3/4 time in Hal Leonard Bass Method.

I don't know why this is such an issue for me, perhaps it's because all the music I ever listen to is 4/4.

I'm counting while playing and it helps but eventually I become all thumbs in the middle of the song and it's short so within seconds, lol.

Advice?

[N.F.A.]

Listen to lots of music with 3/4 time examples. (or 6/8) I used to play Celtic music, which has lots of 3/4 time stuff. It took me awhile to get used to. You'll be fine, just give yourself time for improvement. Here is a list of pop songs in 3/4, but I encourage you to listen to lots of Celtic too.
Famous songs in 3/4 time signature » A-line band

[BassChuck]

Learning to play 3/4 is a great way to hear music in a different way, learn different music and smooth out a lot of phrasing issues. No matter what the meter is 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 7/4, etc etc, accurate playing all comes down to sub-divisions of the beat and it every case that means 2's and 3's. (5/4 being 2+3 or 3+2 etc etc)

There is no musical knowledge or skill set that will make you a lesser player. Learn as many different things as you can.

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by Spaceboy1980

I'm really having a problem now that I've hit 3/4 time in Hal Leonard Bass Method.

I don't know why this is such an issue for me, perhaps it's because all the music I ever listen to is 4/4.

I'm counting while playing and it helps but eventually I become all thumbs in the middle of the song and it's short so within seconds, lol.

Advice?

Use a metronome if not doing so already. Don't give up...somebody will want to hear a waltz in the years to come.

Here's a great 3/4 country waltz for the American Legion Hall: There's a Honky Tonk Angel - Elvis Presley - YouTube

Riis

[schmig]

Get a couple of Zappa albums, listen to them on a loop, many songs change signature every bar, after a spell it won't bother you in the slightest.

[MalcolmAmos]

Invision waltzing while playing the tune.
Um-pa-pa. Um-pa-pa.

[Kamuilija]

When I began dabbling in Finnish folk music, I had the same problem: most of the dance tunes are in 3/4 - and every dance form has its own way of grouping the beats. If you're interested, here's a little collection of examples.

Polska - stress on 1 & 3

Hambo - stress on 1 & 3, but swing the 8ths, and sometimes a "jump" on "and-of-1".

The Swedish way of playing polska is somewhere between hambo & masurkka.

Masurkka - stress on 2

Valssi (waltz) - stress on (mainly) 1

Then there's the Norwegian way of playing polska. They say it is in 3/4 which I don't understand at all

And then there's the Danish sextur, and the Celtic jig and who knows what else...

[DBCrocky]

I Dig A Pony - Beatles
Manic Depression - Jimi Hendrix

[campersand]

It's kind of hard to tell what exactly your problem is from your post, but one thing I'd say might help is having a 3/4 drum beat to play along with. Find a recording of a song in 3/4, choose a random note (doesn't even have to be in the key of the song) and try to play that note on the "1" of each measure. When that feels pretty easy, revisit your book and try to maintain that same feel. It's usually a lot easier to grasp and stay within a time signature when there's a drum beat to lock into than when just playing by yourself.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by Zooberwerx

Use a metronome if not doing so already.

Some of the digital metronomes allow you make the one a bit louder than the other beats.

[bassybill]

Practise while sitting down (comfortably, with a stance that doesn't cause the bass to slide off your lap) and then tap your feet as you're playing.

Yes, I'm serious. I think some beginners would be stunned to find out how much difference this can make with timing issues of all sorts.

[sammyp]

don't give up . ..it's a different feel....counting beats feels different than 4/4 as well .....i have many students who encounter different levels of difficulty with the 3/4 feel.

in the case of the hal leonard book ...try learning the notes by site and the rhythm by ear from listening to the play along ...learn to play the tune sorta by ear then start looking at the rhythms and how they work.

[Fergie Fulton]

Counting is music is a learned skill that then becomes an internalized skill, bit like learning to read with your finger to follow the words, you will lose that habit and learn to see the words in the sentences.
Practice counting your meters to 50 in your head, so

1-2-3/2-2-3/3-2-3/4-2-3/5-2-3/6-2-3/7-2-3/8-2-3 etc to 50-2-3
now the problem as you get past single figures is can you say the number fast enough to stay in time?
Answer, well not always, depends on the tempo, but what you do learn is to internalize or recognise where you are or should be.
Its like if you see beamed 32nd notes at speed, you cannot say the notes you see, in the tempo of the song, but you recognise and play them anyway because you learned to internalize what they look and sound like. So practice more intense pieces and if none exisits..... write your own. The act of writing them out will help internalize your skills as a reinforcement of what you are learning.

If the counting is causing you problems then map out the song and then your own count. 1-2-3 can come round a bit fast so when counting in seq, say like 1-2-3-2-2-3-3-2-3-1-2-3-2-2-3-3-2-3 all you have to do is change the map.

So 1-2-3-2-2-3 could be 1-2-3-4-5-6 then you map out everything to suit this count, so you may count for longer phrases but use less maping ( 100 x 1-2-3 or 50 x 1-2-3-4-5-6)

Also phrase inflection is a good reference, certain words and phrases will suit a particular time sig to help set up the feel. counting in numbers is just a representation, (1-2-3-1-2-3, could become, i see you. you see me, because it can be pronounced a I-C-U-U-C-me) it can be anything.
Problem is if you are counting to a point ( ie 62 bar rest) then you will need to trust your counting skills, or have a great mapped alternative so you know exactly where you are.
It is all time based learning, a leap of faith learning as i call it, because it can't be proving that any one person will get it/develop it till they do the time...only then can it be re-evaluated if need be.

[soulman969]

I think the above or a simple alternative would work well for most anyone. Instead of counting out 4's count 3's as instructed above emphasizing the first beat in each set of three. ONE-two-three (1st measure), TWO-two -three (2nd measure), and back to ONE-two-three (3rd Measure), TWO-two-three (4th measure), and repeat for each measure throughout the song.

Now, play only on the first beat to begin with. Pick any key and play just the root note of the chord in that measure resting on counts two and three. After getting that feel add the other notes of a scale or a triad on beats two and three like Root-3-5 or whatever fits the piece.

So in the key of G you'd play G on the first beat, B on the second and D on the third and repeat until the root chord shifts to let's assume a C so there you're playing C on the first beat, E on the second, and G the third and so on. It's probably best if you pick an easy 3 note combination to begin with and Root-3-5 will work over a lot of things. Just make certain that what you play on one is the Root note of whatever chord you're playing over and then simply add the complimentary notes on two and three.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Zooberwerx]

To the OP (and others): sounds like you have a grasp of the concept, now it's time for some reinforcement. Personally, I like to find "fun" tunes and either play along with the tracks or infuse them into our working setlist. Here's another:

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help Of My Friends (LIVE in Dortmund) HD - YouTube

You've probably heard it a thousand times and never realized it was in 3/4. The original Beatles tune is not.

Riis

[Mayers]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Practise while sitting down (comfortably, with a stance that doesn't cause the bass to slide off your lap) and then tap your feet as you're playing.

Yes, I'm serious. I think some beginners would be stunned to find out how much difference this can make with timing issues of all sorts.

yep, it is true. You will soon realize that every time in /4 are kind of easy to get. Where the fun begins is with metric changing.

And listen to different kind of music too ... Dream Theater is a nice workout for metric change.

[Russell L]

Ya gotta know it, so don't give up. Just try to feel the emphsis on the 1. Nod your head, sway, step, or whatever works for you---do it on the 1. let 2 and 3 glide by.

[HeadyVan Halen]

Yeah it's crazy.
It's like counting to 4 but stopping at 3.
Amazing stuff.

[Kamuilija]

A rock drummer once explained me how to play in seven.

-It's easy: one-two-three-four-five-six-se-ven, one-two-three-four-five-six-se-ven!

[jmercer91]

Originally Posted by Kamuilija

A rock drummer once explained me how to play in seven.

-It's easy: one-two-three-four-five-six-se-ven, one-two-three-four-five-six-se-ven!

Hahahahahahahahahhaah too good!