Rhythm

[sibass89]

Hey everybody, I thought this is a great thread to start in the Orchestral technique thread. It is something that has the be perfect in order to get a job, and I've had some questions.

Working through my stuff throughout the year, I have been having trouble with complex rhythms. By complex, I mean whole note and half note triplets. Rhythms that are long and require much concentration.

I know all the breakdowns of the rhythms. I know that a triplet whole note is equal to 8 triplet eight notes, and 4 to a half note triplet, but the place that my problem comes in is when I don't have the opportunity to have my metronome on straight eighth note triplets, I have trouble feeling the rhythm.

I can count out the rhythms but I was curious if anybody had any methods for helping me with my problem of being able to internalize the rhythm. Once I get away from the metronome, it all goes down hill. Basically, does anybody have any suggestions of ways of me working on keeping the rhythm internalized?

Thanks everybody.

Best,
Nick

[Pat Harris]

Nick,

By the sounds of it, you may be having more trouble with your actual sense of time rather than the rhythms. Do you have any specific examples of music that is specifically giving you problems? Everything is ultimately a subdivision of the beat into either groups of 2 or 3. I'm sure some others will help and chime in, because I doubt I'm being very clear in my response.

Take care,
Pat

[sibass89]

Hey Pat -

You are right, its not the breakdown of the rhythm it's the feel of the rhythm when I'm away from my metronome. These first came up during my scale routine where I work on the scale with all rhythms from whole note to 32nd note, but the rhythms have been coming up a lot in the Strauss tone poems that I'm working on such as Also Sprach Zarathustra and Ein Heldenleben.

-Nick

[bassbass]

To help, and i dont want to patronise.......
Look at some wagner orchestral works, they are quite repetative but are quite rhythmic.
Also, perhaps play scales with a metronome and try to feel the beat and not the rhythm.
Try feeling the beat with your body, i did this in a class in college with clapping and singing simple melodies and it really helped. Move with the beat.

P

[jazzbassnerd]

You say that you have the metronome on 8th note triplets while you are practicing if I understand correctly. Try only having it on quarters, then only on half notes.

I think you may be relying too much on the metronome to do your subdivision for you. If you force yourself to subdivide the "inner" beats, then when you take the metronome out, there will be less problems.

My teacher told me last year that he finds that people who always have the metronome on tend to have problems with tempo because they always rely on the metronome to count for them. I used to be a metronome on all the time person. I'd say it's now about 50/50 and I really do think that my time and rhythmic playing has gotten better because of it.

Hope this helps.