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Double Bass Easy to use polymetric metronome?

Dec 2, 2009
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2,699
NYC
I'm trying to ingrain some basic patterns like 6/8 clave into my brain better than they are. I clap, tap, and sing, of course, but I'd like something to play along with too. I bought that Time Guru app, but programming it gives me a headache. Suggestions?
 
Not sure if this is what you are looking for and Ari Hoenig wrote a few books on polyrhythms which I find super useful with helping your playing go in and out of common times. https://www.amazon.com/Intro-Polyrh...ocphy=9008111&hvtargid=pla-468603041422&psc=1

It really helped me to become fluent with things like adding dotted quarter notes against a 4/4 feel or using something like 5 or 7 against 4 or even 3. It starts out with simple items like 3 vs 4 and quickly moves into displacing the beat which can add tons of energy and forward motion to your music.

Hope it helps and if you down this road it will be lots of fun.
 
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Well, for a 7 against 5 pattern, you need a pattern length of 35 (=7*5). Maybe beyond the pattern length of most drum machines. But anything below 32 should work. 4 against 3 has a pattern length of 12. That should work with any drum machine.
The length of the beats for one is the number of the beats of the other.
 
I'm using this and have yet to find a practising situation where it is not handy or capable enough.

However, the most I've learned was just from using my head, or my head and simple metronome. I'm no polyrhythmic guru. The biggest single rhythm feat I ever learned was thinking clave, clapping 1+3, listening to metronome on 2+4, and playing something else syncopated. Took me about half a year to learn, and it was a well spent time. This is what any cuban bass player can do in his sleep since 50s, because he's used to this rhythmic structure from childhood. How do we mere mortals integrate weird rhythms into our internal pulse machine? I use a metronome as simple as possible, and do the brainwork. I try not to depend on machine more than neccessary. Thus, when I finally can do it, it is not just aural repeating, it's a rhythm construction coming from myself. It just takes some time, but in the end, at least for me, it is the fastest way.
 
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I’d learn to use that TimeGuru thing you already have. The headaches are probably because of a lack of understanding about polyrhythm and will vanish once you wrap you head about the concept of subdivision.

A basic thing is to internalize how that 2/3 or 3/2 works (and next step: three over four) but you can do that as well with a simple metronome. A good book for getting into this is ”The Clave Matrix”. I’ve forgotten the author.

Another interesting book about polyrhythm is from Mike Longo: Sightreading any syncopated rhythm; (or something similar, cannot remember the exact words either).
 
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