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    Displaced Accents and Polyrhythms

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    JéssicaReis
    Greg Howe discusses using polyrhythms, or odd-numbered groupings of notes, within 16th note passages to make improvised lines less predictable. He explains that a polyrhythm occurs when a sequence is played against a time signature it was not originally intended for. As an example, he shows how a three-note descending scale pattern can be played as a triplet feel or as a three-into-four polyrhythm by counting quarter notes instead of triplets. Polyrhythmic ideas help displace accents and bring more creativity to improvised solos and lines.

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    Displaced Accents and Polyrhythms

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    JéssicaReis
    137 views2 pages
    Greg Howe discusses using polyrhythms, or odd-numbered groupings of notes, within 16th note passages to make improvised lines less predictable. He explains that a polyrhythm occurs when a sequence is played against a time signature it was not originally intended for. As an example, he shows how a three-note descending scale pattern can be played as a triplet feel or as a three-into-four polyrhythm by counting quarter notes instead of triplets. Polyrhythmic ideas help displace accents and bring more creativity to improvised solos and lines.

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    Displaced Accents and Polyrhythms

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    Greg Howe discusses using polyrhythms, or odd-numbered groupings of notes, within 16th note passages to make improvised lines less predictable. He explains that a polyrhythm occurs when a sequence is played against a time signature it was not originally intended for. As an example, he shows how a three-note descending scale pattern can be played as a triplet feel or as a three-into-four polyrhythm by counting quarter notes instead of triplets. Polyrhythmic ideas help displace accents and bring more creativity to improvised solos and lines.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    137 views2 pages

    Displaced Accents and Polyrhythms

    Uploaded by

    JéssicaReis
    Greg Howe discusses using polyrhythms, or odd-numbered groupings of notes, within 16th note passages to make improvised lines less predictable. He explains that a polyrhythm occurs when a sequence is played against a time signature it was not originally intended for. As an example, he shows how a three-note descending scale pattern can be played as a triplet feel or as a three-into-four polyrhythm by counting quarter notes instead of triplets. Polyrhythmic ideas help displace accents and bring more creativity to improvised solos and lines.

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    DisplacedAccentsandPolyrhythms
    GregHowe
    January14,2010
    Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofimprovisation,atleastforme,istheabilitytosteadilydeliverastreamof
    16thnotes(fournotesperbeat)containinginterestingandsomewhatunpredictablelineswithinthecontextof
    midtohightempomusicscenarios.Playing16thnotesatatypicalmidtempospeedsuchas120bpmisnot
    necessarilyadifficulttaskformanyguitarists,howevertodosoinamannerthatdoesntrelyontheuseof
    overlypredictablesequencesorprerehearsedlickscanoftenprovetobeabitmorechallenging.
    OneofthemethodsIvefoundtobeveryhelpfulinassistingwiththisquestisdisplacingtheaccentsinthese
    setsoffours,resultinginaparticularkindofpolyrhythm.Thevariousofficialdefinitionsofthewordusually
    includelanguagethatgoessomethinglike,thesimultaneoussoundingoftwoormoreindependentrhythms.If
    thisconceptwerenewtome,thatdefinitionwouldlikelybeoflittlevalue,sobeforewetrytomakeuseofthis
    conceptletsfirsttrytounderstandit.
    Forourpurposes,apolyrhythmwillbedefinedasanoddnumberedsequenceorgroupingofnotesusedinthe
    contextofatimesignatureforwhichtheywerenotoriginallyintended.Inthiscase,alloddgroupingswillbe
    16thnotes(fournotesperbeat).
    Forexample,Exercise1illustratesaverysimplesequenceinGmajorthatdescendsthreenotesatatimefrom
    eachconsecutivelowerdegreeofthescale,implyingatriplet(threenotesperbeat)feel.Thenaturaltendencyis
    tokeepcountingtothreeasweplayitinordertoensurethatthedesignofthesequenceremainsconsistentwith
    thecorrelatingnumbers.

    However,Exercise2showshowthatsameexactsequencecouldbeplayedina16thnote(fournoteperbeat)
    fashion.Asyoucansee,nothingactuallychangesotherthanourperceptionofhowthesequenceisheardwithin
    thecontextoftherhythm.Inthiscasewereusingathreenotesequencewhilecountingtofour,whichmeans
    thatfromafournoteperbeatperspective,wenolongerhaveaseriesofidenticalsequences.Infactwewould
    nowgetthreedifferentsequencescontainingfournoteseach.Thispolyrhythmwouldgenerallybereferredtoas
    threeintofour.

    Sincethedominantcharacteristicofapolyrhythmisthatitguaranteestherhythmicdisplacementofsequenced
    and/oraccentednotes,theuseofpolyrhythmicideaswithinpassagescanbeveryhelpfulinbringingaboutmore
    creativeandlesspredictablesoundinglicksandlines.Thehighlightedsectionsofthefollowingexamples
    illustratetheactualsequencebeingused,whilethedottedlinesillustratethe16thnotecontextinwhichtheyre
    beingapplied.


    GregHowe
    GregHowehasenjoyedasuccessfulrecordingcareersinceburstingontothescenein1988,andhistalentshave
    beensoughtafterbysomeofthebiggestnamesinthemusicentertainmentindustry,suchasMichaelJackson,
    JustinTimberlake,andEnriqueIglesias.Forexample,Exercise1illustratesaverysimplesequenceinGmajor
    thatdescendsthreenotesatatimefromeachconsecutivelowerdegreeofthescale,implyingatriplet(three
    notesperbeat)feel.

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