Some Fresh Air for Your Practice Routine!
Rhythmically Displaced Intervallic Pentatonics (say wha...?!)
Rhythmically Displaced Intervallic Pentatonics (say wha...?!)
Practicing exercises can sometimes be a tedious task. Most often, the end goal is to reach a degree of technical fluency in the areas covered by the particular exercise. However, there's more to it than that.
The real reason we practice in the first place, as improvising musicians especially, is to ultimately obtain the split-second facility to make musical choices - and to make them musically. This requires not only the ability to hear and execute the "right" notes at the right time (melody), but also the innate feel for creating balanced and coherent rhythmic statements (phrasing).
Let's take a look at a few simple ways we can turn a potentially monotonous exercise into something more listenable.
The real reason we practice in the first place, as improvising musicians especially, is to ultimately obtain the split-second facility to make musical choices - and to make them musically. This requires not only the ability to hear and execute the "right" notes at the right time (melody), but also the innate feel for creating balanced and coherent rhythmic statements (phrasing).
Let's take a look at a few simple ways we can turn a potentially monotonous exercise into something more listenable.
The example below (Ex. 1) shows a six note Pentatoniic scale permutation, starting and ending on its 2nd scale degree. It repeats as a symmetrical sequence, descending a minor 3rd in each successive measure. Since there's a quarter note rest on beat #4 of each measure, the pattern always continues again on beat #1.
Cool! As a basic premise, not a bad little Pentatonic exercise through the Diminished Cycle.
One possible way to make it a bit more interesting, though, would be to begin the first 2 notes as a pickup on, falling beat #4 of each measure, thereby shifting the 3rd scale degree of each Pentatonic to beat #1 of every measure , moving the quarter note rest to beat #3.
Ex. 1 - Basic six-note Pentatonic motif descending in minor 3rds.
Cool! As a basic premise, not a bad little Pentatonic exercise through the Diminished Cycle.
One possible way to make it a bit more interesting, though, would be to begin the first 2 notes as a pickup on, falling beat #4 of each measure, thereby shifting the 3rd scale degree of each Pentatonic to beat #1 of every measure , moving the quarter note rest to beat #3.
Ex. 1 - Basic six-note Pentatonic motif descending in minor 3rds.
Another method would be omit the rests completely. This results in the first note of each pattern shifting a beat forward in each successive measure, starting on beats #1, #4, #3 & #2, respectively. Note that omitting the rests in this case turns it from a 4-measure into a 3-measure sequence (Ex. 2).
You might try it in 3/4, which would again change the accents and feel, as well as turn it back into 4-bar sequence.
Ex. 2 - Same Pentatonic sequence without the rests, rhythmically displaced (3 bars).
You might try it in 3/4, which would again change the accents and feel, as well as turn it back into 4-bar sequence.
Ex. 2 - Same Pentatonic sequence without the rests, rhythmically displaced (3 bars).
After playing around with the above suggestions, the next step might be to break up the line of continuous eighth-notes with well placed rests and triplets, creating a rhythmic "feel factor" and adding an all important dimension to the line.
Adding a contrapuntal bass line, as well as harmonies implied by the Pentatonc scales themselves, now makes the meal complete.
Notice that the notes and their order are still exactly the same as in the previous two sequences, but the symmetry of the line is now no longer quite as obvious.
Ex. 3 - Exact same sequence with musically placed rests, triplets and added harmony.
Adding a contrapuntal bass line, as well as harmonies implied by the Pentatonc scales themselves, now makes the meal complete.
Notice that the notes and their order are still exactly the same as in the previous two sequences, but the symmetry of the line is now no longer quite as obvious.
Ex. 3 - Exact same sequence with musically placed rests, triplets and added harmony.
Listen
The next step might be to try a few of your own rhythmic variations, or start from scratch based on the simple steps above. Any short motif or symmetrical sequence could work as a starting point.
If nothing else, it should give you a new and interesting excuse to "hit the shed".
B. Stern
If nothing else, it should give you a new and interesting excuse to "hit the shed".
B. Stern
For an even deeper dive into the Pentatonic Universe, the following Shortbooks™
are recommended and available for immediate download.
are recommended and available for immediate download.
Checkout is SSL safe and secure through my E-Junkie Online Store and PayPal.
RSS Feed
