Concepts for Swinging 9/16

Excerpts from the song Ma Muse MAbuse Ideas for developing odd meters on the drum set By

Jarrod Cagwin

Concepts of Swinging 9/16

There is a common tendency in the Western musical world of counting too much when faced with playing/improvising in an odd meter. Often times the internal balance of the rhythm is misunderstood, resulting in the musician loosing the essence of the groove and applying and excess of mathematical reasoning. The term Odd Meters has been coined by the Western musician, and typically implies any rhythmic cycle or time signature that is not counted in 2, 3, 4, or 6 pulses. There are a variety of cultures in the world that prefer playing and dancing in odd metered rhythms, such as 5, 7, or 9, rather than the classic 2 beat, waltz, or 4 on the floor grooves for example. In approaching the rhythmic structures of the compositions of Rabih AbouKhalil, I draw from a variety of techniques to create a flowing groove that utilizes the melodic possibilities of the kit and strays away from a static, recurring pattern. The majority of Rabihs odd metered rhythms are derived from an additive composite of 2s & 3s at the 16th note speed. These divisions also correspond to the Thom & Tak relationship, or the low and high phrasings of the rhythm, that are commonly found in music of Oriental world.

Rhythmic excerpt of the song Ma Muse MAbuse, by Rabih Abou-Khalil. From the album Mortons Foot, on ENJA Records.
In the given example we have a principal rhythmic theme in 9/16. The approximate metronome speed is 1/8 = 200 b.p.m., thus creating a rhythmic cycle that passes very quickly. Exercise Group 1 The first step is to break the rhythm down into its numeric components. I generally do not apply polyrhythm or cross pulses until I can feel the cycle in its respective 2 & 3 groupings. This phrase of 9/16 is broken into a composite of 4 + 5. From that it is broken into its denominations of (2+2) + (3+2), or (A) + (B), which can be thought of as call and response phrases. In this example, the call phrase applies to (A), and the response to (B). The Thoms (low phrasings) generally correspond to (A), and Taks (high phrasings) to (B). Therefore the spoken rhythm is: 2+2 = Thom thom -, and 3+2 = Ta ki ta Ta ka. The dash represents a silent division, or rest of one 16th in the rhythm. I find a good way to begin to feel the rhythm is to separate yourself from the drum set and create a body rhythm between your feet and hands. Initially, (A) is applied to your feet and (B) to your hands. In effect, you are using a form of Palmas, the rhythmic accompaniment found in Flamenco music from southern Spain. It is important to experiment with alternating your feet, so that you develop a balanced foot/hand dance within your body. Your feet and hands should still retain a dancing feeling as well when applied to the drums.

Exercise Groups 2 & 3 Next is to apply your feet to the drum set, bass drum, and hi-hat foot respectively. Begin by separating your feet into a 3 feel, while your hands continue to clap to response phrase (B). By subdividing the rhythm into pulses of 3, you can begin to feel the rhythm with a more African sensibility. You can begin to experiment with different groupings with you feet, sometimes alternating R & L or groupings of 3 or 4 for each foot, & ect. Exercise Group 4 Next is to change your clapping pattern to phrases of 3, omitting the 1 of each three of the 9. It is very useful to continue to recite the original solkattu phrase of the 4+5. This keeps an ostinato with your voice & creates a polyrhythm with your hands and feet. This is a very similar concept to how Eve drummers from Ghana approach the Kagan parts. By changing the accent of the 3 with your hands, you can begin to push and pull the rhythm, with greatly influences the swing. Exercise Group 5 At this point you can begin to apply your hands to the set. I recommend beginning by using brushes on the snare drum to create a lighter, dancing feel. Here you can experiment with different sticking combinations. As in the previous exercises, it is good to keep the original 4+5 solkattu motif going in your head. Then move on to the hi-hat with sticks. Here you should concentrate on creating a controlled open and closed action with the hi-hat foot. Keep in mind that your feet should feel like they are dancing, thereby shifting your inner balance at your hips back and forth. Two Bar Phrases with Snare Drum and Floor Tom Exercise Group 6 With these exercises we begin to add snare drum and floor tom strokes. Many of the concepts that I apply to the drum set come from my studies in West Africa. I do not always regard the snare drum as it is typically found in the western world. Often I do not use the snares, or keep them at a very loose tension so that they only sound when I use a full center stroke or rim shot. This allows me to make phrasings between my snare and floor tom more closely related to the Sogo and Achimevo drums from Ghana. My bass drum and hi-hat foot always function to push the rhythm from the inside, instead of typically playing the bass drum on the one, or the hi-hat foot on eighth or quarter note pulses. By utilizing the open stroke on the hi-hat, I can simulate textures that come from the Riqq , an intricate tambourine found in Arabic music.

Concepts for Swinging 9/16

1. (a) Basic division of rhythm with Solkattu phrasing. (b) Separation of Low & High components of the cycle, using hand claps and foot taps. (c) Right & Left foot tap variations. (a) Underlying triple pulsation with bass drum. (b) Underlying triple pulsation with hi-hat foot. (c) Unison of feet. These exercises are two bar phrases to train your feet in alternating patterns, while continuing to clap the response phrase with your hands. Exercise (a) contains alternating R & L, exercise (b) places the bass drum cadencing to the second bar, and exercise (c) contains displaced patterns of 3 with the feet. These exercises will develop the inner 3s across the 2 bar phrases of 9/16. The upper pattern on the fourth space has variations of the emphasis of the accent of each grouping of 2, while your feet continue in an alternating pattern of 3. The upper pattern should be clapped &/or played on the hi-hat.

2.

3.

4.

5.

(a) Application of sticking patterns to the snare drum. I recommend first using brushes to obtain a lighter feel. (b) Application of the step-foot with the hi-hat. (c) Addition of bass drum with the previous pattern.

Two Bar Phrases with Snare Drum & Floor Tom

6. (a) Alternating R & L strokes on the Snare. (b) Paradiddle combination with floor tom. (c) Double stroke between bass drum & snare drum. (d) Beginning of phrase accented with snare drum or floor tom.

J arrod C agwin

Born and raised in rural Iowa, in the central United States, in 1992 received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. There he was exposed to a very cosmopolitan musical atmosphere with students coming from all corners of the globe. He studied percussion and drums under professor Jamey Haddad and was exposed to various hand drumming techniques from India, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Brazil. In 1995 he received a grant to study South Indian drumming techniques with Trichy Sankaran at York University in Toronto, Ontario. Upon graduation in 1996 he moved to New York City, subsequently performing and recording in a variety of contemporary and traditional music formations. In 1999 he began working with the Rabih Abou-Khalil Group, shortly thereafter relocating to Europe where he has been actively touring and teaching throughout the continent. He works closely with Eckermann Drums in Vienna, Austria, designing frame drums and drum sets. He has traveled and done extensive field studies the Middle East and North and West Africa, which has produced a unique percussion & drum set performance style. Presently he shuffles his time between Istanbul, Vienna, and Frankfurt. He is a percussionist for the internationally acclaimed singer Sezen Aksu from Turkey, and as well is a resident instructor at the State Conservatory of Music in Istanbul. In Frankfurt he conducts regular rhythmic training workshops at the International Ensemble Modern Academy. In 2010 his rhythmic training method One by One and accompanying composition 5 vor 7 vor 6 was published by Ensemble Modern Media. Other performing and recording credits include collaborations with Erkan Our, Derya Trkan, Fatih Ahskal, Bekir nlataer, Joachim Khn, Gvork Dabaghyan, Charlie Mariano, Michel Godard, Gabriele Mirabassi, Luciano Biondini, Ricardo Ribeiro, Dusko Goykovich, Mehmet Emin Bitmez, Kudsi Erguner, Jean-Luc Fillion, Dalia Faitelson, Feren Snetberger, Dave Bargeron, Antonio Hart, Howard Levy, Joe Beck, & Dave Samuels. He is also a guest artist with the Ensemble Modern and The Next Step Percussion Group, and has been a featured soloist with the BBC Orchestra, the Macedonian Symphony Orchestra, and the Bundesjungendorchester from Germany. Mr. Cagwin conducts rhythmic training workshops for musicians and dancers, as well as frame drum and drum set clinics across Europe.