E a DESIGNED i) =XPLAIN THE MYSTERY BEHIND/BEAT 1 WIZE san RUINS (OCCA Rau NRT RHYTHMIC MODULATIONS AND MUCHEMORE-Contents Foreword Introduction (Chapter I= DeBaiens Notation Key ‘Chapter 2- Saggesed Approach To Practicing eins ‘Chapter 3- Displacement Type 1) Tool Box 16h Note Displacement Seale 1218 Note Displacement Sale 2th Note Displacement Seale Chapter 4- Modulation (Type 1) “Tol Box Demo of Modaaton I (Musici tiN/Solo) Chapter S- Subdivision - Formula & Grouping ‘Sebdivison & Formula Spacing Beat Eating (Chapter 6- Modulation (Type 2) “Tool Box ‘Demo of Mediation 2 Chapter - Sing “Teo Bor (Chapter Displacement (Type 2) Bample Example 2 Example3 Example ¢ Example S Brample§ Brample§ Example 9 ‘Example 10 ‘Example 12 Example 13 Example 1414 Example 1818 | Example 19 Example 20 ‘Example 21 Example 2523 Example 29 Erample 30 Example 296 (0) Example 32 Example 3333 Example Example 37 ‘Example 3838 Example 39 ramp au Example 43 ramp 4168 Example 90 Bemple Si Example 52. Bumple $3 Example 54» Example SS558 Example 56 Bample 57 Enample 8 Example 62 ample 63 Page # io it 16 if 8 ei gi oe Brees wee . B 4 6 n a BH. a. BE BHSSEESER, EERE E RENEE.Contents ‘Chapter 9- Related Tempo. (Chapter 10 Rhythmic Seales & Polyrhytnmic Groupings (Chapter 1- Modlation (Type 3) ‘ToolBox - (Caper 12 - Maser Exercises Pattern Types & Subdivisions Aernative Patterns List ‘Chapter 1 - Miscellaneous Developments New Jerusalem (Chapter 14 Musical Considerations * Dur tothe amount of examples onthe CD (most CD players only beg capable of nccesting 99 track), Page # Example 64 Example 66 36 Bump 67 Example 68 i] ‘Example 70 Bample 71 Example 72 Example 73 ‘Example 74 38 Example 75 Example 76 Example 78 Example 79 Euample 81 Example $2 Example 83 Example 85 Example 88 Example 89 Example 9090 Example 9191 ae Beample 9293 ‘s- ‘Example 100 Example 101 Bxample 103 Bankes ‘Example 106 i st Example 107 ist ‘Example 108 Example 108 Example 11010 Example 11 Example 133 Example 114 Example 16 Example 117 | a Sais Example 12 Example 34 Example 56 Example 78 8 Example 9 Example 10 Example 1 Example 12 2 (Master Modulation Exercise 33.61 ‘Master Modsation Exercise 41. 2 ‘Master Modlation Exercise § ... ‘Master Moston Exercise 6 ‘Master Medslton Exercise 777 ‘Master Modalton Exercise o 6 Example 18 Example 19 Example 124124 66 Example 126 (1) o 6 o seme ofthe material hasbeen ‘grouped together on one track. S. gugisazaee. zee, %, saroneseeuemenneesass OG + 28888s. sseeros /S8SER,FOREWORD It-was as a boy, listening to the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet recordings with Joe Morello on “Time Out” and “Time Further Out”, that I first became acquainted with the delicious feeling. First, the musical ground would gradually, or suddenly, slide from beneath my feet. Then, after an excruciating period with my head on one rhythmic plateau and my hips on another, or perhaps one leg doing six paces to the other leg’s four, would come ‘sweet release , as the rhythm world returned to normal and I knew I was going to be alright. Since then the delicious feeling has cropped up in my jazz and ethnic music listening but I never really understood, until Gavin Harrison came along, the nuts and bolts of Displacement and Modulation | first met Gavin through his fascinating and mind bending series of articles for the U.K’s “Rhythm” magazine, that began in early 1989, and ran monthly through to the middle of 1992, when, mercifully, he took a vacation, and let the rest of us catch up. He has managed to distil the essence of, and codified the laws of, what I think is generally considered the next big development in kit drumming, namely the ability to move at will through several meters, whose relation to the basic pulse may be Displaced,or Modulated. It all sounds more painful than it really is. Anyway what's a litle pain in exchange for some of the most interesting material since the invention of the paradiddle? I firmly believe the next generation of drummers will be eating this stuff up for breakfast, so I've got work to do. Bill Bruford.INTRODUCTION he first thing I'd like to say about “Rhythmic Ilusions’ is that it is not intended as a book of clever mathematical permutations applied to the drum set. However, do feel that a basic understanding of the relationship between rhythm and maths is an invaluable asset to the creative musician, and it will be necessary at times, for the sake of study, to delve into some maths at certain points during the book. But I find purely mathematical exercises can often be predictable and boring, so the overall aim here, will be to emphasise musicality and emotional effect rather than doing something clever just for the sake of it I'm aiming this material at the kind of musician who has already been playing a while, and maybe reads a bit too, but who is starting to get stuck in a creative rut. (Yes, it happens to all of us sooner or later). Thope this book will help to ease you out of that rut, and maybe inspire you to explore some new rhythmic compositions by using these concepts and methods as a launch pad for your own creativity. ‘So what is a Rhythmic Hlusion? ‘Well, it’s certainly something that had confused me for years — the very nature of an illusion is its ability to baffle, and the kind of thing I’m talking about is this; Haye you ever been listening to the radio, changed stations and tuned into a song that. sounded as if it had a fantastically unusual rhythm, only to discover moments Tater, in reality, you had simply misinterpreted something quite straightforward? Or, perhaps, heard a guitarist play an unaccompanied syncopated rhythm and, believing you'd identified the beat, tapped your foot along to it until the band came in at a completely unexpected place? Chances are, you were rhythmically illuded, Years of exposure to radio, television and pop music, conditions people into an acceptance of what rhythm is and a perception of where they hear a downbeat. Asa generalisation, people assume that a bass drum is going to fall on the downbeat and that there will be some kind of accompanying offbeat or backbeat (usually a snare drum or hand claps ete). You naturally come to expect these things as standard.The same goes for bar lengths, 4/4 being the most popular (in fact it is known as common time) and likewise with groupings of bars; 4 bars; 8 bars; 12 bars; 16 bars etc. Phrases such as ‘middle eight’ and ‘12 bar blues’ are commonplace and can be seen as evidence of the commonly accepted parameters of western musical structure. It's thanks to this, that Rhythmic Illusions are possible. Imagine an alien touching down on Earth for the first time and immediately encountering acomplex ‘Rhythmic Illusion’, Without our cultural influences and a set of popular preconceptions as a reference point, the alien would not be illuded at all, but simply accept the rhythm at face value — it might even get him dancing! “Rhythmic Ilusions’ are about making small changes to a conventional pattern in order to persuade the listener that the tempo, and or time signature has momentarily changed. The secret of a good illusion is to make sure that the pattern you are presenting, is a simple recognisable rhythm that the listeners’ ear will naturally pick up on. A rhythmic illusion will have it's best effect when it ‘appears’ that the drummer has temporarily left the downbeat and tempo behind,whilst the music carries on unchanged underneath it. People often talk about the emotional aspects of music, in particular the effect of ‘tension and release’. I like to think of Rhythmic Illusions as the ‘tension’, to present a way rhythmically to get the listener onto the edge of their seat, before returning to the ‘groove’ again as the ‘release’CHAPTER 1 Definitions Whilst writing this book it became necessary for me to find some terminology to describe the mental process of understanding a Rhythmic Illusion. I came up with the idea of having two different states of mind to mentally view and understand both sides of an illusion, ASTATUS This is where your mind should be when playing an illusion. A kind of home base’.(‘e still in the original time signature, and still knowing where the ‘one’ is).An example number followed by an A (1A, 2A, 3A, etc) is referring to the A Status. BASTATUS This is where the listeners mind should be while you are playing that illusion. (ie the ‘new tempo’ and or ‘new downbeat’).An example number followed by an B (1B, 2B, 3B, etc) is referring to the B Status. B STATUS EXAMPLES ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE PLAYED, they are there simply to provide a check on the illusion that is being conveyed. A kind of reference so ‘we can see what the listener should be hearing. (So we'll use this ear icon just to help). 2 SUBDIVISION You might think of this as the “quantise’ or small ‘pulses’ that make up @ bar . For example there are 16 semi-quavers or ‘16th notes’ that make up the ‘pulses’ in a bar of 4/4 , and 8 quavers or ‘Sth notes” and so on. The subdivision indicates to the drummer what kind of feel the music is going to have. DISPLACEMENT This is where an entire pattern is moved forward or backwards by a certain amount of subdivisions, It will still be the same pattern in terms of note order and structure, but it will be in ¢ different place in the bar. Displacement can often sound as if your pattern has lost or gained an extra beat. And, in fact, this is exactly how it should sound to the listener [3 (the B Status), but to successfully complete the illusion, I would recommend that your mind stay in the A Status and simply make the adjustment to play the pattern out of place. MODULATION Just as you would "Modiilate’ from one ‘key’ to another, if you were playing the piano for instance, ‘Rhythmical Modulation’ sounds like you've stepped up into a new tempo. So Modulation is like taking a rhythm that is in a different tempo and superimposing it over the tempo you are currently playing in. It may appear to sound like a tempo change (see Related Tempo) but it is in fact just a different way of grouping the subdivisions, Because we are only creating this (illusionary) effect for a couple of bars or so, it should still be perceived in the first tempo you were playing in (the A Status),8 ‘The new illusionary tempo (B Status) and the old original tempo (A Status) are linked via a subdivision that’s common to both. FORMULA A formula is a pattern (made up of a series of notes and rests) that is imposed onto a subdivision. Once imposed the pattern must be adhered to rigidly, even though it may go across the bar lines and against the grain of the rhythm. BEAT EDITING This is where you take slices of the illusions and make them into one - or two - bar resolving patterns. Although this won't really make them such obvious illusions anymore, it is a very useful way to generate new interesting rhythms. RELATED TEMPO This is, of course, just as it sounds: a new tempo derived (by subdivision) from the old one. It is possible while playing 2 modulation to change your status (Way of thinking) from A STATUS to B STATUS and begin to feel it as a relative tempo change. TOOL BOXES At the start of some of the Chapters I've included these little ‘warm up’ sections to help you get used to the kind of illusions that are coming up next. I call them “Tool Boxes’ because they show you the kind of ‘Tools’ (in terms of ability) you will need to grasp before you can proceed through the following Chapter. (It may be a good idea to refer back to the various ‘Tool Boxes’ in the book should you experience difficulty during a certain Chapter). Don't worry t00 much at this point if you don't fully understand the definitions. They should become much more obvious when you begin working with the exercises and listening to the CD. Here is a key of the notation that will be used throughout the book: NOTATION KEY High Toe MT Bas tt fore 5 rare th fox ‘Sometimes it will be necessary to connect the bass drum to the top line like this;CHAPTER 2 Suggested Approach To Practicing Hlusions One of the most interesting things I encountered while practicing these exercises was ‘placement’. Most of the examples presented here don’t require you to play anything really new, but rather to think in a new’ way about an old rhythm — in other words. to make certain small mental adjustments, However, this might not be as easy as it first appears, You might find some initial difficulty in ‘placing’ notes in relation to your own internal clock. This is partly a coordination problem, but mostly it’s one of mind over matter. T've always found that recording myself is a very educational method of practicing. It can be demoralising sometimes to hear yourself playing badly on tape, but there are often things you don’t hear whilst playing - that can only be ‘checked-out" properly on playback. So don’t be too hard on yourself, it's all part of the learning/improving process. Furthermore, this method also becomes good training for anyone who wants to do recording sessions. (If not as a session drummer maybe a tape operator!) Over the years, I've gathered a large collection of my practice tapes and not only is it interesting to hear where I was going wrong, but it’s also clear just how much improvement was being made. It's difficult to judge how you're progressing on a day-to- day or week-to-week basis, but hearing tapes of myself from six years, or even six months ago, the improvement is much more obvious. To get the full benefit from these exercises, I strongly recommend that you practice all the material with a ‘click’- from a drum machine, digital metronome, or reliable click source. It’s very important to know exactly where each beat should be placed and, of ‘course,vital when practising an illusion. SO DON’T LEAVE EARTH WITHOUT ONE!CHAPTER 3 Displacement (Type 1 ‘ust.to recap: Displacement is where a whole pattem is moved forward ot backwards by ‘certain amount of subdivisions. It will still be the same pattem in terms of note order and structure, but it will be moved to a different starting place in the bar. Displacement can be a very useful tool for creating ‘tension’ and excitement in the correct musical setting. It’s also good for generating new, exciting rhythms. Before we start the Displacement examples - just to get you warmed up - here’s some exercises you should try first. Displacement 1 Tool Boxn Now, to get started, let's play two bars of a simple rhythm and then follow it with two bars of an 8th note forward displacement @ Ex.1 ie Set your metronome to around 100 bpm (beats per minute) and after a two-bar count-off, play Example 2A. (A is for A Status) ‘Note: the arrows (¥) show us where the metronome clicks are sounding. 2 o pis === == ‘And here, Example 2B (B for B Status) is what it should end up sounding like to the listener . Note how the metronome clicks appear to be in a different place now. E) [Ex. 2B : ‘ F Remember - you're not meant to play the B Status - they are there just for reference. Now let’s try displacing this pattern forward by one 16th note, (ic moving its starting place forwards to the second 16th in the bar). Try this one at about 80 bpm. 4 Ex.3A : Notice once again how it appears to the listener (Example3B) 9 Ex 3B :Here is the same pattern again displaced backwards by one 16th note (i.e moving its starting place backwards to the last 16th in the previous bar). ‘The following exercises are examples of both forwards and backwards displacement. Practice these and then take some of your own pattems and try displacing them. ‘You will see that SA(1) 6A(1) 7A(1) SA(1) have all been displaced forwards one 16th whilst SA@) 6A(2) 7A(2) SQ) have all been displaced backwards one 16th. Note; even though there are two versions of the A Status shown here (.c two different displacements of the same pattern) they both produce the same B Status. Bstaus [5] A Status LZ} Ex.5B Ex. SAQ) t se aad leh va ere Ex. 8A()To conclude this little section, i new bar is the same pattern displac note displacement scale. Notice how each4 Now let's take a look at 12th notes (or triplets). Here’s the amount of displacement each example has undergone: 9A(1)- displaced forwards one 12th note 9A(2) - displaced forwards three 12th notes. 1OA(1)- displaced forwards by one 12th note. 10A(2) - displaced forwards by six 12th notes. Of course all the “A’ examples will produce the more recognisable ‘B’ sound: ® Ex.9A() Ex. 9A(2) D exes rs repo, ee a, = ee ; Ex. 104(1) Ex. 10AQ) Dee 308 4 j Bint, =o ee‘And now some slightly harder 24th note displacements; Ex. 11A() Ex. 112) fh OR Rm Rmmin poping ey Ex. 2AQ) Ex. 2AQ) Dy] exe SER OR eee 7S ee 1 don’t really want to go into 24th note displacements too deeply right now because the permutations are huge, but I do think it's worth studying, especially ifthe tempo is slow. It ccan then be a very useful displacement,CHAPTER 4 Modulation (Type 1 Just as you would ‘Modulate’ from one “key” to another, if you were playing the piano for instance, ‘Rhythmical Modulation’ sounds like you've stepped up into a new tempo. So ‘Modulation is like taking « rythm that is in a different tempo and superimposing it over the one you are currently playing in. It may appear to sound like a tempo change (see Related Tempo) but itis in fact just a different way of grouping the subdivisions. Because ‘we are only creating this (illusionary) effect temporarily it should still be perceived in the first tempo you were playing in. ‘The new illusionary tempo and the old original tempo are linked via a subdivision that's common to both, In the following examples I've only used common subdivisions, (ie. 8th notes, 12th notes ‘and 16th notes) combined with common formulae, (i.e. groups of 3, 4 and 6). Itis important to remember that, while you are “temporarily’ modulating over any groove, ‘you must still know where the original pulse and downbeats are! Try not to get arrested ‘temporarily modulating over an innocent bystander’ or ‘loitering with intent to play something good’. ‘Modulation 1 Too! Box so. = ee‘Whip out the metronome again and set it to 80bpm for Example 13. Written across the top of the pattern is where the metronome clicks (») land. A good ractice technique is to count out loud the beats while you're playing these examples. I'm going to leave out the click marks (¢) from the rest of these exercises, but do make sure you use the metronome when practicing them. Note; On the CD you will occasionally find these examples repeated, s 7 a chanc: context, I felt this helped keep your head in the A Status as well as givin hear them in more interesti (3) Bes ee ee ae ee Ex. 14BSSS estes onesie SAEsFy] Ex 208 DS = =e qe @ um | — eS Ol es Z 2 aaa See: 2 Beata ss a poe ee cse ern eons (5) == 5 :10 of Modulation 1°. First ‘To finish off this Chapter you will find on the CD a ‘Dem« that the bass you'll hear it in a musical setting. (The same as the opening of the CD). Note line stays the same throughout Next you'll hear it with a straight quarter note click only. This is what 1 was listening to when I recorded it, Then you'll hear just the drums on their own. This way you can really be pushed into the B Status and hear all the “Tlusions’ as I intended. —CuaPTER 5 Subdivision - Formula & Spacing SUBDIVISION You might think of this as the *quamtise’ or small “pulses" that make up # bar . For example there are 16 semi-quavers or *16th notes” that make up the “pulses” in a bar of 4/4 , and 8 quavers or “8th notes’ and so on. Here are the first 8 subdivisions; FORMULA A formula isa set patter (a series of notes and rests) that is imposed onto a subdivision. Once imposed the pattem must be adhered to rigidly, even though it may g0 : across the bar lines and against the grain of the rhythm. Here are a few of my hi-hat formulae. (Any of these ‘binary type’ formulae can be ‘multiplied and edited to fit over any subdivision)SPACINGS The idea of these ‘spacings’ are to place the bass drum down bears and snare drum back beats equidistant across your chosen subdivision. (This is the key part 10 ‘making rhythmic illusions! It will make the listener start to recognise a new pattern as a B Status ) Here is a selection of bass drum/snare drum (downbea/backbeat) spacings: Spacings Okay, now let’s think of the Subdiv choose "Memu’ system. jion/Formula/Spacings lists as a kind of pick and For example, pick a Subdivision ( === ) then pick a Formula (# Now we have the following: Ex.27 ‘To tur this into an illusion, let's pick Spacing (#3) from the “Menu’. This is the one ‘which divides every three notes with a bass drum then a snare drum, ic Remember this is only a Spacing and not a Subdivision in itself. Just as a group of three notes doesn't necessarily mean a triplet Your next choice is to either put it into 4/4 (common time) or into a quickly resolving time signature - in this case 3/4. If you decide to play it in 4/4 you will have to either wait longer for it to resolve of its own accord, or play it for as long as you want, and then chop it off or fill in the difference at the end. Anyway, here is our “selected illusion’ using the Subdivision/Formula/Spacing Method: Subdivision Léths Formula #7 Spacing #32 ‘Now here itis again in three bars of 4/4. This time, however, I've added some extra bass drum notes to make it sound more convincing and help seduce the listener into the B Status: Ex. 294 : SS =— = 34 og et a = | [5] x20 (this example looks a litle scary to you | dont worry. There'll be a more detailed FF coplanation ofthis kind of hing ater on in the Rhythmic Scales Chapter, bt for now all I really need to tell you is that, whilst I'm playing EX.30A - I * SING’ to myself the septuplet subdivisions. You should try the same thing t00).Beat Editing ‘Another idea related to this method of ‘rhythmic composition’ is to edit slices of the illusions and make them into one or two bar resolving pattern. ‘Although this will probably ruin any B Status illusion, it may turn up some inspiring patterns, and that can't be a bad thing. (It will also make your bass player happier!) Here is an ‘enhanced’ one and two bar edit of 29A. (I'll call them 29E(1) & 29E(2) ( Edit), 1 will play the first one for you on the CD. @ sew Ex. 29E(2) Anyway, by using this Subdivision/Formula/Spacing Method, you can uncover many exciting illusions and, as T mentioned before, you can generate thousands of combinations, ‘and then you still have the possibility to apply some Beat Editing to your new found illusions! ‘Although I don’t want to spend too much time on the mathematics here - itis a good idea to experiment with some of them and to keep a record of the ones which appeal to you, but T wouldn’t recommend trying to work them all out. You wouldn't have any time left to eat, | let alone play the drums.CHAPTER 6 Modulation Type 2 I call this Modulation Type 2 because we will be dealing with common Subdivisions (Bths, 12ths, 16ths) but, using odd Formulae and Spacings ~ in particular fives and sevens. Here’s the warm up section. ‘Modulation 2 Tool Box Ex.31 This will now form the basis of the following illusions. This next example may seem a little strange but what the illuded listener will actually hear is a very simple, downbeavbackbeat rhythm, only slower g 2 eo .staying with the same Formula ( ) et’ now switch the Spacing of the bass drumlsnaze drum. To make the illusion more obvious, I've putin an extra bass drum note. a Ex. 334 Ons 5 ‘This produces our old friend in the B Status; 9S] B38. ie C8 go And it’s a similar effect with following example; a eu ma ® peek eed Now let's stretch the spacing even further; Ex. 354, {If you play this kind of an illusion during a dance band gig - the bass player will hit you, so please bear in mind the context when you eventually come to display your deceptive powers in publicStaying with fiv Ex. 364 SS ‘There isn’t really a recognisable B Status to this, but because the spacing between the bass drum and snare drum is even, it gives the impression of being something familiar. It’s just little hard to figure it out. Here itis again only this time I've spiced it up a bit Fagg And now in a different subdivision ( ===" = Oe es ee aE ed As you may realise, even though this is written in 15/8 (or triplet 5/4) it will fit into 12/8 (ariplet 4/4) -you just need to keep in your (A Status) mind where the ‘one’ isin 4/4, In fact this is true for all of these examples, but it would have taken up a lot more room to them out in that way. Continuity Note; You can hear EX.38 in bar seven of the upcoming ‘Modulation 2 Demo’ played in a triplet 4/4 format,28 Let's leave fives for now and move onto sevens, Examples 39 and 40 are in a similar vein to examples 33 and 34, but using sevens; a Ex.39A In Example 41A I've taken a seven-note hi-hat Formula with a seven note Spacing to match and then superimposed it across 16th notes in 4/4, A em Rr rem a Ena i En anam, Because it's such a large spacing it takes seven whole bars for it to resolve. When written out, this may appear to be a bit of a mess, but it does present us with an excellent ‘opportunity to do 2 bit of ‘Beat Editing’, ‘You'll notice that writing it out in this manner has ‘thrown up’ some interesting one - and two - bar permutations. For instance, Example 42 (which is basically bar one of Example 41) and Example 43 (bars six and seven of Example 41). I've tampered with them slightly by adding a couple of extra notes here and there just to make it a bit more interestingLet's try a new Formula ( 12/8 subdivision: Again we'll steal a couple of segments to create some new two-bar patterns, Example 45 is basically the second and third bars of Example 444. ‘At this point in the game, we could move up a gear and start displacing these derived rhythms, but I'm going to save that for a later chapter. It does, however, illustrate that by using these methods and thearies you can really kick open a few creative doors. Hopefully you'll view this book as a useful tool for your own endeavours and after trying my examples, find a few of your own derived rhythms. Anyway I'm going to close this Chapter onthe CD with s demonstration of Modulation 2 (@§ ) Tis festres some ofthe Mlusions found here and few others jst for good measure. hope you can sense the feeling of “tension and elas in his piesSwing ‘ve accumulated so many ‘swing-based’ ilusions over the years that I'm going to devole a whole chapter to the subject. First of all, what I mean by ‘swing’ is this: Ex.475 However forall of these following exercises - and to save waiting inal the te triplet signs 1 think it’s easier to read them all n 12/8 (which isthe same as 4/4 triplets) like this; Ex. 43 Iris normal in these instances 10 still have a “count in’ of four beats before the example though. Sometimes you will see swing written like EX. 49 and it's important 19 understand that Pe 5) However ata fast tempo it will sound like EX.49 oo). NTS once u've grasped this type of interpretation notation, sightreadin sboulé automatically aoe cimueh easier. in fact, most “be-bop swing chars are waitten in this manne Ex.49 ce if = Here like before, i a Tool Box of the kindof things that wll help you tackle the following Chapter. (They're good fun too!) Play the Master Teraplate continuously and then just add the bass drum patterns from tbe following exercises. Repeat each bar as many times as you want before maving 0” 10 the nextSwing Tool Box XIN “The Seven Pars! es | v ‘Try to play these tool box pattems as accurately as possible — they will really help you later on Here are some examples to begin with. You'll see that they are labelled in a strange way The ‘A’ still signifies the A Status, but the ‘D’ stands for Displacement because, as I'm sure you've realised, they are just displacements of the previous example. I haven't \written out any B Status examples for the first three, because I didn't think the illusion enough to tun the li was stro if you find them difficult at first, ry play ‘cymbal pattern - then move up to the full Also, don’t bother with the hi-hat foot One final comment on these examples is tha them (slow pattern once you'r art to begin with, add it imo the pattern later on with just a st(You'll notice that on the CD I've voiced the snare drum line of EX.52 on the tom toms. This is to try to make it stand out a little more). Now on with some illusions: ‘This is the first ‘double rhythm’ illusion we've encountered so far. It has two very strong ‘ostinato patterns: the swing ride and the samba bass drum/hi-hat feel. Which one do you feel the strongest leaning towards? | think it’s an interesting exercise to switch your mind from the A Status to the B Status while you're playing this pattern so you can hear both sides of it. Then try switching back ‘and forth in rapid succession until smoke begins to billow from your ears! Just to reinforce the double-sided nature of this illusion, I've added some snare drum yackbeats to Example 54 to make it more obviously ‘swing’, and Example 55A more : atin(On the CD I've recorded EX.55 again frst with a ‘swing’ bass line- and then a ‘latin : bass line, just to show the ‘swing/latin’ illusion as two different ‘grooves’ from a musical point of view. Continuing the ‘double rhythm’ illusion concept for a while, Example 56 features that old favourite the paradiddle voiced underneath the ‘swing’ ride pattern @) Ex. 564 i pe Now, depending on your way of thinking (if I haven't frazzled your brain yet) it's possible to interpret the B Status of these examples as the A Status (and vice verse). Confusingly, this is in fact true, but only because they are “double rhythms’, and you can view both sides of the illusion equally, so just keep taking the tablets and don’t let it worry you. Let’s examine some formulated swing patterns. Firstly featuring the most common accents in a grouping of ‘fives’ (—==—==== ) Anyone who exhibits wanton polyrhythmic urges will probably pick up on this grouping because of its regularity. They should also seek professional medical help immediately!and “3! of every five subdivisions, Notice the bass drum is picking out the accents“ whilst the snare drum is filling in the "2" 4” and “5° Ex. 574 eo Here is the same thing again, but now the bass drum and snare drum lines themselves. I'd probably choose to play the snare part more ‘melodically’ on the tom toms in this instance, (In fact on the CD I did - so there!) ® Ex. 584, i eae => SS Following the same game-plan as the last two exercises, Examples 59A and 60A utilise Notice the the most common accents in a seven note grouping bass drum picks out those accents ‘1" “3° and ‘S' of every seven subdivisions ~ and the snare drum ‘fills in’ the rest of them.CHAPTER 8 jisplacement In this chapter I'll be expanding on the concepts of Internal Displacement, where one line moves and the other remains constant - and Linear Displacement - where whole new patterns evolve as they are moved along through the bar. We'll be placing emphasis on developing them as vehicles for exploring some new creative avenues. Let’s start with some Internal Displacements by off-setting a pattem within a pattern ‘The ride cymbal and bass drum rhythms in Example 61 are both strong latin ostinato patterns, and both give a definite feeling of a quarter note pulse. Ex.61 ai Gt Let's see what happens if we displace just the bass drum line by one 8th note. ees aad LL Gi St an interesting dilemma arises; Are your ears going to stay with the ride pattern, or will they be pulled into a B Status by that bass drum rhythm? | think the ride cymbel pattern is now counterbalanced by the bass/snare/hi-bat assault to @ point where the listener would be fooled into hearing it this way round;Now, let's return to the original ride pattern ( = ) and displace the other elements forward by one 16th note, it in the B Status, Look what’s happened to the ride pattern now we're h Olen. Example 66A treads similar ground, only this time it's been displaced backwards by one 16th @ Ex. 668, HE ‘Taking an earlier example from the Swing Chapter ( displacement to these familiar ‘swing ys latin’ illusions {5 | Which way round (A Status or B Status) did you hear those rhythms’While you're pondering that, let's take a quick look at exactly w! long-suffering click during these type of Modulated/Displaced illusions If you have a metronome (or click source) that can give you a ‘downbeat’ sound, set it to 3/4 at a tempo around 100 bpm to play these next examples; let's displace out first (3/4) pattern forward by one 8th note, Now k Ex.70A = Notice where the ‘downbeat’ click has moved to in Example 70b. Also, check out its movements in the B Status of the following two examples; ee get & Ex. 72A SSS isplacement from another angle. As an advancement from the earlier c displacement, here's an idea for altering 16th note rhythms. ossibilites of pter on Here's one of my old favourite 16th note grooves (with regulary distanced snare drum off-beats. I'm sure you've got plenty of your own like this; ce) af Because every L6th notes filled it means that displacing it doesn’t leave any gaps for you to ‘sniff” through? Which is a big difference from the Displacement Type 1 Chapter Remember Exampl:410 81 are, of course, derivatives of Example 73, but with each one beginning Interestingly enough, each new displacement gives us a new sounding pattern which, in context, would be quite hard to recognise as simply a displaced version of Example 73. Because Example 73 is not a regular patter, its powers of illusion are not as potent when it appears at a new place in the barPersonally, | found all this very useful fo rhythm, For instance, | would probably never have thought of playing Example 78 had I rot worked my way through these displacements first, Because of the way the snare drum backbeats divide up the bar so differently in each displacement, I feel each example as a expanding my vocabulary of this type of comple For anyone sufficiently curious, here isa list of the amount of displacement applied to each of the above e: EX.74 moved forward one 16th EX.75 backwards one 16th EX.76 backwards one Sth EX.77 forward one 8th EX.78 forward three 16ths, EX.79 backwards three 16ths. EX.80 forward one quarter. EX.8I forward five 16ths. Here’s th in, this time taking Example 82 as the ‘master’ pattern. Having two different tom tom voicings, some 32nd notes and open hi-hats, this is a little more involved than the last rhythm - and it all adds up to some tricky manoeuvring when we start displacing. Its in fact, @ pattern I thought of some years ago while recording a track called - rather aptly - ‘It Will Only End In Tears’ for the first Dizrhythmia albumNow that we've got the two "master into a different subdivision — 12/8 fo ees ‘What I find interesting here is that although these displacements and modulated displacements seem quite hard to play, all you're in fact doing is playing an old,familiar Thythm, but placing it in an new unfamiliar part of the brain. The relationship between the notes in the pattern hasn't changed ata Of course the rea! fun begins when you start displacing these (now modulated) patterns in 12/8. But the point I’m really trying to Displacement, Modulation, make is that by applying c ‘ormula, Spacing and Beat Editing to your own rhythms, the creative possibilities become, li more th: “master patterns’ of mine, we've already explored 17 usable extensions. alone, that’s barely the tip of the iceberg, lly, boundless, With nothCHAPTER 9 Related Tempo ‘There is a certain affinity between (rhythmic) ‘Modulation’ and ‘Related Tempo’. Th are similar in that they can both be connected (A Status to B Status) via a specific subdivision When playing a pattern in a certain tempo, it is possible to move up or down (dare I say modulate?) to a new, pre-determined tempo, Sometimes the time signature will change as well. However, this is where ‘Modulation’ and ‘Related Tempos’ differ. The temporary nature of a Modulation is such that, if you were playing an illusion for only a bar or two, it ‘would be best to keep to the original time signature and tempo (as in the A Status). ‘Related Tempos’, on the other hand, follow the “fee!” of each ‘modulated illusion’ and adjust the time signature accordingly. In other words, your mind actually changes along with the new pulse of the ‘illusion’ into the B Status. The B Status becomes the new tempo. ‘The change in tempo can easily be measured, and is usually stated, at the beginning of the new barlinee.g. d=) It’s often the case that a Related Tempo change can be written as a Rhythmic Modulation in an A Status, but this would quickly become messy and fairly pointless if the tempo didn’t return to it’s original format I find Related Tempos much less fun than ‘Modulation’ (and afterall; we're only here for fun right?) so I'm only going to tackle them briefly. It is good to have a clear ‘understanding of them though, and I feel they are well worth a mention. In the following example you'll see some very familiar patterns. At the beginning of each new bar line you'll also find @ key showing how to ‘relate’ (in subdivision) to the next new tempo. Set the ever faithful click to 138 bpm just for a count in and then turn it off. (You can, of course, repeat each bar as many times as you wish before moving on to the next)Let's take @ closer look at what's actually going to happen from bar to bar From bar 1 to bar 2 you'll see: ‘Sth = 8th’. Because the hi-hat is already playing 6th notes you are only going to have to change the bass drum and snare drum spacing. From bar 2 to bar 3, the hi-hat changes to half of its original speed: “quarter = Sth Bar 3 to bar 4: the hi-hat plays at 2/3 of its speed: three 16ths = one 8th. ‘Bar 4 to bar 3: the hi-hat 8th notes(of bar 4) become the new ‘four-in-a-bar’ swing pulse(in bar 5). Reset your internal subdivision to triplets Bar § to bar 6: the ‘swing triplets’ become the new 16ths: “Triplet Sth = 16th’ Bar 6 to bar 711s a straightforward ‘Sth=8th’ so only the time signature changes here. Bar7 to bar 8: the small 16th notes (in bar 7) are the same as the 8th note triplets in bar 8 Bar 8 to bar 9: the hi-hat line stays atthe same speed, If you tum the metronome back on atthe end of the exercise, the tempo should be exactly the same as the beginning!“4 Here we see the same exercise written from a ‘Rhythmic Modulation” point of view, i. all in the same time signature: ‘To my twisted mind, Example 93 appears to be the A Status of Example 92 (and Example 92 the B Status of Example 93). Confused? Well, have a few runs through both and everything should become clearer. Note that in Example 93 you will occasionally see some dotted lines running through the middle of a bar. This is simply 10 illustrate a new pattern beginning at a place other than the start of a bar. ‘Atttimes, it may be necessary to “Relate” a tempo change by some odd looking *key’ Ge JQ.) J) asin this next example. It looks weird, but at least it gives an accurate ‘way of ‘pitching’ the approaching tempo. Ex.94 Continuity Note; bar two of EX.94 is the same as EX.32:ze a j | i i i i : CHAPTER 10 Rhythmic Scales & Polyrhythmic Groupings Now it's time to get into some of the mathematics behind allthis suff ‘The following scales are, of course, the very foundation of understanding subdivision and developing good time keeping. They are often overlooked and some of the more odd subdivisions (5, 7, 10, 11, etc.) ean come as a nasty surprise if you're not properly prepared. Because these are ‘uncommon subdivisions’ you may think they have little use. ‘The fact is, leaning to cope with them will give you a better understanding of note values and will help you no end when you go back to playing the straight stuf. Example 95 s the most basic scale (subdivisions over one). Try playing it very slowly ‘and remember that the tempo must remain the same throughout. Since the aim is to achieve smooth, accurate changes of subdivision, it’s vital that you practice this to a click. As a practice suggestion, try playing each bar several times until you feel completely comfortable with it. If, when you move onto the next bar it’s a bit shaky, try going back and forth between the two bars until you can ‘pitch’ both subdivisions with confidence then move on, This first scale is by far the most important because once you've mastered it you should be able to derive any polyrhythm from i. Ex. 95 MM = 40-48bpm = 246 This next scale (subdivisions over two) shows just how easy polyrhythmic groupings are ‘once you ‘cracked’ the first scale Ex. 96 38pm =+ 3 If you wanted to know how to play 3 over 2, you would (with reference to the first scale) make 3 over 1 twice (giving you 6 over 2) and then play every other note, as in bar 3 of Example 96. ‘Okay, thats the rule, let's see how it works in practice by applying it to a bit of an odd one = 5 over 3 First, make all the small subdivisions: (which is basically 5 over 1 three times). and then whilst ‘singing’ quintuplets to yourself pick out every third stroke on the snare drum; Ex. 98 eS sores equal beats across a bar of 3/4)Now let's tackle 7 over 4. So like we did before we'll take four groups of sevens and pick out every fourth subdivision on the snare drum,This time ‘sing’ the (eptupl septuplets to yourself (Example100A); over 4 (7 equal beats across a bar of 4/4 But wait a minute, what would happen if we turned it around (upside down, to be precise) and created a kind of B Status out of this? Afterall. if you heard the snare drum and bass drum in jsolation, chances are you'd hear it like this [S| ex. 1008 =F 4 over 7 (4 equal beat across a bar of 7/4,In my view, the method behind (EX.100A and 100B) are the best nwo ways to work out and play ‘polyrhythmic groupings’. The first - (Example 100) seems to make the most logical sense to me if you are playing in 4/4,and you need to make seven equal notes, ‘across a bar, but the second - (Example 100B) is the easiest way to learn how the polyrhythm sounds. They both produce the same sound of course, but one is 7 over 4 (EX.100A), and the other is 4 over 7 (EX.100B). Here’s 2 couple of examples so you can see What I mean: First the grouping we were looking at a moment ago; a Ex. 101A 69) Ft} 5 sees Sopctbeas arr aro 16) Then as a B Status ; Ex. 1018, (2) 1 FF 3 over § (3 equal beats across a bar of SH) Dover 4/ 9 equal beats across a bar ~ of 44) FI oe ices over 9/4 equal beats across a PSS SSS ty ‘And now - just to tip the chapter completely over the edge, for your amusement and delight, here is 21 over 4 ; To every click pulse I’m singing 21 subdivision notes - (actually three groups of seven) - to myself, and then just picking out every forth note on the snare drum, DEX 103A, 2 over4) I'm sure it’s much easier to hear it in the B STATUS ike this This works particularly well when played every four bars during a cover of “Tie a Yellow Ribbon’. Try it at your next gig.CuapTER 11 Modulation 3 Modulation Type 3 is all about using odd subdivisions like fives and sevens (quintuplets ‘and septuplets) and forms the basis for the following illusions, but first, here's the ‘Modulation 3 Tool Box | RERRLRLLRERRLRLLAERR LRLLRLRRLRLLBLRRLRLL | Tee outa c esi rs = 8This is how a bar of 4/4 quintuplets feels with a bass drum and snare drum equally spac across it; Ex, 104 = The following example is a shuffle formula (in quintuplets). Strangely enough, this was the first ‘Modulation 3° illusion I ever wrote down. (Christmas Day 1987). Funny the effect Christmas can have on you some years. Notice where the click (7) moves to when we view it in the B Status, In Example10SB the click is clearly marking out 3 over 5. Here, in ‘fives’ again, is a straight rock beat; cD Ex. 1064 In Example 106B the click is marking out 4 over 5 - (remember all this stuff from the Rhythmic Scales Chapter?). It shows us that in one way or another, all the concepts in this bbook are strangely interlinked.Onto something a little more funky; And here’s a very famous shuffle groove; 2 Ex, 108A When turning these ‘Modulation 3° patterns (and some previous ones too) into the B Status, I've chosen to write them out in a ‘strange ’ time signature (relative 10 the pattern). There are two reasons for this: 1) because it was the quickest way to resolve the illusion in the smallest amount of bars without using time signature changes, and 2) because it was the easiest way to show how the B Status relates (bar to bar) to the A Status,re uw i Of course, a much more realistic way of hearing Example 108 in the B Status would be thi ] Ex. 108B(2) apie However, I don’t intend to write the rest of them out in this manner. (Enter herds of angry drummers demanding a refund on a B Status technicality!) Anyway, on with some more illusions; Now let's look at some septuplet (=== ) based illusions: 8 =H Ex. 1114[5] exe Ex, 138 2 = Think ies alone. es polential for ineriry thousands of permutations of this idea ws I'm going to finish off this section with the polyrhythm 7 over 3 (as described in bar 7 of 199) as a basic hi-hat use a really big nine ‘spacing’ ) So let's see what we end up with:wo Now let’s go back and work on the ‘double rhythms’ Do you remember this illusion from the Swing Chapter? Ex. 115A Iti in fact the subdivision — fives, or to give ther wo Aad uu Because these are “double rhythms’ there are two obvious versions of the B Status i Gepending on whether you hear it as °swi Example ; 116B (2)) (Example 116B (1)) of as ‘latin56 Next we'll try putting the same illusion across septuplets; You'll notice that the B Status is exa the same as the previous example 116B(1) and Q).; i ; CHAPTER 12 Master Exercises |As you'll have realised by now, the Rhythmic Illusion possibilities are, in fact, endless and in consequence I've developed some “Master Exercises’ in Displacement and Modulation. In the first Master Exercise you'll find a regular hi-hat pattem with a displacement of the same pattern voiced directly beneath it on the snare drum: (Note; on the CD I play these exercises on two hi hats panned in stereo for clarity. Also, 1 count ‘four’ into all the exercises regardless of the time signature). Master Ex. 1 a — = ay for wea ractising these. ‘The second exercise follows the same kind of ‘mirrored’ displacement, but with a smaller pattern; Master Ex. 2 Foes Now let's look at these two exercises again, but this time modulated into triplets, quintuplets and septuplets. (Once you become comfortable with these exercises, try adding in the bass drum and play ‘quarter notes along with the click.) Master Ex. 3 eS Master Ex. 4 a see ea Master Ex. 6‘Now let's run through the pairs of exercises together, but note how, at the half-way point, the hi-hat line switches to the snare drum line and the snare drum line switches to the hi- hat. In other words, the sticking becomes inverted s oa Se(Note; you may want to try voicing the exercises between a hand and a foot or between both feet if you are a doublebass drum player. Experiment with the pattems and sec what you can come up with). Moving on, let's take a look at the Master Modulation Exercise. We have here a list of Patterns Types (recognisable grooves) and a list of subdivisions, The Pattern Types are made up of two equal groupings of notes. There is a bass drum downbeat at the beginning of each first group, and a snare dram backbeat atthe start of teach second group. (Pattern type 3 is the exception here because it's @ swing rhythm with hi-hat off-beats at the start of the second group only) The numbering of t grouping c ‘pattern types’ corresponds to the amount of beats in each Note:The Pattern Types are without time signatures (you'll see why later meant specifically to be thought of in 8th notes. They are only meant to b groupings.(A bit like a formula - just read them as note to strucPattern Types ‘Okay, here’s the plan. Set your click running at, say 120bpm, then take the #3 (tril Subdivisions “> ) and while singing these triplets to yourself, begin to play the #3, Pattern Type. So far so good. Next, without stopping, play the #8 Pattem Type (still singing the triplet subdivision to yourself). Now, you'll have to repeat this at least three times frit to resolve back tothe start of the pattem with the click because i's going to go right across the triplets This is because you are now playing groups af four(the #4 pattern) over a triplet Then move onto the #5 Pattern Type - again you'll have to play this one at least three times for it to resolve back to the start ofthe pattern together with the click.(On the CD I played it six times) This time you are playing groups of five (ie the #3 pattern) over triplet subdivisions Carry on moving through the pattern types consecutively, playing each one as many times as you wish - as Jong as it resolves back with the click before moving on to the next pattem type, Sometimes it will have to be a multiple of three - just to Because the nature of this exercise is fairly complex, I'll be going through this procedure onthe CD, > 'd like you to try these exercises just by look and repeati tthe pattern types against the click, rather than me writing out the whole thing as an A Status. However, if this is too confusing at first, here’s the #3 subdivision version of the pattern types in a kind of ‘long-hand’ A Status= ‘Master Modualtion EX. 3 (Triplet subdivisions 472) SS SSsenate a (You may notice thar there is no M.M. EX.1 or EX.2, this is because I wanted the exercise numbers to be the same as the subdivision sizes - I think it's easier to understand that way). It’s quite a mind-teaser, but if you can manage to play this from just reading the pattem types and without referring tothe ‘long-hand-writen’ version of master modulation EX.3, T'im sure the Queen of England will come and give you a badge or something! ‘We'll progress to the next phase of this exercise by playing through exactly the same list Of pattern types, only this time we'll be switching up to the next Subdivision: ( ==>) l6ths, Set your click to around 110bpm, and here again isthe ‘long-hand’ I'd rather you didn’t have to refer to; it would be far better if you had it mapped out in your head — you'll notice that I've played all the patter types at least four times each, (Sometimes eight) ‘Master Modulation EX.4 (16th note subdivisions)ness i RRA SAE SA eS nto yes ea aaa Hopefully my ramblings haven't distracted you too much and you'll be able to camry on ‘with the rest of this exercises. In each new exercise play through the same list of pattern types using a new subdivision each time. Just to recap the whole idea: You'll get to play seven recognisable groupings across the ‘most commonly used seven subdivisions. This will produce eve ‘Type in every ‘Modulation in every Displacement. It's quite an exercise! rm not going to write out any more ‘Iong hand” A Status type of examples for you because I really want you to try and play them from just reading the Pattern Type lis. Se.we'lleamy on moving pte saison st on te CO wit the 3 Fives ubvison = Master Modulation EXS ® Sixies subdivision= Master Modulation EX.6 a (G3) Sevens subdivisions Master Modulation EX? Eights subdivision= Master Modulation EX.8 (not on the CD), a (63) Nie sven: Maser Malton BES “The backing track of Master Modulation EX.9 uses the two most popular, combinations of ‘nine’, First the keyboard plays these kind of accents‘and then the bass comes in wi = this makes an D effect. (But more of interesting contrast with the evolving drum ps that kind of thing in the next book! Anyway one fou've got to grips with the entire exercise, you might want to chan, pattem types. Try to come up with your own set of with them ~ maybe you already have, b luck! -ooves (pattern types) and experiment list. Good justin ease, here is an alter Alternative Pattern List| i ez CHAPTER 13 Miscellaneous Developments | feel that the most important aspect of all the examples in Rhythmic Ilusions is to understand how to derive your own patterns from these concepts. ‘While I was preparing material for this book a few miscellaneous ideas developed for rhythms from previous chapters. The method of Rhythmic Composition however, is far ‘more important than the actual rhythms themselves. Examples 118 and 119 can be seen as relatives ofthe first Master Exercise from the previous chapter. ‘The hi-hat and snare drum lines are mirrored displacements of each other, and Example 118 has a funky bass drum line and snare accents added to it “The idea for the next two examples comes from the ‘double rhythms’ of Example 56 in the Swing Chapter. If you refer back to that example you'll find a paradiddle voiced between the snare and bass drum, with a ride cymbal pattem on top. In other words, an obvious grouping of *four' (the snare drum and bass drum) and ‘three’ (the ride cymbal) Example 120 features the paradiddle between the hi-hat and snare dn “four") over a displaced shuffle bass drum pattern (a grouping of "thr‘And now we'll fill in the “hole” in the bass drum part with a pedalled hi hat part: (Note: Make sure all the parts line up together so there are no flams between any of the For the next few examples I had been messing around with a very pointed (Linear type) formula of ten notes, and voiced it across the hi-hat, bass drum and snare drum, here's the formula; Ex.122 then I edited it into a two bar pattern of 4/4, Of course, you'll have to trim it off at the cend so it can resolve in the two bars Ex. 123 = Ty a “This sounds rather jagged though, so let's smooth out the bass drum hits to sing ‘and fill in all the gaps with ghosted snare notes: i) Ex. 124 Now lets expand the idea a little more with these nine note formula: Ex. 125 1 Here’s the first wo formulae edited into two bar grooves Ex. 126 (1) || | 2s cate SSE Ex16d) = a = = sae! = Se Ss. a a =. It would be very easy at any point to consider Displacing any of these pattems, so here is Example 126(If) moved backwards one 8th note: (D=Displaced). Ex. 126 (IDD_ — —_ = =. Ses eS = Let's have some fun with the (II) formula, Here itis first of al edited into two bars of la; | 6 Ex. 126 (1) = 2 ‘And now lets alternate the bass drum line with the pedalled hi-hat; Ex. 127 1 think you'll have realised by now that there is enormous potential for Displacement with these patterns in their current subdivision, but there are even greater possibilities for Modulating them into other subdivisions, and to further displace them in those new subdivisions. In fact, with these kind of equations it would be possible to fill books and ‘books simply with permutations of this; B= —— ‘but what would be the point? I like to think of these concepts as a means to an end; & way to expand your rhythmical knowledge. I don't think there’s any harm in working. things out mathematically to find solutions, or even just to search out new patterns, but please don't you get to the point where you feel compelled to work out all the possible permutations.{thought it would be a nice idea to close the CD with a ‘real’ piece of music written by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin called “New Jerusalem’, I only have room to really show Rhythmic Illusion’ section at the end of the song, but it does show th ‘now and then, there are opportunities to actually use these compositions. This was a perfect time for ‘mad” end to their nine and a half; following ‘Illusion’ -oples illusion because they were looking for a ‘minute epic and I was able to come up with th New Jerusalem You may notice that the (modulated) pattem get here is the basic B STATUS of the illusion sé ‘Displaced’ half way through, anywayCHAPTER 14 Ausical Considerations Thope Rhythmic Hlusions has given you some food for thought, and that you'll consider it The examples I've presented in the book are meant to be viewed as demonstrations of th concepts I'm trying to convey; concepts that should be used to expand your own rhythms ‘and ideas — if you only play my demonstrations, you're going to end up sounding @ bit like me. And that's not a good idea! Hopefully the book will have shown you how to look in depth at the way you play and, pethaps more significantly, at the way you think about rhythm. I know I've learnt ‘or two about ‘placement’ by trying to make all my limbs play together when supposed to. In a sense, I've been trying to work from the inside out, dealing with the perception of rhythm more than the physical aspect of just beating the drums. [feel that a lot of us have come beyond the bare rudiments stuff now, and are maybe looking for something a bit more challenging, And, more importantly, something to get the old creative juic flowing, | don’t think there is anything physically difficult to play in the book, the hard part ~ and by far the most rewarding ~ is achieving the triumph of mind over matter. double bass drum My final word is this: After you've practiced your rudiments, reading solos, cowbell arpeggios (maybe even some rhythmic illusions) and you're out on your zig, session or whatever itis you do, don’t be a slave to your technique, play for the music, If the music calls for a litte rhythmic chicanery, your good taste and judgement should let just the right amount shine through, Please don't, whatever you do, try to jam it in every couple of bars like I've done in the demonstrations on the CD. Be musical, and play from the heart. Gavin HarrisonMy thanks to; Joe Testa, Simon Braund, Ronan Macdonald, Dave Stewart, Barbara Gaskin, Bill Bruford, Ronald Spagnardi, Simon Harrison, (for their help and ‘encouragement in the making of this book). George Fredericks-Pearl Drums, Bob Wiczling-Zildjian Cymbals, Jerome Marcus-Vie Firth Sticks, lan Croft-Latin Pereussion.-In the UK. Freddie Adamson, Joe Hodson, Paul Brodie, Dave Cutler (my teachers in the early days) Martin Elliot (the bass player who use to grit his teeth whilst I tried this stuff out on him!) and mostly my mother Audrey (who would cheerfully sit ironing in the next room whilst Tuse to practice the drums for hours on end at home). ‘Some notes about the CD; All music composed, performed, recorded and edited by Gavin Harrison, except; “NEW JERUSALEM” by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin, and “CALL OF THE MOMENTOUS MANGO" by Martin Elliott. Many thanks to them, You may notice that I have not recorded all of the examples on the CD. 1 didn't feel it necessary to do them all, only the ones which I felt were significantly different or held some special interest. All photography: Andrew McCabe Warmer Bros. Publications U.S. Inc has included audio extracts from the recordings of NEW JERUSALEM" by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin and “CALL OF THE MOMENTOUS MANGO" by Martin Elliot as a part of the Audio Component of Gavin Harrison's book “RHYTHMIC ILLUSIONS”. ‘These recordings may only be used in connection with "RHYTHMIC ILLUSIONS”, and ‘may not be broadcast, reproduced or sold separately without the written permission of the composers “NEW JERUSALEM” by Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin is from the CD “The Big Idea! (Rykodise RCD 20172), licensed from Broken Records, LONDON. MrStewart & Ms. Gaskin may be contacted at; Broken Records, PO Box 4416, LONDON SW19 8XR. ENGLAND. All Rights Reserved “Modulation 2 Demo’ which features the bass line from Martin Elliot's ‘CALL OF THE MOMENTOUS MANGO’. All Rights Reserved. GAVIN HARRISON may be contacted via Email; gav @drumset.demon.co.uk NO SAMPLING OF ANY KIND IS PERMITTED FROM ANY PART OF ‘RHYTHMIC ILLUSIONS’About te Author Gavia Harmsons based in eealu le tet ate paabcoiuee yal Cigsieuiuei seuss eri tclithine, au Monae tice Autie ey diies “iene fups ese uu |e! raat sits te nda ge eT sus) ee Me uifsee pu sinasl anny Piyrimic scales andipearteplacemient ite isdoneunan easy aud sysientat