From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: Rhythm
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Polyrhythms (two rhythms at once)
From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: Rhythm
Polyrhythms (two rhythms at once)
- One of the most creative ways to use rhythm in your songwriting is to fuse two different rhythms together into one. This is called creating a polyrhythm. Let me show you a quick and simple example that my grandfather showed me when I was a kid. He was an incredible piano player and had a great sense of rhythm. As a kid I called this exercise knuckling. Little did I know that my grandfather was simultaneously teaching me how to develop independence between my two hands. That is the ability to play two different rhythms at the same time. One rhythm per hand. As well as show me how to create a polyrhythm. Here's the exercise. Try it at home. One hand plays a triplet pattern and the other plays doublets. Three over two or two over three depending on how you look at it or count it. Let's try it and I'll count it out. (drum beats) One, two, one, two, one, two, one two One, two, one, two, one, two, three one, two, three, one, two, three one, two, three, one. Simple but not as simple as you…
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