Beginner's Corner: Beat and Rhythm

As you can see, two of my grandsons love beating on the pots and pans drumming wall!

Teaching piano students to count the rhythm while they're practicing or just having them use a metronome can be a bit challenging at times. As musicians, we know it's so important to play the rhythm correctly. Here's a few points to consider.

Beat is the steady pulse in music, like the "tick-tocks" on the clock. The beat can be fast or slow, but it always stays the same and steady (unless the composer asks you to start speeding up or slowing down). Most commonly the beat is a quarter note, but it can be an eighth note or a half note.

4/4   F, F, F, F
        1  2   3  4

Rhythm is the pattern of short and long notes in a piece. It is the combination of all the different note values, such as half notes or quarter notes. The rhythm of a melody has to fit into the steady beat.

4/4  F, FF, F
       1  2     3 4

Counting the Beat

Counting the beat will help you play rhythms correctly. It is a little tricky to count while playing (especially counting out loud), but it gets much easier with practice!

1. Start with short pieces that use very simple rhythms, such as quarter and half notes. First just count the beat while looking at the music. As you say each beat (number) move your eyes over the measure.

2. Count the beat and clap the rhythm. (You clap the notes - quarter notes, eighth notes etc. that you see in the music while counting 1 2 3 4 or however many beats are in the time signature.)

3. When you get good at this, play the example while counting out loud.

Try these examples. For each one the beats are under the notes, as shown in the first example. Clap the rhythm while counting and then play and count out loud.

1. 4/4  C  E  FG  A / GF ED CG C

            1  2  3     4  / 1     2     3    4

2.  3/4  F    EF / BC F F

            12  3   /  1    2 3

3.  2/4  AD  BG  / AE  D

             1     2     /  1     2

4.  3/8  D  G  B  / C  B

            1    2   3 / 12  3

Intermediate Rhythm

If you are an intermediate player, you might want to play along with this chord chart, Bruce Hornsby's song, That's Just The Way It Is.

4 bars drums

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / x2

Am7              Em7  

Standing in line marking time

D               Cadd9          G

Waiting for the welfare dime

D                       Cadd9

'Cause they can't buy a job

Am7                      Em7  

The man in the silk suit hurries by

D                      Cadd9          G

As he catches the poor ladies' eyes

D                           Cadd9

Just for fun he says "get a job"

Chorus

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     Somethings will never change,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C               Cadd9           

////    ////    ///     Ah, but don't you believe them.

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 /

They say, hey little boy you can't go where the others go

'Cause you don't look like they do

Said hey old man how can you stand

To think that way did you really think about it

Before you made the rules he said, Son

Chorus

Solo

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / x5

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

Well they passed a law in '64

To give those who ain't got a little more

But it only goes so far

Because the law don't change another's mind

When all it sees at the hiring time

Is the line on the color bar

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

Solo

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / to fade

Advanced Rhythm

The ability to play cross rhythms easily is an essential part of a pianist's advanced technique. Yes, it can be acquired at an early age. Before a student attempts to play a cross rhythm, he must first be able to divide a steady beat into two, three or four equal parts. Practice clapping pairs of quavers, then triplets, then finally groups of four semiquavers.

Oh, now you can see and hear the beating of the drum from a 2 year old and 7 year old!!

Drums from Hear and Play is a great dvd resource for your library. Also, you can check out some music articles of mine if you're interested:

Rhythm-in-Music

Syncopation-Workshop-of-Rhythm

Triplets-Vs-Eighth-Notes

Blessings,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Miking The Drums

There is no great trick to making a set of drums sound like a well-tuned, punchy, solid drum set. Properly well-tuned, well-played drums coupled with good songwriting and solid engineering will always record the best. 
Miking The Kick:

The best way to find the perfect spot is to listen in the control room while your assistant moves the microphone around. As the drummer plays the kick drum, you listen for the sweet spot - you will know it when you hear it. When you hear it, tell the assistant to stop. that is the best starting point.
For a heavier rock sound, you might put the microphone a few inches from the inner head, then baffle off the kick drum. For a more jazzy sound, you might leave the front bass drum head on, then place the microphone a short distance from the front head in a more open environment. Don't underestimate the importance of a good kick drum sound. It carries the downbeat of the music. This is what people dance to.

Miking The Snare Drum:

A loud snare drum's high transients mean that a dynamic microphone may work best. Start by aiming the microphone across the drum head toward the center of the drum where the stick meets the head. Keep the microphone about an inch above the rim. Maybe aim the microphone off center to eliminate some of the click and to coax more of the tonality from the drum. Listen and move the microphone to suit your needs. Aim the snare microphone off-axis to the high-hat to minimize leakage.

Miking The Tom-Toms:

Dynamic microphones work well on close-miked tom-toms where the player hits hard. Condenser microphones sound good on less aggressive styles, as they capture the player's rich subtleties and dynamics. Close-miked condensers may overload.
If possible, use the largest capsule microphones on the lowest tom-toms. Pull the microphones back some to capture resonance from the tom-toms that may be lost with close-miking. The farther away they are, the more the rest of the drums affect the sound, picking up more of the bulk of the drum. The tom-toms won't lose as much low resonance through the floor.
Lower the ringing in the toms by tossing a handful of cotton balls inside the toms. Ringing decreases depending on how many balls are tossed in. Even properly tuned toms can ring out. Try hanging the drummer's stick bag off of the side of the floor tom to reduce rattle.

Tips I've learned from drummer friends and sound teams along the way, to share with you that great sounds can be gotten with a few microphones!

Great resources I have recommended to my drummer:

Play Drums by Ear





All the best,
LadyD

Learn The Secrets To Playing The Drums by Ear

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