Two-over-Five Variations The easiest way to think about a two-over-five polyrhythm is that you have two equally spaced notes across five beats. If we use 5/4 as a foundation, the quarter note naturally implies our layer of five. To play two equally spaced notes over that foundation, we’ll cut a 5/4 measure into two equal pieces. We can’t cut five in half evenly, so instead of thinking about quarter notes, let’s think about an 8th-note subdivision. There are ten 8th notes that we can cut in half perfectly throughout a measure of 5/4. Exercise 1 puts two-over-five in the context of a beat. Quarter notes on the bass drum represent our layer of five. The snare drum plays every fifth 8th note to give us our layer of two. Ghost notes, a snare buzz stroke, and an open hi-hat embellish the beat. Concentrate on the kick and snare accents to […]

November 2019 Issue