Last time (November 2012), we continued our study of two-hand polyrhythmic coordination by playing a five-note base rhythm with one hand while adding one to eight evenly spaced notes over the top with the other hand. This month we’re using a six-note base rhythm in the left hand. Practice these polyrhythms the same way as before, playing each bar at least four times before moving on. When you’ve reached the eight-note right hand rhythm, go backward until you return to one note per bar. You can also jump randomly from one right-hand rhythm to another. If you haven’t mastered the first three parts of this article series, you might want to check them out first for clearer instruction on how to practice the ideas. When you get to the five-over-six measure, notice that the spaces between the second and fifth notes of the five are the same distance from the […]

February 2013 Issue