Polyrhythm and syncopation

[CARMEN77]

So can anyone define both these terms and maybe give me a tabbed example?

I was browsing the meshuggah forum and I found a posting with a bunch of diffrent odd time signature beats. http://www.tandjent.com/meshforum/viewtopic.php?t=6128 . Im pretty intrested in learning how to play in odd meters. Would learning some of those beats posted be benifical?

[CARMEN77]

2nd post by the way...

[Motleyguy]

I can give you the definition of syncopation. That is playing an accent on a stroke that isn't on the beat.

So if you had, for example, a bar of 4/4

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +


If you accented any of the "+" it would be syncopated.

[Jezen]

Polyrhythm - More than one rhythm being played at the same time.

Syncopation - Accents in places where you wouldn't usually expect them. Think funk.

[CARMEN77]

Anyone look at that post on the forum? It has a listing of odd time signature beats...

[BSU_53]

but odd time sigs and beats dont necessarily make polyrhythms, although they may very well be syncopated. My favorite polyrhythm is a 5:3 poylrhythm played in 5/4 time. I learned it from the song Toogs by Bill Stewart. All a polyrhythm means is that if you start two different rhythms they dont repeat at the same time, however after a certain amount of bars they catch back up to each other so that you actually do have some form of uniform rhythm. So like the 5:3 polyrhythm will repeat after 3 beats of the slower rhythm and 5 beats of the faster rhythm, which will mark the beginning of a new 5/4 bar.

[CARMEN77]

Im kinda confused I guess. Anyone know some good resources for someone trying to learn polyrhythm's and Syncopation on a drum set? I trying playing a 5/8 on my kit and it sounded pretty rad, Its kinda hard to get my limbs to think for themselves though. I have a teacher right now but im thinking about quiting, I dont really like this teaching method/approach.

[genesisdrummer91]

whats his teaching method/approach?

[LittlePound]

syncopation is basically, in 4/4, accenting anything but the quarter notes. Polyrthyms is basically, i guess you could say, playing one time signature on top of another. Say you hit the snare three times and your small tom three times, but at the same time with your other hand you hit your floor tom four times and then your mid tom four times. Essentially that would be a polyrythm becuase one rhthym would end and start again before the other one was completed.
What's wrong with your teacher that you don't like about him, expand on what his approach is and why you don't like it.

[CARMEN77]

He likes to brag about himself/his kit, wastes alot of time during lessons, moves to slow, doesnt have any resources, asked me to learn a song(I dont understand why I would learn a song for him? Most of the stuff I wanna play is stuff I cant...), and when I gave him a song to learn he ignored my request. He gave me a page of back beats and sticking exersises which I can learn at home.

[CARMEN77]

Also when I asked him what syncopation was he gave me a dictionary definition and told me that was later down the road...It seems like he is delaying everything for some reason? Last lesson I went to he didnt even give me anything new. Whats the point of going to lessons? I can just sit down and play through a book or something.

[LittlePound]

i see, is this guy an amateur or is he a professional teacher?

[CARMEN77]

He majored orchestral drumming and hes an amateur teacher, im pretty sure. He told me played for 14 years or so though.Should I try to find another teacher?

[LittlePound]

i dunno, by ameteur i meant friend or someone who was teaching you. If you really don't like the guy, sure find someone new. It's hard to learn when you're not enjoying it and when you don't feel he's "qualified" to be teaching. It's really up to you

[BSU_53]

Yeah dude, your paying for the lessons, if your not satisfied...get the hell outta there and find someone worthwhile.