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What Is A Polyrythm

A polyrhythm is created when two or more rhythms are played simultaneously at the same tempo but with different rhythmic patterns. Polyrhythms are named using an X-over-Y formula where X is the counter rhythm and Y is the basic pulse. This document explains how to create a 3-over-4 polyrhythm by (1) setting the number of counts or bars for the basic pulse based on Y, (2) subdividing each count based on X, and (3) setting the counter rhythm that repeats every Y note. Examples are provided to illustrate the process and show that polyrhythms can have different rhythmic patterns for the basic pulse and counter rhythm.

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192 views

What Is A Polyrythm

A polyrhythm is created when two or more rhythms are played simultaneously at the same tempo but with different rhythmic patterns. Polyrhythms are named using an X-over-Y formula where X is the counter rhythm and Y is the basic pulse. This document explains how to create a 3-over-4 polyrhythm by (1) setting the number of counts or bars for the basic pulse based on Y, (2) subdividing each count based on X, and (3) setting the counter rhythm that repeats every Y note. Examples are provided to illustrate the process and show that polyrhythms can have different rhythmic patterns for the basic pulse and counter rhythm.

Uploaded by

anrihm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A polyrhythm is a combination of two or more rhythms played simultaneously while moving at

the same linear tempo. So generally speaking, two rhythms are considered a polyrhythm if the
number one is their only common divisor. In this free drum lesson, Dave Atkinson explains
what’s a polyrhythm and shows you how a polyrhythm sounds on the drum set.

Each polyrhythm is named after a formula that lets you know exactly how the different rhythms
relate to each other. The formula is the following: X-over-Y or X:Y. X is called the counter
rhythm and Y is called the basic pulse. For helping you develop a good understanding of how this
formula works, we’ll take a look at two practical examples and methodologies (A and B) for
coming up with polyrhythms, by using a 3-over-4 polyrhythm as our test subject.

Polyrhythms – Step 1: Setting A Number Of Counts/ Bars & The Basic Pulse

Example A: Use Y as the number of counts over which you’ll play the polyrhythm, before its
various rhythms line up on the following count 1. Since on a 3-over-4 polyrhythm Y is 4, the
polyrhythm will have to be played over four counts. For demonstration purposes, we notated the
basic pulse on the bass drum line from the sheet music below.

Example B: Alternatively, you can use Y as the number of bars over which you play the
polyrhythm, before its various rhythms line up on a count 1. Since Y is 4, the polyrhythm has to
be played over four bars before it loops. The methodology followed on example B is actually the
approach we’ll be following during this whole series of free drum lessons on polyrhythms.

Polyrhythms – Step 2: Subdividing Each Count/ Bar With X

Example A: The X tells us exactly in how many notes we’ll have to subdivide each count to play
the counter rhythm. Because X is 3 in a 3-over-4 polyrhythm, each count will be subdivided into
three notes, that is, into 8th note triplets. The 8th note triplets are notated on the hi-hat line from
the sheet music below.
Example B: If you used Y to set the number of bars, X will define the number of counts per bar
and the number of notes you’ll subdivide each count with, to play the counter rhythm. Since X is
3, each bar has three counts that are subdivided into 8th note triplets. This means we’ll have four
bars of 3/4 odd-time.

Polyrhythms – Step 3: Setting The Counter Rhythm Over The Basic Pulse

Finally, for either example, repeat a rhythm each Yth note of the 8th note triplets. This is the
counter rhythm to the basic pulse set on step 1. Taking a look at the sheet music below, you can
see that we used a one-note counter rhythm for example A, which is played on each 4th note.

The counter rhythm can have more than a single note per Y notes, as does the basic pulse. So you
can actually play around with different ideas using the same polyrhythm – you’re not bound to a
single polyrhythmic pattern. You can find an example of this by taking a look at the sheet music
below, where we set the counter rhythm of example B as the first two 8th note triplets. As you
can see, the rhythm repeats every set of 4 notes as well.

Now that you understand how polyrhythms work, it’s easier to understand exactly why an X-
over-Y polyrhythm is actually quite different from a Y-over-X polyrhythm. If you still don’t
understand why they’re different, repeat the three-step process we just provided you with on a 4-
over-3 polyrhythm instead.

Before you start learning how to practice and apply different polyrhythms to your drumming, we
encourage you to check the free drum lesson “How To Read A Polyrhythm Chart” first. In that
free drum lesson you’ll be instructed on how to read and write notation with the Time Unit Box
System (TUBS). This is a useful notation system for showcasing and simplifying the
relationships between complex rhythms, which would be harder to understand with traditional
music notation otherwise.

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