Keep the Rhythm and the Bridge Wont Swing

For example, the time slice between drum hits is a "pocket".

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But also, for a typical drummer who basically repeats one measure over and over, the "pocket" could be a whole measure. He's timing the striking of his notes so that they coincide with the hits that drummer is pounding out. That does not necessarily mean that they are in-sync, note-for-note with hit-for-hit. This is where "artistry" comes to play. Typically the drummer "leads" the rhythm section. He autonomously chooses whether to hit this drum or that drum at every given instant in time.

The bass player typically follows the drummer and attempts to "flow into" what the drummer is doing as well as to accentuate certain areas. This does not mean that the bass player is a less-important role.

But someone has to be the "lead", and that's typically the drummer. He's choosing the note which he will play i. For any given chord, there are numerous bass notes which will "work" well. Note that in simplistic terms, this would mean that the bass player would play the root of the chord on the downbeat of the measure. This is typical for rock and roll.

But jazz certainly takes huge liberties to do otherwise. So "playing in the pocket" is really the job-description of a bass player - only. He needs to adjust his timing and his choice of notes so as to properly interface with the other instruments in the band. But again, let it be known that by no means do all bands even want the bass player to "play in the pocket". That is a style, really. It definitely tends to "groove" as others have said. It "feels good" to most people.

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But it's more like "popular" music. More esoteric music, like classical and jazz do not typically have the bass player "playing in the pocket".

I'm no musician but I believe its like "flowing" so to speak. I think it's like getting in the zone in some sort of improv moment or playing something out so spot on and synchronized that you ARE what you are playing, you don't feel the time passing by, you are not thinking about anything but what you are doing at that moment, self consciousness goes out the window along with anything else that is not THAT MOMENT. Pocket playing results in the listener perceiving a pulse.

When a rhythm section is playing in the pocket it ultimately means "groove" in any context. It's tight, it flows, it grooves, it feels good, and it can be played without applying much thought and letting the vibe, groove, and feel of it all guide you. Im sure "the pocket" could definitely be described in a technical way, but when I experience it on a stage or from a crowd its obvious The song stops feeling like a song and starts feeling like a broke-in La-Z-Boy for your ears. Thank you for your interest in this question.

Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site the association bonus does not count. Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead? Home Questions Tags Users Unanswered. What is the definition of 'playing in the pocket'? When it happens, it grooves!

But I'm wondering if there's more to 'playing in the pocket'. In short, it's really the entire band playing in time with one another, as well as playing at the right tempo for the song to really get it grooving. That being said, it doesn't necessitate playing in the same time signature, or avoiding syncopation or other sort-of-not-in-time tricks- it's all about how the band fits together and how the song sounds.

Yup, that's probably a better way of saying it player3: Songs often have the original tempo for the first recording, but that isn't necessarily the 'best' tempo. If a song is at a steady tempo, is it dragging? Let's say a song is a dance-type pop song and someone is doing an acoustic version or a soul version, then it should be slower. The "most comfortable tempo" sounds subjective doesn't it? I think there are so many other considerations as well.

Style, instrumentation, overall feel, tempo obviously , etc. So the sequence could be: On the spot or later you describe what you hear in this band to someone as "in the pocket. The triple beats are primary and the duple beats are secondary; the duple beats are cross-beats within a triple beat scheme.

The four-note ostinato pattern of Mykola Leontovych 's " Carol of the Bells " the first measure below is the composite of the two-against-three hemiola the second measure. Another example of polyrhythm can be found in measures 64 and 65 of the first movement of Mozart 's Piano Sonata No.

Three evenly-spaced sets of three attack-points span two measures.

Why Do Soldiers Break Stride On A Bridge?

Cross-rhythm refers to systemic polyrhythm. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music states that cross-rhythm is: A simple example of a cross-rhythm is 3 evenly spaced notes against 2 3: Two simple and common ways to express this pattern in standard western musical notation would be 3 quarter notes over 2 dotted quarter notes within one bar of 6 8 time, quarter note triplets over 2 quarter notes within one bar of 2 4 time. Other cross-rhythms are 4: There is a parallel between cross rhythms and musical intervals: All these interval ratios are found in the harmonic series.

These are called harmonic polyrhythms.

Polyrhythm

In traditional European "Western" rhythms, the most fundamental parts typically emphasize the primary beats. By contrast, in rhythms of sub-Saharan African origin, the most fundamental parts typically emphasize the secondary beats. This often causes the uninitiated ear to misinterpret the secondary beats as the primary beats, and to hear the true primary beats as cross-beats. In non-Saharan African music traditions , cross-rhythm is the generating principle; the meter is in a permanent state of contradiction. Cross-rhythm was first explained as the basis of non-Saharan rhythm in lectures by C.

Ladzekpo and the writings of David Locke. From the philosophical perspective of the African musician, cross-beats can symbolize the challenging moments or emotional stress we all encounter. Playing cross-beats while fully grounded in the main beats, prepares one for maintaining a life-purpose while dealing with life's challenges.

Many non-Saharan languages do not have a word for rhythm , or even music.

At the center of a core of rhythmic traditions within which the composer conveys his ideas is the technique of cross-rhythm. The technique of cross-rhythm is a simultaneous use of contrasting rhythmic patterns within the same scheme of accents or meter By the very nature of the desired resultant rhythm, the main beat scheme cannot be separated from the secondary beat scheme. It is the interplay of the two elements that produces the cross-rhythmic texture—Ladzekpo Victor Kofi Agawu succinctly states, "[The] resultant [3: The two beat schemes interact within the hierarchy of a single meter.

The duple beats are primary and the triple beats are secondary. The example below shows the African 3: The music of African xylophones , such as the balafon and gyil , is often based on cross-rhythm.

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In the following example, a Ghanaian gyil sounds a 3: The left hand lower notes sounds the two main beats, while the right hand upper notes sounds the three cross-beats. The following notated example is from the kushaura part of the traditional mbira piece "Nhema Mussasa". The mbira is a lamellophone. The left hand plays the ostinato bass line while the right hand plays the upper melody. The composite melody is an embellishment of the 3: Sub-Saharan instruments are constructed in a variety of ways to generate polyrhythmic melodies. Some instruments organize the pitches in a uniquely divided alternate array, not in the straight linear bass to treble structure that is so common to many western instruments such as the piano , harp , or marimba.

Lamellophones including mbira , mbila, mbira huru, mbira njari, mbira nyunga, marimba, karimba, kalimba , likembe, and okeme. This family of instruments are found in several forms indigenous to different regions of Africa and most often have equal tonal ranges for right and left hands. The kalimba is a modern version of these instruments originated by the pioneer ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey in the early 20th century which has over the years gained worldwide popularity. Chordophones , such as the West African kora , and doussn'gouni, part of the harp-lute family of instruments, also have this African separated double tonal array structure.

The Gravikord is a new American instrument closely related to both the African kora and the kalimba was created in the latter 20th century to also exploit this adaptive principle in a modern electro-acoustic instrument. On these instruments, one hand of the musician is not primarily in the bass nor the other primarily in the treble, but both hands can play freely across the entire tonal range of the instrument. Also, the fingers of each hand can play separate independent rhythmic patterns, and these can easily cross over each other from treble to bass and back, either smoothly or with varying amounts of syncopation.

This can all be done within the same tight tonal range, without the left and right hand fingers ever physically encountering each other. Sometimes your car shakes hard when you hit a certain speed, and a girl on a swing can go higher with little effort just by swinging her legs. The same principle of mechanical resonance that makes these incidents happen also works when people walk in lockstep across a bridge.

If soldiers march in unison across the structure, they apply a force at the frequency of their step. If their frequency is closely matched to the bridge's frequency, the soldiers' rhythmic marching will amplify the vibrational frequency of the bridge. If the mechanical resonance is strong enough, the bridge can vibrate until it collapses from the movement. A potent reminder of this was seen in June , when London's Millennium Bridge opened to great fanfare.

As crowds packed the bridge, their footfalls made the bridge vibrate slightly.