A student brought in a copy of Chuck Silverman’s Practical Applications: Afro-Caribbean Rhythms for Drum Set, and we worked through a part of it together, dealing with metric modulations— or more accurately superimposed metric modulations (Vinnie Colaiuta’s term).
It means an illusory tempo/time change while remaining in the original meter. It’s a drumming hot topic; as a musical device it’s mainly a trap, a bad decision. But it’s worth pursuing a little bit to learn something about rhythm.
Patterns 1 and 2 are warm ups; line 3 is the pattern as it appears in Silverman’s book. Lines 4-10 are my own variations, making some basic funk rhythms, superimposed.
As an exercise, you could play four measures of a simple half time feel groove with the same cymbal rhythm, alternating with four measures of the above patterns:
Try it along with a Afro 6 type loop— here’s a reasonable-tempo one, and a faster one.
Here’s a similar page I wrote in 2019.
I am happy to help you with any of the materials on the site, and with anything else drumming related— contact me for private lessons, online world wide, or in person in Portland, Oregon. All levels of players, and all people, are welcome.
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