Polyrhythms and Phrasing Over the Barline

Part 1: Two Limb Exercises

By Chris Munson

Concept
As drummers we tend to think about music a little differently than most other instrumentalists. Our primary
focus is typically on rhythm, time, and feel and this can often cause us to compartmentalize our playing
into neat and logical phrases. We think less about factors such as harmonic progressions or breathing
which carry much more weight with other musicians. For instance, a saxophonist will recognize a certain
series of chord changes and may think more about getting from point A to point B and where to breathe
rather than individual measures / chords. This is why their phrasing sounds much more linear and
spacious.
So, how do we begin to create more natural and lengthy phrases in our playing? And how do we get
out of the routine of playing fills that always end on beat one?
Well, one of the best ways I have found to break out of the constraints of barlines is to dive head first
into the world of polyrhythms. Not just the exploration of the rhythms themselves, but also developing
polyrhythmic independence between your limbs, fusing that with a variety of different styles of playing, and
adding elements of orchestration to create a sense of melody by moving around the drum set.
To begin with, I like to think of polyrhythms as one time feel against another opposed to one time feel
over another. When first introduced to polyrhythmic playing we are typically exposed to something like this:

This would be considered three over four or three in the space of four. This approach is the compression
or augmentation of note values within a given space, typically one measure. So though you end up
creating rhythmic tension, the release is still predictably on beat one of the next measure.
Now, if you approach the same concept in a slightly different manner you get something like this:

In this example, the same note values are being played with both limbs but they have contrasting accent
patterns (every third note VS. every fourth note). Aurally, you get something very similar to the first
example but with a completely different result. Notice that the top accent pattern takes three beats to cycle
to its release point and three measures to start over. By approaching polyrhythms like this you create an
unexpected and interesting phrase length.

Application
Below are a few examples of two note polyrhythmic exercises. These are not sight-reading or chop
building exercises. They are primers for more intricate exercises I will present in future articles. When
practicing these, focus more on sound production. Make a big distinction between the accent and the tap
(ghost note) so that you can hear the tension between the accent patterns. Its important to have an
aural image of how these sound so that you can recall them in a performance.
I suggest you try the
- Play as
- Revoice
- Remove

following variations when practicing these.

written then switch the accents to opposite hands
with different limbs (left foot / right hand, both feet, etc)
the inner notes and play the accents only

Keep in mind that these are just a few examples of the exercises. Within any of the larger patterns
(4,5,6, and 7 against 4) you can add internal accents. This will produce several variants on each
polyrhythmic pattern. I have included the basic 5 against 4 pattern and variants for 6 and 7 against 4.

Chris Munson is currently the Director of Recording Arts at Eastern Kentucky University where he teaches courses in
music technology and applied drum set. He has been a professional musician and audio engineer for over 15 years.
Over that time he has recorded or performed with: Don Aliquo, David Amram, Darol Anger, Danny Barnes, David
Carradine, Vassar Clements, Jeff Coffin, Joe Craven, Jerry Douglas, Tom Harrell, Jorma Kaukonen, Jon McEuen, Tim
OBrien, Greg Osby, Anders Osborne, Merl Saunders, Jamey Simons, and Trout Fishing in America. Albums he has
appeared on have earned numerous awards including two Grammy nominations.