T
ool & D
ie page 28
By
Kevin Dean
Question: Why do I have to read music? Answer: You don't....however...it is an extreme advantage knowing how to both read and
write music. It saves valuable time writing it instead of rehearsing it enough times to memorize it. If you do not have a recording
device available (shame on you), write it down so you don't forget that new drum beat or guitar riff you were just jamming. That
said, I'll do my best to explain two of my favorite rhythms without using notation. Whether you are a guitarist, trumpet player,
drummer or someone who just likes to dance, I'm confident that you will understand exactly where the beats land in time if you stay
with me and follow these steps below.
For this exercise we are dealing with 16 notes (4 notes per beat multiplied by 4 beats). I listed the numbers 1 through 16 on top: 16th
notes. I listed the typical counting method on the lower line.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 E & A
2 E & A
3 E & A
4 E & A
Quarter notes land on the 1st, 5th, 9th and 13th sixteenth notes (bold):
WHY, "EE, AND, AH"? [1E&A 2E&A 3E&A 4E&A] - Musicians commonly say these sounds when counting 16th notes; most likely
because they all start with vowels and it is easier to say than "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16" or "1,2,3,4,2,2,3,4,3,2,3,4,4,2,3,4
". Whew! That's a mouth-full. It's up to you but I recommend learning "1E&A 2E&A 3E&A 4E&A". It's not a tongue-twister. Maybe
that's why it is so commonly used. It was designed to say at a fast pace. Say it a few times and master it! For your own good, do
it!
THE DIGITAL APPROACH:
I'll use "1" for on and "0" for off. "1" means to play the drum and "0" means don't play (rest). If I typed a digital version of quarter
notes (each note landing on every 4th digit) it would look like this:
1000100010001000
The number one lands on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4 as they correspond to 16 notes.
1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 E & A 2 E & A 3 E & A 4 E & A
This diagram only shows you where to attack the notes. Written notes sustain until the next note or rest. Since we are talking about
drums the sound decays almost instantly (this disclaimer is for you music geeks ready to send me an email critique telling me that my
description of a quarter note rhythm is wrong).
*I have a popular rhythm in my head. It is the first half of the trumpet fanfare in the song "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. Do you know
it? Sing it to yourself.
**Here is a rhythm based on that melody in digital form using 16 characters: 1001001001001010
(This song is not in continuous 4/4 but this rhythm fits a 16 note phrase).
Here is the corresponding diagram:
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
E
&
A
2
E
&
A
3
E
&
A
4
E
&
A