This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the February 2016 issue, which is available here.

Rock ‘N’ Jazz Clinic

Hidden Rhythms

Part 1: Cookin’ With 16ths

The concept of discovering hidden rhythms within common subdivisions reminds me of the first time I removed the back of my boom box when I was about twelve years old. I knew that this simple device must have something fascinating inside it to reproduce radio waves and play cassette tapes, but it wasn’t until I popped off the back that I discovered the wealth of technology hiding in there.

In this article we are going to explore a single measure of unaltered 16th notes. On the surface, it looks mundane. But a plethora of patterns—from world rhythms to odd groupings—is waiting to be found inside those notes.

Check out a video demonstration of the exercises below.

Mike Johnston

For the complete lesson with transcriptions, check out the February 2016 issue, which is available here.