7/4 Rhythms
March 31, 2007
My brother, an excellent bassist, wrote a song in 7/4 that we play on gigs occasionally. Playing in odd meters has always been a challenge for myself as it is for most musicians. This is a small collection of rhythms I practice to help me feel the groove in 7/4. Each rhythm features syncopation, and some of them feature "over the bar line" rhythms, helping to give a more natural feel.
Tips for practice
- Use a metronome!
- Repeat each rhythm at a comfortable tempo until it feels natural, then increase the tempo gradually until it feels somewhat awkward. Repeat this process again and again.
- At the bottom of the page I have included three measures outlining the basic grooves in 7/4. Basically, I divide the measure into groups of two and three quarter notes - thinking in these smaller units is easier to digest.
- Try using the rhythms on a song that you are comfortable with. (You'll probably have to change the meter of the song to 7/4 from its original meter).
- When these seem easy, write some of your own.