In this second tongue drum tutorial, we deepen the melody we started with in the previous tongue drum lesson by introducing the notion of rhythm. This notion of rhythm is very important since it is what will allow you to always land on your feet during your improvisations. As strange as it may seem, it is also the rhythm that makes the same melody non-repetitive to the ear.
In our tutorial video, you can see that our melody is composed in 2 phases of 5 notes which are always the same. We make this sequence last almost a minute and yet it is in no way disturbing to the ear. What is the secret will you tell me? The change of rhythm between the 2 phases.
The first phase of 5 notes is fast, the 2nd phase of 5 notes is slower. This difference is fundamental in understanding music. It's sort of the question/answer principle. This return of elevator which makes that when one stops, it is as if something was missing. Yet the notes that we play are very simple! But if we played the 2 phases of 5 notes at the same rhythm, our ear would get tired of it very quickly and would look for something else to listen to.
This mouse hunting game is the subject of this second tongue drum lesson. In this lesson you will learn to keep this different rhythm between the 2 phases. At first you will always have to keep the same rhythm between the 2 phases. Namely a first sequence of 5 fast notes, and a second sequence of 5 slower notes. But be careful, try to keep control over the rhythm so that the speed of the 2 phases is always the same. To achieve this there is a trick known and used by all percussionists: counting!
As you play your notes, count in your head at the same rhythm as you play: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Your counting rhythm should be the same as the rhythm of your play. In the first phase, your counting is fast, in the second phase, your counting pace is slower. Once you manage to control these 2 different playing speeds - while always keeping the same rhythm, you can then move on to the next step: rhythmic improvisation!
Don't worry, we're not going to ask you complicate things, on the contrary, it's time to have fun! Now that you know how to alternate between 2 different rhythms, while keeping the measure of the whole, you can try to change the rhythm of the second phase while keeping the rhythm of the first phase. Let your imagination work for you and let yourself go!
The goal is to break the rhythm on which you trained on the 2nd phase by improvising on a different rhythm but always with the same 5 notes! Try to lengthen the notes of the second phase even more, to speed them up, to slow down or speed up only certain notes but always falling back on your first phase, the rhythm of which should not change. It's kind of your benchmark when your improvisation madness takes over the second phase.
So, are you ready to try?
Well then it's time for you to watch our second tongue drum tutorial!
Tutorial to learn the tongue drum N°3 >>>