I GOT RHYTHM, PART 15

The dotted-eighths treadmill

MOVING ON FROM the “Kashmir”-style cyclical rhythms that we explored in the previous two lessons, I’d now like to venture deeper down the rabbit hole of 16th-note syncopations and present some additional ones that are part of the common vocabulary of modern music. The examples in today’s lesson are all based on chaining together

dotted eighth-note accents into revolving patterns, which is something we had explored in I Got Rhythm, Parts 11 and 12 (see String Theory Holiday 2020 and January 2021). As such, they provide another batch of instructive exercises that bring to mind a few familiar songs. So put on your rhythmic running shoes and get ready to jump on the dottedeighths treadmill!

FIGURE 1 shows a “rhythm-within-arhythm” pattern that has us playing a repeating a three-note motif — E, D, D — while alternate4 picking an unbroken stream of 16th notes in 4-4 meter. Heard against the quarternote pulse, the motif and its melodic contour naturally emphasize the higher E note and imply a “threes-on-fours” feel, which sounds like triplets played at a faster tempo. And, as we had seen previously with dotted-eighths syncopation chains in 4-4 time, the cycle takes three bars to complete.

Now, if we were to simplify and “prune” the motif slightly, by removing the third note (the second D), we’re left with a two-note, “da-dat” pattern that goes E - D but still repeats as before, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Notice that we’re now picking down-up every time, regardless of where the twonote motif begins. This breaks the rule of “pendulum picking” motion but makes for a more efficient and economical movement. And speaking of efficiency and economy, also notice that, where allowable, I’ve notated a staccato eighth note instead of a 16th note followed by a 16th rest within the same beat.

This two-note motif and chain of shifting accents brings to mind the intro to the Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Can’t Stop,” wherein guitarist John Friusciante plays a repeating line that matches the first 10 notes of FIGURE 2, but with the order of the two notes reversed (D to E) and the second note held each time. It also brings to mind the vocal breaks in the Doors song “Touch Me,” specifically the syncopated line that Jim Morrison sang at the beginning of each verse: (1) “Come on, come on, come on, come on, now touch me, babe,” which he started on the “and” of beat 1. If Morrison were to have sung our entire three-bar pattern here, it would have gone on way too long and sounded ridiculous, like a record or CD skipping. But, hey, Bill Withers pushed the envelope that way in “Ain’t No Sunshine” and managed to “sell” his much longer phrase — “I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,” etc. As these song references illustrate, when it comes to creating actual music, sometimes it’s best to use just part of a theoretical pattern.

FIGURE 3 presents another interesting phrasing possibility. Here, we’ve gone back to continuous 16th notes and a rhythm within a rhythm, as we had done initially. But now we have an additional pitch, B, played on the next lower string, forming a three-note arpeggio, E7-5. Notice that we’re also now picking the first note with an upstroke and pulling-off to the second note. Why? Because it’s technically more efficient to do so, as we can now utilize “outside the strings” picking.

FIGURE 4 uses different notes on higher strings and reverses the melodic contour of the previous motif — ascending versus descending — with a hammer-on employed instead of a pull-off. This pattern has a kind of Southern rock feel with a sophisticated rhythmic twist, which, like the previous figure, makes it a good tension-building repetition lick to play in a solo.

Have fun experimenting with these ideas, using various note combinations and patterns, and see what kinds of cool syncopated repetition licks you can come up with. And, as always, try counting the 16th notes while tapping your foot on each beat.

Senior Music Editor “Downtown” Jimmy Brown is an experienced, working musician, performer and private teacher in the greater NYC area whose mission is to entertain, enlighten and inspire people with his guitar playing.