String Theory
Introducing 32nd notes
THIS MONTH, WE’RE going to zoom-in our rhythm microscope to examine another, smaller subdivision of the beat, the 32nd note,
which is half the duration of a 16th note. In the same way that you can divide a bar
4 4 of meter into two half notes, four quarter notes, eight eighths or 16 16ths, you can likewise divide it into 32 32nd notes, or eight notes per beat (8 x 4 = 32). While not as common as eighth and 16th notes, 32nd notes are nonetheless a very worthwhile subdivision to study, as they have been used to great effect in countless songs, in such styles as metal, prog rock, hip-hop, r&b, jazz, fusion and classical, typically at slower tempos, where there’s more time between each beat in which to fit these smaller, faster rhythms.
Indicated by three beams or flags, 32nd notes offer an additional dimension of rhythmic possibility and expression and can be used to create great intensity, depth and phrasing variations within a melody or groove. And by slowing down the tempo, you needn’t be a virtuoso shredder to be able to play and take advantage of this fine rhythmic subdivision.
Let’s start with a basic, “get-to-know-you” exercise, played at a laid-back tempo and using only one note, the open G string, which we’ll pick repeatedly, so that we can focus entirely on the rhythm (see FIGURE 1). We begin by picking eighth notes with downstrokes. On beat 3, we double the rhythm to 16th notes and continue picking downstrokes, which isn’t hard to do at this tempo. We then repeat bar 1, as indicated, for extra practice. In bar 2, we double the rhythm again and play two beats of machine-gun-like 32nd notes, now using down-up-down-up alternate picking, out of necessity. On beat 3, we “downshift” back to 16th notes.
There really isn’t a standard or ideal way to count 32nd notes. Most schooled drummers will tell you that they’ll just use the 16th-note counting template of “1 ee and uh, 2 ee and uh, 3 ee and uh, 4 ee and uh” and play two notes per count, without syllabizing
the extra notes. Although doing that maintains the foundational counting structure, and counting a rhythm is not required to play it, I personally find that approach to be lacking in completeness, in terms of being able to mentally pinpoint every 32nd note and its location in the metric grid of the measure. And so I prefer to “cheat” and bend the counting rule here. I do this by “doubletime counting” and repeating the 16th-note counts for each beat — “1 ee and uh 1 ee and uh, 2 ee and uh 2 ee and uh, 3 ee and uh 3 ee and uh, 4 ee and uh 4 ee and uh” — as indicated in italics in FIGURE 1.
Mind you, this is not an ideal solution either, as it does cause you to momentarily deviate from the foundational 16th-note count within the beat. But I find it helpful, in terms of being able to quantify and figure out the precise placement of each and every 32nd note, using familiar syllables.
The next step is to become well acquainted with and memorize the sound and appearance of various combinations of eighth, 16th and 32nd notes and get some practice shifting rhythmic gears, so to speak, transitioning from one subdivision to another, all while keeping a steady pulse, or beat.
FIGURE 2 is an exercise designed to help further this goal. Again, we’re using just the open G note, so that we can focus on the rhythm. And as before, repeat each bar before moving on, for extra practice.
FIGURE 3 provides an additional and more challenging study for sight-reading and internalizing some of the many possible 32nd-note rhythms, with some complex and tricky-sounding upbeat syncopations introduced. And we haven’t even begun using ties, 32nd rests and dotted 16th notes yet, which we’ll do next time. We’re in “doubletime counting” mode here for the entire bar, and vocalizing all the syllables may seem a bit overwhelming to do — like a “tongue twister” — but they’re there to precisely indicate where exactly each note should fall. I suggest repeating each beat before moving on, then combining just two adjacent beats. Then string them all together and repeat.
Until next time, keep practicing these exercises slowly, then a little faster, first with the verbal counting, then without it.
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.