how to count polyrhythms?

Question

So I am a musician, and I know about play polyrhythms, but I don't know how to count them, I would I count something simple like 4/4 over 5/4?

Answer 1

This is a very good question. As a matter of fact, this may represent a special problem with ensemble music.



One way to solve this problem is to assign the beat to the note value being the lowest common denominator between the two time signatures. In your example, the quarter-note will be equal to 1 beat even if the 5/4 time signature is composed of 3/4+2/4 or vice versa. You can then consider one time signature as prevailing over the other and count 4 beats per bar, taking particular care in making beats of the conflicting time signatures meet due to the overlapping metrics.



Hope this helps!



Edit: Andrew C, with all due respect, you should consider reading the question over again. FranklinRose asked for a way of counting beats in polyrhythmic music. ''Beyond the early stages of placing pitch events in time'', there is obviously (for any professional musician) no need to count beats anymore unless you are used to do so all the way up to and even during the actual performance in concert.

Answer 2

while subdividing to the lowest common denominator can help (ursula oppens is known to do this while learning elliott carter's pieces), i'm not convinced its a practical way to learn music beyond the early stages of placing pitch events in time, especially as the subdivisions become very fast. furthermore, doing so through the entire process of learning may lead to neglect of the larger beat and the meter of the music. realistically, one should aim to feel the large beats. once each meter has been learned independently, you'll be surprised at the complexity of polyrhythms you can play just by thinking of where the important beats fall.

Answer 3

4/4 over 5/4 seems like it would be the composer's shorthand for having a quintuple walking bass line. I'm not sure how exactly you would count both meters together, I'd just work out the timing of each hand and meld them together in some zen sort of way.