Self-Study For Rhythms: Vijay Iyer's "Machine Days"

The purpose of Konnakol is not unlike being able to sing any given interval and its inverse. When we talk about singing groups of five rhythms--say the syllables “ta-ka-di-mi-tom” for example--we are not just referring to western “quintuplets,” but both macro and micro pulses of five rhythms which repeat  themselves in groups. Thus, when we put spaces between those syllables, say in the sense of making a macro-grouping of seven notes in a group of five (ta „ ta , ta / ka „ ka , ka,/ etc. sung as sixteenth notes in a western 4 pulse in the hands), we begin to see how this applies to phrasing polyrhythms. The reverse of this process, then, would be to count groups of 4 while counting a pulse of 7 in the hands, facilitates odd meters without changing any rhythms, only the emphasis of these rhythms and the “generic” or perhaps “agreement” pulse in which the band feels the music. When listening to an artist like Vijay Iyer, we hear that sometimes these 4 counts are put on top of pulses in groups of four, seven, eleven, or even general mixed meter on top of larger counting structures.

Larger counting structures might be a 32 count form which would be two bars of 4/4 sixteenth notes in which the pulse becomes subtracted (since they are not superimposed upon one another and happen sequentially… 4+4+4+4+4+3+3+3+3=32 or 4+4+4+5+5+5+5=32) constitute smaller phrases which end up in an even larger structure of let’s say 8 of these 32-count forms, giving us 16 bars of 4/4 music.

Let’s look at one of Vijay Iyer’s tunes, “Machine Days,” labeled with the time signature 9/16. If you get a chance to look at the written music wherein the form is taken for the solos (the “B” section of the melody), the 16-bar form of 9/16 is broken into five larger sections of polyrhythms. It consists of what I call the first theme (34 sixteenths) and the second theme (21 sixteenths), given the accents of the chords changing as indicators that these themes are alternating. The easiest way to begin to be able to count a tune like this is to begin to understand the designated pulse of the bass or “agreement” pulse in 9/16 which seems to be 6 and 3 (a dotted quarter followed by a dotted eighth) only variegating by the accents in the melody/rhythmic themes. Those themes are further divided in smaller pulses which I’ll go ahead and write out:

Theme 1:
4+5+5+5+5+5+5=34
Theme 2:
7+7+7=21

If we look at the “A” section, a 16-bar phrase is still divided into smaller sections, this time simply being divided into 7 groups of 4 (+ 6) and 4 groups of 4 (+5) (alternating in a larger block of five of these). Again, the evidence in the score comes with the accents of chords changing.
Thus, 9x16=144. So 34 (x3) + 21 (x2)= 144. Essentially in the piece, he broke down the groups of 34 and 21 into two different counting manifests seen here:

Theme 1 in A and B
A: 4+4+4+4+4+4+4+6=34
B: 4+5+5+5+5+5+5=34
Theme 2 in A and B
A: 4+4+4+4+5= 21
B: 7+7+7=21

Thus, the title of the piece really fits. “Machine Days” does work as a name for the tune.

Last words on VI’s MD: the 3-bar pick-up plays by these same rules.

27 sixteenth notes-> 6+6+5+5+5=27

Lesson learned: counting is everything. The next great innovators will not have something harmonic for us, but something rhythmic.
Watch and listen to "Machine Days" by Vijay Iyer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhGre0ReuE4

For further study on Konnakol, please visit the following links:
http://languageofrhythm.com/indian/konnakol/
http://lisayoungmusic.com/about/indian-music-konnakol/
http://lisayoungmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/masters/masters.pdf

Personalizing the Young for Old

I guess starting a blog description should come with some sort of disclaimer: my age, my profession, how long I have been doing what I am doing, my esteem (if there is any), and what goals I have.

To let off on some of the personal stresses, I'm a twenty-two year old from Orlando, Florida with a degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Central Florida. I've studied with Richard Drexler, Chuck Archard, Eric Bergeron, Michael Hill, Per Danielsson, and have played with some giants including Lenny Pickett, Michael Philip Mossman, and Antonio Hart. I've performed in masterclasses including the styles of Swing, Bebop, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, the Avant Garde, and more. I've studied composition with Sun Mi Ro, Thad Anderson, and have taken arranging for Big Band with Per Danielsson. I've performed over two hundred dates in the last two years while finishing school and consider myself a working musician (hence the title of the blog).

It wasn't until about a month ago I considered my progress. I've been performing on upright bass for three years, electric bass for about nine now (recently purchasing a six-string), and have some experience playing clarinet, saxophone, and piano.

On the side, I am a writer and take that craft very (if not perilously) seriously. I write non-fiction, fiction, prose, poetry, and the occasional experimental work (though usually pointed out after the fact).

Given my "credentials," what I am trying to display here after talking with Emily, my wonderful girlfriend and fellow author (I consider her a musician as well, a talented and humble singer, but don't tell her I said that), is my change over time. This blog is meant to move from my young (now) self to my older (later) self. I'll present my challenges and questions, most often emphasizing what I value right now: Artistry in Music and Writing.

My next post, which will be my first discussion, will be on the idea of the "Young" musician versus the idea of the "Old" and what that means for experience, performance, and art.

Thank you so much!

Welcome!

Hello there. My name is Brandon Kyle (Jude) Miller. I am a musician and writer from Orlando, FL. If you're wondering what this blog is about, it is about being an artist and maintaining the "Artistic Mindset" in the modern world, a world of minimum wage, thrown-out gigs, corporate types, and general unrest among the younger generation. I feel positively about the world I live in and hope to explore some of the ideas of being an artist in the 21st Century world without having to sacrifice things like financial security and one's vision for the "greater good" or because "that's the way the world works." What I hope to accomplish here is bringing in my personal philosophies and exploring them, at length, in order to create a clearer vision of what it is to be an artist and a musician, without having to sacrifice one's humanity in order to do so. This blog should be updated at a minimum of once a week.

The idea came from meeting saxophonist Antonio Hart. He asked a group of students after we played through Bill Evan's "Nardis," "What are you trying to say?"