Metric Modulation

[Ollie]

Wondered if anyone had any links to songs or ideas on how to use metric modulation in more complex ways that the basic four beats over three?

[mtierney]

4 over 5 is allegedly pretty easy. It's also a good 16th note exercise. What you do is you hit the note, string, drum, etc every 5 16th notes, and it divides evenly.

Ex: (the first hit is on the 1, all other hits are marked as "^")
1---2^--3-^-4--^5----

The only problem is that it's kinda hard to apply because it's in five...

[Tom Karol]

I used to do this vamp in 5 over 4:
1st hit was on 1;
2nd hit was on 2;
3rd hit was on the 'and' of 2;
4th hit was on the 'and' of 3;
5th hit was on the 'and' of 4.
Then I'd stretch it out until the 5 hits were equally spaced out over 4 beats - took me about 3 measures to hit the groove. OK, I know that sounds lame, but it's all I could come up with.

[Reg]

The standard that I see on gigs all the time is... your playing in 3/4...
You start phrasing as dotted quarters, which becomes basically two beats per bar. Now you change those dotted quarters to half notes and metrically modulate to 4/4... in the same actual duration of time. But went from 3/4 to 4/4. It's like seeing 4 over 3. You can obviously use the reverse... 4/4 to 3/4. Reg

[JonnyPac]

I was jut reading how Footprints by the Miles quintet played it so that the bassline (usually thought of in 6/4) became quarter-note triplets in a 4/4 swing during Mile's solo. Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62p-CXrYmf4

Point being, the beats can be the same BPM pules and the time signature changes, or the other way around, were a rhythmic figure (triplet or dotted quarter like Reg said) can become the new pulse.

Dig into Brubeck if you want it all. He made a ton of albums with the word "time" in the title where they experimented with all of that stuff; famously, Blue Rondo goes from 9/8 into 4/4 triplet swing (3/8's = one swung 8th in 4/4). Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc34Uj8wlmE

And a nice "waltz" in 4/4 from Bill Evans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH3GSrCmzC8

This one blows my mind (dotted quarter becomes half-note about 32 bars into the form and then back): Chick Corea and Stan Getz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QTa-YnAs3g

[JonnyPac]

Remember that "Metric Modulation" is different from say, polyrhythm, metric superimposition and such. It is about fully changing time signature (though perhaps not written as such) and sometimes the pulse (by some fraction of the previous pulse/rhythm).

[Reg]

Originally Posted by JonnyPac

Remember that "Metric Modulation" is different from say, polyrhythm, metric superimposition and such. It is about fully changing time signature (though perhaps not written as such) and sometimes the pulse (by some fraction of the previous pulse/rhythm).

Yea JP, good point, I take too much for granted. Just as in Harmonic Modulation there are types of metric modulation...
"Direct"... the meter changes from one meter directly to another.
"Pivot"... my example, one or more of the durations can function in both meters, in my example the dotted quarter in 3/4 is equal to the half notes in 4/4...
"transitional"... as in Toms example through a series of accent patterns, a new time signature is established.
Polyrhythms, superimposition etc...can be tools used to achieve metric modulation. I really don't remember reading to much in regards to actual guidelines on this technique.... But there are plenty of examples and as I said the most common in jazz would be the "pivot"... at least in improvisational usage. JP's last example is pretty standard of 3/4 metric modulating to 4/4 and back. Drummers love this sh*t...

[JonnyPac]

Cool beans, Reg. I hope this helps Ollie.

[Spirit59]

I can't think of specific tunes right now but there's some great examples on Adam Roger's solo albums with Clarence Penn on drums.....