Polyrhythms For Non-drummers: Fives

In this article I will briefly explain how to grasp the basic theory around fives, how to identify them – and also how to play them. Being a drum teacher, I explain from a drummers perspective – but the theory can easily be adapted for guitarists (up- and downstrokes) or bassists (index and middle finger). You get the basic idea.

It’s a good thing to start with quintuplets (for reference, famous examples of quintuplets appear in Chopin’s sonata in C minor and Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde), which is 5 hits per beat. For a drummer there are many ways of using stickings when playing quintuplets, but let’s go with left-right-left-right-left right-left-right-left-right. I recommend that you use a metronome for practice, and it is alkso a great idea to use your voice to really understand this. Try saying DA LA PI KO LA when practicing fives.

When you are comfortable with this we move on to the 5 against 2. Use the same pattern as above, but now accent every alternate note RlRlR lRlRl All right-hand hits are now accented. There you have the fundamental five-against-two sound. Play only the accents as soon as you are comportable with this – and there you have it.

A bit trickier in character, 5 against 4 can take longer to learn. Let’s return to the quintuplets again, using the same left-right-left-right-left right-left-right-left-right as before. But this time we’re accenting every other hit the right hand is doing, something like this: RlrlR lrlRl rlRlr lRlrl and there you have the rhythm-sound of 5 against 4! This is somewhat hard to hear in slower tempos. As soon as you can play this fluently, try only playing the accents.

I sincerely hope you’ll have a good time with those polyrhythms, and why not catch your drummer by surprise at your next rehearsal session by throwing some 5 against 2 at him?

Want to find out more about polyrhythmic drum loops, then visit OddGrooves, where you can watch video tutorials on polyrhythms.