Help on rhythms?

Question

I know this sounds pathetic, but even though I've been playing saxophone for a couple of years now, I still have trouble with getting the rhythms right. I can get them right if I count them in my head, but if I count and try to play it on the saxophone it doesn't work for me. I've also tried tapping the quarter note beat with my foot, but I still can't do that and play at the same time.

Answer 1

Just tap until you do it effortlessly. It will come with time, just practice.

Answer 2

one word-metronome

Answer 3

Don't worry none. For me, I have to listen to the audio taping with the metrenome in order too get the rhythms right. You're not the only one!

Perhaps try to get some recording of them and understand where is a bit longer and shorter.

If you can know exactly how long to hold, you don't really need to count.

Answer 4

SLOOOOW down and count out lound while tapping your foot. you'll get it eventually

Answer 5

Ok... yes, a metronome would help you greatly, but here's a couple tips that I learned in college (and I fully believe they should be taught MUCH earlier)... Bear with me, as describing it in words is much harder than if you could hear it.

As children, we make neurological connections by experience... part of what makes it easier for us is recognizing patterns.  Ever watch a baby playing the "drop it" game?  They take a toy and throw it to the floor.  Mommy picks up the toy... they throw it on the floor, mommy picks it up, they throw it on the floor, mommy picks it up... this can go on for hours (not kidding!).  The baby established a pattern... I throw the toy, Mommy comes to me.  Now if Mommy gets tired of this game, it breaks the pattern.  Baby is confused... and cries.  Now a new pattern has to be established, but the baby will play this game again, oh yes!

You have the concepts- you know that a quarter note in 4/4 time is one beat.  You tap your foot 4 times, and you have a whole measure, no matter the notes.  That's the pattern...  "tap, tap, tap, tap".  You don't need to think about the rhythm, as it is already a pattern in your mind.  How many times have you thrown that toy to the floor?  You know that 16ths can be counted 1e&a 2e&a 3e&a 4e&a... and this equals a measure, your foot comes down on the numbers.

Think back to the childhood rhymes... "Jack and Jill went up the hill"... again, you know this pattern.  If you write it in 4/4 time, what do you get?  An 8th note pattern... "Jack(1) and(&) Jill(2) went(&) up(3) the(&) hill(4)".  Does this make sense?  You already KNOW these rhythms... they are very basic, and our brains have created patterns to recognize them.

Now take out a piece of music that is fairly difficult to count- even if it's only a couple measures... first, notice that all the flags of notes are barred together to represent ONE beat, and sometimes 2.  For example, say you have 2 8th notes, 4 16th notes, a dotted quarter and an 8th.  It would look something like this: [**] [****] [*. *] (hahaha! man this is hard!)  So the first 2 are barred together... you know how to count it, and there is no question as to where the beat is. Same with the next set.  Now with the dotted quarter, it is held longer than one beat... but you already have the subdivision preceeding it.  You KNOW where the "&" is because you just counted it in the 1st two beats.  It is still a pattern.  Notice that if we didn't separate the beats, we would not recognize patterns as easily... same rhythm, no barring= [*******.*]... it doesn't seem so simple now, does it?!

Now take that piece of music and pick a difficult measure... just one.  Look at beat one.  Count it out.  Now look at beat 2.  Count it out.  Is there a pattern?  Do this for the next 2 beats... is there a pattern?  Now look at the next measure.  What's similar?  I bet you already have a good idea how that measure goes!

Patterns in music occur non-stop.  Even in crazy 20th Century music... yes, even in jazz.  Try taking those 2 measures and work on them a bit... just 10 minutes, without your horn.  Tomorrow, pick new rhythms and do the same... clap them to yourself as you walk to school or make breakfast.  It's not a matter of "memorizing how it goes"... it's a matter of training your brain to recognize the patterns.  You know where the beats are, so if you are counting it wrong (with a metronome!), you will know-  But you can break it down into single beats, and that will help you.

One more quick idea, is add words or names to subdivide... for example, 5 16th notes barred together... it only takes one beat.  It goes faster than "1e&a" (4 16ths) and slower than "1-a-trip-a-let-a" (6 16ths)... I always say "Ge-o-phys-ic-al".  Or for a quarter, triplet, quarter, try "George Dub-uh-yuh Bush".

Anyways, sorry this was so long, and I hope what I said made sense... it is really hard to write, but easy to understand if you hear it.  Just don't let rhythm scare you... you already know it.  It's just a matter of getting it out in the right order!

Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 6

Whenever I'm sight-reading or anything like that, I'll usually tap out the quarter note on my leg with my hand and actually sing it. Don't worry about the notes so much, but just try to use a monotone voice and get the rhythms to feel right in your mouth. This helps a lot when you finally get it to move onto actually playing it. Metronomes are great and all, but having the quarter note at a steady pace doesn't necessarily help you. It also doesn't really allow you to slow down and look at a specific part.

Answer 7

this may seem quite plain, but why dont you try using a metronom?

its quite hard at first, but it helped me a lot.

not adviseable to use it always though, just a couple of times till you got the "feeling".

good luck!