interesting question

[Drumskull]

Just gathering info... Tell me what you guys think about when you solo over ODD metered vamps... when I do it, I feel limited sometimes, because there's only so much I can do, soloing over an odd meter, and stay in time. Do you, personally, work everything you play out ahead of time? Or do you take chances sometimes because the time is already being established by the other guys. Do you sometimes go out and not worry about if you lose your spot, because you can get back in by listening to where they are in the vamp. I'm just scared to go out, sometimes, but then I think, should I be scared? The band is playing a vamp, if I screw up, I'll hear where I end up because the vamp is there. I'm not talking crazy shit for 2 or 3 minutes. I'm just talking sparse things here and there, that I don't exactly have a fixed time for.
I hear some guys do some crazy stuff and just think, "Now, HOW in the world can they know where they are if they play THAT!?' but it seems like they do, (unless they depend alot on the vamp) Sorry, a little long winded today.

[sjj123]

I believe there is an internal clock/metronome that tells them where they are. We all hear Weckl, for example, do this kind of thing all the time and often you can hear his hi hat quarters etc.. keeping time in an otherwise frenzy of phrases

[Klemme]

Very nice question !

Take your chances mate!

In beginning of High school i played in a jazz band, where we solo/jammed over Seven Days and "I was brought to my senses" both Sting tunes. And i took my chances, playing over the bars etc. I was thinking, it would be rather uninteresting and limited shooting for the 1.note after each phrase or accent, whatever.

I did mess it all up, but the rest of the band just said, " Man that thing was great, we totally lost it, but came back good " and now, i'm pretty confident. Executing these things on stage is much more difficult and challenging on stage, than practicing it alone. ( counts for everything hehe ).

But try it out, people will soon understand your way of speaking in your solo's and will appreciate your ideas and contributions to the group.

Keep it up, don't be shy [img]wink.gif[/img]

[Daniel LeClaire]

I think the key is being comfortable with the time.

If you're playing a vamp in 4/4 you can probably take it way out and still come back, and be comfortable doing it. It's because you're comfortable in 4/4. You have to develop that level of comfort for the odd time signatures.

[jonthibault]

I'm certain Vinnie feels a quarter note over the bar line, rather than, say, seven eighth notes.

For instance, in 7/8, practice playing a simple 4/4 pattern over the bar line (Vinnie does this a lot). Pretty soon you can feel the 7/8 pattern over the measures of 4/4, and it's much easier to just do the licks your used to doing, over the bar line, without always thinking "ONE...ONE...ONE..."

[markie04drum]

I normally try to approach with a melodic approach. What I mean is if the tune is in seven, instead of counting 1,2,3...etc, I will try soloing while I hum the melody and all over it or against it. I find it to be a good way to keep the solos more musical instead of just numbers. A sax player told me this after I asked how he manages to play over bar lines in odd times with such ease and know exactly where he is, and it has helped tremendously. Anyway, I hope this helps in some way.

[Vdrummer]

What you really need is to be able to play solid odd time on your own, so that when you play with a band and take fills or a solo, you won't lose the groove.

You might try taking a sheet of paper and writing out the basic groove you're going to play in the tune. Then write 10 or so variations and playing them back and forth for a few days. Then write out a few of the fills you like that work and write out a dozen different variations from simple to complex. Take some of your favorite licks in four and fit them to the new time signature by chopping off a few notes or adding a few. Combine those with the beats. Practice these without music, but perhaps with a metronome. (BTW, a Boss db-88 has a nifty counting feature that can help with this). After a week or two your counting should become second nature and you should begin to feel the new time signature. After this you can try to play along with tunes in the new odd time signature.

If you favor a less effective and more passive approach (i.e. lazy) , just jam along and solo over tunes in the time signature you want to learn. The problem here is you'll probably be pretty dependent on the music, and won't develop your own inner time as well.

Brad