Forum to discuss all matters relating to the MPC1000 and MPC2500 operating systems created by 'JJ' (all versions).
By dlab Sun Oct 16, 2022 3:29 pm
Hi, probably not the first one to ask but maybe something have changed with the updates ->

can I run polymeters - hope I got this one right :-) I would like to have a one track 16 steps another one just 5 another one maybe 7, all the same time signature but basically it will loop after number of steps back to beginning so I do not have to write X bars of patterns.

Thanks
By 6/8 Stanley Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:56 pm
I hope I got it right too. Had to use the calculator for this one. Lowest common multiple (LCM) for 5 and 7 is 35. So they would loop in 35 bars. Not too bad. If you also want a 16 beat going then LCM (35, 16) = 560 bars to loop if the Casio calculator is right. Damn.
Maybe Google "Lowest common denominator", Wikipedia briefly discusses the music polymeter aspect of it.
By dlab Mon Oct 17, 2022 9:03 am
exactly why I would like jjos to loop 5 and 7 fir me for example for 4 16 step bars and then just start from the beginning again. I know 4 bars is not that much work if you know the pattern but when you try to experiment it is a bit tedious
By dlab Tue Oct 18, 2022 4:07 am
Thanks! I will have a look!
By 6/8 Stanley Tue Oct 18, 2022 8:02 pm
I usually break my 12/8's into 2 bars of 6/8 only because it's easier to see where the beat is at on the screen to overdub. Sounds the same. For your example it would all loop in about half the bars.

Still too long of a loop for me so I would decide on the main beat. Say your 5 beat is the main one. Most of my beats take 2 bars to complete except in 12. So I'd loop it after 4,6, or 8 bars. Then the 7 beats. Figure how many bars of 7 to finish one beat and see how they line up with the end of the 5's. Don't put any more notes after the end of the 5's. After the last bar of 7's ends there will be some space before the end of the 5's. Leave it empty. Same with the 16's. You will lose some interesting compound beats that might have happened somewhere on the long loop version but it might still sound OK.
By 6/8 Stanley Wed Oct 19, 2022 7:59 pm
5 and 7 are prime numbers so they loop perfect at 35 bars. 16 does not play well with 5&7 but it can be broken down to 2's, 4's or 8's. Notice the number of bars to loop goes from 560 (16) to 280 (8), 140 (4),
70 (2).
3 is also a prime If you wanted a 3 beat with the 5's and 7's it would be 5x7x3 = 105 bars to loop. Double that for 6 beat instead of the 3's, etc. I just now learned that.
I see some drummers on youtube who can speed through a lot of complex polymeters. Just takes practice. No looping required. But it's nice to have the beats on different tracks so they can be muted. On the other hand it's good to be able to freestyle a couple easy ones. Plenty advice for that online.
Hot cuppa tea!
By 6/8 Stanley Fri Nov 04, 2022 11:23 pm
There's a Mel Bay book "A Rhythmic Vocabulary". I think I bought it when playing in a djembe band 10 years ago. Found it today in some old stuff and flipped through. There are 2 chapters about cross-rhythms and polymeters . There's a lesson on 5-beat and 7-beat cross rhythms. I plan to read it now cause I didn't before and there's a lot I don't know. It makes difficult stuff easy.

Here's a quote from lesson 31: "But you won't usually want to play the full compound cycle of a cross-rhythm. Cross-rhythms - like all patterns that obscure the underlying pulse and create as lot of rhythmic tension - usually work best in small doses. Playing a full compound cycle will often confuse your audience and try the patience of the musicians you're playing with. Think of a compound as a data base. Once you have it in your vocabulary you can decide how much of it to play."