PLEASE: Watch VIDEO Below to understand!
This simple “Rhythmic Unit” of a group of 5 notes can be broken up into sub divisions to give clarity when nailing the changes when alternate picking at a very fast tempo of 180 BPM Plus at the guitar when improvising.
Although we might view and hear this as alternate picking and plucking a group of 5 on the guitar like the example below,
The Group of 5 now becomes one “Tetrachord” and the 5th note becomes the first note of the next chord [Dbmaj9]. This way the changes are “Nailed” by the rhythmic subdivision.
So, as we can see the “Ta Ka Di Me Thom” or 1 2 3 4 5
Becomes, “1 e and a” ” 2″
For anybody having problems with their alternate picking at fast tempos whilst nailing the changes this will really help you because you will automatically land on the first note of the next chord.
There are many more rhythms that are employed like 6’s, 7’s and 2×4 groupings. But I will go into these in another blog. In the meantime her are a few examples from John Mclaughlin himself phrasing by employing 5’s.
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