Rhythm

3 articles tagged "Rhythm"

Rhythm: Counting, Meter, and Feel

Beats, measures, time signatures, syncopation, swing, and why rhythm is something you feel in your body.

Wheel Demo: Blackbird

Nov 2025

Paul McCartney's Blackbird is a masterclass in voice leading. The chord name doesn't matter — what matters is the function.

Live Music in Game Production

Feb 2021

Case study: How using live drummer John Bollinger created an authentic Latin rhythm library for Pajama Sam's soundtrack, saving time and budget while delivering superior quality.

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Recent Resident Gyms
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: Piano hand independence with basic boogie-woogie piano exercises and blues patterns
- OFFICE HOURS: Bouncing stems in pro tools stems vs track outs Bouncing a track in pro tools Mastering compressor basics signal flow in pro tools
- THEORY-GYM: Bewitched!!! Vintage TV music is the greatest! We explored suspension chords and their relationship to 2-5-1 progressions, using the Bewitched TV theme as a live listening and analysis example. Covered how a C suspended 4 chord functions similarly to a G minor–to–C motion, and how bass lines can imply either a "in two" or "in four" feel over the same harmonic material. We also touched on how the theme evolved across the show's run — changes in instrumentation, orchestration, and swing feel that reflect both budget and era.
- OFFICE HOURS: We listened to a couple tracks in progress and talked about vocal production. Best order of plugins and why. Simplifying vocal processing and getting better results. Controlling reverb tone. De-essing for reducing different sounds in vocals. We also did and overall mix critique and feedback listen for a different track in progress.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed two original works-in-progress this session — a raw acoustic song sketch and a beat inspired by an additive synthesizer sound. For the song, we dug into harmonic structure, arrangement, and the art of editing with restraint: identifying the strong bones of a piece before layering in additional material. For the beat, we celebrated a beautifully dialed low-end mix and discussed how a single compelling sound can seed an entire track.
- THEORY-GYM: We used Etta James' "At Last" as a deep-dive vehicle for several interconnected ideas: meter in compound time (12/8), jazz chord substitutions in a blues context, and the tritone substitution. The session moved from listening and production observation into hands-on chord analysis at the wheel, tracing how blue notes and dominant seventh chords create tension and resolution throughout the song. The tritone substitution was introduced as a concept to return to with more dedicated time in a future Theory Gym.
- OFFICE HOURS: We talked about the process of taking an idea from our head, into creation. More specifically, how we are in our heads but it's important to know when to let go of this notion that everything happens in a silo. Also, Alee shared that she will be doing a cover of Bad Guy (Billie Eilish) and we talked about ways to approach that as well. We talked as a group about deciding what to practice and produce first.
- PRODUCTION-GYM: Billy Idol - White Wedding Song production/arrangement - the craft of how the parts create an engaging sonic journey - to keep the listener engaged - how well the production and recording of the song are 👍
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed recent beat challenge submissions from Alee and Paul, offering detailed feedback on chord voicings, harmonic choices, and production techniques. We explored reharmonization concepts including major sevenths, suspended tones, and chord substitutions in the context of Alee's vocal pieces. We also went deep on the idea of procedural music and code-based animation as a creative direction, introducing Daniel Shiffman's work and the Processing/p5.js environment as resources for exploration.
- OFFICE HOURS: We explored songwriting and harmonic concepts, including tension, chord progressions, and how to approach self-accompaniment on piano. Worked through questions about music production in FL Studio and practical next steps for skill development. Also touched on how studying artists like Nina Simone can inform arrangement and accompaniment thinking.
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Rhythm

Rhythm: Counting, Meter, and Feel

Wheel Demo: Blackbird

Live Music in Game Production

Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

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