How and Why to Join the Rhythm Section as a Fiddler
Hello, fellow jammers!
I’m Carolyn Kendrick, and it’s so nice to meet you all! We may have crossed paths down the road at some point, whether it be at fiddle camp, at a festival, or in Lauren’s studio. I’m so glad you’re part of team Jam With Lauren! I know I’m biased, but there is no better place to learn, share, and care about music than the Lauren Rioux community. I’m so thrilled to be here.
Let’s Talk About Rhythm
I am primarily a fiddler, and the fiddle is often considered a “melody” instrument. However, this is a misnomer because many instruments including the fiddle can play melody, chords, and rhythm simultaneously and separately. There is no good melody without good rhythm! They are inseparable, intertwined, and impossible to exist fully segregated from each other, even though we can practice and learn about them independently. That being said, we as “melody” instruments are often tasked with leading the tune, leading the form, playing through the melody, and improvising upon that melody when the time comes, which can make us lean on melodic learning styles as we go throughout our processes.
When I was first learning about the fiddle, rhythm was usually the last thing on my teacher’s mind. Playing the right notes, phrasing, and form often took the front seat. For whatever reason, the rhythm was not a taught priority in my personal lessons as a young fiddler, which is really too bad! Because it’s an incredibly fruitful frontier to discover!
However, I have a secret that I think you should all know. It’s scandalous, so please don’t tar and feather me: before I was a fiddler, I was a drummer. That’s right, I was a no-good, loud, non-acoustic, rock musician. (Just kidding about the no-good part!) And even though I have found my true love in the acoustic fiddle world, I still play the drums for fun, and I have learned a ton from the world of percussion.
A Driving Force
After years of consideration, I’m here to argue that rhythm is the driving force that makes music incredible! Rhythm is what binds us, what moves us, what makes us tap our feet. We are connected evolutionarily by rhythm, as our first human instruments were our voices, and then the drums. All musicality stems from that genesis. Rhythm deserves thought and practice, especially for those of us not in the “rhythm section.”
And you might be thinking, have I seen a blog post by Isa Burke about groove? How is rhythm different than groove? Should I tune this lady out and go think about the D Lydian scale? Yes, you should read that great post by Isa; rhythm and groove are different but the same, and yes you should think about your scales but not quite this moment! Let’s get into it.
The Ingredients
I encourage you to think of rhythm as individual ingredients, and groove as your final recipe. Rhythm is your flour; groove is your cake. Rhythm is the marinade; groove is the BBQ. Rhythm is the inch; groove is the ruler. You can’t have one without the other, but they are definitively unique phenomena.
Now, in acoustic music, the “rhythm section” is organized more democratically than in a jazz or rock band. We don’t usually have drums to dictate time to us! So that means that we all must become the rhythm section. The next time you listen to a string band, think of it as a clock. Each person is their own gear, which turns everyone else’s gears, which eventually turns the clock hands that lead to solid, communicative, and layered rhythmic timekeeping.
Having good rhythm is a personal responsibility, as well as an ensemble responsibility. Having good rhythm is also known as having good “time,” but it goes deeper than that. You can technically have good time playing the same rhythmic phrase over and over again perfectly, but that does not mean you have good rhythm. Having good rhythm means having good time, or good timing, but also means that you are eager enough to creatively improvise and change things up when appropriate.
Rhythm in Action
As an example, listen to this song by the Punch Brothers, Julep. The first time you listen, clap along with the rhythm of the bass line. It’s mostly quarter notes and the bass is the first instrument to play. Really zone into the bass and tap along to what he is playing rhythmically. This is the unifying rhythm that ties everything else together in the song.
Next, once you feel comfortable clapping the bass rhythm, listen to Chris Thile’s mandolin chops. They happen on the offbeats, or beats two and four! So they occur sometimes at the same time as the bass, but half as frequently. Occasionally, he’ll throw in little flourishes so his playing doesn’t become monotonous. Continue to clap the rhythm that he plays.
Then, listen to his voice. It’s more complex, with eighth notes and syncopations that mimic more of what the fiddle often does. (Or rather, the fiddle often mimics what the voice does.) You can continue this exercise, clapping the rhythms that you hear for each instrument throughout the song. By isolating each interlocking rhythm, you can hear how they are connected, and feed off each other, while still being unique in function. Some are busy, and some are simple, but they are all gears that keep the clock turning.
So, ok, great, you clapped along to some song. How does that help your playing? I’ll tell you how, and this is true of any musical interaction you may have. When you write songs, when you learn tunes, when you improvise: the more rhythms you have internalized, the more tools you have at your disposal for playing interesting and compelling music. In the same way that when you learn more notes, you have more melodic possibilities you can play, the more rhythms you have in your heart and brain, the more sophisticated your musicianship will become. The more you know, the more you can do. Here are a few more ways in which you can practice rhythm, ranging from less complex to more.
Play a song you know, but on only one note!
Think of a tune you know really, really well. Something you could play in your sleep. Play through the tune a couple of times normally to get in the zone, and then pick the first note of the melody. Let’s say it’s a G. Instead of playing the melody entirely and changing notes, only play the rhythm of the melody, but hang on G the entire time. It will sound weird. It will sound very weird! But, then think of how that melody’s rhythm feels, how it swings or doesn’t. Is the rhythm slow, or fast? Is it the same thing over and over, or does it change often? How does that contribute to the continuity of the tune?
The reason I do exercises like this is not because it’s super-duper fun to hear a G note over and over, but rather because it’s a great way to isolate one concept of musicality and then transfer it into other areas of practice. It’s more efficient than learning a new rhythm devoid of context and then trying to integrate it artificially.
After you’ve played the rhythm just on one note, then feel free to move back into playing the full melody. Hopefully, by this point, you’ve internalized the rhythm so deeply that you can make up new rhythms without sacrificing the arc of the melody or getting lost!
Keep Practicing
Another great way to practice rhythm or time is to play with a metronome, as I’m sure you’ve heard a million times before. But, what if you’re getting tired of your metronome beep? If you’re looking to improve your sense of time, your sense of groove, and your flexibility, an alternative is to download a drum “machine” app like Drums Plus+, or look up playlists like this: Drum Loops. With the drum machine, you can pick your groove and pick your tempo, which ostensibly then functions the same as a metronome, but with a little bit more zhuzh.
It might seem counter-intuitive to play with drums since we in the fiddle world are usually playing acoustically! And it might not always be stylistically appropriate in a concert setting to play Lazy John along with a track called Hip-Hop Jamz No. 2. But, I guarantee that it will be very fun, which will lead to a more fulfilling and creative practice session, which will lead to a fuller and more inspired musical life. Just try it.
It’s also worth checking out Lauren’s post on Bowing Direction and how that relates to a fiddler’s rhythm. Lauren also has a TON of videos teaching you how to groove and work on your timing in her curriculum.
And of course, the number one piece of advice I always share is to simply play along with the music you love. We have the insanely unique privilege to be able to play along with our heroes whenever we want via the internet, which is not something any of our ancestors had prior to the gift of recorded music. Take advantage of this wealth of knowledge and trust that you have a gift to share with yourself and the world.
Again, thank you for being out there spreading love and music. Best wishes on your rhythmic endeavors!
-Carolyn
Editor’s Note: I’m thrilled Carolyn shared her perspective with our JwL readership. I’ve admired her as a human and musician for a long time. I hope you’ll check out her EP to hear her songs and listen to her weekly musical contributions for the You Are Good podcast. If you have a chance to see her perform, jump on it!
xoL
