Sixteenth notes
Fast & Furious or Slow and Sexy
I know, sixteenth notes aren't the subject of CNN News or the average dinner-table discussion. Songwriters don't generally think of them for inspiration or guidance.
Likewise, your skeleton isn't something you think of during the average day - but try to live without it. (If you haven't yet read the following pages. You may want to start there, and build.)
Quarter Notes
Eighth Notes
Triplets
Popular music is full of countless moods and feels with all kinds of rhythms. But if you try to do it without 16th notes... it would almost be impossible. Are they difficult to play? Is there a new rhythm on the scene? No and No...
The Basics
As you probably know, sixteenth notes are named from their birthplace... 16 of them in 4 beats. - Take a basic beat/quarter note and split it into 4 equal parts.
- Play 4 beats in a row and you've got a measure of 4/4 time.
- 4 x 4 =
But it isn't the math that makes them so useful. It's the feel.16th notes have been in music in some form, since man sang his first tune or hit the first drum lick on a log. But European composers from music history and even Rock 'n Rollers have traditionally been the forerunners of using this rhythm.
Drum Machines & Computers
When hip-hop and rap came on the scene, many thought it was just an overnight fad. They were obviously wrong. One of the biggest effects over time has been the use of 16th notes. In the mid 1980's, the band I worked with performed regularly at a venue in Ft. Worth, Texas called the "Caravan of Dreams". It was a regular host of name Jazz, Blues & World Music artists. (We certainly weren't among the "world-renown," but we held our own.) I was there one evening talking with a bass player that was touring with a national act. As we chatted about music, he began talking about what was going to happen with the drum machine grooves, once the novelty wore off of being able to program fast licks at fast tempos. He predicted the tempos would slow down. At the time, I didn't get the importance of what he was saying. He was talking about the grooves that would soon be commonplace... slower, but very rhythmic and driving. Just like today. Prior to then, sixteenth notes were thought of as being fast, edgy grooves. K.C. and the Sunshine Band's, "Get Down Tonight"... white boy funk, was popular. The drummer is usually playing constant 16th notes on the high-hat, along with the rhythm guitar. It sounds fast and busy. Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, (we lazily call it all "Latin" music) have always made use of 16th notes, with layers of drum, shaker and bell patterns all weaving together. While they certainly use slow grooves in creative ways, the radio tends to only play the fast, exciting ones.
A New Rhythm Method
The drum machine helped change all that. You could program a very slow tempo, but bring out all the subdivisions... rhythms that you wouldn't normally hear, and accent them with new colors like shakers, woodblocks, tambourines, handclaps, additional high-hats and drums.Producers also liked the limitless editing capablilites. You could change sounds/samples and tempos without having to re-record. Good programmers almost replaced live drummers for awhile. Many great players were out of work in the studios. The sound was mechanical, perfectly timed, colorful and fresh. For better or worse, it dominated music production in the 1980's. Today, a very slow tempo, really doesn't feel that slow anymore. Why? Rap music has brought to light creative & effective use of sixteenth note rhythms that bring excitement without tempo.
Substitute Rhythm for Speed
With a tempo that is actually much slower than it feels, rappers (and others, but especially rappers)"double-time" the feel. They do this by inserting many lyric syllables, or beats, i.e. 16th notes (and even 32nd notes) in a relative slow tempo.The instrumental tracks or music that support rap, are a perfect display of modern day use of 16th notes. While you may not be a fan of Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Usher or Rihanna, their music has cross-over appeal because of it's funky rhythm grooves. It isn't rap, but has all the elements. You can drive them fast and loud. But you can also play them smooth, soft and funky. Sixteenth notes are all over the charts today, in every genre. Use them creatively, and your song is gonna' jam.
More on the Principles of Music Theory
Lyric Writing Library
Great Songwriting Tips for Pros and Beginners
Finding Your Own Songwriter's Vibe
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