John McLaughlin/S.Ganesh Vinayakram- Gateway to Rhythm

Konokol is the universal system of mastering rhythm without drums. Guitar legend John McLaughlin, who has advocated this system of learning rhythm for over 30 years, brings it all together with Konokol master Selvaganesh Vinayakram, one of the foremost percussionists from India. Divided into 6 chapters, the student moves from basic understanding of rhythm into the wonderful world of improvisation. Exercises are explained and demonstrated followed by improvisations which include all the exercise material of that particular chapter. You will learn through this course how to improvise rhythmically and how this system can help in your compositions. Following this, John McLaughlin explains and demonstrates on the guitar the benefit Konokol has had on his improvisations, and its usefulness in his compositions over the past 30 years.

[@G7flat5]

McLaughlin opened so many doors for musicians. Great!

[@kakudmi]

The process of memorizing scales serves the purpose of playing without thinking about mechanical aspects of it. When you know the scale my heart, you can then focus on listening carefully what is playing inside your mind (heart). It is just a tool to get there. Playing without thinking and focusing on listening, brings every musician to a climax where we don't know if we're the listener or the player, as both are happening subconsciously. Every musician should aspire for this, in my opinion.

[@abd12Jun]

Must watch lesson for all learners!!!

[@johnzammitpace]

Anybody who wants to grasp the essence of rhythm(s) without making too much noise must study these kind of patterns used in the east centuries ago. I am originally a jazz guitarist influnced by John McLaughlin, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, and others, and a composer of circa 100 works in the classical avant-garde genre, initially influenced by Stockhausen, Xenakis, Boulez, and Cage. John E. ZAMMITPACE (MALTA) (guitarist,Avant-Garde Composer)

[@diagreen]

very heavy.hes the best electric guitarist in the world.iv seen him call players far below him things like amazing,incredible.has no ego.doesnt need 1.thanx for this

[@adrianscally]

Mr. McLaughlin is on another level completely. We could practice all day and night and still never come close to the man's intensity. Sacrifice and utter servitude to the instrument.

[@RockinGuitar08]

John Mclaughlin is and has been a truly amazing virtuoso guitarist. I first heard him when I was in my teens. Birds of Fire album. That music is still fantastic, futuristic and imaginative. He played otherworldly music with Carlos Santana on Love Devotion an Surrender. That was some heavy stuff. Then he eventually got together with some fantastic men from India, and formed Shakti. Which means Creative Strength. These guys did amazing things with rhythms and percussion and guitar.

[@kakudmi]

If you can hear music inside yourself, then, you are the observer and the music is the observed. The observer is always different from the observed. So, when a musician hears those beautiful sounds inside his mind, he is observing it, which means it is not him, it is something else.

[@fiddlercrab3]

Don't worry- even with a full understanding of what's happening, these guys are still f*ing mind-blowing! Also, a little bit of understanding goes a long way. I don't really understand konokol yet either, and even with the limited little bit I do get my playing and my listening have improved dramatically.

[@ThreeLeggedMongoose]

wow it was so nice to see him play you know you know with his modern tone

[@AngryHatter]

An amazing guitarist who understand the picking hand is what differentiates us, not the fretting one. Rhythm is a bitch to learn.

[@vakibs2]

Great anecdote about the birds of fire !

[@aliensporebomb]

Great lesson - looks like a great dvd.

[@gibidrums]

My new method for play drums.....KONOKOL....thank Selva i like this!!!!

[@ThePoushal]

Gibi Caretti Did you learn it?

[@OneBigRetard]

Where is this footage. I am calling you a liar. I live outside of the US and my news doesn't show that either. Where is all this amazing non-green zone footage coming from?

[@fabjanceka]

man, I love john mclaughlin' s accent!

[@stevieVantanna]

Anybody buy this vid? I'm thinking of getting it to learn about rhythm and gain more confidence in the subject. I wonder if i'll be able to communicate these ideas to other musicians?

[@coreyagraph]

you are wrong.....it is fair. i improve every time i see jm play. it is a great inspiration to me and everyone else. i will never be his equal, but i will be considerably better. and you will, too!

[@bingefeller]

You can tell how much this influenced Shawn Lane.

[@argonauta50]

thank you two

[@fabjanceka]

john' s accent is amazing! he' s da man!

[@WimGrundy]

Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Practicioners have done their forms of konoko since when? Hottest brand going!

[@Jakelikeshiking]

Im just getting into John mclaughin? What kinda stuff of his should i check out?

[@OneBigRetard]

First three Shakti and Live at the RFH '87. Plus, everything else.

[@Axeman89]

true I agree and of course they are mind blowing! I love the idea of it but i also don't like it in some ways. To me a lot of theory is great to know what your doing, especially if you're teaching like this but if you are a musician creating music i think you need to think creative and thats the art of it i believe.

[@Axeman89]

I see what you're saying now but i think if you're a musician and im guessing you are, then youll know how your playing differs between when you improvise something and when you actually write something with theory in mind. I just ment the majority of players who are musically trained start from the c major scale and it is instilled in their mind so naturally when they're improvising they are going to play that without thinking coz it is what they are used to practicing when it comes 2 shapes

[@RedPetrol76]

Best guitar player, best accent

[@zzRider]

As odd as this will sound, I don't even know how to read music or play an instrument, and yet I would actually consider buying this DVD. It looks interesting.

[@aminesbox1]

An other simple way to play you know you know is to start with triplet melody playing 3×3 then 3×5 silence. on the second play 3×5 with the melody triplet then 3×5 on silence again it works perfectly ;)

[@jackhammer111]

that's more simple? lol. no. it's 12 measures of 4. the hitch is that it begins on the "and" before measure 1 of the twelve, then repeats starting with the & of 12. This drove me nuts for years. He just explained it. 12-4. The first note is not on 1. f you were counting the song in you'd say 1&2&3&4& and the first note you play is on the and of 4 Then when you get to 12 the first note is played on 12&, and your second note is on beat one of your next 12. And it repeats like that through the whole song. I guess you could say if it was easy everybody would be doing it.. It's the hitch that makes it otherworldly like closing y our eyes holding your arm out and turning around just fast enough to make you slightly dizzy. each phrase makes you feel just a little off kilter, but you are not. You are still grounded in 12/4 as long as you start on the &. the reason that is simpler is it stays in standard classical notation in 12/4, not bouncing from one time signature to another and back. i

[@prinznevsky]

yay konokol!

[@woodros]

no irate neighbours!! leg-end

[@Axeman89]

I agree ignorance really is bliss!

[@Axeman89]

i hear you dude! haha im just saying NATURALLY you would, if u know what I mean when improvising a lot you can't think that fast in short spaces of time though u may interpret other modes into the c major scale shapes or whichever mode ur playing in its the same kind of principle as when people play blues blues scale minor pentatonic springs to mind and muscle memory! lol not A hungarian minor or the hirojoshi pentatonic when improvising but i suppose if u switched your natural thought process..

[@Axeman89]

i think it depends on how you look at it, sure its great to have knowledge of things to better yourself but for me this is like the first time you were told father christmas wasnt real, I was perfectly happy not knowing if he was tbh the imagination is so much more important then reality, leaves us creative thought. Knowing this system is fine but i personally i would rather be stunned at what theyre doing, than know what theyre doing and apply it cause then its less exciting in some ways u kno?

[@romaneberle]

@jyviens: Live At The Royal Festival Hall - one of the best records I've ever heard, my god, so incredibly intense. some day ago, with a girl, too stupid I put this record on. lol. we couldn't talk anymore. just listen in trance. both of us speechless. dammit. next time I'll put kylie minogue on, better for my sex life.

[@Axeman89]

Yeah i think its ment to be this way. I'm glad those people are ignorant to that type of music, if they liked our taste in music then it would get boring and it just wouldn't be right

[@matambale]

NO IRATE NEIGHBORS lmao except for that time I tried to learn how to play saxophone. Somebody called the ASPCA.

[@andocrates]

His speaking patterns are kind of a cross between Captain kirk and batman. But this is what happens when you sell out he's hawking some repackaged version of t.a.p.s. on late night cable of course people won't give him any respect

[@andocrates]

Go watch his version of Cherokee on the tonight show you will understand watch?v=Om6HDUKBbzE

[@Axeman89]

lol um thats kinda what i was just summing up! haha :P

[@OneBigRetard]

Understand what? I think you are replying to the wrong person.

[@bigfatgreek]

mahavishnu orchestra ;)

[@Axeman89]

no you just clearly dont understand both ways think about it friend...

[@davidmantis89]

c'mon man ... don't be toooooo serious, im just kiddin', u should know that .. i know that laughlin's skills are extraordinary, otherwise he wouldn't be that popular among guitarists as he is. i really can't understand why so many people have lack of humor when it comes to their heroes.

[@jakestewartmusic]

5:56 - 6:00 FTW

[@anandanaga999]

What? Work is devotion. Praying, drumming,playing, screwing.. all is Vasudeva. Hare Krishna No>?

[@zzRider]

Footage of what? The USA ethos? The so-called green-zone is a military term used in Iraq, not the USA. I am a "liar", as are you, but be more specific. What did I lie about.

[@digimaton]

who knows who's commenting on here? it could have been some kid thinking: "dude, like these guys are total stoners...way cool!"

[@Priyesh0804]

All he is doing is opening your mind to other influences. Too bad you close your mind before giving other type of music a chance...

[@davidmantis89]

they seem like completely stoned hahaha

[@Jack458111]

hahaha he talks funny

[@yagamei]

LOL.

[@johnzammitpace]

I am originally a jazz guitarist influenced highly John McLaughlin, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, and others, and a composer of circa 100 works in the avant-garde genre, early influences Stockhausen, Xenakis, Boulez, and Cage. Back in the early 1970's, unknowingly, I used to practice certain rhythms in this manner. Still, Thank you John McLaughlin and S.Ganesh Vinayakram. John E. ZAMMITPACE (jazz-guitarist and classical avant-garde composer)

[@jazz4]

He Lives in the south of france, monte carlo I think...livin' it up, he deserves it.

[@gregsbest]

Thank you so much John and S.V. for this. I will enjoy working with this. Generousity - the universal language !!!

[@PhilEmanS]

with big faith, endurance and persistence. everybody is a genius from within

[@Laburnus]

John looks like timothy leary a bit, he talks like him also.:D

[@jwandhistools]

These men are crazy. Talented beyond comprehension....and very, very crazy. They scare the hell out of me, really. It's just not fair to be that good.

[@mootbooxle]

YOU KNOW YOU KNOW!! I never realised that it starts on a pickup note - not on the 1!

[@vaister]

Hola. No se equivoque amigo, en colombia hay internet y todo se puede conseguir. Absolútamente todo.

[@tomlensher]

Well, I read in one of his 90's interview transcripts that he is a "FlatPick"-er, who cut out his own picks from the soft plastic lids of empty margrine tubs... i don't know how true was the interview, or whether he still does that nowadays.

[@jimmyskins]

the reason to bother with this is because it is the most elegant and highly developed rhythmic system in the world. there is not a single rhythmic or metric situation or possibility that it cannot accomodate.

[@OneBigRetard]

I know you won't. Anyone that makes comments like yours is INCAPABLE of achieving what he has achieved. As much work goes into him as his instrument.

[@Lehmann108]

Well, of course any serious drummer can count, but in konokal you get to say funny sounding sounds instead of "one, two, three, four, five." ;-)

[@OneBigRetard]

I love the hip swivel at the end. He is always swinging no matter what!

[@rd40082]

Whay you say it is totally trough we could practice all day and we will never get JM's level

[@parratt-world]

Is there a single John McLaughlin KZbin video clip that has better quality sound?

[@terminaldeity]

I was really stoked to learn this. Then I realized I already do this, but with numbers instead of "daka" sounds. So for 7/4, I say 1-2-1-2-1-2-3, and repeat. Same principle, but I think it's easier for my brain to process numbers.

[@firstlast-wg2on]

Thing about konnakol is that you can vocalize it faster because of the consonant noises. So being able to do a fast quintuplet, counting 1 2 3 4 5 very quickly is a pain in the ass (or whatever combination you may use), but with konnakol it is a breeze.

[@aminesbox1]

An other simple way to play it is to start with triplet melody playing 3×3 then 3×5 silence. on the second play 3×5 with the melody triplet then 3×5 on silence again it works perfectly ;)

[@hotlanta71]

this dvd is so good at not just exploring odd times but doing interesting things with 4/4

[@WillemHeijboer]

I'ts a Godin Freeway SA

[@digimaton]

sorry, but that's a poor suggestion, this guy has been a meditation practitioner for at least 40 years now (both of these guys are very mellow people, nothing to do with being stoned) he's very clear, very focused. McLaughlins level of musicianship didn't happen t as a result of getting stoned (though I'm sure he had his fun back in the day).

[@kakudmi]

That is just Govan's opinion. Playing from inspiration is way better and more pleasing than knowing what are you going to play. Improvisation is all about playing from your inner inspiration source, which after a while you realize it is not you, but something else. Thanks.

[@GanjaGabe]

get the cd, extrapalation, and check out shakti

[@Axeman89]

Guthrie Govan once told me that you can learn boxes if you want but in the end your not using your mind to play as it's just muscle memory because you automatically already know what you are going to play! and its so true learn the cmajor scale all over the neck and chances are when someone asks you to play something thats the first thing youll play without thinking, not always a good thing

[@RedPetrol76]

Sounds chorus to me. But I can be wrong...

[@Xelanderthomas]

I knew you joking. It made me laugh. Besides, even if they were stoned, so what! They're just talking about a musical concept not performing brain surgery.

[@jazz4]

Your joking right?

[@clovis2012]

What kind of guitar picks does JM use?

[@dontneedmath]

john mclaughlins the fucking man

[@jwandhistools]

He spent more time practicing than I did. I only skipped high school to practice. John must have started 2 minutes after birth and did nothing else. Inspirational to say the least. He makes me think a lot. His music is very "intelligent", I believe.

[@dirtywojta]

guru john

[@asxefv]

he speaks like a woman

[@bytedildo]

he has a Mac?? Damn...

[@railcar123]

Its thrilling just to see him play "You Know You Know" from "The Inner Mounting Flame". He might as well just play the whole album.

[@DaZeuhlUndazir]

NO IRATE NEIGHBORS

[@fiddlercrab3]

The advantage of the sounds is that they roll off the tongue faster- waay faster than english syllables. Go to bassplayertv, check out Kai Eckhardt's channel, and he proves that pretty effectively.

[@zzRider]

Interesting.

[@jacs91]

MOAR!

[@diagreen]

very heavy.hes the best electric guitarist in the world.iv seen him call players far below him things like amazing,incredible.has no ego.doesnt need 1.thanx for this

[@kakudmi]

Well then, you and I have a different philosophy.

[@DavidSewellGuitar]

i bet he goes to the tanning bed! ha! John's brilliant!

[@AbstractMan23]

@Aryozad he lives in south of france i think. and a lifetime of travelling the world ;-)

[@rd40082]

Thanks for posting this amazing video. Here in Colombia it difficult to get this material

[@Aryozad]

whats up with johns accent? English, but some strange foreignness in there...

[@44eelz]

finally some truth, i thought i was the only one suffering by that crap!

[@44eelz]

i love that riff that john plays, is that chorus or a flanger he uses?

[@coreyagraph]

i saw him with chick corea in march.......still has it!

[@fiddlercrab3]

Yeah, I'm sure Mel invented that shit... LOL

[@KMatteKudasaiC]

hahah he sounds like Barf from space balls :P

[@instrumentenfreak]

chorus and bitcrusher