MIke Dawes - Brilliant Polyrhythms Lesson!

In this episode of Wood Vibrations, Mike Dawes teaches everything you need to know about polyrhythms, and how to incorporate them into solo guitar playing. For tabs, go to: www.guitarworld.com/lessons-ac...

[@terrywin2661]

"Now play them together" . It was at that point that my guitar went flying across the room!!!

[@marks5039]

Neck went flying across the room five times while body went flying twelve times

[@AlphSlayer]

I need Polybrains to play it.

[@ILIKESCIFI]

I would need MULTIbrains dude!

[@an_38kitkashyap]

I need Polyphia to play this

[@rullpul136]

Polycocks

[@balrajbhati7274]

Not poly quad brain

[@maximpetric7279]

😂😂😂

[@danjoshmass]

As an earlier comment pointed out, these are polymeters, but I wanted to add that it's refreshing to hear polymeters used outside of progressive metal. As much as I love prog metal, I've always wanted to hear them used in a different context.

[@user-ow4km5zs5r]

"lets play it together" HOW?!

[@arijitdas8964]

count me in.

[@EonSloth]

Mike Dawes is my hero and the person solely responsible for me not giving up on guitar, topping that off with the fact that he played The Impossible at EuroBlast 2014 when he hadn't planned on it, just because little me asked due to it being my favourite song of all time. Mike is a gift to this world and one of the most gentle and kind beings I have had the pleasure of meeting. I would personally LOVE to see more lessons from him!

[@AlergicToSnow]

I've been playing for decades and have never seen this before. Incredible. Love it.

[@brucebenson8140]

AlergicToSnow : Listen to (&watch) Michael Hedges. Michael passed away about 15 years ago in a terrible car accident but was one of the early creators of this type of playing.

[@forgottencas2272]

Along with Preston Reed.

[@GistOfItMedia]

this shit is like calculus for acoustic guitar players

[@DipankarMahatto01]

lowermiddleclassy basically L.C.M of X & Y !!

[@Russian_wifee]

;D

[@drealboy_]

This nigga is doing so much multitasking with how he plays guitar it's a no damn wonder he doesn't sing

[@reyhanvivaldi9597]

Polyrhythms in drum are way more confusing

[@LOLAP95]

@@reyhanvivaldi9597 no.

[@rachelearth]

Great teacher. Takes it apart, stays encouraging, shows amazing new ideas slowly. Thank you! Sounds beautiful too.

[@billwendt1256]

I went to Andy McKee's Guitar Masters show at the Freight. Three hours of this level of playing. Mike opened. Definitely my favorite show that year. Just jaw dropping.

[@austin50100]

Great lesson, can't wait to see more.

[@SanithMohanCase305]

This is how I was able to play this: using an electric guitar and turn the volume down all the way to Zero, synchronize, and then increase the volume. The struggle that everyone is facing is almost the same, 'being able to play them individually, but not able to play them together'...When I first tried to play this, I practiced continuously for an hour and was only able to get the synchronization for 3 to 4 times, and then back to 0 again and again.. In my case, I was able to identify that my brain is focusing more on the sound which was loud, i.e, the notes being played by the right hand. They are treble notes and the left ones are bass notes. Even if I started by playing the notes on the left hand, when the right hand notes were played, since they sound more loud than the left ones, my brain automatically started focusing only on the Tone coming from the Right hand notes, and thereby, messing up the left hand. So I unplugged my Electric guitar, and then played them individually to get the feel and the pattern, and then I played them together. This time I was able to Improve my synchronization. It's not perfect yet, but the improvement was considerably higher because now there was no sound, and I was able to focus only on the frets and the strings. In short, it was the sound that was messing up my synchronization, so I practiced with 'no sound'. And when it was improving, then turned on the sound. Everyone will be facing a different issue, and this was the solution I could come up with for the time being. Maybe someday I'll be able to figure out a different way. I've been playing the guitar for almost 6+ years, and yet, when I tried the Polyrhythm for the first time, it felt as if I am learning the guitar from scratch.

[@izzykilman6820]

Thank you for taking the time to show me this! Great polyryth, poli , ple eh... great tune!

[@Ghandjaloodah]

Sounds beautiful!

[@NeonBlazeMusic]

Amazing, this will be fun to practice.

[@realistikvideo]

Thank you so much for this lesson. Your ballads are nothing short of amazing!!

[@BANDUNGCOUSTIK_BENICHKYVANJAVA]

Great leson

[@brandonTHEshiados]

This guy is real knowledgeable and an amazing player. Wow.

[@rockguitar3431]

Your lesson is so useful. Please continue make you lesson . thank you so much

[@rs-xr3ty]

Masterful and beautiful and way over my head

[@bleachcheeks4837]

That fretted riff sounds like the garoh melody from golden sun. So beautiful, def learning it

[@RFWMusic]

Wow, wonderful ! 😊

[@trpackz2848]

For anyone trying to learn this and having trouble playing both figures at the same time. This really helped for me. Just play the figure with the right hand non stop and try to only add the first 2 bass notes of figure 1 and 2. Hope this might help someone.

[@bagurkbagurko9137]

Wonderful!!!

[@gamermanliness9746]

so talented. I like it

[@richardpark997]

Amazing Musician !!!

[@RodneyGuitar]

Great tutorial Mike!!

[@psavelli65]

Great explanation - thank you for clearly explaining it

[@LOKESKYWATCHER528]

Great lesson man. Thank you for sharing it.

[@shubhamghojage2825]

you helped me a lot ... made my day

[@R_Thomp]

Great playing!

[@Mini-vi8oo]

Finally got this xs worth learning

[@caspermaster-com]

Amazing guitarist, musician, presentation, inspiration:)

[@danielevans1201]

oh my, i cant believe i have only just found you as id have studied you ages ago had i known. cant wait to get home and try some of your stuff and hopefully become a lot better in a good few months or so.

[@guitardudeguy3139]

Awesome lesson..very interesting technique! Very beautifully done!

[@JulienMARY]

I need polylives to reach this level ...

[@gregmirr]

Great lesson interesting patterns and well explained ..thanks

[@chrisfarrugia5397]

Beautiful

[@RobinMeys]

I enjoyed that a lot ! Thank you !!

[@RGPEDROSA20]

So beautiful.

[@Martin-jk2ng]

I hope people appreciate drummers better now. Great playing and ideas from Mike.

[@pontepolentepontepi]

Great lesson!

[@route4555]

Awesome dude!

[@mikehutchinson2972]

This is brilliant, love it! Great composition. Technically 12/8 has the beat every three quavers. You are playing a very clear 3/4 with the beat every two quavers (in the left hand).

[@mccalltrader]

thats beautiful bro!

[@h.3257]

amazing!

[@brianralph5036]

beautiful

[@Leo-cq9zr]

Im buying a guitar today.... this was a great lesson...this young man is absolutely awesome. .

[@dr.vincentdada7867]

How are you ?

[@caponi14]

What a fucking beast man. This guys acoustic skills are insane

[@stanstolarski8325]

I only have an inexpensive Alvarez acoustic guitar but I'll give this tutorial my best shot Mike . . . It certainly looks like a bit of a challenge . . . Thanks . . . All the best & stay well !!!

[@kentuckyblugrass]

Is it just me, watching Dawes discourages the living hell out of me. This technique goes way beyond patting your head and rubbing your belly. Can't help but be absolutely captivated by his playing.

[@boojay111]

Ho Ho, I said that as he was explaining (the patting head etc.) but it is the numbers that get me every time as I can hear key changes but no idea if they 3/4 or 6/12 or whatever they are. I have tried and tried to understand but no. I will stick to giving up, patting my head and rubbing my tummy, that's easy!

[@zoratatsumaki9181]

This is an advanced technique that even 10+ year professionals have trouble with. I'm sure you're fine.

[@vrendus522]

Nice stuff Mike. Paying close attention to your teaching. Can't thank you enough. p.s. Beautifully played.

[@GeorgeNashMusic]

Good thing I just started learning The Impossible. This will help a lot, thanks :)

[@kimlock9440]

Great 💫

[@michaeloflouisiana9469]

Playing polyrythems has always been a huge challenge for me. Keeping two seperate times makes me fall apart everytime. I was about to give up and head back into my Sacred Training Grounds when he said, "pass the goddamn butter". I can't give up after hearing that 😂

[@anthonydevito1298]

"So there's this part" nice "And now there's this part" nice I can do that "now play them together" wait what

[@makmamaam3482]

this is all cool and all, but I got an issue, How do you play them together

[@matyourin]

I was lost when he tapped that 4/4 and 3/4 example at the introduction... The rest i understood mathematically, but to me it looks like youve got to be a robot to pull it off... Just incredible 🤯

[@whitelion204]

For 4/4 and 3/4, just divide a bar into 12 beats. 4/4 will hit every 3 beat on beat *1,4,7,10* and 3/4 will hit every 4 beat on beat *1,5,9*. So the 4/4 and 3/4 polyrhythm will look like this: (1) 2 3 (4)(5) 6 (7) 8 (9) (10) 11 12 Pass - - the god - damned - butter --

[@UAxFunnYo]

Great explanation :-) First time i got to understand how polyrhythms actually work :-D

[@roblozier]

You're like an updated, modern day Chet Atkins! Thanks for the demonstration :) Not sure I'd ever play that but that is some awesome playing.. I have since downloaded some of your music on my Apple Music account :)

[@Knosferatu]

Too good

[@trapOrdoom]

you're actually such a sick guitarist. much appreciated video, it's hard to find a bunch good of visual and verbal explanations of a polyrhythm . that's amazing playing though honestly.

[@trapOrdoom]

& I'm getting you're album now, off rip.

[@EaglehawkMoonfang]

Been practicing hard lately. Feel I'm improving fast and this exercise is exactly what I needed, though didn't I know I needed it lol

[@dr.vincentdada7867]

Hi Felon, what materials do you have for practice?

[@EaglehawkMoonfang]

@@dr.vincentdada7867 currently, Giuliani's 120 right hand studies for guitar. Also working on learning a few different songs via tabs. Got guitar pro a few weeks ago and absolutely love it. Aside from that, just having fun and goofing around with my guitar a few hours each night

[@TheHighPandaBear]

cool Mike

[@GattlingGuitarGuru]

The pass the god damn butter one is a true polyrhythm, the song example though is more of a polymeter- polyrhythms typically match up on the downbeat, say 4/4 and 5/4-each would be a slightly different tempo so every beat one lines up. A polymeter is more than one meter, but the tempos are the same so there is a phasing effect so they only line up every so many bars.

[@poorquay5732]

Shut the fuck up.

[@yigitalpdikmen331]

@@poorquay5732 The guy says true. If you disagree, then you don't write anything. Be respectful.

[@curtblack686]

'now play them together' yeah alright mate will do giz a sec, cheers

[@tommybear4458]

this guy's is superhuman for real real real

[@v4d3rm4n]

he's really good at pulling off

[@dickiedick100]

I am polynaised. 🤪 This is so high school guitar playing and even I never will learn this I found it superb. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@ApiolJoe]

Actually, depanding on the signature of both your rythms, you might need less than X Ys and Y Xs (if it makes sense). these numbers are just true for every rythm you might try, but some couples might come back together faster than X and Y times (let's take 6 and 8 for example, they meet back up first at the 4th six and not the 8th six. They still meet also at the count you gave though). Just a little clarification so that people trying out with this don't get confused because rythms meets back up faster than they expected.

[@paulbeades6681]

Excellent teaching, really clear. F all change of playing this :-)

[@davidwright8989]

I love ghost notes

[@vadimbutenko1057]

cool!

[@TheUltraGamer98]

awesome!!! I suck at rhythm guitar and I will try this P.S I can't believe i counted 12 times correctly

[@Tharaka-ky7uw]

I gret ful sir....😘😘😘😘

[@DavidTheBaker1]

"confuse your neighbours and scare your dog.." I think might have pulled that off a couple times before...

[@illuminatiCorgi]

I died at the, "Pass the God damn butter...", lyric :')

[@CatsCoffeeGuitars]

Does anyone else find it much easier to count it as 6/4 rather than 12/8? The length of the note values in 6/4 (one, two, three, four, five, six) makes it simples and maybe groovier to count than one...twelve (12/8).

[@rosettastoned2194]

i was wondering the same thing

[@idleliquid]

I think it's because he needs the pattern of 5 to play out in complete twice during the pattern of 12.

[@angelcastellanosmartinez2412]

I wonder what pickup is installed that sounds so brilliant

[@Gibson1961SG]

Fucking love this guy.

[@Rxbandit421]

Lol I love the acoustic version of scarlet there at the intro

[@steveozone4910]

Hey Mike. When you play figure 2 at the end of the second bar have you tried hammering 9 pull of 8 on the a string? I think it adds a nice dynamic like when you change the pattern to the end of the 2nd bar figure one. Really cool melody though. Keep it up :)

[@Pequin1000]

What he said

[@rarminqorset3628]

I did it he is cool star being awesome ppl

[@eddierey5202]

Insane! The first part sounds like music form Resident Evil's save room..

[@user-by7of1nc7k]

IM JUST GONNA THROW MY GUITAR AND WATCH THIS GUY

[@michaelavarice]

Wow😃

[@P78ful]

This is why I am a bass player !!

[@sinhaanip]

what just hit me !

[@mrsaskriders]

I feel like I'm back at twinkle twinkle Little Star when I listen to you. I just learned how to play classical gas and my brain is full.

[@peterbustin2683]

Woah! I can hear them everywhere, now...

[@franklingauthier-parker7253]

I'm pretty sure this is polymeter, not polyrhythm, but still a great lesson. Loved the piece and will certainly check this guy out.

[@poldilaab14344]

1:15 that laugh tho!

[@divinasi0n]

This lesson we're going to be looking at: *POLYMETERS*** Polyrhythms are when you have two rhythms on top of each other that start and end at the same point. _Polymeters_ - as demonstrated in this video; generally don't end at the same point. A musician who uses them in their music and is giving lessons should surely know the difference and should not be disseminating incorrect information.. In fact - the title of this video should be _"Brilliant _*_Polymeters_*_ lesson!"_ Peace

[@leviathan8815]

I hate it when people mess that up

[@MRX123MRX]

So in that case; is a drum beat with kick on 1 and 3, and snare on 2 and 4 a polyrhythm?

[@adino20]

at 1:25 though he correctly performs a 4 over 3 poly-rhythm but describes it as 3/4 over 4/4 like how you would describe a poly-meter. He was wrong about two different things at the same time... poly-wrongness.

[@johnbifulco707]

I dont think he was speaking in literal musical dictionary terms. I think he used polyrhythm because its essentially the closest to laymen's terms. Most people can understand the concept of two separate rhythms, and visualize that when described that way, even if technically speaking it is incorrect. Like the difference between a "riff" and a "phrase", again, im assuming he is catering to guitarists that don't have huge music vocabulary and is oversimplifying the verbiage of the concept.

[@marinooliveira4204]

divinasion Uh! 😒

[@SnipySnob]

Nice stuff Mike, obviously well performed but you came off very charismatic and entertaining to keep the attention of the viewer

[@Andybaby]

Damn, I was hoping this would suck, because who can be bothered with the extra complexity.. but the song is just...amazingly beautiful.

[@marvinrey79]

you guys should check out Andy McKee, greyson erhard and Donovan Raitt, i think they show this style very well and if you guys want to challenge yourself learn a song or two by them !

[@gaganaggarwal7599]

Never knew this is where my primary school concept of LCM and HCF would be used. God is mysterious man.

[@ianmackinlay8925]

That was lesson one... holy shit!

[@kxmrock]

Pass the Butter indeed... great Hand strength builder

[@priyas.8141]

Should've paid attention during my math class in school.

[@lobsangchotta98]

sir how many fingers you're using for plugging the strings