These 2 Indian Rhythm Exercises Will Destroy You [ADVANCED RHYTHM THEORY + KONNAKOL]

Part Two of this lesson, by Ben Levin, is found here! • Using STRESSFUL rhythm...
Confused? Take my rhythm course! signalsmusicstudio.com/produc...
In this lesson, we learn to perform some "simple exercises" from Indian konnakol (vocal percussion), then make music inspired by the concept. For most Western musicians like myself, these exercises will be wildly complex and advanced, since we rarely encounter such patterns in our music. However, reductive and growing patterns are common in Indian music, and keeping track of a steady pulse beneath them is a must! By learning konnakol and practicing these patterns, you should be able to easily expand your composing possibilities and start including "exotic rhythms" into your own music should you wish. As you'll see, these exercises easily lead into polyrhythms and polymeters of extreme complexity.
Thank you to my Patreon supporters for making these videos possible - their support means I don't have to put sponsors or ads in the middle of my videos.
/ signalsmusicstudio
And a HUGE thank you to Ben Levin for being a part of this video! Make sure to visit his website here: benlevinmusicschool.com/
And to @BeardStank (Jeff Schwertfeger) for his drumful prowess!
Like chords more than rhythms? Check out my new book, the Chord Progression Codex. I promise you'll love it! shorturl.at/bouLV
Here's the Adam Neely video with the Phrygian Challenge, featuring this rhythm: • Can the Phrygian Scale...
Table of Contents
00:00 Intro
01:35 Explaining Exercise 1
03:38 Keeping Tala With Your Hands
04:34 Hear Exercise 1
05:46 Converting Indian Rhythms to Western Notation
06:51 Hear The Exercise On Guitar
07:30 Turning Mad Rhythms Into Music
13:25 Hear The Song by Jake Lizzio + Ben Levin
14:56 Exercise 2
16:57 Closing Thoughts

[@StringsOfAndersen]

Since I have specialized in this thing KONNAKOL as a guitar player it made me reflect on the fact that everything that we learn in music theory is based on language: note names, the scales and the harmonies - and on higher levels upper triads, substitutions etc. - all tonal events taking place in time - So the good thing to ask is : how do we practise time?, timing, subdivisions, polyrhythms & timekeeping ? And for that Konnakol is awesome because it is a language. A universal language.

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

Folks, listen to this man here! And watch his channel!!!

[@mhz6687]

Im so glad you are back. Your work is like no one else on youtube

[@suvinshrestha9268]

I agree

[@MrSuntask]

It is always a treat

[@nopenheimer]

I went to write a comment only to see you already said exactly what I felt needed to be said.

[@mhz6687]

@@nopenheimer great minds think alike i guess

[@BenLevin]

Thank you for teaching me these wonderful exercises and inviting me to write with you! You're amazing at what you do and a great hang!

[@stulora3172]

I couldn't have said it better, and @BenLevin, so are you. I learn a lot from both of you, but what I like even more, you challenge my musical brain. I never want to feel like I have heard it all, or that I understand music. And both of you give me sth to chew on every single time. Thank you!

[@world_musician]

Sitar and tabla is not Carnatic, that’s south India with veena and mridangam. Anoushka plays North Indian music called Hindustani

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

My mistake!

[@world_musician]

@@SignalsMusicStudio No worries, just adding nuance. Carnatic and Hindustani are very very different musical styles once you learn a bit about them. To me as a sitarist they sound nothing alike, Carnatic is mostly compositions while Hindustani is 90% improvisation.

[@karthiklakshmi]

He’s in the ballpark. Good start. Keep going ..

[@MusicInContext7]

Props for owning the error.

[@rahulrao17]

Absolutely delightful to see constructive Input and jake owning up like already mentioned... Many different music genres and styles in our country... Your way of putting it up and analysing is really nice to see... And the music piece you constructed sounded straight out of a Hindi movie bgm

[@bettyswunghole3310]

"Name your own price" for content of this quality is just astounding! You're a true gentleman, Jake...this is what the whole of YT *_ought_* to be like!

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

get it while it lasts! next year I'm going to start charging a reasonable price for it

[@garnetgun]

Why do you think I started learning Western music😅

[@zishanhaider6]

I grew up listening to these rhythms.. still never saw them the way you explained.. awesome thank you

[@butteredpopcornjellybean7583]

That melody you wrote is sooooo cool!!!

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

it's just a cool rhythm, played using a cool scale, of which we break down to make cool chords 😎

[@stulora3172]

@@SignalsMusicStudio And you found the tone to bring it all together.

[@sea-ferring]

The rhythmic language of Indian classical music is so interesting and incredibly advanced.

[@seinmstudio]

The finished song opened my third eye...

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

Listening to Tool pried open mine.

[@RememberGodHolyBible]

The compoſers are Sataniſts ſo, it is no wonder. Iuſt ſo thou knoweſt, as ſomeone with much experience in this field, the third eye, is a TWO WAY STREET, not a one way ſtreet. The whole agenda to open thy third eye is to let IN deuill ſpirits, that they could acceſſe thy body and faculties eaſier, all without thy detection. The third eye ſhould be cloſed, vnleſſe Ieſus Chꝛiſt him ſelfe openeth it foꝛ thee foꝛ HIS purpoſe befoꝛe cloſing it againe. The whole idea of a third eye and the talk around it and purſuit to open it oꝛ awaken it are by people who are meaning to harm thee in the moſt painful of ways. Iuſt an FYI. If thou deſireſt trueth and life, it is found in Ieſus Chꝛiſt and in his woꝛds in the King Iames Bible. The Goſpel that ſaueth and how to be ſaued accoꝛding to the woꝛd of God : "1 MOꝛeouer bꝛethꝛen , I declare vnto you the Goſpel which I pꝛeached vnto you, which alſo you haue receiued,and wherein yee ſtand. 2 By which also yee are ſaued , if yee keepe in memoꝛie what I pꝛeached vnto you , vnleſſe yee haue beleeued in vaine. 3 Foꝛ I deliuered vnto you firſt of all , that which I alſo receiued , how that Chꝛiſt died for our ſinnes accoꝛding to the Scriptures : 4 And that he was buried,and that he roſe againe the third day accoꝛding to the Scriptures." - 1 Coꝛinthians 15:1-4 Holy Bible 1611 "9 That if thou ſhalt confeſſe with thy mouth the Loꝛd Ieſus , and ſhalt beleeue in thine heart , that God hath raiſed him from the dead , thou ſhalt be ſaued. 10 Foꝛ with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteouſneſſe,and with the mouth confeſſion is made vnto ſaluation. 11 Foꝛ the Scripture ſaith, Whoſoeuer beleeueth on him , ſhall not bee aſhamed. 12 Foꝛ there is no difference betweene the Iew and the Greeke : foꝛ the ſame Loꝛd ouer all, is rich vnto all, that call vpon him. 13 Foꝛ whoſoeuer ſhall call vpon the Name of the Loꝛd,ſhall be ſaued." - Romanes 10:9-13 Holy Bible 1611

[@RETIREDBUGKILLER]

That's the brown one, right?

[@MyDemon32]

Sounds more like Animals as Leaders rather than Tool

[@TheOddTimesMusic]

TOOL REFERENCE!

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

Hope you found this video to be as fun as I did! The thing that Ben did still blows me away, I'm very grateful to have his awesome artwork in one of my lessons😁 Here's a few important things: 🔴I showed Hindustani music (instead of Carnatic music) during the intro. The rhythm I'm teaching occurs in both music styles though (both originate from India). As I mentioned right after, I can't teach Indian theory! 🔴Don't leave before watching 13:26 🔴Pete Lockett and Matthew Montfort get credit for exposing me to these rhythms via their online content. Matthew wrote a great book called "Ancient Traditions Future Possibilites" which was instrumental to my rhythmic knowledge 🔴The reductive 3's also works as reductive 5s, and is actually more common to hear in Indian music (at least in my experience). This still lies neatly within "adi tala", the 8 beat cycle. Basically, you can keep counting to 8 on your hands, but do reductive 5s in the exact same format and you'll end up on a one beat. This also works with 7's and 9s. 🔴If you're interested in this topic more, you can research "Konnakol lessons" here on youtube. I'd recommend @AsafSirkis for beginners, and for more advanced lessons, check out @StringsOfAndersen. The final boss of KZbin konnakol is @ManjunathBCkzbin.infogaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f534.png

[@flavy1000]

Excellent as always!

[@thesingingaccountant1]

So great to have you back mate. Fantastic teacher

[@themotioncodemarc]

I’m glad someone else is recognizing the complexity of other worldly rhythms. A lot of people just stay to the westernization of music and miss out on a lot of cool complexities of other cultures in music. It’s a really cool exercise and I highly recommend people to up their rhythm game because it will allow you to create and express more. Hope you’re having yourself a wonderful week thank you for your contribution.

[@Objectified]

There are many complexities in varieties of western music as well. Western music incorporates rhythms and modes and scales from around the world. I'm tired of people treating all-things western as if it's monolothic and bland, and talking down to westerners under the presumption that westerners think non-western things are not as interesting or are inferior - particularly when fetishization of non-western things is commonly seen among westerners, and when non-western things are commonly held up as superior rather than different.

[@themotioncodemarc]

@@Objectified I think you misunderstood me. I’m not saying that its inherently bad I’m just saying that if you only focus on specifically western stuff you miss out on a lot of things that could inspire more.

[@TheSeeking2know]

⁠I don't think he was discounting Western music as "simplistic".

[@themotioncodemarc]

@@TheSeeking2know nah I wasn’t implying anything but admiration for other cultures of music outside of it and thanks for pointing it out.

[@arjittyagi6407]

So nice to see you back, and that too with Indian music! Keep creating man, love from India! 🇮🇳 ❤

[@seiph80]

Hey Jake! So glad to see you here again! Thanks again for all you do!

[@Funkybassuk]

From “My Pickup Truck Is My Best Friend” to this… 🤯👍🏽

[@Ixodiusixi]

I bought a book on Northern Hindustani Classical music as a kid and quite a bit went swoosh over my head but the stuff that hit my rhythm and the way i look at phrasing it is nice to have that influence that advanced my overall education.

[@Gyroscopicnightmare]

so stoked to see this upload! great to see you exploring eastern music concepts! thanks for the great content as always signals

[@ryanpriye1402]

So glad you’re posting again!

[@LeviClay]

great to see you back dude

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

thanks man! I gotta get you a copy of my new book, would love your thoughts on some of it

[@lundsweden]

Australian here, always liked and respected Indian music! It's really fascinating to explore some of the complexity!

[@HighestPower]

Awesome to see you back in action again! Thank you, Jake!

[@denniskielton2447]

Signalsssssssss You're my favorite, I love your style and especially your sense of humor, I credit your videos for helping me understand the modes and introducing me to harmonic minor. I still have yet to find any thing else online that explains it in a better way. And I've been teaching guitar for 15 years lol. It made me very happy to see this new video posted, you have some of the hands-down best guitar tutorials on the web. Keep it up el duderino, you're important

[@trufflefluffle4293]

Im so happy you are posting again! Its thanks to you i got into music and got good at it!

[@shmert]

What an incredible video you've made! The explanation, instruction and inspiration build on each other in a really wonderful overall effect.

[@gratefuloctopus7446]

Your content is always amazing, dude! So glad to have you back!

[@willmurph6691]

Love that ur back man, i wouldnt b a musician without these vids

[@onesyphorus]

sometimes i forget how versatile you are bc you make it look doable n approachable

[@erikberg8352]

So glad you are back with another lesson that will keep teaching us through years of practice!

[@Jadzia_Dax]

I'm so glad you're back, I know you've been back for a bit but I really enjoyed this.

[@CasperNuada]

Good to have you back. Please do not disappear again. Love from India.

[@JeremyVeleber]

So good! I love how it feels like it is barely hanging on. It's like a trainwreck up ahead that never happens.

[@SingSkateScream]

thanks dude! your videos are truly of great value! thanks for the sound rhythm lesson!

[@JAAHUNGHAAM]

Beautiful, beautiful episode.🤘🏿It just shows how rich and profound Indian classical music is, just beautiful. And it definitely showed how well crafted the staff notation system is. No whatever what, it can note everything down, that's some amazing wonder to ponder upon. And of course, this video shows, how much you love music. Keep bringing these beautiful episode. 🤘🏿🤘🏿

[@sandy__matt]

i got your book in the mail yesterday, so stoked. you're the man Jake! thanks for all the amazing content over the years.

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

Woohoo! hope you enjoy!

[@clintt5266]

Quality video as always! Normally I wouldn't go for this genre of music, but your example song sounds really great, and the context adds so much more.

[@tombeach1262]

Dude. Your music skills are unreal. Thanks for this.

[@JBrooksNYS]

So glad you are back

[@nebpublic]

Superb video. Great to see you posting again.

[@Symphonicrockfran]

Amazing Collab! Two of the most creative minds on KZbin

[@LoveAllReality]

Very beautiful multi layered recording. The sound is close to a clarinet, which I absolutely love ❤

[@BorisBarroso]

Great. Really loved how the song evolved and I'm really liking the ideas you have provided. Thanks!

[@artemlyubchenko3022]

Messiaen loved using those rhythms! The beginning of the Quartet for the End of Time is just fascinating, the piano plays a progression of 29 chords over an Indian rhythm consisting of 17 notes (so the harmony and the rhythm restart at different places). I highly recommend to have a read through his book Technique of my musical language.

[@lukaskohn2758]

wooooow, defnitly one of my favorit compositions from your videos. amazing.

[@insightguitars]

you channel is very inspiring, you always create great content. thank you for the effort, I hope we see more videos soon.

[@ButtmanRises]

You are my inspiration dear sir❤ I am so happy that you’re back. You’re my childhood guitar teacher and now that im 20 I look back to all the great lessons you thought me for the guitar. Thank you ❤

[@hecateswolf6007]

I'm an alto saxophonist and I have just come across your channel. Your work here is fascinating. Thanks. Subscribed.

[@totallypointlessvideos3832]

The backbeat with that pattern on drums sounds fantastic

[@user-jt1to4wp2p]

Please never leave us

[@frankiesunswept]

This is so sick brotha, great work. Love the music you guys made

[@LittleFly75]

Just AWESOME video! The information... The collaboration... Just awesome. I've been playing for 32 years, and I've learned, and continue to learn, more from this channel than just about anywhere else, short of actually playing with other people that were better than I was when I first started taking it seriously. Thank you to all three of you guys for this one. 👏👏👏👏👏

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

thank YOU! glad you enjoyed it as much as we did making it!

[@mikegoggins9758]

This is a fantastic concept! 😊👍🥁✌️

[@sayanmandal2246]

Glad that you're Back.😍🤩🥰

[@DaveEricsson]

Thanks for a headache and a insanely good piece of music 👌

[@r0bophonic]

Loving this lesson and I’m so here for the Ben Levin collab! Happily surprised to see two of my favorite music KZbinrs join forces. 🙌

[@danpreston564]

The visualisation at 6:25 using the 16th notes makes it so easy to play for me because it reminds me so much of exercises in my drum exams.

[@tanstans]

What a nice thing to see you here again..

[@matildastanford7019]

Holy moly! You're back! l see you've been busy. Wow, l've never really understood lndian music or how it's structured until now. Like always, Amazing lesson, thank you.

[@johnfeole1971]

Jake, fascinating stuff! I have to play around and try and digest this..

[@meherhowji]

Thank you for featuring Indian music, it's deep, complex and soulful. ❤

[@llll-lk2mm]

kinda blew my mind to the possibilities with these kind of rhythm arrangements

[@Cromanea]

Good to see my favourite teacher....❤

[@Amanda-1976]

Whoa. 🤯 I’m going to keep this one on the back burner for if I should ever feel like I know much of anything about music. Also, that finished song was transcendent.

[@wildflower3093]

Your lessons are so fascinating it always helps me to discover something new you had really been a good teacher to us thanku for always helping us sharing what we love god bless you man

[@mishan-theonemanband3212]

Your videos are blessings for the upcoming musicians. ✨

[@ronboprime]

I didn't know what this was called, for the longest time. thankyou so much!

[@brak1381]

YES!!! 👏 Absolutely top notch video!

[@xadovitch6630]

The one and only guy that makes me want to practise exercices on guitar!🎉

[@anishkelkar6434]

Not only this is such a hard to compose, your story telling skills are unbelievable. You made us realise what you actually did which is this complex

[@peterd3218]

Great stuff as always

[@lanierwexford2582]

What a sweet colab form two of my favorite creators.

[@guidoh9391]

Impressive! I first saw this concept applied by Mattias IA Eklund on guitar and I was flashed like "ok, this is far beyond, what I can understand" 🤯

[@attuneu]

brilliant piece of music. Fabulous video

[@franr316]

Absolutely brilliant!!

[@caiqueoliveira7190]

youre the goat of music teachers Jake. keep it up

[@bzz8540]

I love the chord progression you chose for that melody

[@jackatlas5953]

it screams "MESHUGGAH!!!" ❤ good job jake, great content as always

[@Maradnus]

There is a good reason why it takes MANY years to become a master of Indian music. It’s wonderful! Thanks for this break down!

[@erichobbs4042]

Those two pieces together. Man that was prog heaven for me 😊

[@shredvenom]

Hell yeeeahhh.... The Indian rhythms are where it's at !!! Thanks heaps for this lesson, very insightful !

[@jeremieking]

I don't play guitar or read music. ... I can still appreciate the magic I've just witnessed. This is amazing. ...that's all the words I have left.

[@NauZeatedDJ]

wow super interesting and challenging lesson thanks jake! the song ben levin made is absolutely insane, nailed it

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

when I opened up the file he sent me my brain fell out! I thought I was just gonna get a groove or something lol

[@ribeirosams]

Very nice stuff! Great job!

[@ivonsmith4255]

Excellent video, Jake! Ive been a fan of and terribly bad student of indian music for decades! Glad to see you embracing it. Shakti, Mahavishnu Orchestra & John MClaughlin have been favorites of mine my whole life! Konnokol is THE most wonderful rhythmic system in the world.

[@adrijamukherjee8783]

The intro sounds so much like the Indian raag charukeshi.... Great job guys ❤

[@pratikmali9277]

Just when I was getting into carnatic rhythm, signals uploaded this video 🥳

[@whatbreaksthesilence8508]

Me and my band are working on a complex polyrythm composition right now… this couldn’t have come in the most perfect time!

[@FlorissMusic]

damnnnn that prelude fit PERFECTLY

[@profitnadeem]

The way you constructively create is extraordinary! I feel that more people can learn how music isn’t complex, it’s just a process of creating. The theory is important to understand the reason how it all works. But it it’s truly derived from the creative infinite source of life 🙏🏽✌🏽🕊️

[@RottingMofo]

I really want to buy that finished track! Sooooo good!

[@jasonbonifacio2473]

Wow, amazing content. Thank you!

[@reneharmsen5403]

The finished song reminded me of Mew. Well done!

[@billymcguiremusic]

So glad you're back on KZbin! Love your content!

[@emullally2000]

very enjoyable video. great content.

[@iknownothing13]

Thank you for sharing this,it’s indeed valuable and inspiring, and your melody for first exercise however sounds like a BGM for ghibili movie in a good way 😊

[@auriels1451]

Super cool video thank you for making this. Completely agree that practicing the beats in between even if they dont line up exactly is good and like how this exercise breaks it down in a tangible way! So was really interesting to see how you put this together! Well explained and a great exercise to practice too! FYI for those interested in south indian classical music/finding resources :) the first tala cycle he showed (8 beat) is called Adi tala - really common, find a kruti (common song structure like a jazz head+chorus, and then verses) and look for some improv (maybe kalpana swaras, typically towards the end of the song) - can see some cool patterns esp towards the end of the improv (they have to improvise melodies that fit within the 8-beat cycle). Thilana's are other types of compositions that are quite rhythmic and the singers actually use sollu (rhythmic syllables - konnakol is the art of using these rhythmic syllables, and solkattu is saying these syllables with tala - at least is my understanding of it). U can also look at indian classical dance for some really interesting beat patterns - learning the solkattu is something that helps identify particular steps in dance/learn a dance routine - u can probably find videos of people saying it - but unlike konnakol its a bit more literal as opposed to making it sound pretty (konnakol). If ur more keen on 5 beat cycles - look into compositions with the tala kanda chappu (kanda refers to 5 beat divisions). Keep in mind the terms i used are mainly relating to South Indian music - Hindustani (north indian) has elements that are the same/similar but called different things (eg. 8-beat cycle is not called adi tala in hindustani music hahaha). Most resources on the web relate to hindustani music! Hope some of that helps :)

[@kukkuvinod1]

Thank you.❤ From India.

[@pouyashahrouei7433]

well done! now this is how it's done!

[@sjangvill]

I saw your very interesting video yesterday, but today after some gardening work, this rythm was haunting me, so I had to find your video again and try to get it right. Much fun (I havn't got it yet :-))

[@navreenkaur1305]

This was awesome, love from India !

[@joeknowles3721]

This sounded really beautiful .this why I love complex time signatures I used to listen to djent but the market is oversaturated and just boring now. You taught me a valuable lesson about other cultures and how to use them to inspire myself.