Multiphonic Sounds

Relentless Energy. So much has been written and said about John Coltrane and his quartet; there is so much to experience and learn when one listens with an open heart. This video is really dense in many ways: harmonically, rhythmically, and dynamically.

These four musicians played “My Favorite Things” so many times but still found ways to be creative within its structure. Coltrane was often known to just start playing without counting pieces off. Here we can see him give two ‘stomps’ for the tempo count in at 16:44 . These two taps can be interpreted as a 2 bar count in 3/4 (ex.1) [three quarter notes per bar] or the “1 and 4” of 12/8 [twelve eighth notes per bar] (ex3). 

ex.1 (3/4):   1  2  3  1  2  3   1 2 3   1   2   3

ex.2 (c):       1          2           1          2   

ex.3 (12/8): 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 

There are many ways to feel and interpret music while playing and listening to fast tempos. Often feeling it as “1-2/1-2/1-2” is more natural for the musician. It also frees up the mind to be more creative and allows intuitive energy to take over.  Thinking of each beat at such a frantic pace is limiting because it restricts the music and can create stress.  Coltrane here is obviously feeling the tempo in ‘cut time’ or ‘1/2.’ This allows him to effortlessly execute fast flurries of notes and interact with the group rhythmically.

One must always internalize a tempo (especially when it’s fast) so that the music has a lighter bounce which can make dragging or dropping tempo, less common. Many students tend to tap their feet as a way of keeping time but this is a physical tenseness and when you study great musicians you can see how still and focused they are but always physically relaxed. Tensing up can make you play out of tune and can even lead you to not playing again. The way to learn how to play fast is to play fast! Practice uptempo by always using a metronome when you practice. Try setting it on two and four and just improvise freely, focusing only on eighth note lines in time. Once you get that together try playing standards that you know at faster tempos. Keep playing fast, the more often you do the easier it gets.