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YouTube Playlist: Jazz Foundation
Any groove, whether pop, jazz or other is built from two major components:
- THE HEARTBEAT. The most basic pulse. The steady beat. The drive that makes you tap your foot.
- THE SUBDIVISION. The rhythmic subdivisions between the heartbeat, usually occurring as straight 8ths notes, swing 8ths, shuffle 8ths, or 16ths.
For a singer or player to really be sitting comfortably in the rhythmic pocket, it’s critical to have a strong connection with the heartbeat and subdivision, and to be sensitive to the relationship of the two. Grooves are built with the heartbeat and subdivision of beats serving as the foundation, and after that they can become more exciting and powerful through creative use of style and articulation. For example, there are differing degrees of laying back within a groove, and players may lay back in a groove more or less depending on the feel they want to create.
This video features 11 different grooves played on the piano, all of which are at the same metronome marking (mm. 77!) Practice tips are at the end of the video.
