Analyzing Sixteenth Note Rhythms
In a bar of sixteenth notes in * time, there are 16 different positions for notes within the bar. This means that it can be difficult to identify exactly where some of the notes fall in some bass lines. There is a simple system for identifying any note’s position in a bar by naming notes off the beat according to which beat they come directly after.
The system works as follows. The first beat is 1, the second note of the first group of four is called the "e of one" the third note of the first group is called the "and of one" and the fourth note of the first group is called the "a of one". The system then continues through the bar - 2, e of 2, and of 2, a of 2, etc.
A good way to become familiar with this system is to play constant sixteenth notes with the right hand and to articulate the rhythms with the left hand, playing the rests as ghost notes as shown in the next example.
Once again all the notes are played with thumb slaps (T). To help you clearly identify where the notes which are not ghosted fall, accent these notes with your voice as you play. In this example these notes occur on 1, the e of 2, the and of 3 and the a of 4. Use this system to analyze any rhythm you have trouble playing.
As with eighth note based lines, it is common to use ghost notes in lines based on 16th notes. Here are some exercises to help you become more comfortable with ghost notes in 16th based lines.
