In this column, I would like to address playing and writing in odd meters. This seems to be an activity that stymies many a musician, particularly those who have focused most of their attention on the ‘‘4 on the floor” concept. Some are of the opinion that playing in 5 or 7 detracts from the swing factor. I don’t think this is the case at all. Infact, odd meter composition and playing is as old as music itself. It is a logical place to go to add a new twist to the groove.

My first major exposure to playing in odd meters occurred in 1990 when I joined the Yellowjackets. There was a tune on Runferyerlife called "Jacketown" that was written in an easy going 5/4 meter. Towards the end of the tune it burst into a doubled-up gospel 5 feel that really got going. This tune, which we still occasionally play has an infectious funkiness to it that makes the non-musician listener move to the groove. They would dance in 4/4 even though the tune is in 5/4. Funky is funky, regardless of the meter! Initially I worked on playing on this tune by playing the solo vamp into my sequencer and looping the solo form. I then practiced soloing over the form, playing many, many choruses, until it began to feel comfortable. One thing that helped a lot was to think of the pulse in half-time, that is, counting half notes instead of quarter notes. Slowing things down this way makes it a little easier to construct phrases in 5 and lay them in the groove. One slow bar of 5 equals 2 double time bars of 5. Doing it this way creates a strong beat every other bar, which is a far less cumbersome way to count.

Eventually playing over odd meters has to be done based on feel, not on counting. Hence, the approach of playing alot in odd meters is the only way to truly get comfortable with it. Try writing a tune or two in an odd meter to facilitate the opportunity to play this way.

Another thing that seems to help me in soloing over odd meters is to listen to the bass line and try to play off and around it. This is something to lock into in creating phrases.

Try to sing rhythms in 5/4 or 7/4 while trying to keep track of the downbeats of each bar. Try to find rhythms that go over the bar line and create a horizontal, forward-motion feel rather than a vertical, or quarter note feel. You can practice this anywhere without your instrument.

If you want to hear a band that makes 5s and 7s feel totally natural check out Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s trio. They are playing some music that has serious swing and flow in odd meters. What they are doing is very funky, yet not at all obvious. Infact it is sonetimes hard to detect where “1” is.

Many bands are experimenting with odd meters these days. I feel that this approach can create a sense of drama and texture that is quite compelling. Keep an eye out for the new Jackets cd (due out early next year). Russ Ferrante has written a tune in 5 that has a crazy groove. We haven’t figured out how to play on it yet, but when we do, it will be something else