Bounce Metronome Blog

21/11/12

Update to Video Resources - Syncopated (or Beat Shifted) Harmonic Polyrhythms

Youtube Video

Syncopated harmonic polyrhythm 8 : 5 as 3+2+3 : 3+2, shifted by fractional beats
Pitches: 2/1 3/1 12/5 13/1 24/5 3/1 4/1 1/1

These new video resource pages explore a technique from African Drumming. When you play a polyrhythm such as say 4:3, you can shift the rhythms so that the two rhythms meet each other at different places in the measure, not just at the measure beat.
 

You get a syncopated effect - a feeling that you are playing "off the beat". Wtih these examples I've also used the 3+2+3 type rhythms of Eastern European music. Then I added pitch as well.

Read More »

08/11/12

Time Signatures like 4/3 ((Brian Ferneyhough's notation)

I've updated the help for the page on the bouncemetronome.com website about time signatures like 4/3 (Brian Ferneyhough's notation).

Youtube Video

Polymeter 3/4 : 2/6  (Brian Ferneyhough's notation) - This is a great polyrhythm exercise for a beginner - play two instruments or surfaces with left hand and three with right hand following this pattern

The new version of the page explains more clearly how the notation works, and also explains the other notation, which I call Polyrhythm Notation in Bounce Metronome, and why it was necessary to have this variation on Brian Ferneyhough's notation to describe some of the rhythms you can make in Bounce Metronome.

http://www.bouncemetronome.com/video-resources/polyrhythms/44-43-type-polyrhythms

01/11/12

Wikipedia article on the metronome

Just done an update of the Metronome article in wikipedia. You might like it, if interested by the video on Metronome Technique.

My contribution was to edit the introduction to make it more balanced, and to add the new section on Metronome Technique. There were many requests on the talk page for a more balanced article, so this is an attempt to help with those requests.
13/10/12

Enjoyment and Relaxation in Metronome Technique

For more on this, see The Vanishing Metronome Click - Burying the Click

Here is a new video I did on enjoyment and relaxation in metronome technique. It's quite long so did it as a playlist of shorter videos. This is perhaps the highlight:

Read More »

28/09/12

Bounce Metronome 4.3 Update

To find out what's new in version 4.3 of Bounce, see Bounce Metronome 4.3 Release.

Latest update 14th November 2012. Fixes quite a few remaining bugs in the 4.3 release, - most important some glitches in the layout of the bouncing balls in the 3D bounce window which you might encounter with some rhythms. Also adds some extremely minor new features.

You can get this new update from the Download Page.

Read More »

06/09/12

Bounce Metronome 4.3 Release

With version 4.3, Bounce Metronome, you can now play beat preserving polymeters - - with the beats the same in all the rhythms, and the measures varying in size. 

Youtube Video

Two rhythms ♩ ♪♩ and ♩ ♪♩ ♪ as a beat preserving polymeter - this is one of the preset rhythms in the Drum & Dance view in the main window drop down..

You get a new "Beat preserving polymeters" metronome type - dedicated to this type of rhythm. Aso, as a new feature you can combine any of your rhythms in music notation as a polymeter.

You can also combine your rhythms as a polyrhythm (and so make polyrhythms where each rhythm has notes of several different sizes, e.g. play ♩ ♪♩ polyrhythmically with ♩ ♪♩ ♪). As another new feature, you can combine your rhythms using Steve Reich style rhythm phasing - with a different tempo for each one.

Other improvements - you can now use file names in any language (full unicode support), any of the unicode symbols also in the lyrics or bouncing text etc, you can use  custom percussion menus (e.g. for Studio Drummer), nice preset sprites with some new special sprite features, for blind users you now have pitch and volume bounces to try out, as an audio version of the visual bounces, and there are numerous other new features and improvements.

 

Read on to find out more about the release.

19/08/12

Bounce Metronome for Mac and Multi Platform

UPDATE - Sadly the Wineskin version doesn't work in High Sierra or later due to Apple dropping support for 32 bit apps.

There are several other ways you can run it on the Mac

My Kick starter to get Bounce Metronome running on an Intel Mac was a success and was used by musicians for several years.

See Bounce Beta for Mac OSX

(Sadly the method won't work for an iphone or iPad)

Read More »

08/08/12

Golden Ratio Rhythm with each part silent for a few measures at a time independently

Youtube Video

Golden ratio rhythm with each part going silent for several measures at a time..

 This is a feature of the public beta:  soon to be released

This is an exercise to test your ability to keep a very steady tempo (and hopefully improve it).

What you have to do is to choose one of the rhythms and tap exactly in time with it and then continue your taps through the silences. Are you exactly in time with the clicks for your part next time it resumes?<--break->

Read More »

22/07/12

Bounce Metronome 4.3 Public Beta

Youtube Video

The Sound of a Pendulum Wave - As Bounces with Harmonic Series Pitches.

 Current upload of the public beta: 29th August 2012

This has now been RELEASED.

See Bounce Metronome 4.3 Release

 

01/03/12

New sprite animation options

Youtube Video

Sorlo, a Funny Sorceror - bouncing in a conducting pattern for 4/4

This is the new updated sprite feature which will be in the next upload of Bounce Metronome. I've uploaded several sprite videos to youtube and will add them to the web site.

I've also uploaded many other example videos of various types to youtube, upload usually several times a week, so if you are interested in the Bounce Metronome videos - maybe because you have a Mac and can't get it for Windows or just like them - then you might want to subscribe to my youtube channel :).