Hemiola: What It Is and Writing Funky Jams With It
Blending groupings of 3 and 2 create a cross-rhythm known as hemiola. A simple trick that opens the door up to complex grooves, polymeter, and polyrhythm.
By Jake Lizzio · Signals Music Studio · 700,000+ subscribers on YouTube
Hemiola comes from the words "hemi" and "holos," half and whole, so it literally means one and a half. In music, we'll see that as a ratio of 3:2.
The way those ratios appear musically can vary, but they all hint at the three-to-two polyrhythm. Here's the variations I explore in this lesson:
The vertical hemiola: a true 3:2 polyrhythm - how to play it and count it.
The horizontal hemiola: Not a dance move, but a specific rhythm: two dotted quarter notes, then three single quarter notes. Or, the same in reverse. It's a measure of 12 counts and can be evenly divided by either 3 or 4. You'll hear it in West Side Story's "America".
The loosest definition: phrasing 3/4 to sound like 6/8 or vice versa, as in the Game of Thrones theme's cello line
At the end, I compose a tasty jam in B Dorian (Bm7, E7, F#m7). The bass plays a horizontal hemiola while the bells do a reversed version. Then on top, I introduce a new polymeter: 5+5+5+5+4, which all adds up to 24.
This lesson is a required follow-up to Real Rhythm Guitar: Level 2, Lesson 6, and a preview of the polymeter and polyrhythm concepts taught